Kurt Angle joins TNA!

Mr.Nice Guy

Oh it's true it's damn true.

How cool is this?:http://www.tnawrestling.com/

Kurt Angle wrote:

Being with TNA feels like I found my home.

TNA will be the most watched show on cable TV – it’s just a matter of time. Thank you TNA for saving my career, my life and my desire to do what I love.

From PWInsider...

The 11/16 edition of TNA Impact will be a two hour show, with Impact returning to a one hour series after their debut on Thursdays at 9 PM.

With the announcement of Kurt Angle signing with TNA, it certainly appears all of his MMA aspirations that were voiced over the last week were a smokescreen to hide his signing with TNA. The video clips that were shown at the end of No Surrender were shot several days ago in Nashville, TN in a warehouse. Local wrestlers were hired to set up the ring and signed nondisclosure forms to prevent word from leaking out. The TNA staff was not informed of the announcement until about 15 minutes before it aired on the PPV.

The announcements caused TNA's website to crash several times, so they are currently listing simply a splash page with the announcement. Kurt Angle's website has been updated with an official announcement as well.

What a bloody coup this is. TNA haven't disappointed this time.

What do you think this will mean for TNA and wrestling in general?

NeiloMac

Damn, thats one hell of a coup, nobody had a clue,

TNA is getting bigger and Bigger, Vince better start pulling up his socks,

Vince135792003

I think its somewhat good news for Angle. The guy needs a long long rest but if he still wants to wrestle, TNA on a much lighter scedule is the place to go. In saying that TNA have no drug policy so it would still allow him to abuse all that pain medication he was taking.

For TNA and for wrestling in general its hard to say what impact he'll have. I don't think this is the start of the wrestling war part 2 although the signing of Angle is definitely a move of intent by TNA .

The bottom line though is TNA are getting a rating of .7 and are averaging 30000-40000 buys. Kurt Angle will be a big help but those numbers are a huge way off the radar of being a major player in wrestling. I think Angle will make a diffference but not to the point where they'll be going from a .7 to a 3.

Plus, TNA are getting the Kurt Angle of 2006 and not 2000. And don't forget who they just put on the booking committee.

But maybe it will focus the mind of those in power at WWE a bit more.

gimmick

My god, that is huge for TNA, somewhat of a better announcement than Vince Russo coming on board anyway.

Im not mad about the idea though. I would have prefered for him to go to ROH, or Japan, where there would at least be some good opposition, unlike TNA where he will fued with Jarrett, or Christian Cage.

Cactus Col

And there was me expecting to announce the signing of the boogeyman

b0bsquish

Is it just me thinking.....Joe vs Angle...
Hopefully this will give TNA a decent boost forward.

gimmick

^ Never thought of that. That would get their buyrates up something huge at a PPV.

That said, cant see that happening for quite a while as Jarrett will most likely want to fued with him until at least January.

b0bsquish

True, it will take a while to get to it, but it will be huge.

Cactus Col

As great as Angle vs Joe sounds, Angle v jarrett would just bore the crap out of me.

HorseRadish

I just hope Angle is put on the "Sting schedule" and get to takes it some bit easier in the 6 sided ring. Sure is a bif F-U to MMA and Vince,how long will it take WWE to diss Angle on their broadcasts like they did when Hogan,Bret etc left?

SteM

This is a really bad move for Angle imo. Every rumour I've read about him says he's not healthy at all. He should have taken a year off to get himself right, the WWE would have had him back then and he could have started a slow build to Wrestlemania 24.

Stalfos

Big News for sure. This should really get TNA going. Look what Christan and Sting have done for it so far. Angle should really put TNA on the map so to speak. He is really digging himself an early grave but i can't wait to see his matches with Joe and a few others. Would love if he tried a few X division matches as well.

