Kurt Angle is not shy about his love for the years he spent in TNA. The Olympic gold medalist turned world champion believes the best stretch of his in ring career happened after he left WWE in 2006 and moved to the six sided scene. So when he talks about WWE possibly buying the TNA video library, he lights up like a fan who just found a long lost box of DVDs in the attic. In recent months Angle has gone on multiple shows and explained exactly why he hopes the deal happens and why it would matter to him and to fans.
This is not just nostalgia talking. WWE and TNA have already been working together in ways we never thought we would see. Jordynne Grace showed up in NXT in late May 2024, then wrestled Roxanne Perez at the Battleground event in June. That crossover sparked more appearances from both sides through the rest of the year. The door is not just cracked open. It is swinging on its hinges. That is the setting for Angle’s comments and the reason his excitement feels real rather than wishful thinking.
Before: How we got to talk about a TNA library sale in the first place
The modern partnership traces back to a few surprise moments that showed both companies were willing to experiment. The most famous early example came when Mickie James entered the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble while holding the Impact Knockouts title. WWE used her Impact theme and even referenced her championship on air. It was a small sign at the time, but in hindsight it proved the two sides could find common ground for the right moment. The bigger push came in 2024 with the Jordynne Grace appearances and NXT names working TNA tapings. Suddenly a relationship existed where none had for years.
As that relationship grew, reports began to float about future steps. One of the most talked about ideas was WWE gaining access to the TNA library. That would place thousands of hours of content under the WWE umbrella for documentaries, specials, and future streaming plans. Wrestling outlets noted that WWE and TNA had at least explored the possibility, and some reporting even suggested WWE would be first in line if a sale became possible. None of that is official, but it gave real oxygen to the conversation that Angle keeps bringing up.
During: What Kurt Angle said and why it matters
Angle’s most direct comments came during appearances on multiple shows this year. On Ken Anderson’s Mic Check podcast, Angle said he never thought WWE and TNA would work together, and that he loves the partnership because he believes WWE will eventually buy the TNA library. He emphasized that such a move would let WWE fans finally access all of his TNA work in one place. He even went as far as to say he had a better career in TNA than in WWE, and that he was there longer, so a huge part of his legacy lives in those matches and stories.
That was not a one off take. In a separate conversation earlier this year, Angle told an interviewer that he hoped WWE would buy the tapes so his TNA matches would reach WWE fans who might have missed them the first time. He framed the current collaboration as the first step to something bigger, and sounded confident that a buyout of at least the library could be next.
If you followed Angle through the mid two thousands and early two thousand tens, you know why he feels this way. His TNA run includes instant classics with Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Sting, Jeff Jarrett, and more. It also features title reigns that defined entire seasons of that company. He wrestled with a broken neck story behind him and a chip on his shoulder, and he reinvented himself as a complete main event act who could deliver on weekly television and on Premium Live Event level shows. Bring that full library to WWE’s home for archives and you suddenly have enough material for docuseries episodes, career retrospectives, and match of the week features for years. Angle sees the same upside we do.
There is also a bigger business picture. WWE has been preparing a new era for how fans watch its content after major distribution changes. Reports and analysis pieces have focused on what happens to the massive WWE library and how classic content will be made available moving forward. If WWE ever secures the TNA tapes, that vault would instantly grow with a crucial chapter of modern wrestling history, one that stars like Angle made can not miss television. The timing makes his comments even more interesting.
The reaction: Wrestlers, fans, and analysts
Wrestlers who were around Angle in TNA have long praised his run there, and fans still talk about those matches as appointment viewing. The crossover era in 2024 only made those conversations louder. When NXT talents appeared at TNA tapings and Grace mixed it up in an NXT ring, social feeds turned into wish lists of cross branded dream bouts and long threads about favorite TNA classics. So when Angle said he hopes for a library sale, the response from many fans was simple. Please make it easy to watch all of that again.
Media outlets largely echoed Angle’s points. Coverage from WhatCulture and WrestlingNews highlighted his belief that a sale would happen at some point and his claim that a large part of his best work lives in TNA. These pieces also reminded readers that WWE and TNA continuing to work together makes a library deal far more plausible than it used to be. On the news reporting side, F4W Online noted Angle’s excitement and placed his remarks in the context of the ongoing partnership. The tone across the board was the same. This is no longer a fantasy idea. It is a live topic tied to a real relationship between the companies.
