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Kurt Angle is a 6 time former WWE Champion, a former WWE Tag Team Champion, former WWE European Champion, former Hardcore Champion, former Intercontinental Champion, and a former King of the Ring Champion. However he was held back in the WWE. Am I the only one who finds that statement completely ridiculous? Well though words came out of the Olympic Gold Medallist Kurt Angle. Now it’s pretty obvious Kurt Angle right now is the hottest topic in professional wrestling at least on the internet but one must wonder who to believe. Should we believe the WWE, TNA management, or Kurt’s own words? Another question what will Kurt’s movement to TNA wrestling really do for them and how will it affect the WWE?

First I’ll look at Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling and let’s really see how valuable their words truly are. TNA has made the claim that they are sure Kurt’s health is fine and Kurt no longer has any problems with drugs or pills. Now let me be perfectly clear when I say this. I think TNA are the biggest hypocrites on the planet when it comes to drug issues in wrestling. This is the company whose own president made the claim in an interview that no one has any problems with drugs besides Raven in the past when they where asked about having a drug policy in TNA. Now it’s bad enough they made Raven the scapegoat but that statement is a down right lie. To make matters worst within weeks of saying this Shane Douglas was placed in rehab, who just so happen to be a TNA employee. Too make TNA sound more clueless there booker and champion at the time Jeff Jarrett said on ESPN’s Quiet Frankly TV Show about a drug policy “We’ll handle them as they come, unless there drawing money”. He was obviously joking, but on National TV that is not a smart remark just months after the death of Eddie Guerrero which is the main reason for the WWE’s drug policy. Also keep in mind Jeff Jarrett a while back was stopped at an air port with an empty drug pipe. Also former TNA wrestler Hector Garza was deported from the USA for steroids just days before his meeting with Scott Hall at a PPV. Does TNA seem serious about drug issues in there company? In my opinion not really and just pass it off as only the WWE’s problem when questioned about drugs in wrestling.

Now whether or not TNA is truly worried about drugs is a whole different issue but are they even worried about Angle’s health? Kurt Angle has had neck problems since 1996 I think that is well documented but does TNA really care? Lets be honest here folks back in 2003 Kurt Angle made a bad decision with his neck surgery that many have called putting a Band-Aid on a serious problem. TNA then signs this man full well knowing he has some rumored Demons and problems with personal responsibility. However what does TNA get for this move? A lot of fans were against the move and looked to be seriously upset with them for signing Kurt Angle. TNA was rumored to be shocked by the response which isn’t hard to believe considering TNA usually gets a free pass from the internet. So do they really care? I think this question will be answered down the road but until then you have to wonder about TNA’s motives.

Now I’ll take a look at Kurt’s former employer: the WWE, which is far from innocent in this case. Now don’t get me wrong I believe WWE is telling the truth about Kurt’s release, I think they really did try to help the man. However I think they did it to little to late. The signs of Angle’s health decline have been around for years. Case in point going into WrestleMania 20 Angle was rumored to complain of numbness around the time. They handled this by making him a General Manager but it was probably one of the worst runs of SmackDown programming in the history of the show, and he was placed back on the active roster. However Angle continued to suffer injures whether small or not WWE should have started to notice Angle was being injured more often. Also I think anyone who has seen Angle wrestle since last fall realized the man obviously had some serious issues when he was turning bright red during his matches and seemed to be ready to combust on camera. So while I think WWE did try and help Angle at the end before his release my personal feeling was they waited too long.

Now lets move on to the man himself the Olympic gold medallist, Kurt Angle. I think TNA and the WWE share blame in making stupid decision regarding this man’s health and safety but Kurt Angle is suspect number one. If you ask me over the past couple of years it seems that any wrestler with personal issues seem to think every problem they had was not there fault and in most cases Vince McMahon’s. Kurt Angle is one of these people. Anyone who has read one of his recent interviews has been met with lies and straight up BS from this man. Now Kurt made the claim first that he was held back in the WWE and after saying this, I realized this man has ZERO credibility. This man has held every title, headlined WrestleMania, and he has the gall to claim he was held back. Now remember most wrestlers will never even headline a major wrestling event and Angle has the gall to claim he was held back, give me a break.

