The Kurt Angle Show - Kurt Closes Out 2007 in TNA [Show Notes] (Patreon)

We’re going to be discussing the end of your 2007 run in TNA. When we last did a show about TNA from 2007, it was Victory Road 2007, where you and Samoa Joe defeated Team 3D, and as Joe won the fall, he won the tag belts, and had the choice to pick a partner to be his champion going forward.

But he decided to pick nobody, and this led to Hardcore Justice with you vs. Joe with four titles at stake.

Kurt…does this make the tag team titles look like shit in your mind? I mean…does any of this make sense?

You’re almost one year into the company at this point - was there a frustration level with the creative? Were you heavily involved in it or did you leave it to TNA to handle that?

At the time you’re the IWGP champion but not for New Japan while defending the title in TNA, the TNA champion, the X division champion and now you’re going to be taking on Samoa Joe for the control of the TNA tag team titles…look I know you well enough that you like to be focused and featured…but is this too much?

We’re a few weeks out from the Chris Benoit murders - and there’s lots of talk about drug testing and government inquiries to both WWE & TNA. Did any of this land on your radar or will you full steam ahead focusing on wrestling?

TNA is in deep negotiations with Spike to move to a 2-hour time slot when their contract comes up. Did you think TNA needed two hours?

You’re doing a bunch of vignettes in the leadup to Hardcore Justice with Kevin Nash as your “psychiatrist.” What did you think of working with Kevin in these skits? They seemed like a lot of fun.

At Hardcore Justice your match with Samoa Joe takes place. In just under a year this is your 4th pay-per-view match with Joe. As good as all the matches were - overkill?

Hardcore Justice - August 12, 2007

Kurt Angle beat Samoa Joe in 18:30 in a match where Angle put up the IWGP and TNA title and Joe put up the tag team and X Division titles.

***¼

You can check out this match and all of Kurt’s TNA matches by going to Impactwrestling.com/packages and sign up using the code KURT!

Coming out of that show the build is to No Surrender and the plan is for you to wrestle 3 times and defend all of your TNA titles…I know you’re not on the road like the WWE had you but is the workload here too much?

Do you come to creative and say - hey the best way we can have a great pay-per-view is for me to wrestle 3 times on it?

It’s also reported around this time that you set up a meeting between Brock Lesnar & Dixie Carter. Do you remember any details about that?

What is your relationship like with Dixie at this point in time? Friend along with boss?

You’re also at the time involved with John Cena’s cousin, the rapper Trademarc. How did that come to be?

There’s a 4-way match to determine who’s going to be your tag team title partner and Sting wins the match over AJ Styles, Christian Cage & Samoa Joe. This is to build to you and Sting facing off for the TNA title at Bound for Glory…but still this leaves a lot to be desired - why couldn’t you just pick your partner?

You’re doing a lot of promos at this time with Jim Cornette - the TNA authority figure. What did you think of working with Cornette?

The tag match you’re building to, is going to feature Pacman Jones from the NFL. What did you think of the deal to bring Pacman in?

At No Surrender you’re going to be wrestling 3 times and defending all of the titles. When you’re going into a night like this - how stressful is it?

You and Sting drop the tag team titles to Pacman Jones & Ron Killings when you’re distracted and Pacman pins Sting. For a guy being built up as your big title defense at Bound for Glory - were you ok with Sting getting pinned by Pacman?

In your second match, you lost the X Division title clean in the middle to Jay Lethal in what they immediately pushed as the biggest upset in TNA history. It was an excellent match, with the crowd going crazy because Lethal had gotten so many near falls, yet nobody thought he had a prayer to win the match. We just did a bonus watchalong of this match on AdFreeShows.com so be sure to check that out!

From the Observer:

“In his third match, Angle worked on Abyss' left ankle the entire match, and beat him clean, after taking off his boot, using an ankle lock to keep the TNA title. It was a refreshing change from the usual TNA title match that features referee bumps and missing finishes, lots of interference, and brawls all over the building. It was tough, because the crowd was starting to drag when seeing Angle come out for a third time, but they worked a match that made sense, and even rarer, where the working of a body part directly played into the finish. ***½”

Did you enjoy working with Abyss?

How’s your body feeling after this show?

It was reported in the Observer that the Lethal & Abyss match both had planned interference and you changed it to not have interference…why do you think that was important?

Do you think anything is gained for your character to go out there and lose two titles and keep the main one?

TNA switches to two hours on Spike and now the build is on for you & Sting at Bound for Glory and it’s focused on you stalking his son…is this a Russo idea?

I ask because it’s reported heavily in the Observer that you & Russo had gone to Dixie to have you two be in charge and to force Jeff Jarrett out of that position. What do you remember of this timeframe and everything that was going on about having the creative power?

You’re also in talks with the IFL about becoming a coach. Did they ever go anywhere serious for you?

You’re arrested on September 28th for a careless driving violation and suspicion of driving under the influence. Kurt - your demons at the time - were they becoming tough to manage…

What was the TNA support like at the time?

TNA stands behind you and continues to press on for your Bound for Glory main event defending the TNA title against Sting in Atlanta, Georgia - a former WCW hotbed - how big a deal is this to you?

Is Sting excited about this? There’s lot of talk at the time that Sting thought he was going to be retiring - and here he is all these years later jumping off balconies for AEW!

Are you surprised TNA wasn’t running more shows out of the Impact Zone or do you think they just weren’t ready for it yet?

Tell me more about your fun with Dr. Nash…

At Bound for Glory - Sting defeats you for the TNA Title!

