Reported by Mike Siciliano of WrestleView.com
On Monday, September 25, 2006 at 12:13 AM EST

I gotta admit, TNA threw me for a loop. When they said major announcement, I figured the bottom line was they were getting a Spike TV timeslot upgrade. I never thought in a million years they would have signed Kurt Angle.

I have a lot of mixed reactions about this signing, and I'd like to share some of them with you.

My wife's reaction is first up, because honestly, it's true. "He's gonna kill himself." However TNA's schedule may differ from WWE, TNA's intensity in its hitting is noticeably more severe. Is Angle truly healed up? Is he prepared to take the beatings and foreign objects from some of TNA's heavy hitters? We all know that he can get a lot of information and scouting on TNA's talent from Cage & Rhino, but are you ever truly prepared to take a shot from Samoa Joe or Abyss? I guess only time will tell.

He's a hypocrite. How many times has he said since his departure from WWE, "I don't want to compete against Vince McMahon." Is TNA in a position to compete against Vince McMahon and WWE right now? No, but with Angle signing, Sting challenging for the World title in a month with his career on the line, and the push to primetime coming the following month, there is a lot of momentum for TNA to build upon, and if booked properly, anything is possible.

What was the deal with the leaking of news about Angle fighting MMA? Was it a smokescreen? Was it real? Is he planning on taking his off time from TNA to pursue other goals? Simply put, Angle appears, from what I can gather, to be taking this "Machine" nickname to a level that is bordering on addiction, and that, ladies and gentlemen, scares ME to no end, I can only imagine what it could be doing to his family.

Ok, three points on Angle himself, now for the company.

1. What does this do for the stalwarts of TNA, the AJ Styles, the Christopher Daniels, the America's Most Wanted, etc.? First its Rhino, then Team 3D, then Cage, then Sting, and now Angle. TNA has been talking to Goldberg, as well, as its been reported, Jericho has leaked some information about possibly jumping, and the bottom line is this. What does this do to the foundation of the company? The morale cannot be good inside the main cogs of TNA, as their collective push is going to dwindle to near nothing with names like Sting, Jarrett & Angle at the top of the roster marquis.

2. Will Kurt Angle accept the ideas of new hire Vince Russo, or will his "influence" make things even more difficult to handle within the political aspect of the TNA creative process? Will Kurt and Jarrett clash about storylines? Is Angle going to be given a run as NWA World title holder quickly upon his debut, as Christian Cage was, while overlapping guys like Samoa Joe, Abyss, and even technically Monty Brown, who have been there longer, and deserve the run a lot more? For this deal to go down, I would have to believe that Angle put a lot of weight behind his influence and his ability to change storylines on the fly, and that could make things very uncomfortable for all parties involved.

3. Has TNA become the new WCW? Simply put, are they panicking to try and get their product elevated by putting more "entertainment" on their show, losing the focus on the thing that has gotten them to this point, wrestling, and signing all of these names on a budget that cannot possibly match that of Vince McMahon. TNA's survival is essential to try and freshen up the wrestling industry, as Lance Storm noted in his recent commentary, (which is a fabulous read by the way), and the quintessential question is this, "Is TNA thinking short term phenom, or long term profit?" Only time will tell, but there are an awful lot of potholes and pratfalls that appear to be in the roadway for Total Non Stop Action.

I'm still not sure how to feel about this. Part of me wanted Kurt to return to ECW, to help that brand succeed, because ECW needed Kurt a lot more than Kurt needed ECW. Part of me also wanted to see Kurt return to his family, and strengthen his life there for a long period of time before returning, if ever. And part of me is excited that he is going to TNA, as that can only strengthen the eventual product, if booked properly, in the long term. There are however two things that can be solid facts on this blossoming situation.

Kurt Angle IS a hypocrite. And anyone who says differently is lying, IN MY HUMBLE OPINION. He said plainly he did not want to compete against WWE, and now he is. He also said he needed to heal up, and there is no way on the planet that he can be truly healed up by now.

Secondly, Kurt Angle may need more help than just physical rehab. Anyone who can't step away, and it doesn't honestly appear that Angle can step away from the spotlight of fighting, may need a lot more help from the neck up than he is able to recognize for himself. I hope I am wrong, but I am very fearful for Kurt Angle's health long term, because this decision cannot benefit him in the short term physically. I believe that 1000%.

In closing, I met Kurt Angle on two different occasions, and he was a pleasure to speak to in the brief time I did during those two signings. I am still a fan of Kurt Angle, because I do not, repeat, DO NOT dispute the man the right to do what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. Yes, I have a lot of feelings on this issue, but that statement still stands. Angle made the bed, and now he has to lie in it. I hope, for his sake, and TNA's, that it is a decision that is well worth it, and I hope that someday, I write in this forum and state in perfect type that I was wrong in my opinions.

Good luck Kurt in your endeavours with Total Non Stop Action.

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Take care everyone.