WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle recently discussed the reports that WWE is not looking at hiring ‘indie’ wrestlers going forward.
The former WWE Champion was himself someone who came straight from amateur wrestling to the squared circle of WWE, yet the Olympic Gold Medallist believes WWE shouldn’t be taking that angle.
‘I would tread very lightly on that because there are a lot of incredible independent wrestlers,’ Kurt Angle began. ‘Wrestlers that never did any real sport but they’re very good at their craft, and I would like to see the percentage. Fortunately, for me, I was a real athlete and won a gold medal at the Olympics.
“These kids that are trained to be pro wrestlers and working at the independent shows, they’re doing a lot of the work and they’re crafting their skills and their character.
“I don’t know how much character development occurs down at NXT, but I think a lot of character development occurs in independent shows’ Angle concluded.
Kurt Angle on WWE Indie Star policy
A talent the stature and natural ability of Kurt Angle does not come around often, with WWE only finding a handful of genuine amateur wrestlers to turn into stars over the past couple of decades.
Names such as Brock Lesnar, Chad Gable, Shelton Benjamin and now Gable Steveson have all made their way to pro wrestling following their amateur career. It remains to be seen if WWE is going with a purely ‘homegrown’ focus going forward and ‘leaving the indies’ to AEW.
Here is the current card for WWE Extreme Rules 2021; which takes place on Sunday, September 26th, from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio:
- SmackDown Women’s Championship Match: Becky Lynch (c) vs Bianca Belair
- United States Championship Match: Damian Priest (c) vs Sheamus
- RAW Women’s Championship Match: Charlotte Flair (c) vs Alexa Bliss
- WWE Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns (c) w/Paul Heyman vs Finn Balor
Extreme Rules 2021 will be available on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network internationally. Peacock is available from $4.99 per month, and WWE Network is £9.99 in all other regions, dependent on the type of currency.