GMoneyV1

Does anybody else think that being in tna is more of danger to Kurt. Imagine a musclebuster from joe to his already damaged neck. They are a lot stiffer in the ring than say WWE guys. Angle vs. Joe is a TNA Dream match, as a big fan of angle as i am, i urge caution but i cant hide my excitement at the possibilty of himself verus styles or daniels. Im on the fence as to whether its a good choice or not but as a fan cant wait to see the machine tear it up in TNA... Wooo!!

Motley Crue

i actually stopped watching wrestling because of people like kurt angle. sure he was a true american athlete who won gold in the 96 atlanta games blah blah, but he also was fastcarded to success no matter what. i remember when he faced shawn stasiak (the guy who was fired for taping wrestlers locker room conversations) in a match at survivor series 99 and there was no build up, and it was a crap match, and then 2 months later he appears at the royal rumble to face tazz and from that moment on things just went from bad to worse for the wwe

its not like it used to be back in the good old 93-97 days, when shawn michaels and diesel and bret hart fought yokozuma and doink the clown etc, i miss those days, and hated the real 'american athlete days'

RebelRockChick

I couldn't believe it when I heard it this morning!! It's huge for TNA, sure will raise their ratings. I just hope that Angle actually does get the rest he needs!!

Anyone think we won't be seeing Angle in WWE ever again after this? Especially once the WWE bashing starts!

fatal

damn!!!TNA have reallly pulled the rabbit out of the hat this time...

This is HUGE news for TNA and it will give them a HUGE boost.Just shows that although vince has the money he cant stop some of the big names to leave him.Vince should really try something else right now besides sticking wrestlers on large sums of $ in order for them to stay.Although Angle was getting paid a huge amount to go to ECW he clearly wasnt happy with the decidion to move over and I would say that is certainly one,if not the only,reason he left WWE

Mr.Nice Guy

Acquiring a wrestler who can use his own name and gimmick is especially sweet and Kurt can do just that.

Perhaps with the exception of John Cena, who would bring kids and women over to TNA, I don't see any other current wrestler generating such huge interest. It's a massive moment for TNA.

If TNA utilise him effectively they can carve out a great place for themselves in the industry and hopefully provide some competition in the long run.

Charlie

Am I the only one who thinks its weird that Angle didnt have a no compete clause, especially as his reasons for leaving were due to health and personal problems.

This is pretty far fetched but, logic to not having a no compete clause for Angle is if Vince is happy to let him go to TNA, work a lighter schedule and then snatch him back two years later for a big ratings buster return, cause in fairness there isnt really anyone in TNA that vince could bring over that would generate big buys. I am not pissing on TNA wrestlers but the casual fan is unaware of Joe and the like. That was something during the Monday night wars that grabbed the fans attention, big wrestlers switching sides, something that is massively missing in todays era.

Also, why is everyone always so anti Vince Russo. He wrote some of the wwf's best material, and in some ways turned the WWF's fortunes around. A big part of the reason he messed up in WCW was because he was a writer in the WWF with Vince overlooking his work, whereas in WCW he was made a booker, something different altogether. Also, there were many major problems in WCW that were nothing to do with Russo like Hogan, Nash, Johnny Ace, men who Russo despised and worked to lessen their politikin. Also an board of directors made up o OL men adn t.v executives that disliked wretling and wanted Time WArner to have nothing to do with it.

gimmick

fatal wrote:

Although Angle was getting paid a huge amount to go to ECW he clearly wasnt happy with the decidion to move over and I would say that is certainly one,if not the only,reason he left WWE

He didnt leave the WWE, he was released.

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

If TNA utilise him effectively they can carve out a great place for themselves in the industry and hopefully provide some competition in the long run.

If is the big word there. However, I cant see Jarrett allowing a huge name like Angle come in, and not immediately have a long fued with him. He has pretty much done it with every other big name that has come in, so this time will be no different imo.

With regard to what I want to happen, i would like to see Angle in a non wrestling role for a while, let his aches and pains heel somewhat, before getting into the ring with either Styles, Daniels or Joe. Somehow though, I cannot see that happening.

Charlie

I thougt it was mutual, and even if it was a release they could still have a no compete clause.

