So, the big story came down this weekend and it has forced me to come out of my self-induced 49th vacation to bust out RAW Rage again. I should mention before we get into the news this week that I didn’t watch much of RAW Monday night – so I won’t be giving my thoughts on that. I was busy watching Bono and Billy Jo Armstrong spare us all to death in New Orleans. Because nothing says New Orleans like Bono and Billy Jo Armstrong.
Anyway, we’ll go heavy on one story and then I’m out. I’m late on posting this already. Maybe the act of writing down words for (very few) other people to read will make me come out of my vacation and start writing with more regularity. But don’t hold your breath.
As always – visit the fine websites that RAW Rage is carried on:
Salty Ham.com
The Balrog’s Lair
XHeadlines.com
But before we do any of that – here’s your funny for the week:
You’re welcome.
Angle Applies the Shocker
Of course, by now everyone knows that it was announced on TNA’s PPV this weekend that they had signed Kurt Angle. They even had a nifty video with Kurt and a flag.
This comes off the various news reports from last week where Kurt was putting out the MMA red herring. Personally, when I read that news, I was sort of perplexed – because even though I might like to see Kurt beat the ever-loving nonsense out of Daniel Puder – I couldn’t quite understand why Angle would be interested in putting his body through what could be an even greater risk of injury with the very real fighting involved in that MMA/UFC-whatever-they-call-it. Plus, I don’t watch mixed martial arts or ultimate fighting because I like my fighting fake.
So, after the reports that came out after the shocker – it looks like TNA went after Kurt immediately after he was given his release from WWE. Let’s first look at this from TNA’s standpoint. Brilliant move. This is exactly the type of cutthroat move that TNA needs to make in order to make a move up in the world of Sports Entertainment. And let’s face it – guys like Sting and Steiner aren’t going to make the casual mark tune over for more than five minutes. Those guys (and Nash too) are old news and I think wrestling in general has moved on from them. Hogan can still generate a buzz because he’s Hogan – but not these guys. Then there are the young guys over in TNA which can really get someone excited to watch their product. The only problem is that TNA still makes Jeff Jarrett the focal point of the show and guys like Styles, Daniels, and even Samoa Joe are not draws yet. The average wrestling mark is going to take one look at Jarrett and determine that Batista could murder him in two seconds and therefore is not worth their time. TNA has stolen some guys from WWE – but making Christian or Raven a big push really only makes smarts happy. And while smarts keep wrestling on TV – marks make wresting big money.
TNA getting Angle, on the other hand, is a big move. Angle has been built so incredibly well by WWE – he instantly has credibility with marks. Most people, when thinking of Angle – remember his matches with Triple H, Rock, and Austin and know his ability. Plus, Angle is no slouch with a microphone. If Benoit would have gone to TNA, it wouldn’t be as big a deal because Benoit, while maybe equal or better than Angle in the ring, isn’t as well known because his mic work sucks. So, I think aside from Triple H, Undertaker, or (arguably) Batista & Cena – this is the biggest move TNA could have made.
From Angle’s point of view – I have trouble understanding why he would do this. I know he said he thinks TNA will be the biggest thing since sliced bread the other day – but what would you expect him to say? That’s just company fodder. He also said he feels he’s been held back for the length of time he’s been with WWE. Now, that could also just be something TNA urged him to say – but if he truly feels that way – I don’t agree. Angle is what he is because of the way WWE built him. Sure, Angle has enormous ability in the ring and a natural charisma – so Vince and company would have been insane to not push him – but they still pushed him. Chris Jericho has similar ability in the ring (albeit, not as great as Angle) and with the microphone (and arguably better ability here) – yet he was never pushed as strongly as Angle was. So, you have to admit that Angle was pushed very well while with WWE. In many different situations, he was asked to carry the company and was successful in doing so. He was asked to carry SmackDown on separate occasions and was moderately successful there (I think the main reason he wasn’t overly successful with that was due in large part to his injury situations). He was asked to make Brock Lesnar into a star and was able to do that with one of the more memorable WrestleMania matches ever – even with a bad neck. Finally, he was so trusted by that company – they asked him to give credibility to ECW – and I have no doubt he would have been able to do that if injuries hadn’t prevented it. What Kurt misses with this statement is a company like WWE looked at Angle as one of the go-to guys in the post Rock/Austin era. Was he given Triple H respect? No – but who else would be given that? For a time, he was seen as the greatest threat to Triple H and was given the opportunity to play foil to McMahon-Helmsley dominance (and did so in one of the more entertaining storylines of the early decade).
It is also strange to me to see Kurt jump so quickly to TNA after WWE seemed genuinely concerned with his health so much that they granted a release to him, rather than fire him like they were worried they would have to. Kurt was in the process of losing his wife, dealing with a bad injury, and had been suspended for violation of the substance abuse policy (allegedly). If WWE ever were trying to take care of a wrestler – they were trying to do so with Kurt. So, either there is more to the story that has not yet made it out (or at least to me) – or there does seem to be a bit of crappiness on Kurt’s part. I don’t begrudge the guy a paycheck – but for whatever reason, a little of this doesn’t sit that well with me. Now, admittedly, I am a WWE fan and do not particularly participate that much with TNA’s product. So, I am a bit biased. But from the standpoint of all I’ve seen WWE do for Kurt – it seems a bit ungrateful for him to turn around and claim he’s been held back for so long when he hasn’t been and he’s been genuinely cared for by his former company. Reports even state that officials within WWE are relieved he’s going to TNA rather than doing MMA because they were worried he would injure himself more.
All-in-all, I guess I want to wait for more to come out before I pronounce judgment on Angle. I think it’s great for TNA and instantly makes me want to watch that show with more regularity – so in that respect – score one for TNA. I will continue to worry about Angle’s health. And I do hope this sparks another wrestling war.
Anyway, that’s it from me this week. Feel free to disagree any way you see fit (via comments or email). Hopefully, I’ll be back next week.
Roland
