On October 22nd, 2000, the Olympic Gold Medalist of the World Wrestling Federation, Kurt Angle, captured his first world title. For that title, Angle defeated The People's Champion at the 2nd ever No Mercy PPV. The Wrestling Machine later won his second world title at the Unforgiven PPV in 2001, pinning Stone Cold Steve Austin in his hometown. Booker T, The Big Show, and Brock Lesnar all lost their world titles to Kurt Angle over the next three years, making Kurt a five-time world champion.
2006 has become a banner year for Kurt Angle. His name has been constantly mentioned all over wrestling websites, starting with his shocking move to Smackdown in January, and immediately winning a Battle Royale, which gave him his sixth world title in the WWE. At the February Smackdown-brand PPV, No Way Out, Kurt Angle wrestled one of his greatest matches against the legendary Undertaker. A month later, Kurt Angle headlined the Smackdown portion of Wrestlemania, with Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio. In early June, Kurt Angle was drafted to ECW, to carry the revived brand, in hopes of attracting a wider audience consisting of the WWE fans.
In the months ahead, Kurt Angle has headlined news stories on various wrestling sites. Serious injuries sustained in his career caught up to the gold medalist, capped off by an unfortunate injury that kept him off ECW main-events. In a matter of weeks, one of the most shocking news stories headlined WWE.com: Kurt Angle had been released from the WWE. At the heart of the release, personal matters and a need for rest were the major reasons behind Kurt Angle's departure from WWE... or so we were led to believe.
In September 2006, Kurt Angle made a shocking appearance on a TNA PPV, resulting in the most shocking news story of the year. Kurt Angle had signed with the opposition to the WWE. Personally, it felt like a slap in the face for a WWE fan to see one of the best workers in professional wrestling history sign with the "other" wrestling show. But, we have lost Christian, The Dudley Boys, and Rhyno to TNA over the past year or so. WWE fans are used to losing big names that just are not satisfied with their positions in the WWE. Fans have to be happy for their favorite superstars when they go to a place they want to be with, especially when it comes to TNA Wrestling.
Unfortunately, a few weeks ago, Kurt Angle conducted an interview, discussing the WWE, TNA, his surprise release, and many other subjects that have been discussed, scrutinized and dissected over the past year by wrestling fans. In the interview, Angle is incredibly respectful towards TNA Wrestling. However, Angle shows a bitter side by having very few good things to say about the WWE. It's unfortunate in my eyes that Kurt Angle does not show very much appreciation for the company that put Kurt Angle on the map. He headlined a ton of main-events in his six years in the WWE, while capturing six world titles. He won the respect of every single wrestling fan.
Don't get my message wrong. I have no idea what Kurt Angle went through in the WWE, and I have no idea whether or not the WWE is the hellhole to work for that Angle pretty much claims. But it is time for Kurt Angle to focus on TNA. The company is, more or less, riding on the shoulders of the Olympic Gold Medalist, and Angle doesn't need to badmouth the WWE when a few WWE fans will likely start watching TNA to see Kurt Angle. Those fans may not want to hear the Machine bash his previous employers, if the fans aren't ready to hear those things about World Wrestling Entertainment.
Those same fans of Kurt Angle also have a big concern for Angle's health. Angle won the Olympic Gold Medal with "a broken freakin' neck"! He wrestled through injury after injury after injury, pushing him to a dangerous limit that no man or woman should ever approach. The fans saw shades of Eddie Guerrero (one of the rumored reasons for Eddie's death was exhaustion, confirmed to be a possibility by Angle in the interview) while watching Kurt Angle wrestle in the ring, fighting through the pain that was likely coursing through his body.
Speaking of the pain, Kurt Angle blames a very specific part of the past six years on why he is suffering through unbearable pain: the work schedule. It's no secret that the WWE superstars wrestle on television, Pay-Per-View, and most demanding of all, the house shows. But I am going to break something down for you, the loyal reader of my column. TNA is in a good spot right now. The ratings are good for SpikeTV, there are PPVs every month, there's a primetime slot coming in November, and the house shows are limited to special outings every few weeks. But, what if the ratings go up when the move to primetime occurs? I mean went way up.
Picture TNA debuting in primetime to a high 2 rating, way above ECW and even above Smackdown. The ratings continue to rise as the weeks progress, and now TNA is giving WWE RAW a run for its money as the top draw in sports entertainment on television. The internet world is abuzz over TNA approaching the WWE in ratings. The PPVs start doing incredible sales, also approaching the best sales that the WWE attracts on a monthly basis. Now, TNA has to start adding house shows, because money is being made, even at non-televised events. TNA Impact starts travelling to other parts of the country, not limiting itself to Orlando, Florida.
Not only is the work schedule increasing every month, but now TNA has to start making difficult choices. Right now, TNA seems to be able to use their talent equally on the show, going as far as making the X-Division and its title as important as the Heavyweight title. However, when ratings go up, the ratings need to stay up, and TNA needs to make difficult decisions. Superstars that draw ratings and sell merchandise will slowly become the center stage of Impact. Between house shows, live shows, and PPVs, TNA superstars are beginning to work 100 to 200 nights a year, travelling the country (and perhaps the globe), and now TNA is in the same place that the WWE is currently in.
It's a best case scenario, but it's not impossible. However, as you can see, someone like Kurt Angle would no longer be able to work the heavy schedule that TNA would require from him. It's easy to lay blame on the WWE, but they need to push their stars as hard as possible in order to sell out PPVs, house shows, and live RAW, ECW and Smackdown events. But, as I have already wrote, I have never worked for the WWE or for Vince McMahon, so I cannot confirm or deny if it's tough to work for the McMahons.
What I do know is that there an increasing number of former employees talking poorly about the WWE and Mr. McMahon. If that drums up attention to rival companies, so be it. But I didn't expect the harsh words from the Olympic Gold Medalist, after an incredible history in the WWE, even in the years that he may think were less than stellar. There's no doubt in my mind that Kurt Angle's poor health was brought on in large part by the WWE, but you can't completely blame the WWE. Kurt Angle is an incredible worker, and a big company needs to push its strongest assets. Through all this, I hope Angle realizes that. It would be a shame to see someone with so much talent hold so much animosity in a new chapter of their lives that could continue to push them into legendary status.
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