Stalfos

Nope, it wasn't mutual at all it seems. WWE said it was but were lying as Kurt didn't want to take time off from Wrestling and they didn't. That's me take on it anyway. Angle was suspended for 30 days a few weeks before he was released and it was explained why so i'd say there were a few backstage arguments between Angle and WWE officals before his release. I'd wouldn't say Angle would go back to WWE for a long time really.

nasty_crash

this is unbelievable!! great coup for TNA!! never seen it coming at all!! as for WWE letting him go for 2 years and then signing him back - maybe!! but still it is a kick in the teeth for WWE! this really will kickstart tna ratings to rise and become a household organisation!!! theyve made some very interesting signings already with christian and rhyno but this is gonna make TNA!!

Joe Vs. Angle - DREAMLAND!!!!

Minto

Great news fot TNA! I just hope WWE can keep it professional and ignore it. Still though TNA going primetime and Kurt will def put some asses in seats!

Dickmcsavage

Ive always enjoyed watching the odd bit of TNA but this might the one thing I needed to get me into it big time!

BTW, is Kurt really in that bad of shape? Everyone here is going on as if he's gonna die if he slips up once. Can someone give a link to show me some concrete evidence that Angle is in really bad shape?

nacho libre

how about his own statements on why he was let go from wwe? Is that not proof enough?

I really fear for his health. I hope this contract with tna gives him a light schedule and he doesn't start with the company for a good six months

Vince135792003

charlie mchugh wrote:

I thougt it was mutual, and even if it was a release they could still have a no compete clause.

They fired him because they feared the worst the way things are going with him. He was in the words of a WWE source to Alvarez" The worst case they have ever had". Think about that.

Anyone that needs proof of his shape should just search for a few interviews with Kurt who openly talked about how bad shape he was in as far back as 4 years ago. Or buy the hall of fame observer issue where Dave Meltzer has an article on him.

I wish he'd just take a long, long rest.

As for putting TNA on the map. Again this is a company that has Vince Russo on the booking committee whoose first show last night featured a blow up doll in a finish. Oh yeah, wait for Luger and Bagwell to appear soon too. They hardly run house shows. They don't run live. They use the same builiding over and over again. They're getting a .7 to .9 rating for over a year now with no growth. They average 35000 buys a month. They have never made an annual profit.

Kurt Angle has drawing power. But not enough in my opinion to put TNA in the mainstream.

Fozzy

He still has a good few weeks at least before he's fit enough to wrestle, doesn't he? He tore/pulled 3 muscles in his last match, ECW house show vs RVD

I'm not sure about this from the point of view of Kurt's best interests. For TNA it's massive. His schedule will be much lighter if he doesn't do indy shows, so that's some good news for him. I could definitely see him doin some indy shows though, I'm sure some promoters would pull out everything they possibly can to be able to book him

SteM

Dickmcsavage wrote:

Can someone give a link to show me some concrete evidence that Angle is in really bad shape?

He'd still be with WWE if he was in good shape! They need all the star power they can get for ECW and they were still willing to let him go - that should be all of the evidence you need.

seanironmaiden

Good man Angle.

I'd say he's done this to try and take his mind off all the personal stuff he's goin through. And TNA doesn't involve any traveling, does it? So that should leave him with more time to rest and maybe work off some of the physical issues he has.

TNA couldn't have gotten luckier really...

Vince135792003

charlie mchugh wrote:

Also, why is everyone always so anti Vince Russo. He wrote some of the wwf's best material, and in some ways turned the WWF's fortunes around. A big part of the reason he messed up in WCW was because he was a writer in the WWF with Vince overlooking his work, whereas in WCW he was made a booker, something different altogether. Also, there were many major problems in WCW that were nothing to do with Russo like Hogan, Nash, Johnny Ace, men who Russo despised and worked to lessen their politikin. Also an board of directors made up o OL men adn t.v executives that disliked wretling and wanted Time WArner to have nothing to do with it.

