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Kurt Angle may have wrestled his last match in the Impact Zone. According to a new report, Angle will miss time with an injury. Coincidentally the time off will overlap the end of his contract meaning he is potentially done in TNA.

Dave Meltzer broke the news in his latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Meltzer reports that Angle underwent reconstructive knee surgery. The surgery will keep him out of action for five months. That would keep him on the shelf until October while his contract runs out in September. Meltzer also points out that TNA is not advertising him on a January 2015 UK tour which leads him to believe that the company thinks Angle is done.

Meltzer also goes on to report that Angle wants to go back to the WWE for one last run. “He’s talked about wanting to go back to WWE, but there’s no way he could take the schedule. In the past, when his contracts have been expired, WWE didn’t show interest in him. People talk about the idea of him being an instructor in NXT.”

Meltzer is quick to point out that nothing is finalized but speculates on how this will end with Angle leaving. This would end Angle’s eight year run in TNA, the same amount of time he spent during the first half of his career in the WWE. In my opinion losing Angle would be the biggest blow the promotion has ever suffered. I look at Kurt Angle as one of the legends of TNA. He is the most recognizable star in the promotion. More importantly, there is nobody remotely close to as talented as Angle. For all of the negatives, the positives are far more indicative of his impact on the company.

This brings us to the WWE. There was a report a while back that when Angle’s TNA contract came due last time that the creative team were already making plans for him. Something obviously happened as he wound up staying in TNA Wrestling. Is Angle any more appealing now at 45 coming off of reconstructive knee surgery than he was the last time he was a free agent? That is an interesting question.

I think the WWE should take a shot. There aren’t many guys like Angle in the industry. Again, he is one of the most talented wrestlers in the game. His character gives them opportunities in all kinds of directions with Angle. Yes he is a retread and that will be the biggest criticism of the hire. But he still has it. He can get in there and work circles around half of the roster. You can’t tell me a roster as talented as this WWE one is couldn’t use a guy like Angle to work with the younger guys?

Times are also different and Vince McMahon has been more open to part-time schedules than he ever was. The only way this thing could work is if Angle came in on a part-time schedule. Ironically it could be Angle that balks at that proposition. Using Angle sparingly and preserving his health is critical to making this next run work for Angle and the WWE.

Angle certainly opens up a lot of great opportunities for other wrestlers. Feuds with Daniel Bryan, members of The Shield, John Cena, and even Triple H have enormous potential. Unfortunately the reality with Angle is that you are undertaking a lot of risk by employing him. Is the reward worth the risk?

We’ll find out in October.

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