In Defense of Kurt Angle

So last night I was reading the Camel Clutch blog. Normally, I'm a fan, and agree with what Eric Gargiulo writes.

Last night was different. Eric's article yesterday was a 'Let's bash Kurt Angle' article, or as he put it, "the newest edition of 'Kurt Angle... idiot'". Now I don't have any issues with Eric or Camel Clutch specifically... and I am by no means 'calling him out'... and I'm not intending to pick a fight,

but...

Eric's article is the straw that broke Shawn Michael's back. There seems to be a growing trend with wrestling blogs, news and gossip sites, and frankly, I have had enough. It seems like many have turned their back on Kurt Angle, and unjustly so.

So where do I begin?

I suppose we'll start with Eric Gargiulo's rant. The focus of Eric's bashing was in response to Kurt Angle's appearance on The Scott Ferrel Show on Sirius satellite radio. I didn't listen to the show, so I'm trusting that what Eric is writing about is accurate. In the interview, Kurt Angle apparently voiced interest in fighting Randy Couture. Well, first of all, let's address what Eric said:

"Couture just signed a deal with HD Net, Mark Cuban’s MMA promotion. Cuban has the resources to make this fight happen, but so does UFC."

Well, the possibilities of this happening, at least before October, are no, Randy's not with the UFC anymore. Randy retired with UFC due to their inability to sign Fedor Emelianenko... and no, due to the non-compete clause, Randy Couture can't work with any rival companies until at least October. (Zuffa LLC Files Injunction Against Hall of Famer)

As for Kurt Angle's 'excuse after excuse' about why he won't take fights, and Dana White 'calling bullsh*t'. It's well known that Dana wouldn't allow Kurt Angle to continue to wrestle if he signed a deal with UFC. Kurt is loyal to TNA for obvious reasons (we'll talk more about that later).

I wonder what examples you are thinking of, exactly, Eric. Do you mean the challenge from Ken Shamrock? Who would be willing to face Ken Shamrock with only 2.5 months of training allowed before the fight? Are you talking about Daniel Puder? I don't think anyone in pro wrestling would give Puder the respect of facing him after he took the easy way into the business and then bailed on his Tough Enough contract. As for Randy Couture, who knows if Kurt Angle would stand a chance... but if you think Angle wouldn't be successful in MMA, you're a fool. Regardless of prior injuries, the guy is built like, and moves like, a jungle cat. Anyway, I'm sorry that this entry so far seems to be directed at you, Eric, it wasn't meant to be.

Moving on. I'm sick of hearing that Kurt Angle is 'delusional', or 'in denial', or 'insane'. So cut it out, bucko.

First let's address the new TNA iMPACT! video game being done by Midway. Kurt Angle drew a lot of heat for remarks he made about the game. Read on:

"Midway made us all care about [the game], because it made us all realize how important the video game industry is for our sport,"

"WWE don't care. They just want to put something together, hurry it up and get it out there just to make money. We spent a lot of money to make this the most authentic wrestling game ever, and we did it."

"This thing is going to be the biggest hit of any video game ever, especially in the wrestling industry, is the most authentic wrestling game ever made. The game is so realistic, it looks like our television show.

"Within two or three years, TNA is going to be the biggest company in the wrestling world, and this game is going to be our kick-off,"

Okay. Well, WWE doesn't care about video games. This is evidenced by the latest WWE game, Smackdown vs. Raw 2008. If you haven't played it, read my review here on Wrestling Rant. Pong! was a better wrestling game than SvR 2008. It's obvious from looking at the screenshots that TNA's game is a far cry from any other wrestling titles. I don't know that TNA's new game would overtake Halo 3, but it's going to sell well in the sports and action titles. As for the last statement... while it's a little ambitious, I don't necessarily know that it's delusional. A lot can happen in three years... and no one but TNA knows what their business plan is. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that I am the furthest thing from a fan of the TNA product, but I honestly hope they do get their act together and succeed.

Now let's talk about Kurt's statements about TNA itself. Sure, Kurt Angle might be a bit liberal or broad when talking about the margin between WWE and TNA ratings... but you know what? That's marketing. Do you expect him to say, 'Oh yeah Vince is kicking our ass in the ratings this week'. Of course not. He believes in the product, and he's going to do whatever he can to help the company along. Kurt Angle is standing behind the company that stood behind him in the aftermath of Kurt Angle's WWE release.