Read the best selling book Death of WCW by R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez to remind you of how bad WCW was under Russo. Or else get some tapes. Hell even watch last nights TNA pay per view. His hands were all over it.

The guy has good ideas and then overbooks them to death.

This was a guy who told Rey Mysterio that he had to take his mask off because he was n't marketable enough!

SteM wrote:

He'd still be with WWE if he was in good shape! They need all the star power they can get for ECW and they were still willing to let him go - that should be all of the evidence you need.

Totally agree.

Mr.Nice Guy

Part of me is concerned for Angle but at the end of the day he's a grown man and it's not like TNA put a gun to his head.

If he is on a 1 hour show like ECW is then, as with ECW, he'll only be given short quick matches to begin with so I think he can be protected early on.

PPVs are a different story but TNA need him big time so I don't see them jeopardising their investment by forcing him into gruelling contests with Samoa Joe, Scott Steiner etc. At least not to begin with.

SteM

Vince135792003 wrote:

Read the best selling book Death of WCW by R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez to remind you of how bad WCW was under Russo. Or else get some tapes. Hell even watch last nights TNA pay per view. His hands were all over it.

The guy has good ideas and then overbooks them to death.

This was a guy who told Rey Mysterio that he had to take his mask off because he was n't marketable enough!

David Arquette isn't up to much these days....

Vince135792003

I had totally erased the David Arquette title run from my mind till you reminded me!

Charlie

Vince135792003 wrote:

Read the best selling book Death of WCW by R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez to remind you of how bad WCW was under Russo. Or else get some tapes. Hell even watch last nights TNA pay per view. His hands were all over it.

The guy has good ideas and then overbooks them to death.

This is the point I am trying to make though, that blame must also lay with the heads of WCW who hired him to do a job that he he had never done before, at WWF he was lead writer not head booker, there was no one to streamline his ideas.

I heard a very good interview between R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez and Russo in which they kinda conceeded that they came down to hard him. Its a really good listen, I posted the link a while ago and can dig it up again if anyone wants to listen to it.

They brought up the point of Arquette and he gave a pretty fair answer. He said that the way he booked it was that he wanted realism. The match finished on a total fluke victory with Arquette winnig the title but he made the point that in that situation the whole point was that it was a complete fluke but if wrestling was real it could happen, i.e a conference side holding out against united and scoring a fluke goal in the last minute. He didnt book it to make out that Arquette was the best in the world and capbale of beating anyone he wanted to portray that, yeah its unlikely, but in those kinda situations anything can happen.

Whilst I dont think its the greatest angle in the world I can see the merit in what he was trying to do, its like I said there was no one above him like Vince to book it properly. Had the angle been executed with Russo or Bischoff coming out straight after the match declaring the victory a complete adn utter fluke and that such a result is an insult to the title, and order a 3 way dance defense of the title straight away, I think there wouldnt have been such backlash to the angle. The point he was trying to make was that conceivebly such a fluke could happen when you put someone in a world title match, as oppossed to Hulk Hogan hulking up after having the **** kicked out of him and then proceed to squash someone.

V9

I'd love to see an Angle Vs AJ Styles match for sure, always found the current TNA product more entertaining, wrestling wise, to the WWE product. the X Divison guys are crazy, love it.

Vince135792003

charlie mchugh wrote:

This is the point I am trying to make though, that blame must also lay with the heads of WCW who hired him to do a job that he he had never done before, at WWF he was lead writer not head booker, there was no one to streamline his ideas.

I heard a very good interview between R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez and Russo in which they kinda conceeded that they came down to hard him. Its a really good listen, I posted the link a while ago and can dig it up again if anyone wants to listen to it.

They brought up the point of Arquette and he gave a pretty fair answer. He said that the way he booked it was that he wanted realism. The match finished on a total fluke victory with Arquette winnig the title but he made the point that in that situation the whole point was that it was a complete fluke but if wrestling was real it could happen, i.e a conference side holding out against united and scoring a fluke goal in the last minute. He didnt book it to make out that Arquette was the best in the world and capbale of beating anyone he wanted to portray that, yeah its unlikely, but in those kinda situations anything can happen.

