TNA star Kurt Angle reckons pro wrestling will always be more popular than mixed martial arts.

The former WWE world champion revealed earlier this year he had started taking lessons in MMA, prompting speculation he could quit the squared circle.

But UFC president Dana White has played down reports he is planning to reunite the Olympic gold medallist with fellow ex-WWE star Brock Lesnar inside the Octagon.

And Angle, 39, has now seemingly cooled talk of a move by claiming wrestling has a brighter future than MMA.

He said: "I believe pro wrestling will always be around. People like to lose that touch of reality for a couple of hours and watch the show and have fun.

"Going out there and cutting a promo, or heeling in a match and the crowd are booing you, and they're becoming emotionally involved — that's what makes it fun.

"It becomes very difficult to tell a story in a worked shoot."

Angle and fellow TNA wrestler Samoa Joe were involved in an MMA-style match for the promotion earlier this month.

But the Olympic gold medallist insists MMA lacks the glitz and glamour of sports entertainment and is less appealing to mainstream fans.

He told Slam! Wrestling: "In wrestling, there’s a story in every match. In MMA, you cannot tell that story.

"There is no story in a 'shoot' fight — you either get knocked out, choked out, tapped out, or you make it and the referee decides who wins by decision."