Now this isn’t the only down right ridiculous statement made by Angle, because it seems every interview he has done since coming to TNA he has said something that was ridiculous. Too start this off however I want to quote Lance Storm in saying “Kurt didn’t jump to TNA, he was fired”. Many fans and Kurt Angle himself seem to think Angle really quit WWE, which would make sense if there wasn’t so much evidence to back up that he was fired. Case in point Angle has claimed to be clean for 8 months during his conference call interview, which had more holes in it then a piece of Swiss cheese. Now back to my point, if Angle has been clean for 8 months why was he suspend for a drug policy violation during the summer? Angle also made the claim WWE never gave the guy time off when asked for it and that he was forced to work shows injured. However he also in the same interview claimed he couldn’t stop wrestling, always gives it 120%, and complained that the WWE didn’t put him on the Summerslam card when he had a known groin injury at the time. Also it was rumored through the end of August Angle was sent home because of injuries and was very unhappy about it. Also rumored had it WWE offered to send him to rehab, but he continued to insist he didn’t have a problem. Now after all of this, I’m coming to the conclusion that Kurt Angle is in complete denial.

Now if Angle truly wasn’t fired and he quit the WWE, why was it rumored that he was seen coming out of the WWE’s office an emotional wreck after a loud meeting with Vince McMahon? Also anyone who thinks WWE would have let Kurt go for any other reason besides they feared for his health you’re kidding yourself. WWE would not of let a wrestler they have build up to that status go for no reason, and if Angle truly quit he would have been on a 90 day no complete clause at least. Also I would like to leave you with this point, remember when Vince McMahon announced the drug policy to the wrestlers on their website? Only one was asking questions and that was one was Kurt Angle. So when it comes down to it, I can’t believe one word coming out of the mouth of Kurt Angle. In my own opinion I think this man needs to start taking some personal responsibility for his own actions and stop blaming the WWE and everything else under the sun for his problems.

Now I would like to take a look at what affect it would have on WWE that Kurt Angle has left. Personally I look at it as a positive because Kurt Angle was starting to become incredibly stale and very boring. His matches were going down hill and personally I think he hasn’t had an outstanding match since Shawn Michaels vs. Angle at WWE Homecoming last October. His character was becoming incredibly annoying, as he started this aggressive gimmick that really was becoming ridiculous. Not because he was aggressive but he was overly aggressive where he is screaming in the middle of the ring during a match with his veins popping out of his forehead and just looking and sounding fake. So I personally thought it was time for Angle to be pushed out of the younger stars way.

Kurt Angle the wrestler wasn’t the only problem it was Kurt Angle the man as rumors around 2005 and 2006 has made it clear this man is no longer into anyone but himself. Case in point Kurt constantly was complaining to Vince about having another title run, but Vince didn’t trust him to hold it because of health issues. Yet when Kurt was put in a Main Event feud with John Cena last fall it was nothing but a complete flop, as Angle obviously was more interested in getting Kurt Angle over then Cena. However WWE moved Angle over to Smackdown when Batista was injured and Kurt was given a title run. The title run was really non eventful and probably the least successful title run out of any of his runs. However Angle was soon gone from Smackdown and was sent to the new ECW, and Angle complained. Kurt Angle run in ECW was short and bitter as it was marked with injuries, suspensions, him squashing wrestlers, and constantly complaining. Too make matters worst Kurt did a German suplex on RVD at a house show, and RVD was injured. Kurt was very quick to blame the injury on RVD which didn’t help Kurt’s already rumored bad reputation in the ECW locker room.

Soon after that incident Angle was released and TNA signed him. So far Angle hasn’t done much in terms of ratings, but he has done much in terms of knocking the WWE at every opportunity. Also he is right now in a rushed feud with Samoa Joe that should have been held off for a couple of months, but now is being forced onto the next PPV. Now what does Kurt Angle have to offer TNA? Well personally I don’t know, Angle could help the wrestlers in TNA but “could” is the key word. Will he help them out? That’s a question that only Kurt Angle knows. He does however lend name value but Nash, Hall, Savage, Christian, Raven, Sting, and Rhino all lent name value and it didn’t seem to help TNA at all. So time will only tell what happens with Kurt in TNA. Will he try to be like Terry Funk was in ECW helping out anyway he could or will he be the Hulk Hogan in WCW where he made it clear he was the show? Time will tell, and that will be Angle’s choice. When it comes down to it I think most of us can agree Kurt needs to shut up and wrestle.

Now that’s all I have for this time, feedback negative or positive will be answered.

by Jason Simmons [View Jason's Column Index]..