Whilst I dont think its the greatest angle in the world I can see the merit in what he was trying to do, its like I said there was no one above him like Vince to book it properly. Had the angle been executed with Russo or Bischoff coming out straight after the match declaring the victory a complete adn utter fluke and that such a result is an insult to the title, and order a 3 way dance defense of the title straight away, I think there wouldnt have been such backlash to the angle. The point he was trying to make was that conceivebly such a fluke could happen when you put someone in a world title match, as oppossed to Hulk Hogan hulking up after having the **** kicked out of him and then proceed to squash someone.

Bootm line, I would n't have him on my 3 man booking committee. He did n't do anything for TNA before either.

Look at the shows he produced in his time at WCW. There was so many bad angles under his tenure, it became ludicrous.

The blame does lie in those who hired him but also in his arrogant attitude thinking he could do the job. With Russo, its always somebody elses fault when things go wrong.

SteM

charlie mchugh wrote:

This is the point I am trying to make though, that blame must also lay with the heads of WCW who hired him to do a job that he he had never done before, at WWF he was lead writer not head booker, there was no one to streamline his ideas.

I heard a very good interview between R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez and Russo in which they kinda conceeded that they came down to hard him. Its a really good listen, I posted the link a while ago and can dig it up again if anyone wants to listen to it.

They brought up the point of Arquette and he gave a pretty fair answer. He said that the way he booked it was that he wanted realism. The match finished on a total fluke victory with Arquette winnig the title but he made the point that in that situation the whole point was that it was a complete fluke but if wrestling was real it could happen, i.e a conference side holding out against united and scoring a fluke goal in the last minute. He didnt book it to make out that Arquette was the best in the world and capbale of beating anyone he wanted to portray that, yeah its unlikely, but in those kinda situations anything can happen.

Whilst I dont think its the greatest angle in the world I can see the merit in what he was trying to do, its like I said there was no one above him like Vince to book it properly. Had the angle been executed with Russo or Bischoff coming out straight after the match declaring the victory a complete adn utter fluke and that such a result is an insult to the title, and order a 3 way dance defense of the title straight away, I think there wouldnt have been such backlash to the angle. The point he was trying to make was that conceivebly such a fluke could happen when you put someone in a world title match, as oppossed to Hulk Hogan hulking up after having the **** kicked out of him and then proceed to squash someone.

Don't want to go off topic (though I already have) but....

My own feeling on wrestling is, just because something CAN happen doesn't mean that it SHOULD happen. WCWs business was going down the toliet when Russo handed the belt to Arquette who was a b list movie star at the time. I don't understand how he thought it would help WCWs business in the long term? Wrestling is a fan driven industry by and large and I didn't hear any fans shouting for Arquette to get the strap. It's all well and good for him to talk like that (and I'd be interested in that link if you could find it) but to me is shows that he doesn't understand how wrestling works.

Ph3n0m

The following comments from Kurt Angle are taken from http://www.tnawrestling.com/:

“Being with TNA feels like I have finally found my home. I had fun in WWE at certain times, but I was never really happy. Now being a part of TNA, I know I have a purpose. I feel like I am part of history, part of a company that is not only on the rise – not only going to be the number-one watched wrestling show in the world within a short period of time – but TNA gives me an opportunity to spread my wings. This company has no limits to where it can go. The sky is the limit and the main reason is because they brought the “real” back into wrestling and that is a perfect fit for the greatest wrestler in USA Olympic history. I have room to grow here and to help TNA grow. Working for these caring and very giving employers of TNA makes me feel like I have a purpose and that the sky is the limit. I don’t feel trapped or held back like I did the first six years in my tenure with the other company. They held me back. Now, our wonderful audience will see the real Kurt Angle doing what I love to do – real wrestling – and that’s what puts a smile on my face each time I come to work. I even smile when I think about it. TNA will be the most watched television show on cable television. It’s only a matter of time. Now, I get the opportunity and privilege of being a part of it. Thank you TNA for saving my career, my life and my desire to do what I love. I will be here in some capacity for the rest of my life. That’s real…that’s damn real.”