Does no one remember the whole (I'm paraphrasing) "Olympic Gold Medals and 50 cents will get you a cup of coffee." comment made by Vince McMahon?

I mean geezus... I wouldn't go so far as to say Kurt Angle carried WWE, but ever since Kurt Angle blew his nose in Tiger Ali Singh's flag in March of '99, he was the staple of the company through 2006. When Triple H was injured... when Shawn Michaels was injured... when Undertaker was on hiatus... when the The Rock left... when Brock Lesnar left... when 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin left... when Mick Foley left... (etc. etc. etc.) Kurt Angle was there. Hell, even when he re-injured his neck after Wrestlemania 20 he stayed on board in the god-awful GM-in-a-wheelchair storyline on Smackdown. Most guys would have taken off. With all the things he did for WWE, Vince had the nerve to make the 'cup of coffee' comment because Kurt was asking for a lighter schedule? To make matters worse, Vince McMahon insinuates the Kurt Angle was being released because had a drug problem? Ridiculous.

The guy put his ass on the line for us for years. He busted his ass for us for years. Did I forget to mention that he won an Olympic gold medal with a 'broken freakin' neck'? Give Kurt Angle the respect he deserves, and stop nitpicking. Whether you like it or not, Kurt Angle is one of the all-time greats. Oh it's true, it's damn true.



Find Eric Gargiulo Camel Clutch article here: Guess who Kurt wants to Fight Now?
I also highly recommend Professor Netwon Gimmick's article and timeline on TNA News: The Professor's Position on Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle Website: Kurt Angle

Lance Storm Weighs in on MMA's Influence on the WWE

I'm a huge fan of Lance Storm's blog (obviously, otherwise I wouldn't link to it).

He and I have seen eye to eye on a wide array of topics, and typically, he has always been able to put his thoughts into words much better than I can. I've e-mailed him a couple of times voicing agreement to his opinions. I've never received a response, and honestly I didn't expect one. I'm sure he's got a lot more important things to do besides writing back to marks all day. Anyway, today is a prime example.

Today Lance Storm has posted a commentary on MMA's influence on the WWE, directed primarily at the character direction of Undertaker. I highly recommend giving it a read (and his other articles too). Lance addresses 'Taker's new submission, the Gogoplata (yes, I finally figured out what it was called. I found it on Wiki a couple days ago), and how it relates to the world of professional wrestling. Lance brought up a good point, which I was stunned that I didn't realize, about the position of Gogoplata (and Undertaker's triangle choke, for that matter). I wish I hadn't wiped those episodes of Smackdown off of the DVR, because I'm pretty sure when Undertaker had it applied on Big Daddy V, and Mark Henry, his shoulders were on the mat for three seconds.

Enough of my rambling... take a few minutes and head over to Lance Storm's site. You can find his latest article here: Adapting MMA

Side note: Not that you're reading this, but we miss watching you on TV, Lance. You were one of the most brilliant yet underrated (& under appreciated) technicians in professional wrestling. Hopefully, we'll see you again.

Paul Heyman's Latest Sun Interview: This is going to p*** people off

UK tabloid, The Sun, released another frank interview with Paul Heyman today. Paul Heyman delves even further into the behind-the-scenes world of professional wrestling and sports entertainment.

In the first portion of the interview, he elaborates a bit further on his working relationship with Stephanie McMahon. I was surprised in the initial interview about Heyman's comments about Steph, and even more surprised by this one... extremely respectful and complimentary. I don't know Stephanie McMahon, but I personally don't like some of the things she's doing with creative (yeah, before you flame me, internet readers, I know she doesn't write everything... but she is the head of the team. Oh by the way, thanks for adding the term, 'The Vinc-ess' to my vocabulary, Paul. Heh).

Paul Heyman goes on to talk about his conspiracy theory about the 'heir' of WWE. Heyman believes that Vince will control WWE well into his 90's, and pass control onto one of Shane McMahon's sons so that 'a McMahon' is controlling the company. I had never considered this before, but it makes total sense. I must admit though, secretly, I'd love to see what would happen if Triple H gained some control of the company via Steph. I know, according to the rumor mill, Trips is supposedly on his high horse behind the scenes, and looks down on a lot of the talent. If it's true, while I can't say I condone looking down your (large) nose at the other talent, I honestly don't see how he couldn't be on a high horse. Trips is 'that damn good', and never fails to entertain. Maybe I've bought into the hype... maybe I'm brainwashed, but Hulk Hogan was right (I can't believe I'm standing behind Hogan).

