Kurt Angle on WWE 2k18, WWE Now vs. Then, and Asuka

Planeta Wrestling held a recent interview with Kurt Angle as part of promotion for WWE 2k18. Some topics discussed included WWE 2k18 game, differences in the WWE since he wrestled, and the NXT star he wants the most for the RAW brand.

On the topic of WWE 2k18, Angle stated Undertaker, Cena, and AJ Styles would be his top choices to use in the game. For Cena and Undertaker, its due to them rarely losing while for AJ Styles, its due to being a big fan of his work.

“I would be either Undertaker or John Cena because they rarely lose. They are guys that, whether in the video game or real life, they’re real life superheroes. I enjoy watching them both wrestle. I think they’re both very articular and have a great outlook on their psychology in professional wrestling. Especially Undertaker, he’s the man. But those two guys are the guys I’d like to play. One of the newer guys – I love AJ Styles. I’m a big AJ Styles fan so I’d love to play him. I’ve wrestled him numerous times, and I know how truly talented he is. It’d be a lot of fun to be on the other side of that. I’d love to be AJ wrestling Kurt Angle. That’d be a lot of fun. So we’ll see how that goes, but those are the guys I’d like to be.”

When the topic shifted to the changes in the WWE since he last wrestled there, Angle stated he feels a lot of the changes have been for the best in regards to a bigger focus towards the health of wrestlers. Similar to Goldberg, he wants to wrestle one more match for both WWE fans and his own kids who were too young or not around when he last wrestled in the WWE.

“It’s different now, but in many good ways. The drug policy, the wellness policy, the way they cater to the athletes – it’s a lot of fun to be back. I wanted to come back – Bill Goldberg said last year, he spoke about him returning to WWE. It wasn’t about him, it was about his kids. I have three little ones that actually never have seen me wrestle. A six-year-old, four-year-old, and seven-month-old. And not only that, but I owed it to the WWE Universe to come back and end my career here, where I started it. A lot of fans have been asking for that for many years. So it isn’t about me coming back, it isn’t about me making money, it’s about the WWE Universe, the fans, and my kids that never watched me wrestle. I wanted them to see their dad and the light that my two older children have and the light that the rest of my family have. So it’s really not about me, it’s about them and I want to show them what daddy really can do.”

Later in the interview, Angle revealed NXT Women’s champion Asuka is his current top choice from NXT for the RAW brand. Besides praising the recent progress of women’s wrestling in the WWE, Angle also praised Asuka and feels she will be a big star when called up to the main roster.

“Oh gosh, I really like that Asuka girl. I’m telling you, the girls have really come on strong. Watching her, I know she’s gonna make a huge impact when she comes up, and I really hope we get her on RAW. I really enjoy watching the females become a big part of the WWE. Not just an addition but a big staple. They’re just as highly demanded as the guys now, I think Triple H and the WWE have done an incredible job with NXT. They’re grooming these talents, they’re become stars before they even get on TV on RAW and SmackDown. Wow, that’s never happened before. You have to give credit to how they’ve been able to produce them. Whether they get them from theatre programs or independents, they bring them to NXT and they groom them.

They get them ready for TV and it’s amazing how many talents are coming through NXT. That’ll continue to be their staple. that’s gonna be the way it goes and I like it.”