The Kurt Angle Show - TNA Against All Odds 2007 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

We are going to be discussing Against All Odds 2007 today where for the first time you were going to be wrestling for the NWA World Title. Your experience in the business was relegated to the World Wrestling Federation when you first broke in but did you have any knowledge of the NWA and what they meant to the business decades before?

There’s been a litany of NWA World Champions who were based around pure wrestling just like you yourself were. Lou Thesz, Pat O’Connor, Gene Kiniski, Dory Funk, Jr., Harley Race, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. How much background did you have on the NWA World Title and the territories through working with various people and hearing the stories?

When you come into TNA becoming the NWA Champion makes sense. You enter the company as the biggest star for the company. Did they promise you the World Title and how it was going to happen?

We’ve always heard about people that sign with companies that they try to work in their contract that they’ll be the World Champion at some point. Was it something you negotiated for in your deal?

We’re coming off Final Resolution which we covered in the archives a few weeks ago so be sure and check that back out but your win over Samoa Joe gives you the right to face the NWA Champion Christian Cage. You are very familiar with Christian obviously from your time in the WWF. Christian wins the title at Final Resolution in a 3-way over Abyss & Sting. For your first world title program was Christian your choice out of those 3 to work with?

When you work with someone as much as you have in the past like Christian is it just old hat? You fall into old rhythms or since you guys are in a different company and actually wrestling for the World Title is it a different level?

You’ve finished your series with Joe. How’s your body coming off of that?

Let’s get into the TV that’s going to build you vs. Christian.

TNA: Christian Cage And Kurt Angle Square Off

From the Observer: “Cage talked about facing Angle at Against All Odds. Christian said Angle was the biggest asshole he'd ever met. Angle came out to the ring and made a crack about Christian not having his life partner with him. Christian said he had hired an

anger management coach. We've got another secret debut. Angle asked if it was

Bill Goldberg or Brock Lesnar.”

Who’s putting the creative together for you & Christian? Is it Russo? Who’s idea is it to bring up Brock Lesnar and Goldberg in this segment? It’s reported in the Observer it’s going to be Scott Steiner, which it is, do you know what the backstory to bringing Steiner back in this role is? Are you expected to work with Scott and is that something you’re excited about?

Supposedly Goldberg & Lesnar find out about this and are hot about it. Did they ever talk to you about it?

There’s also talk in the Observer that Ken Shamrock was considered for the spot but nothing happened with it. Would you have been more interested in working with Ken compared to Scott?

Later that night you take on AJ Styles in your first one-on-one match…with little to no promotion.

Are you surprised your first match against AJ is on TV? What are your first impressions of working with AJ?

You pin AJ after Tomko - who’s at ringside - attempts to interfere and you duck a chair shot and end up hitting AJ with the olympic slam onto the chair. Christian attacks you which brings out Rhino who attacks Christian & Tomko and then Samoa Joe runs out with a chair to clear the ring. First things first - you & Christian are both heels. So that’s going to be hard. Then you add Tomko so that kind of makes you a default babyface since you don’t have a heater. Then Samoa Joe is saving you. Is this all too much?

It’s announced that Samoa Joe is going to be the special guest enforcer for your match vs. Christian and the story is that Joe wants you to win so he can win the title from you. You & Joe really should’ve been separated from each other for a while coming off 3 pay-per-view matches in a row don’t you think?

TNA: Is Samoa Joe Advising Christian Cage?

The next week on Impact Samoa Joe opens the show saying he wants you to win the title. You confront Joe saying it’s fine if Joe is Christian’s new anger management coach which Joe denies. Anger management Kurt? Does this have any place in a serious story like this?

From the Observer: “Cage said Joe wasn't good enough to consult with him on anything. Angle and Joe started arguing and Tomko said there would be a lot of changes in the company, hinting about announcer changes.”

Once again a lot of players here. Does this really advance the story? Shouldn’t the story be straight forward - you’re trying to win the NWA Title for the first time against a long time rival and the guy who you’ve beaten 2-1 in a best of 3 series wants his revenge? Did it need to be this complicated?

The main event on that show was Christian beating Christopher Daniels with Joe & Tomko at ringside and the show ends with you & Joe arguing. It kind of feels at this point you’re in a 3-way feud with Joe & Christian. Would you have rather worked with Joe than Christian?

You’re announced for a New Japan show on February 18th. This is not the New Japan of the last 5 years with Okada on top and big business as the company at the time was losing money and in the red. How does this deal come to be? Is it through TNA? Is it a separate deal? What were the plans for you? Are you dealing with Simon Inoki?

From the Observer: “The morale situation has gotten worse. Unfortunately, what has happened is a divide between the star group (Jeff Jarrett, Sting, Kun Angle, Christian and Kevin Nash) who are perceived as making the most money, which they are, and the rest

of the guys. The cutback on the shuttle from the airport and hotel rooms plus the

fact the aforementioned five guys dress in a separate dressing room has built on

the natural resentment of guys not making much to guys who are making a lot

more and getting all the stardom perks”

So Kurt tells us what the locker room situation is like at this time. Is it just you and those guys getting dressed separately and being taken care of compared to the other talents? Do you think this is based out of jealousy or fact?

Was there anyone at this time you were having issues with or anybody brought to your attention?

Also in the Observer it’s brought up that Jarrett, Dutch Mantel and Russo are the main creative forces but they’re looking to add Mike Tenay & Jim Cornette to the booking committee. Was Russo the main driving creative force with you? What was it like working with Dutch, Tenay & Cornette?

We’ve always heard stories of Russo & Cornette not getting along…did you ever see anything like that?