What am I talking about, you ask? Yesterday, Hulk Hogan was on The View to promote American Gladiators No, I don't watch The View. Seriously, I watched it on the internet. What do you mean you don't believe me? Fine, here (wrestling talk is about 2:53 in):

Hogan is right. There are no more 'larger-than-life characters like The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin. Triple H is about as close as we come. I hate to live in the past, but how I miss WWE's 'Attitude Era'. Just a side note... I had to laugh about Hogan's mention of 'the old days' (about 5:00 in) and 'the guys' that would 'punch you in the face if someone said wrestling was fake'. Hulk, do you mean like on March 27th, 1985 when you choked out Richard Belzer and dropped him on the floor during a TV interview with you and Mr. T, when he asked you if it was fake? When you say 'guys', you mean 'guys' like you, right? You're not so innocent, Hulkster... Some of us remember... Brother.

Anyway, I'm rambling...

Paul Heyman goes on to talk about what's 'wrong' with TNA. I never realized it, but he's totally right. It should be obvious to anyone. The problem, is branding. The following quotes pretty much sum it up:

'You look at Kurt Angle and you think WWE. You look at Booker T and think WCW, five-time, five-time, five-time or King Booker in WWE. You look at The Dudleys and think ECW or WWE or even tables.'

He goes on to say:

'I don't think the problem is in the talent, it's in the BRANDING of that talent. If you walked Angle through the airport, nobody would say: "There's that guy from TNA."

Nobody equates Angle, or anybody in that company, to TNA. As a company, they desperately need to address that.'

Absolutely true.

Paul also talks about the ideas of join forces with TNA, Ring of Honor, and even MMA promotions IFL & Yamma.

It's a good read. Given the sports entertainment interviews that The Sun keeps putting up, it appears that Paul Heyman will be addressing both celebrity gossip and sports entertainment. At least, one can hope.

Find the full Paul Heyman interview here: This is going to p*** people off

There were also two more Heyman Hustle commercials put up since I've posted last.
Find the third commercial here: Heyman Hustle Third Commercial
Find the final commercial here: Heyman Hustle Final Commercial

Dana Takes a Page from Vince's Playbook

I just read an article by Jack Encarnacao (The Fight Network), on Fox Sports on MSN.

I must say, I'm a little shocked.

The headline reads, 'Zuffa LLC files injunction against Hall-of-Famer'. Before I started reading, I knew exactly what this meant. If you don't follow MMA, let me translate:

'UFC files injunction against Randy Couture'. This is WWE vs. Brock Lesnar all over again.

Now I don't follow MMA like I do professional wrestling, so I don't know every dirty little detail, but I do pay attention. Basically the gist of things here is that due to what Randy was getting paid as compared to other fighters, and the UFC deal with Fedor Emelianenko not happening, he wanted to quit UFC. Randy Couture wanted to fight the best guy in the world, and it fell through. When it was announced that Fedor Emelianenko signed with M-1, Randy Couture resigned from UFC the next day.

Randy has since started working with the International Fight League (You may have seen IFL on TV... MMA fighters are organized into teams). Randy Couture was going to corner a team of fighters from his camp, Team Quest.

...but not so fast. According to the non-compete clause in his UFC 'employment agreement', Randy Couture cannot associate himself with, or work with a promoter of any non-UFC event. So what does this mean for Randy Couture? According to Jack Encarnacao's article, 'The injunction could prevent Couture from appearing at the Feb. 29 event or on any other non-UFC MMA card until October. It may also thwart the IFL's plans to use Couture's gym, Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts, as a promotional tool since it bears his name.'

Ouch.

See, I told you, WWE vs. Brock Lesnar all over again. Will this mean if Randy wants to fight, he's going to have to join Pride FC or K-1 and (like Brock) move to Japan? It does if he wants to fight before October.

Now I don't know Dana White or Randy Couture, and I realize that all I really know about them and their relationship is what the editting room of The Ultimate Fighter showed me... but it seemed pretty obvious to me that Dana White and Randy Couture were good friends and had a lot of mutual respect for each other. I guess that's why this all surprised me so much. It's a shame that this has to happen to a guy that seems like a class act.