Needless to say this line kinda shocked me

I don’t feel trapped or held back like I did the first six years in my tenure with the other company. They held me back.

SteM

Ph3n0m wrote:

I don’t feel trapped or held back like I did the first six years in my tenure with the other company. They held me back.

WTF?! Angle must be on hallucinogens, not painkillers. He had the greatest rookie year ever in the WWE and has been a main eventer since then! 'They held me back' - from killing himself during the end of his time there maybe.

I know you have to talk up our new company and all but really, who on earth would believe this...

Vince135792003

The line that scares me is "Thank you TNA for saving my career, my life and my desire to do what I love".

Unless they're imprisoning him up in a rehab clinic, I dont see how thats true. This was a guy only a month ago outlining himself how much trouble he was in. Dixie Carter is the Mother Theresa of professional wrestling I guess.

On being held back, he had a pretty meteoric rise to the top. And no one slowed him down (although you could argue he was booked way too goofy in his first title run). They let him wrestle a Wrestlemania main event even when there was a risk of serious injury. He's had multimple lenghty title runs.

I'm not saying they used him great all the time. But for 4 years now Angle has been battling injury after injury. And I can understand why the WWE were reluctant to push him to the moon at that time.

On the whole though, at least from looking on the outside, he should have no serious complaints with his run.

Dragan

Hmmmm, Kurt did say that he wanted to do "real wrestling"???? Do you think he wants to return to a more Greco/Roman style??? Maybe when he initially joined WWE he wanted to show "this is wrestling" but they wanted a more "pro wrestling" style???

Maybe that is what he meant by "held back"???? Who knows?

Ph3n0m

I have to say - whether it was scripted or not, Angle may have felt that WWE bruised his ego for suggesting he take time off to heal up or accuse him of having a pain killer addiction.

Either way he was let go by WWE and that might have seriously felt like a slap in the teeth for Angle after busting his hump for the company for the past few years

Mr.Nice Guy

I don't think they held Angle back for 6 years but I think they held him back a bit near the end of his tenure there. Remember how great he was in 2005 with having the match of the year with HBK at WM21, then another great one at Vengeance before destroying Eugene at Summerslam. Then he was put in a feud with Cena though and never got to have a run with the gold.

It was only due to Batista's injury that he was given the World Title so I definitely think that pissed him off after all his hard work.

gimmick

I wouldnt necessarily think Angle was held back then in his fued with Cena, but he was being used more get Cena over than himself, and that pissed alot of people, me included, off.

Two ways of looking at it really - Angle had to do the job for Cena like Rock did for Kurt a few years ago, or he was being screwed out of the top spot. For me, it s a bit of both, as it had to fit in with WWEs over-zealous desire to make Cena a mega star of Austin proportions.

Clareman

To be honest I have to think that everyone that leaves Vince always complains about being held back, it's hard to see how he has been held back, he has always been near the top, put in programs with all the top guys, given the strap with the top star was injured and was even used as a central figure in the new brand, I have a feeling that TNA/he are just trying to stoke the whole "WWE is not good for wrestling", Christian was saying similar things when he left.

savemejebus

if he thinks he was held back in wwe wait till he gets a load of TNAs usual shtick for big names. Fight Jarrett, Win NWA title, be cheated out of said title, go to mid card, turn heel, turn face, feud with jarrett.....

triple h

i dont kurt was held back, dont see how kurt sees that. christan was held back i reckon.

Mr.Nice Guy

I remember reading though that Angle had suggested winning the belt off of Cena and then having Cena chase him for it and that this idea was turned down by Vince. I imagine that stuck in the guy's craw and it's probably why they decided to give him the World Title.

