WWE/TNA News: Kurt Angle Reveals Retirement Plans

Big news coming from the TNA front, as it appears that Kurt Angle has laid out his retirement plans.

According to F4WOnline.com (via WrestlingInc.com):

"Kurt Angle revealed in an interview with F4WOnline.com Thursday that he plans to hang up the boots for good in three years.

"I've got two more years left at Impact Wrestling and then I'm going to have a retirement year and that's going to be it. I think I'll be done and once I retire, you're not going to see me back in a ring again, that's for sure," said the 44-year-old grappler. "I'm not going to be a guy that retires and keeps coming back. When I'm gone, I'm gone. Same thing as amateur wrestling; when I won the world championships in Olympics, I left and I never went back. Same for pro."

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Overall, I am a bit surprised by this announcement, as Angle has always seemed to be the guy that would stick around forever. Don't get me wrong, he is still an asset for TNA, but he is not the same star that signed with the company some seven years ago.

Ultimately, I have to wonder if he will attempt to get back into the WWE for his final run or if he just plans on having a "world tour" retirement year, similar to Jerry Lynn and Nigel McGuiness.

Any way you slice it, you can't deny that Angle has had a solid career as a part of both TNA and WWE.

The fact is, Angle could retire tomorrow and be satisfied with all that he has accomplished. Let's face it, outside of Hulk Hogan, he is the biggest name to ever sign with TNA—Jeff Hardy being a close second.

Luckily, I was able to not only meet, but interview, Angle when TNA was promoting Bound For Glory in 2011.

After meeting him, I can honestly say that he is a genuine guy that knows his place in the pro wrestling world. He also realizes that pro wrestling—more specifically TNA—can't survive without older guys stepping away to make room for future stars. Which is a bit of a rarity in this climate.

In the end, I for one will miss the Olympic Gold medalist. He has played an integral part in pro wrestling for close to 15 years by not only making a name for himself, but also helping solidify the careers of guys like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and John Cena.

Hopefully, he will become a trainer or mentor of some kind and help build TNA's future stars. Let's face it, a final WWE run would be nice, but he is better served helping TNA get to the next level with its younger stars.