The Kurt Angle Show - TNA Sacrifice 2007 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Let’s start with the Impact after Lockdown. The story is that you brought Jeff Jarrett back for your team but Jarrett ends up helping Sting gain the victory over Christian and get the title shot. You’re about to attack Jarrett when Sting comes out and talks about how people like Sting and Jarrett paved the road for guys like you who have been in the business for 10 years and that if it wasn’t for Sting & Jarrett … you’d be a gold medalist gym teacher Kurt.

Let me pause right there Kurt. This seems odd to me that this is how the top guy - which in my opinion you are regardless of Christian being champion - as a sort of less experienced wrestler. Do you think this presents you in the best light?

Not for nothing Kurt - but are you a heel or a babyface here? Does it make it hard to get a reaction when it feels like you’re in between everybody?

This leads to a challenge and it’s announced that Sting and Kurt Angle will face off in a professional wrestling ring for the first time…on TV next week.

Kurt - we’ve talked in the past about you vs. Sting being talked about as a match on WrestleMania 18…WrestleMania 18! Now TNA’s plan is to announce this match with a one-week build and not on a pay-per-view between really - two megastars…is this something you’re ok with? Did you think it was the right way to promote this…or are you just a good soldier and saying yes?

The next week - the build towards the match gets messy. You are jumped during the show and bleed…and in the very next segment Eric Young is beaten up and bloodied. Does this lessen the impact of your blood back to back? Is this something you’d voice your opinion to someone…Vince Russo or whoever…that this is a terrible idea?

Your match with Sting goes…2 minutes and 47 seconds before Team Cage comes out - which is Christian, Scott Steiner, Tomko & AJ Styles - and bloody you up and chair shots and DDTs and you get taken out on a stretcher.

Is this just a waste of this match of what could’ve drawn a buyrate? It advances the story but does it help anyone?

What can help you is IPVanish…

Since you and Sting did not have a finish - Christian cuts a promo and says well since nobody won he’ll defend against either Shark Boy or Sonjay Dutt but Jim Cornette tells Don West to tell Christian that he’ll have to defend it against Sting later that night.

Kurt - is this just silly?

Sting and Christian ends when you come running out and attack Christian for the DQ…and Sting gets hot at you and hits you with a baseball bat.

Kurt - THIS IS ALL ON THE SAME SHOW!

Kurt is this just too much overbooking?

You’re about almost 7 months into TNA. You’ve worked Samoa Joe in big matches, Christian and Scott Steiner…are you happy with your creative?

Christian comes out the next week on Impact and lays the challenge out for the main event…Christian & AJ Styles teaming up to take on yourself & Sting. If Christian wins, neither one of them get a title shot…but if Angle or Sting win - whomever scores the fall gets the shot as it’s billed a “All or Nothing” match. Sting turns it down and you ask if he’s a icon…or a pussy. Whoa Kurt!

Sting does agree but harsh words Kurt! What was it like working with Sting at this time?

In the main event you & Sting defeat Christian & Styles but the story of the match is Sting had Christian in a scorpion death drop and you actually saved it so you cost your team the win but it’s because you weren’t going to get a shot. Do you remember who came up with that wrinkle?

The finish comes where Sting & you each lock in the ankle lock on AJ. AJ submits and Jim Cornette asked referee Rudy Charles who caused the submission and Charles couldn’t answer it…so Cornette announces it’ll be a three-way.

What did you think of this match?

Was this the only finish that made sense to make it a 3-way? Was there a way to get there differently in your mind?

There’s a 3-way promo with Jeremy Borash interviewing Christian, yourself and Sting…who has Christopher Daniels in the frame with him that’s never really explained. What did you think of this?

The show ends with you and Sting coming through the curtain brawling and the show goes off the air with a video package to promote the pay-per-view. Is this odd to you that this is all the build is for the go-home TV show for the pay-per-view?

-Sacrifice 5/13:
“There isn't a lot to say about TNA's Sacrifice PPV show on 5/13 other

than preliminary indications are very few people ordered the show, and it was a hell

of a show to miss. All the finishes were relatively clean other than a convoluted main event finish, where they went off the air with Kurt Angle as NWA world heavyweight

champion, only to reverse themselves on television the next day. The finish saw

Sting have the schoolboy on Christian, and then Angle grabbed the ankle lock on

Sting. Sting tapped at the same moment ref Rudy Charles counted three. They

announced Angle as the winner and new NWA champion on the last day the belt

would have the NWA name. Bob Trobich of the NWA, before the show started,

made an announcement (not on the air obviously but as a release) that the belt had

been held up, so Angle will never get to be NWA champion after all, although that

probably doesn't mean a whole lot. If they hadn't have done that double submission

finish on television to lead up to it being a three-way, the unique finish here would

have come across as creative as opposed to cheesy.”

Before we get to the match itself - the whole NWA pulling out and you not becoming NWA champion…is that a disappointment to you?

When you’re putting a 3-way match together  - how difficult is it to do so?

Who is the leader in putting this match together do you remember?

“9. Kurt Angle appeared to win the three-way in what was billed as the final NWA

world heavyweight title match in TNA over champ Christian Cage and Sting in

10:45. Cage played the role again where he tried to be the instigator of Sting and Angle going after each other. At times, they both threw Christian out of the ring

and started beating on each other. It was shorter than you'd probably want a world

title match to be, but the match itself was good and could have been one of the

better matches on the show if they had a better finish and more time. Angle laid out

Sting with an Olympic slam on the floor, and then gave Christian eight straight

German suplexes. Sting threw Angle out of the ring to try for a pin but Christian

kicked out. Sting went to give Christian a superplex, but Angle came underneath

Sting and gave him a German suplex with Sting on the middle rope and Christian

going flying. Rudy Charles went down. Who could have ever seen that one

coming? Angle then got ankle locks on both Sting and Christian at the same time

but no ref. After Angle tried to check on the ref; Sting gave Christian a uranage.

Christian gave Sting a low blow and an unprettier. Sting then caught Christian with

a schoolboy, and while doing so, Angle put Sting in the ankle lock. Sting pinned

Christian at the same time Sting tapped to Angle. They announced and went off the

air with Angle as champion, but it was held up the next day at TV. ***1/4“

To finally get a title win in TNA and to have it taken back the next day on TV…does that matter to you personally?

Do you think referee bumps were way overdone in TNA?

What did you think of the finish? Did you think it was innovative or was it too cute?

Are you happy with this match when it’s all over?

Do you think you need to be champion to continue to push the company forward?

Kurt - was it a goal of yours to be NWA champion…did it matter that you were eventually going to be a TNA champion?