The move from WWE to TNA from Kurt Angle was a huge shift in wrestling. TNA was never going to truly compete with WWE, but it set the tone of major names having another promotion to work for. The impact of Angle in both promotions saw him improving the overall product with his great matches and compelling promos.
However, there were quite a few differences between his time in WWE and TNA. Angle had to switch things up and adapt on the fly to thrive in each atmosphere. The differences allowed Angle to have an identity in each company. Find out what exactly led to change for an iconic performer. The following differences in WWE and TNA for Angle showed just how things played out for the Hall of Famer.
10 More Comedy In WWE
The range of Kurt Angle allowed him to become one of the most compelling comedic performers in WWE history. Angle didn’t care about making a fool of himself for the bigger picture in segments with Edge & Christian or having the musical segments with Steve Austin.
TNA did showcase a few small glimpses at comedy with Angle, but he thrived most playing a serious character. Angle was essentially the biggest star and that meant fewer risks with the comedic side like in WWE.
9 Bringing His Wife Into TNA
Many wrestlers wish to bring their family into the wrestling industry if it benefits their character. Maryse coming back to manage The Miz or The Undertaker getting his ex-wife Sara hired to appear at his side showed WWE would allow it.
Kurt Angle didn’t have his wife Karen join the wrestling business until his time in TNA. The members of management loved Karen’s look and charisma. Despite having the knack for wrestling, it turned out to be a huge mistake given the wild story of backstage drama when she left Kurt for Jeff Jarrett.
8 Having Hair At Start Of WWE Career
The bald head of Kurt Angle would become the trademark look for the rest of his career after losing a hair vs hair match against Edge. Angle started off in WWE with the short hair before making the decision to change it up.
TNA never saw Angle growing his back out beyond an extremely low cut for a movie role. Angle revealed that he felt more comfortable in the ring with the bald look and enjoyed the overall vibe it gave him as a character.
7 Face Of TNA
TNA gave Kurt Angle the keys to the castle when signing him in 2006. The huge move saw a rare former world champion from WWE making the move to TNA in his prime. Angle was pushed to the moon in the coveted “face of the franchise” role.
WWE always used Angle in a top spot, but he was never the face of the company. Angle had hopes of reaching that role when Steve Austin and The Rock left the company. Names like Triple H and John Cena were clearly above him in the pecking order.
6 Drastically Different Entrance Music Styles
The entrance theme of a wrestler can set the tone before they even show their face. Kurt Angle lucked into having strong entrance theme songs in both WWE and TNA, but there were huge differences involved.
The recycled theme of The Patriot became synonymous with Angle in WWE thanks to fans adding the “you suck” chant. Angle got to pick his own song in TNA and picked a rapper to deliver more intensity ahead of his matches.
5 Helped Build New Stars For TNA
The role of Kurt Angle was significantly different in WWE and TNA when it came to putting over new talent. Angle did that in WWE, but he was often the guy working with bigger names. Even the last few years in WWE featured him facing The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels in classic matches.
TNA witnessed a huge change for Angle when he was the veteran and massive star on the roster. Younger talents like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and Desmond Wolfe became bigger deals thanks to their matches and programs with the Olympic gold medalist.
4 Used Real Gold Medals In WWE For A While
The use of gold medals by Kurt Angle always had fans wondering about the legitimacy behind them. Angle’s gold medals from the 1996 Olympics were indeed used for real in WWE for the first few years of his career.
There was an incident of a fan trying to steal Angle’s medals before handing them over after a WWE show. Angle revealed he started using duplicates after such a scare for the rest of his WWE run and his entire TNA career.
3 Finishing Move Name Change
The finishing move of Kurt Angle is known as the Angle Slam or Olympic Slam depending on which promotion you watched him in. WWE introduced the move as Angle’s first finisher when calling it the Olympic Slam for the first few years of his career.
The name change to the Angle Slam started in WWE due to the Olympics threatening to sue over it. TNA kept them alive as the Olympic Slam was never used again. Fans loved the move regardless of the name as a constant in his career.
2 Going From Mentee To Mentor
Kurt Angle had to change his instincts in wresting when it came to his opponents. The first few years in WWE saw Angle revealing he was mentored by the likes of Pat Patterson and Steve Austin. Angle wanted input from other wrestlers when it came to his improvement.
TNA would see Angle being on the other side of the coin. Rising stars like James Storm, Bobby Roode and Jay Lethal learned from working with Angle and asking for advice. Most of the TNA homegrown stars believed Angle helped them immensely as an unofficial locker room mentor.
1 Historic Champion In TNA
The success of Kurt Angle in both WWE and TNA led to him thriving at the top of the card. Angle did well in the main event scene for WWE winning the WWE Championship and World Championship. However, the title reigns in TNA were more historic.
Angle has the record for most TNA World Championship reigns at six times and the most total days of 608. TNA even had a storyline where Angle held the TNA World Championship, TNA Tag Team Championship and X Division Championship all at the same time to make more history.