The Kurt Angle Show - Jason Jordan [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Our topic of discussion today is the angle with you and Jason Jordan and him being revealed as your son.

We’re actually about to hit on the 5th anniversary of that moment Kurt as the big reveal was on the July 17, 2017 edition of Raw held in Nashville.

Before we get there, tell us about the first time you saw Jason Jordan in the ring and got to know him, or was this angle the starting point?

A bit of background on Jason Jordan:

Nathan Everhart is his real name for any of you who don’t know, born on September 28, 1988, and he was a big amateur wrestler growing up.

Wiki:

“While wrestling at Indiana University, Everhart was ranked in the top 15 in the nation for three years in a row. In his senior year, he was undefeated in the regular season, going 35-0 and at one point was ranked as high as 2nd in the nation. During his fourth year of wrestling, he worked as a student coach at his university and helped two All-Americans at 197 lbs and a heavyweight.

Everhart graduated with a bachelor's degree in biology with minors in chemistry, social science, and medicine. He put attending dental school on hold to pursue his dream of being a professional wrestler.”

He started in 2011 in FCW after being scouted by Gerry Brisco. He won the FCW Tag Titles down there with CJ Parker before transitioning over to NXT and eventually forming the American Alpha team with Chad Gable.

In 2016, they had some amazing matches with the Revival - the future FTR - and won the NXT Tag Titles at NXT: Takeover Dallas on the weekend of WrestleMania 32.

American Alpha were called up to the Smackdown brand in July 2016. They won the Smackdown Tag Titles on December 27 from the Wyatt Family, and lost them to the Usos on March 21, 2017

WrestleMania 33 is of course a couple of weeks after this where you returned to WWE and went in the Hall of Fame and then were announced as the new Raw General Manager the day after Mania.

Did you know about this storyline with you and Jordan immediately when coming back for this weekly TV role as the GM? Or was it thrown on you suddenly?

The storyline begins to play out on the May 29, 2017 Raw from Greenville, SC.

Corey Graves gets a mystery text on his phone, and leaves his announcer’s position to show you. You then read it out and it’s someone calling you “a disgrace and embarrassment to WWE and besmirching your status as an Olympic Gold Medalist”, and then you say this could destroy you if it’s true, as we the audience are left to wonder what exactly you’re talking about.

This is gonna be a slow build.

Next week on Raw from Wilkes-Barre, PA and this time you received a text and showed it to Graves. When he came back to announce, he ignored the question about it, and then you left the building after being asked backstage about it, saying it was a private matter.

A couple of weeks later Corey goes to you and says “it’s too bad you didn’t have a good Father’s Day” and all is revealed you both got the same text about something.

A few weeks later on the July 10 Raw from Houston, you and Graves have a final meeting. You both got the same text and you say:

“I can’t let this get out, then again I might have to go public with this, I’m gonna lose my family over this. I hope they support me, my career could be destroyed. Next week when I go public with this, I may have to say goodbye at the same time”

Then to close the show you’re shown speaking on the phone to a mystery person, and you tell them to come to Raw next week and you’ll reveal whatever this big secret is together.

Did you hear some of the potential theories at the time, including that you may have a secret lover? There were speculations it could even be Dixie Carter or Stephanie McMahon.

There was also talk of Chad Gable and not Jordan getting the role.

Why do you think Corey Graves was chosen to be put in the middle of all this?

Well finally after two months of slow build, you bring out Jason Jordan as your son on Raw. Let’s watch:

Did you have concerns this storyline wasn’t going to get over with the audience and they would crap all over it and not buy it?

How do you prepare yourself to do the tears on demand as it’s incredible acting.

Observer:

“After doing the angle, they did a post-show interview with Renee Young. Both handled it as well as possible. The idea is that Jordan was told after college he was adopted and hired a private eye, found his birth mother, who then told him that Angle was his father. They pushed how Jordan could never figure out where he got his athletic ability from.

Jordan was only told about the angle last week, and there had actually been hints given that American Alpha would be getting a new storyline on Smackdown. This explains them having nothing done with them of late.”

Over the first few months it kinda comes across that the storyline isn’t getting over. Jordan doesn’t get too much of a reaction and I think it’s fair to say he’s not as gifted on the mic as he is in the ring.

Were you or the company worried how long you could drag this angle out?

They put Jordan in feuds with The Miz and Elias and he even has some great matches on Raw against Cena and Roman Reigns, but nothing is really getting over for the guy unfortunately.

Coming up to the Survivor Series where it’s gonna be Team Raw vs Team Smackdown. You originally pick Jordan to be on the team with you, but then he is “injured” after a match with Bray Wyatt.

You are then forced to find a replacement for him in the match, and Jordan comes across as a crybaby when you tell him.

HHH is announced as the replacement and then pedigrees Jordan.

Not a good look for what they want as a top babyface, unless they are gonna have him do a heel turn on you soon?

After Survivor Series, they spend a lot more time pushing the story, with Jordan whining to you asking for matches or changes to matches.

He also starts teaming with Seth Rollins, when Dean Ambrose is injured, and on the Christmas Day edition of Raw from Chicago, Jordan & Rollins defeated Sheamus & Cesaro to win the Raw Tag Titles.

They lost the titles back to them at the Royal Rumble in what turned out to be Jordan’s final WWE match. The match was more of a handicap match as they took Jordan out at the start of the match to cover for his neck injury.

A week later on Raw, and you send Jordan home in storyline to cover his injury, after he cost Rollins and Roman Reigns a match with Raw tag champs Sheamus & Cesaro by punching the champions when they tried to walk out on the match.

And that’s the storyline put to an abrupt ending.

The next day, Jordan had minimally invasive neck surgery for a herniated disc, which was causing strength issues including issues with gripping.

Jordan’s surgery was a posterior cervical microdiscectomy, to decompress the nerve issue

that caused the problems.

At first he was expected to be out for about a year, but he has never returned to the ring and has worked as a producer the last few years.

What have you heard about Jordan’s new role the past few years? From all accounts he seems to be shining in this position.

Were you looking forward to seeing the angle payoff with the likely WrestleMania match with you and Jordan?