There’s talk of you going to AAA to work a major show. Along with New Japan do you have to clear your bookings with TNA? Is it your manager handling these types of negotiations? Did you have any demands?

You go on Bubba the Love Sponge on January 23rd and talk about another MMA match and bring up Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz specifically. Were there talks at the time for you to one of these fights … did you ever bring up to TNA to promote it on a pay-per-view if UFC wouldn’t do it?

Also in that interview you put over Dixie as a better businesswoman than Vince McMahon and that she’s paying you more than Vince ever did. Is this you just trying to put the company over or are you holding onto some bad feelings about the WWE?

Joe keeps claiming he’s not Christian’s backup but Christian says Joe is lying.

TNA: Samoa Joe, Christian Cage And Kurt Angle Brawl

This is a hell of a brawl Kurt but my goodness it’s all over the place. Does this show how hard it is to book 3 people in a 2 person program?

On the go-home Impact you team with Samoa Joe to go against AJ Styles & Christian. The Observer reports it as the best Impact match in a while. Rhino distracts AJ which leads to you hitting him with an Olympic Slam off the top rope for the win. After the match Joe put Christian in a choke which led to Scott Steiner coming out for the save in a hockey mask.

TNA: Scott Steiner Is Revealed As Cage's Adviser

Steiner’s reveal gets a big pop and Scott ends up hitting the elbow drop on you and doing pushups. What did you think of Scott’s gimmick as Big Poppa Pump?

The match was 10:00 live according to reports but was edited down to only 3 minutes and 16 seconds. Do you know why that is? Is that something you’d get upset about back then?

This episode of Impact draws its highest audience for a TV show in its history. What do you credit that to?

It’s reported in the Observer that the feeling was Christian was going to put together a heel stable called Christian’s Coalition to feud with you, Joe & Rhino. It seems you’re bouncing back and forth between heel and face. Last month you’re attacking Samoa Joe’s girlfriend … which is completely forgotten … and now you’re standing tall with Joe. Does this lack of consistency in the first couple months of your TNA run hurt you do you think?

The rumor and innuendo at the time is that the long-term thinking is for Samoa Joe to win the NWA Title before you so when you do win the NWA Title it’s over Joe. Do you remember that being the long-term plan? Did you agree with it?

Well we’re at the match between you and Christian in the Impact Zone. You’ve been wrestling at the Impact Zone at this point for almost 3 months. Is the crowd already burned out to you in regards to seeing all this action week after week?

Christian vs. Kurt Angle for the NWA Title is the main event for Against All Odds. In the matches beforehand you had a chain match between AJ Styles & Rhino, Sting beating Abyss in a prison yard match, Lance Hoyt with David Eckstein against Dale Torberg with AJ Pierzynski, and the Big Fat Oil Guy in a tuxedo street fight against Christy Hemme. Was this all tough to follow when you’re able to have a straight wrestling match?

“Christian Cage pinned Kurt Angle in 1 9:02 to retain the NWA Title. Angle

guaranteed before the match that he would win the title. You know Cornette has

zero power, because the Cornette booking rule of thumb is if the face either

guarantees, promises or swears to God on something on television, he has to

Deliver.”

This is an old school thought process but it doesn’t look great when the babyface doesn’t come through would you agree?

“Tomko came out with Christian but Steiner didn't. They spent the whole

show teasing that Tomko and Steiner don't get along. Joe came out a couple of

minutes into the match to be the ringside enforcer. Angle did a running tackle but

Christian moved and Angle's shoulder hit the post. Joe was at ringside coaching

Angle to get up.”

Kurt - Steiner & Tomko & Christian have been together for like 4 days at this point. Way too soon for that right?

Was there a reason Joe came out late to the match?

“Christian worked over the shoulder. He went for an unprettier but

Angle reversed it into the ankle lock. Christian did a low blow and hit the

unprettier but Angle kicked out. Angle did the running up the ropes belly-to-belly

superplex. He followed with seven German suplexes but Cage kicked out. A.J.

Styles was the first guy in, but Joe chased him to the back. With everyone

distracted, Christian hit Angle with a chair shot and tried both a frog splash and an

unprettier, but Angle kicked out of both.”

Who puts these matches together back then? Were there agents like WWE had? There’s a lot of interference normally in these TNA main events. Why do you think there is?

Kert Angle challenges Christian cage for the world championship (against all odds  2007).- FINISHING SEQUENCE

“Joe came back out. Angle tried the ankle lock. Christian kicked Angle off into ref Andrew Thomas. Joe tried to revive Thomas as Angle hit the Olympic slam, but no ref. Joe threw Thomas in the ring but Christian kicked out. Christian then clotheslined Thomas. Yes, the title can change via DQ but he'll clothesline the ref. Tomko and Steiner came out to attack Joe and Angle. Angle & Joe cleaned house on Steiner and Tomko. Steiner brought in a pipe. Angle put Christian in the ankle lock and he was tapping, but no ref again. The finish saw Christian get the pipe and hit Angle, then used the unprettier for the fall. After the match, Steiner put Angle in the Steiner recliner and used the pipe to choke him. Good match, but every TNA NWA title match has the same ref bump spots (and they are in most WWE title matches as well) because they are easy pops, but in this bout they felt old. They had the crowd at the end, which was no small feat given that nobody else could get them. But this didn't have what I'd call usual main event heat. ***½”

Well Kurt what did you think? This is a second loss - this time to Christian who was still undefeated at this point - in just a short time in TNA. Are you surprised you’re not more protected?

It’s reported in the Observer that one of the original plans was for 10 German suplexes but you called it short at 7. Is that correct?