Vince135792003

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

I remember reading though that Angle had suggested winning the belt off of Cena and then having Cena chase him for it and that this idea was turned down by Vince. I imagine that stuck in the guy's craw and it's probably why they decided to give him the World Title.

According to the observer, even with all his injuries he wanted to win the belt off Big Show at Summerslam too. A guy who was considered in way worse of shape than Brian Pillman was back in 1996.

He had a great run and when he was healthy (up until about 2002) he had 2 lengthy runs with the belt. When he came back from neck surgery they immediately gave him another one.

But when his neck problems appeared again in his feud with Lesnar in 2003 and more injuries followed I can totally understand why the lengthy title runs dried up.

gimmick

TOP STORY: EXCLUSIVE DETAILS ON KURT ANGLE'S TNA CONTRACT

The Kurt Angle story continues to be the hottest story in pro wrestling of at least the past three years, so we're going to lead off with it for the fourth week in a row.

I have a source at a pretty high level of Total Nonstop Action, and I spoke with him Monday morning after the announcement the previous evening that Kurt Angle had signed a deal with the company. We covered many topics surrounding Angle and the short-term and long-term future of the company, and here's what I can tell you.

Angle's TNA contract is long-term, and the company wants to keep him far beyond his competitive wrestling years. I was specifically told that this is not a Sting deal, where they pay Angle a lot of money for one year of work. Angle is now the highest-paid guy on TNA's roster, but that was to be expected.

In return for having the former WWE star appear on TNA television early, the company is paying Angle a lump sum equivalent to nearly one-third of what his WWE non-compete clause would have paid him, which is roughly in the range of $150,000. This was not a dealbreaker in the least, but Angle felt he needed some monetary compensation for appearing early and voiding the rest of his contract. The speculated total of Angle's contract is roughly $650,000, which makes him the highest-paid guy on the TNA roster, which is acceptable because he instantly brings credibility to a company that desperately has been searching for a well-known star to help take them over the top.

Money was not the driving issue in negotiations. Angle legitimately feels slighted and insulted by Vince McMahon, whom he felt wrongfully discarded him after he dedicated so much of his life to performing at a high level for the company. He wants to help TNA defeat WWE in television ratings and to help them become a legitimate #1 pro wrestling brand. His TNA contract is exclusive when it comes to wrestling promotions (except for Ring of Honor, where Angle has stated he'd like to work a match with Bryan Danielson), but it is not exclusive for MMA. Angle still wants to do a UFC match in 2007, and it will likely be against Daniel Puder.

Kurt and his wife Karen were going through some rough spots in their marriage, but the marital difficulties came about because Angle was constantly on the road and Karen hated the small amount of time she actually got to spend with her husband. Now that he'll be working limited dates per month, he'll have a lot more time to spend at home. The belief is that with the limited number of dates he'll be working a month (probably 1 TV match and 1 big PPV match on a monthly basis), he'll be able to allow his body to heal much better than when he was wrestling six days per week, night in and night out.

The accepted story is that Angle was fired from his WWE job because he not only had severe drug and physical issues, but he also was breaking down mentally. This may not entirely be the truth, at least from Angle's perspective. My source also tells me that TNA will be releasing an interview with Angle where he will clarify a lot on what's been written about him, so we can expect that sometime in the next two weeks.

On his blog, Jim Ross stated that he's not sure how long Angle will stay in TNA, but thinks that the lighter schedule and lesser in-ring demands of TNA could be something that helps him out, as opposed to mixed martial arts or UFC. Ross wished Angle well in his new venture, which might be a proof positive that WWE is glad Angle is in TNA instead of getting his head bashed in against Daniel Puder or Brock Lesnar in UFC

Insidepulse.com

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It could happen. My God, let this happen. Though the entire article is rather vague.

Ph3n0m

http://www.tnawrestling.com/news/fullnews2.php?all=859

Crowd reaction to Kurt Angle video - wow!