The Crystal Ball 9.27.06: Kurt Angle In TNA
Posted by Steve Sullivan on 09.27.2006
I gotta get in on this!
Wow. It's weeks like this that keeps me addicted to wrestling. Who knew? I mean honestly? Who really knew that Kurt Angle was going to jump to TNA so quickly? This move was genius. Absolutely genius. Angle and his road agent did an excellent job getting us to believe that he was done with wrestling. In all honesty, this should have been a dead give away, but a lot of us, including myself, fell for it.
Last week, I started writing about the glory days of wrestling because I've longed for the days of good competition for the WWE. I was going to create a roster and pretend that the WCW never folded. And just like my mind...or my column...was being read, TNA has now been given the opportunity to become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the WWE releasing talent. I'm not going to write what I had oringally planned on writing tonight. Because I, like many of you, have some thoughts about Kurt Angle, that I need to express.
Since Sunday, I've seen a lot of my fellow co-writers here at 411mania, and other wrestling websites, along with many of you in the forums ask, is this the move that TNA needed to become the new WCW? Is TNA now legitimate competition to the WWE? My simple answer to you….No.
….But they're getting damn close.
You cannot, and I will repeat that word, CANNOT build TNA around Kurt Angle…in the ring. You have to build TNA around some of Kurt Angle's star power. Years ago, WCW began it's big rise to the top when Lex Luger jumped over to WCW from the then WWF. WCW did not build WCW around Lex Luger though. They built it around a fresh idea and a fresh crowd who had tuned in for something different because for years, wrestling had been dominated by the WWF.
TNA cannot rely upon Kurt Angle to carry this company for a long ride. He just can't do it. He's not reliable and he has proven that. It's not that he doesn't want to be reliable. It's not that he doesn't want to be the man who carries this company on his back. He just physically can't keep up. And IF TNA starts pushing back it's homegrown, loyal talent in favor of WWE "turncoats", then they are going to be making the same mistake that the WCW made.
Let's think for a minute, WCW rose to the top after guys like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Lex Luger, and other guys who had made a big name for themselves in the WWF. WCW became more of a burial ground for washed up, unwanted WWF talent. WCW gave these guys a second chance until they were just unable to perform anymore. And when all the big name stars couldn't perform anymore, WCW started to fade.
The same could be TNA's fate, which is why they need to make a statement to fans using Kurt Angle.
Don't get me wrong, a HEALTHY Kurt Angle is an excellent move for TNA. Signing Kurt Angle and going prime time is going to be the move that keeps TNA around for a long time. But Kurt Angle, will not be around for a long time. Neither will Jeff Jarrett or Scott Steiner. Not in the ring anyway. The guys who have proven they want to build this company and are fresh new faces to wrestling fans, are the ones that TNA needs to push. Guys like AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Abyss, and of course Samoa Joe need to be the future of TNA. Not Jeff Jarrett. Not Christian Cage. Not Rhino. And not Kurt Angle.
I'm all for Kurt in TNA. There are a ton of dream matches to be had here. But I, like others, am worried about Kurt's physical well being. Some of TNA's speciality matches can be brutal. Imagine for a minute Kurt Angle getting involved in an X-Division Match. Or The King Of The Mountain Match. Or A Monster's Ball Match. He's not healthy. He didn't get released because he threw a hissy fit. He was let go so he could rest. Now he's burned bridges, just like Christian Cage did, and look where Christian has found himself. In the same exact spot he was in while he was in the WWE, on the mid-card.
Another question I have for TNA is where are they getting all the money to pay these big time superstars? They wrestle in the same venue every week and the crowds get in for free. They have a few advertisers. They sell a few souvineers and pull in a few for their Pay-Per-Views. But with big time contracts such as the ones Sting and Christian Cage already have in TNA, how can TNA afford fresher talent now that they have to pay for Kurt Angle too? And you know Angle didn't come to TNA for pennies on the dollar.
And then I read stuff from people who now suddenly call TNA "evil". Then I read stuff like J.D. Dunn wrote saying that people are babysitting Kurt Angle. I think you're all wrong.
Kurt, I'll agree, does not need a babysitter. The man can do what he wants. By all means..I sure as hell do! But as a fellow human being, I have compassion for another person's life. Whether I know them or not. Kurt has a family, and I don't think he is thinking about them. So what if he lives through his stint in TNA? After all the punishment he will put himself through, will it be worth it to live? Will he be able to hold his children without cringing from back pain? Will he set off airport security machines with all the screws he'll have in his neck? Will his wife have to change his adult diapers?
As for TNA being evil, no. Not at all. TNA is genius. Even if Kurt dies in the middle of the ring, TNA is going to get the publicity they need to take themselves to a tier or two below where the WWE is now. And unlike the WWE, TNA would not continue to use Angle in its storylines. TNA will also not put Angle through anything "eXtreme" until Angle is ready and healed. Don't forget that the WWE was letting Angle wrestle on his last ECW show even though they knew he was suffering from some injuries.
To make a long point short...this is great. This is great for everyone involved....but only if the right steps are taken on all ends. I worry as a human for Angle's health. I worry about the fate of TNA because this is our last chance at re-living the glory days of wrestling.
I worry because I'm a fan.
Kurt, I wish you the best of luck. I hope you've made the right decision. No matter what happens, I will support you. I will support TNA. I will support the WWE. I will support wrestling.
I will support because I'm a fan.
I can't wait to see how this all plays out in November. I have watched TNA grow into something bigger than I ever expected it to be. Until TNA came onto Fox Sports a couple years ago, I had never watched a TNA show. I had no idea what TNA was until I started checking this site out on a regular basis years ago. And I hope to be here talking about TNA going head to head with the WWE soon.
Am I saying that TNA is going to top the WWE in the ratings? No. Well, maybe Smackdown. Am I saying that TNA is going to make the same Monday Night Wars we had 10 years ago? No. It would never be the same. Am I saying that TNA is going to bring a renewed interest to professional wrestling?
Yes. Yes I am.
No that I've got all this out, I feel better. I will watch. And I will support Kurt Angle. I will support TNA. I will support professional wrestling.
Support it the best way you can...and that's by watching it. Let a man live his dream and let a company do it's business. All we truly need to do is just watch. Be a fan.
By the way....Angle vs. Joe at Slammiversary for the NWA Title! You heard it here first! Until next week my friends where hopefully we will find a way to get back to normalancy...
