Here’s Kurt Angle’s Final Word On a Royal Rumble Appearance

By my count, this is about the five thousandth Kurt Angle Royal Rumble story we’ve written in the past week, but there’s no escaping the excited speculation that’s been running rampant over the internet these past few months. Now, there’s definitive word from the man himself.

Talking to TMZ Sports, Angle made it short and simple, saying “the Royal Rumble is not gonna happen.” He hasn’t “talked to WWE about anything after WWE Hall of Fame.”

If Angle were to be in the Rumble, he likely would’ve been notified by now. If you’re a “hope springs eternal” kind of person, you might chalk this up as Angle and WWE trying to maintain the surprise for this weekend, but I’m inclined to take the Olympian at his word.

“I’m sure they’re gonna want to do something eventually, I don’t know if it’s wrestling-related or not. But I would imagine I will be attached to WWE most likely for the rest of my life. But there aren’t any clues or anything that has led me to that, I just believe this is the start of our new relationship.”

Kurt is leaving an in-ring return as an open possibility, but he’s not making any commitments right now.

The latest round of speculation came when Angle was pulled from an independent booking the night before the Royal Rumble. Reason enough to speculate, but it seems not enough to confirm the rumors.

Still holding out for a surprise this Sunday? Let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook!