Kurt Angle Initially Turned Down Offer to Join Real American Freestyle

Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Angle revealed that Hogan reached out to him before his death to pitch a new wrestling promotionnot your typical sports entertainment company, but one centered around real freestyle wrestling.

At first, Angle wasnt convinced. He said Hogans financial offer just didnt match what he felt his name brought to the table.

Well, I turned him down the first time because he offered me a certain amount of money, and I said, to be part of this promotion, I need more than that. He said, We cant give that to you right now. I said, Thats okay, man, Ill pass on it.

Angle also shared that another companyCLAWapproached him with a similar freestyle wrestling concept, but he passed on that one too.

Eventually, Angle circled back to Hogan with a change of heart. They started working on a new agreement, but before the deal was finalized, Hogan tragically passed away. Angle said he still went forward with the projectnow under Hogans business partner Chad Bronstein, who officially signed him on.

So I contacted Hogan again and said, Listen, lets talk again and see if we can make it work. We eventually made it work, but he passed away while I was in the process of signing the contract. Chad Bronstein, the other owner, continued on with me and signed me instead.

While Hogan didnt live to see the full launch of Real American Freestyle Wrestling, Angle believes in the missionand says this isnt just another gig. Its about honoring Hogans vision and helping real amateur-style wrestling thrive again.

Kurt Angles return to the world of competitioneven in a non-wrestling roleadds real credibility to the promotion and gives fans another reason to tune in.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.