After: What would change if WWE owned the TNA tapes
Start with Angle himself. WWE would control complete career footage of one of its most unique stars. That means more detailed documentaries and network style specials that can trace his story from the Olympic podium through WWE, then into the gruelling and brilliant TNA stretch, and finally back to the WWE Hall of Fame. It means a future where a young fan can watch him arrive in TNA, chase Samoa Joe, trade holds with AJ Styles, and carry the main event scene, all through the same service where they already watch Raw and SmackDown replays. From a legacy standpoint, that is priceless for Angle.
Now zoom out. WWE loves to package history. If it controls the TNA library, it gains rich footage for stories about AJ Styles before his WWE debut, for deep dives on Bobby Roode, for the early runs of countless names who later crossed over. Think of hall of fame video packages that no longer rely on still photos or short licensed clips. Think of rivalry collections that can finally place the full Angle versus Joe saga next to Angle versus Lesnar from WWE. Creative teams in documentaries would have a field day.
There is a talent development angle too. The 2024 to 2025 crossover reminded everyone that shared ecosystems can help both sides. If a future prospect shines in TNA before joining WWE, the company could present a full background piece using official footage rather than outside highlights. That builds stars faster and makes the audience feel smarter for knowing the history.
Finally, there is the fan experience. The last few years have been a bit confusing for viewers trying to follow where older content lives, as deals with different platforms changed how archives are offered and how large those offerings are. A TNA buy would not solve every distribution question, but it would ensure that a major slice of twenty first century wrestling sits under one roof. Fans would not have to hunt around to rewatch the Angle versus Joe headbutt standoff, or the night he wrestled for the world title in front of a red hot Orlando crowd. They could open the same app they use for current WWE programming and hit play. That simplicity would matter.
The concerns and the counter
Of course, there are obvious questions. What happens to TNA as a brand if it gives up its library. Would a sale of the archive weaken the company’s own streaming plans. Would fans lose access elsewhere. Reporting that speaks about first rights and matching options makes clear that a sale, if it ever happens, would be complicated. But none of that erases the logic Angle is pointing to. He is not wishing for TNA to fold. In fact, he has gone out of his way to say he is proud of his time there. He simply wants the fans who know him mainly from WWE to have easy access to the other half of his story. That is an understandable stance from a performer who cares about how his career will be remembered.
Predictions: Where the story could go next
If the two sides keep sending wrestlers back and forth, and if fans keep responding the way they did to the Grace and NXT appearances, the business case for deeper collaboration becomes stronger. The cleanest next step is a broader content sharing arrangement that gives WWE the right to stream selected TNA matches that involve WWE legends or current roster members. That could act as a bridge to a larger library acquisition down the road. The buzz around streaming futures also matters. As WWE sorts out where its long term archives live and how much of them can be offered at any given time, third party libraries that include top names like Angle become more valuable, because they allow WWE to tell fuller stories even when their own classic offerings ebb and flow.
For Angle specifically, expect to see his TNA chapter featured more often in WWE produced material even before any sale. He is a company Hall of Famer and a frequent guest on WWE programming, and he remains one of the best talkers in wrestling. If WWE continues to embrace the crossover era with a friendly tone, using short licensed clips or co produced content to spotlight Angle’s rivalries could serve as pilot projects that test fan interest for a full library deal.
Final word
Kurt Angle’s excitement is easy to understand. The man knows what he did in TNA, and he knows a huge chunk of the WWE audience never saw it week to week. With WWE and TNA now comfortable working together, a library purchase no longer sounds like a fantasy that fans debate on message boards. It feels like a logical possibility that could serve everyone. Angle gets his legacy preserved under one roof. WWE gains a treasure chest of modern classics at a time when every minute of compelling archive matters. Fans get quick access to the matches they have been hearing about for years.
We are not at the finish line yet. There is no official deal on the table today. But the path is clearer than it has ever been. If that path ends with WWE owning the TNA video library, the biggest winner might be the story of Kurt Angle itself, told complete from start to finish for every wrestling fan to enjoy. And based on what he has been saying on podcasts and in interviews this year, that is exactly why he is cheering for it to happen.