If you'd like to read the article, here you go: Zuffa LLC files injunction against Hall-of-Famer

Hmm... WWE is based in Connecticut and Vince McMahon has a home there... Dana White was born in Connecticut. Maybe it's something in the water...

DSW Closure Follow-up: Launching New MMA Promotion

In a follow-up to my previous entry, 'DSW Closes Shop', Kevin Brennan, former promoter of IWA Deep South in Alabama, announced on Tuesday that he is launching a MMA organization called "Southeastern Fighting Championship". If you recall, the reasons cited for the closure of DSW were 'Satan's son' Vince McMahon (his words, not mine) and the rising popularity of MMA.

When I know more, you'll know more!

You tapped out! you tapped out!

Posted by Fenn Feb 3 2008 at 12:51:14 PM

As I feared, and I knew better, the Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir match was over in 90 seconds.



Brock came out strong, dumped Frank Mir and started pounding the life out of him with brutal hammerfists. We even saw a beautiful float over. Frank Mir's forehead was busted open within 30 seconds.

Unfortunately, the referee, Steve Mazzagatti (who apparently now thinks it's okay to have a p0rnstar mustache) called a time out in the middle of the pummeling, stood up Brock and took a point from him. While Brock was beating the hell out of Frank Mir, Mir rolls over exposing the back of his head. Brock connects, and they get stood up... a point was taken... no warning. I think that this is complete and utter crap, especially considering that in an earlier bout (Tyson Griffin vs. Gleason Tibau), Tibau was given a warning by the UFC referee for the same offense, even though he (apparently) only speaks Portuguese.

If this hadn't happened... if Brock's momentum wasn't interrupted... I strongly feel he would have won this. I believe the doctor would have stopped the fight due to the cut over Mir's eye. giving Brock the win.

...but no.

They stand up, Brock takes Mir down again. Mir tries for an arm bar (yeah, good luck arm barring arms that big), Mir opts for the leg, which he gets. Brock taps out to a leg bar in the first 90 seconds of the first round. Yes, a rookie mistake, a costly one, but ultimately I believe the interference from the referee cost Brock the match.

Here are the cuts on Frank Mir's face after the fight. Take note that the majority of them are over Frank Mir's eyes. Now imagine them bleeding profusely during the fight. The doctor definitely would have called the match.

$45 down the toilet. You're welcome, Dana. Heh.






WWE & TNA Wrestlers in attendance: Kurt Angle, Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin

Here Comes the Pain!

Posted by Fenn Feb 2 2008 at 12:56:09 PM

The day is upon us.

As mentioned in my previous Brock Lesnar entry, I wasn't gonna spend the dough for today's PPV.

After watching 'UFC: All Access' featuring Brock Lesnar the other night, I've changed my mind. The guy is still a beast. I fully expect him to twist off Frank Mir's head tonight! I mean seriously... look at the photo from the weigh-in below! Brock Lesnar looks to be twice the size of Frank Mir (I've never seen them in the same photo before). Also take note of Dana White in the background... can you see the dollar signs in his eyes? I can. Heh.



This is bound to be a great fight... or it could end in the first 30 seconds...We'll see!

Left: Brock Lesnar weighs in on Pro Wrestling. Right: Kurt Angle on Brock Lesnar in the UFC


Rumor: Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle in MMA?

$45 Bucks?! Ouch!

Posted by Fenn Jan 28 2008 at 6:55:12 PM

I was saving this topic for closer to February 2nd, but I just went out to my mailbox and found Brock Lesnar staring back at me.

The mailer features a photo of Brock from the knees up, sporting his new tattoo on his chest. the top reads, "Can he fight?".

My gut reaction is, hell yeah he can fight. I've been waiting for this PPV forever. Excitedly, I flip the card over.

"Only $44.95"

You're kidding right? I like Brock Lesnar as much as the next fan, but am I really going to shell out $45.00 for a fight that might last 15 minutes, if they finish all three rounds? A match that could end within 30 seconds of the first round if someone taps? I don't think so.

I'm betting most other people won't spend $45.00 to see Brock either. Maybe we'll get our wish, and Brock will come back to Wrestling.