Kurt Angle to be Inducted in Hall of Fame; Angle Reacts

WWE has announced that Kurt Angle will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2017. The Hall of Fame ceremony will take place on Friday, March 31 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

BREAKING: As first reported by @espn, @RealKurtAngle will be inducted into the #WWEHOF Class of 2017! https://t.co/VEog7qdACs pic.twitter.com/nwnZWt1eDu

— WWE (@WWE) January 16, 2017

The news was first released through an ESPN story, which also includes Kurt Angle’s reaction to the news, as well as reflections on his WWE exit and if there are any hard feelings.

He also commented about his possible return to the ring, telling ESPN, “We have not talked about any wrestling. Whether we do or not, that remains to be seen… There are no guarantees. I think right now the most important thing is the Hall of Fame — and I think both sides feel that way.”

Here are a few other interesting comments from Angle from the ESPN story:

“I was shocked. I’ve been out of WWE for a long time and out of touch with them so I didn’t really expect this,” Angle told ESPN.com. “It’s a huge honor. This is the only Hall of Fame that I’m not in and probably [the one] I want to be in the most. This is the one that means the most for me. I had a lot of fun entertaining the fans for seven years with WWE, and I’m glad that my hard work paid off.”

“It was one of those things where when I left WWE, it wasn’t on bad terms,” Angle said. “It was just that I couldn’t do anything for them anymore because I was banged up and they couldn’t do anything more for me. I never felt ill will against them. It wasn’t like a nasty parting, it was just our time is up. You go your way, and I’ll go mine.”

“I figured they either decided they didn’t want to do anything with me or they forgot,” Angle said. “Hunter said they never forgot and he called and told me this is the first thing they want to do. And whether I wrestle or not after this — which is irrelevant right now — I’m just really proud to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

“There was unfinished business [with WWE] the day I asked for a release. I always knew that I would come back, I just didn’t know when. This is my real home and even though I was gone longer than when I started, this is where I made my name.”

Update: WWE aired this hype video on tonight’s Raw: