Kurt Angle Talks About The Reception He And Other Veterans Received When Joining TNA

On October 19, 2006, Kurt Angle made his TNA debut. But by then, he wasn't the only wrestling veteran to grace the relatively new promotion with his presence, with "The Icon" Sting signed in 2003 while WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash debuted in 2004. 

So, how did the younger stars in the company react to those three coming aboard? On a recent episode of "The Kurt Angle Show," the Olympic gold medalist opened up on his early days in TNA.

"Listen, these guys were excited when we joined TNA. You know, Kevin, Sting, myself," he told co-host Paul Bromwell when asked about promos being cut by promotion mainstays Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. "They were excited because they were like, 'Wow, Kurt Angle just joined, we're going to be a stronger company.'"

Angle became the inaugural TNA World Heavyweight Champion, going on to win the belt on six occasions. He also became a World Tag Team Champion on two occasions — once with Sting and the other time with Styles, and cemented his Triple Crown status by becoming X Division Champion as well. 

While there were initial fears that the original TNA guys were giving up their spots to this group of veterans, Angle believed it to be a necessary step for the new promotion.

"But once we got in there, they were like, 'Wait a minute, where do we go? Why did we drop a level?'" he added. "And I understand, and I don't blame them for that. But you're gonna have to have people come in from other companies to make this company grow. They needed some bigger stars."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Kurt Angle Show" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.