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Back when I saw Kurt Angle perform for the first time in a dark match, I wouldn’t have believed it if you had told me that in 2006, he’d be the hottest commodity in the entire business. Sure, he was athletically gifted and showed a good deal of charisma for not having touched the mic or been involved in a storyline. But, at the time, he just looked like a “character wrestler,†goofing on the stereotypical 80s patriotic babyface. I was sure he wouldn’t go far with the persona, since most comedy acts don’t go further than jerking the curtain. Little did I know, Kurt Angle was a special case.
Fans quickly took to Angle, becoming the guy the audience “loved to hate.†His work ethic and seamless transition from amateur to professional wrestling was not overlooked, and by the time the year 2000 was up, Kurt had already won his first WWE Championship at the No Mercy pay per view, defeating The Rock of all people. He had officially arrived.
It is now six years later and Kurt has been released by WWE after a number of years of main events and stellar bouts with top tier talent. And for the first time in a long time, I actually got the impression WWE was releasing someone for their own good, rather than their own. The wear and tear on Kurt’s neck was apparently getting too much to handle with such a physical schedule, there were rumors of discontent in his home life, and WWE decided that the best thing for them to do was to cut Kurt loose. Most, if not all, of the Internet fans, agreed with the decision and commended WWE for potentially saving one of its workers from hitting rock bottom, like others had in the past. But Kurt didn’t see it that way. And instead of taking a substantial chunk of time off to heal and to settle his supposed problems, he signed with TNA a month later.
At this point in time, Kurt Angle’s “defection†to TNA is easily the biggest story of the year, and it is so big that it will be continually followed by fans like us for several more months to follow. And although many of us were already watching TNA Impact on a weekly basis, this would presumably coax several more to “take the plunge†and add another night of wrestling to their week. However, Kurt’s much hyped debut promo didn’t deliver in the ratings like I’m sure TNA was hoping and expecting it to. So the question remains, how much of an “impact†will Kurt Angle have in TNA?
Like anything entertainment-related, the success of this venture will be based largely on two things: timing and writing. When the nWo emerged, it was during a time when wrestling needed a serious kick in the pants. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash (both heading to WCW) and Hulk Hogan (the perennial hero) creating a faction that exemplified the “era of attitude†that had been ushered in slowly by ECW in the early 90s WAS that kick in the pants. It came at a time when wrestling fans were tired of the same old song and dance in WWE and it was written in a way that grabbed the attention of the fans and had them begging for more. Can you realistically say that about anything else that has happened in wrestling over the past 3-5 years? Even if you thought it was the “next big thing†at the time, odds are you wouldn’t say the same about it today. For instance, Hulk Hogan returning to WWE and reprising his “Immortal Hulk Hogan†character was, for some, an amazing trip down memory lane and it may even have sold a ton of pay per view buys. But did it do anything to really influence the business as a whole? I don’t think so.
Kurt Angle moving to TNA is extremely significant for a number of reasons. For one, he is the first current WWE main eventer to make that jump. This opens the door for other top tier talent, who may not have considered TNA as a viable option, to seriously consider switching over to a company that is up and coming and offers a lighter travel schedule. What is also significant about the jump is that it shakes up the system. Before this, the most noteworthy jump had been the Dudleys and Christian. Now, with Kurt, TNA is one step closer to being an actual competitor to WWE. Don’t get me wrong; TNA still has a ways to go before Vince starts to feel them breathing down his neck, but if Kurt Angle’s TNA run catches fire, there will be plenty of people waiting to fuel that fire- let’s just put it that way. And as previously mentioned, it’s all in the timing and the writing. With the wrestling scene relatively quiet otherwise, this is an ideal time to make a splash and potentially lure back some of the wrestling fans that have dropped off slowly since 2001. And from the looks of it, the seeds they have planted between Samoa Joe and Kurt with their recent Impact brawl could be the start of something great for the company. Not only could the feud itself get people talking, but when all is said and done, Samoa Joe should be successfully elevated to being the main event star he should be. And considering TNA’s other stars made their names in WWE or WCW, having their first homegrown star would be a nice feather in their cap (even though he was technically a product of ROH).
I’d like to point out that, however, given the information we all know, Kurt comes across as very ungrateful considering WWE was seemingly trying to help him and they wouldn’t, in their right mind, release a Kurt Angle unless they absolutely had to. Not that WWE are angels, either. We are talking about the same company that announced the death of a man who was in good health and then didn’t apologize for the error. The wrestling business isn’t the most ethical of places, I can say that much with certainty.
The bottom line is that we may have just begun to see the effects of Kurt Angle’s defection to TNA. If Kurt vs. Joe ends up being as outstanding as the beginning stages have been, guys like Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho show up on the program, TNA and its six-sided ring may start looking a bit more intimidating to Vince and company.
That’ll do it for me this time around. Feel free to drop me a line with your thoughts.
You can contact me at SKAJOE@optonline.net.
