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 Good
things come to those who wait. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
learned this lesson in September when TNA Management Director Jim
Cornette made two major announcements during the “No Surrender”
pay-per-view. The first announcement, that beginning on November 16th
TNA would move to prime time Thursday nights on Spike TV, was something
fans and TNA wrestlers alike had been hoping for since March 2006, when
it was first announced that “iMPACT!” would be moving over to the 11:00
p.m. timeslot instead of its originally scheduled 9:00 p.m. timeslot
Thursdays in order to make room for UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter.”
However, the second major announcement came as a surprise not only to
TNA’s fans and its locker room, but also to people in the
sports-entertainment industry everywhere: recently released WWE
Superstar Kurt Angle had signed a contract with TNA— arguably the
biggest contract signing in TNA history. With the addition of the
Olympic gold medalist to the TNA roster, the wrestling promotion that
had frequently been referred to as the “B” promotion was suddenly being
seen in a new light. And while there may still be quite a few skeptics
wondering why Angle did it, according to one of the greatest wrestlers
in sports-entertainment today, the answer is quite simple.
“It might be selfish of me, but I want to be a part of something
that makes history,” Angle says. “TNA has the best writer in
sports-entertainment (Vince Russo) and now it has the best wrestler. I’m
here to make history and help out. I don’t believe TNA is second best. I
truly believe that TNA has the ability to be the top company in a year
or two. The athletes here are so phenomenal— they are five times better
than the wrestlers you see in the WWE. There’s only a short list of main
eventers in the WWE— here, though, you could have a five-star match with
anyone.” Up first for Angle is “The Monster” Abyss, who Angle will face
during TNA’s prime time debut Nov. 16. Of course, the real match fans
are dying to see won’t take place ‘til Sunday, November 19th, when Angle
faces the undefeated Samoa Joe at “Genesis.” Whether or not it takes an
Olympic gold medalist to defeat “The Samoan Submission Machine” remains
to be seen, but for Angle, he couldn’t picture his pay-per-view debut
match against anyone else.
“I haven’t seen a guy his size with the athleticism to follow,”
Angle states rather proudly. “TNA’s really building him up to be a
monster. His physicality coupled with my ring entrance is the perfect
way for me to begin my career in TNA.” Having left WWE only a few short
months ago, fans are still getting used to Angle walking through the TNA
tunnel every week on “iMPACT!” With rumors running rampant on Angle’s
career following his WWE release (“Angle’s going to MMA!” “Angle’s
retiring!”), fans weren’t sure where their favorite WWE Superstar was
going to turn up next. Surprisingly, though, no one ever thought Angle
would jump ship to Vince McMahon’s competition— not even Angle himself.
“I never thought TNA was an option,” Angle admits. “But then I met the
people here and realized TNA would give me room to spread my wings and
do movies or TV shows if I wanted to. I would no longer be owned in TNA—
I would have my own name. In the WWE, you were strictly a wrestler
unless Vince gave you the green light. And even though I was the best
wrestler he had, he never gave me the green light to pursue a number of
other opportunities.”
“I was always treated so unfairly,” Angle continues. “The main
reason I left, though, was because I wasn’t getting the proper medical
care and rest I deserved. I was being buried into the ground. I would
get approval for time off, but then when the day would come someone else
would be down and Vince would need me. I suppose it was partly my own
fault as well, as I should have put my foot down and said, ‘No, I need
today off,’ but eventually I realized no one cared about me. Putting
someone else over was more important than my own health, and soon I lost
all respect for Vince McMahon.” Angle’s confident the same thing won’t
happen in TNA. The soon-to-be 38-year-old says he’s come to an agreement
with the wrestling promotion to only wrestle when he’s 100 percent, so
he isn’t expected to wrestle week in and week out. Additionally, the
father of two says he’s putting his family before his career this time
around, and that TNA President Dixie Carter understands that Angle’s
family comes first.
“Dixie
cares more about family values than Vince,” Angle says. “There was a
point during my WWE career when my wife and I were separated and Vince
didn’t care at all. If I was single, he could use me even more. Now I’m
not saying Vince was actually trying to sabotage my marriage, but he saw
more opportunities for the company to make money if I was on the road
all the time. Vince never spent any time with his family. He would work
24/7 while Linda raised Shane and Stephanie— he probably spent 10 days a
year with the kids. But for me, if you are my boss you better respect my
wife and my family, and you better give me the proper time off to see
them.” With several other WWE Superstars having jumped to TNA in recent
months— former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Christian Cage among them—
one has to wonder which Superstar is going to be next. Unfortunately,
the one Superstar Angle thinks would thrive most in the TNA environment
won’t be making his “iMPACT!” debut any time soon.
 “Without a doubt Chris Benoit,” Angle replies. “He’s a wrestling
machine. But, unfortunately, he’s got a five-year guarantee, so he’s
pretty much out of the picture. He would truly take this company over
the top, though. He was always one of my favorite wrestlers to perform
with, and he would be such a great mentor and teacher to these guys.
With or without Chris Benoit, though, I’m here to help them realize just
how good they are.” Despite what Internet reports say, Angle assures his
fans he’s 100 percent healthy and isn’t risking his life by getting back
in the ring. However, Angle admits he was touched by his fans’ concern
when he left WWE, and by the simple fact they would have rather seen him
retire than stay in the business if the price of being entertained meant
his life. As for the reaction to that video footage of Angle training
inside of the six-sided TNA ring, Angle says he couldn’t have been
happier with the response. “It really spoke volumes as to what everyone
thought I could bring to TNA,” Angle says. “And I want everyone to know
that I am focused on making TNA the top company in the world. The
doctors have okayed my return and cleared me to wrestle and fans are
finally going to see the real Kurt Angle.”
And in an industry where it’s pretty well-known that you should
never say never, Kurt Angle’s at a point in his life where he can
finally say never and mean it. “I don’t think I would ever work for
Vince McMahon again,” Angle states matter-of-factly. “TNA has shown me
that wrestling can be fun again. There’s no politics here. People aren’t
miserable and moping around backstage— there’s a hunger in everyone’s
eyes. Whether I’m wrestling, working as a talent relations director or a
writer, I can really see myself involved with Dixie Carter for the rest
of my life... Plus,” Angle concludes with a laugh, “I don’t think my
wife would let me work for Vince again.” TNA “iMPACT!” moves to
Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. November 16th only on Spike TV. TNA “Genesis”
airs Sunday, November 19th at 5:00 p.m. PST/8 p.m. EST only on
pay-per-view. UB
All Photos Courtesy of TNA
Wrestling.com
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