From the Observer:

“Angle vs. Sting was a pleasant surprise as a match. There was considerable question as to how well the two would click. As it turned out, at the 15:00 mark, this was turning into a tremendous match. Then it was 2000 Raw all over again, which wouldn't be bad, except TNA does this all the time, with the two ref bumps, the visionary falls and the outside interference. Even if it played well live (and to a degree it did), for people at home, I don't want to say it killed the match, but it did turn an excellent match into just a very good one. It was the swerve swerve, which is all the heels run-in so you know the face is getting screwed, but the face overcomes it and wins. They haven’t figured out when people figure out that your

angles are swerves, then all of your angles lose meaning. But Sting and Kurt deserve a lot of credit for that main event-Angle, for working a great match and carrying Sting, and Sting, for at the age of nearly 49, more than holding up his end.”

“Angle put on the ankle lock, but Sting kicked Angle off and he crashed into Nash. Sting used the Scorpion death drop on Angle, but no ref to count. Finally Andrew Thomas came in to count, but Nash pulled him out of the ring and decked him. Sting was bumping Nash and Angle around, and Angle got the baseball bat. Angle went to hit Sting and Sting was supposed to block it. He missed blocking it as the bat went right through Sting’s open hands, and caught him in the head. It actually made the match better, because Sting bled hard way from taking the shot and the crowd got off on him no selling a baseball bat shot to the head when he made his comeback. Sting then got the bat and hit Angle three times with it, and nailed Nash, then got the pin with the Scorpion death drop.

***¾”

What do you say to that Kurt? Were you surprised they changed the title here?

Just two nights later - Kurt you regain the title on Impact!

From the Torch:

4 –– STING vs. KURT ANGLE —TNA World Hvt. Title match

“Angle came out first, then Sting. Borash handled the ring introductions to give it a “big match” feel. Tenay said, “This is what separates us from everyone else. This is what TNA does best—pay–per–view quality main event on Thursday Night Impact.” He said this match headlined Bound for Glory, their signature PPV event and their best PPV event of 2007.

At 14:00 Sting avoided an Olympic Slam and applied a Scorpion Deathlock. Angle teased tapping out. Nash stood on the ring apron and began to climb over the top rope. Angle knocked Sting into the ref Rudy Charles who knocked Nash to the floor. Angle then gave Sting an Olympic Slam. A second ref, Earl Hebner, came out and counted a pin for Angle.

WINNER: Angle in 15:00 to capture the TNA World Hvt. Title.

STAR RATING: ** –– A letdown of a match.

Were you disappointed in this? I mean the presentation is great and Mike Tenay was so good at getting this over…but the match…eh. What was the disconnect do you think?

Eventually the refs argue, Jim Cornette comes in and says he’ll make a decision…and later on in the show Tenay interviews Cornette and Cornette announces that you Kurt are the champion - is this too much gaga Kurt?

Cornette would then go on to announce that you would have to defend the TNA World Title in a tag team match at Genesis with Nash as your partner and Sting gets to pick his own partner…defending the TNA title in a tag match - almost as goofy as defending the tag titles in a singles match right?

When are you told that Booker T is coming in? Were you excited to have him with the company?

In the Observer at the time Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson wrote a letter and had this to say about you:

Kurt Angle - To this day, Kurt Angle is my all-time favorite performer to work

with. His athletic ability and work rate inspired and pushed mine every night. He

was always 100% ego-less in his approach to the performance, which is a rarity in

pro wrestling. We shared an athlete's mentality in the ring and it was an honor to

work with an Olympic gold medalist and such a good man.

Big words from the biggest star in the world 15 years ago - and now isn’t it?

There’s talk of you heading over to Japan to be part of the New Japan Tokyo Dome Show - but there’s a lot of hurdles since you’re the IGF champion of Inoki’s holding the split IWGP title…were you involved in any of that or was that left off to the office?

You & Nash to build the tag match are at odds and the assumption is that Scott Hall will be Sting’s partner and it’ll be a swerve on you - were you excited about Scott Hall coming in?

In one funny segment - you put the ankle lock on a Sting dummy that fell from the ceiling! You enjoyed that didn’t you?

At Genesis you defend the title in the tag match with Booker T debuting…

“Kurt Angle retained the TNA title by winning the fall pinning Sting in an Angle & Kevin Nash win over Sting & Booker T in 13:41. The tone of the match was set when Angle had Sting pinned but Nash made the save for Sting, since whomever got the pinfall was champion and it actually made sense. I mean, the match made zero sense but what Nash did given the no sense match made sense. Angle went for the Olympic slam but Sting turned it into a DDT. The finish saw a ref bump, and Styles and Tomko came out again. Styles was supposed to do some sort of the springboard move onto Sting, but slipped off the ropes and fell on his face. Sting threw him out of the ring. Tomko clotheslined Sting. Styles then threw the title belt to Kurt. Nash had set Sting up for the power bomb, but Angle hit Nash with a belt shot and used the Olympic slam on Sting. Angle then went outside the ring and got ref Rudy Charles back in. The delay was so long between the Olympic slam and the cover and everyone expected Sting to kick out. This made the finish flat when he didn't.

**¼”

So much interference and gaga Kurt…why the shift from clean finishes just a few months ago?

Having a guy like Booker in the locker room now - is it getting crowded? I mean you got a lot of big stars at the time with not a lot of spots to get on the TV show…

Speaking of the TV show…the ratings haven’t really moved with the expansion from 1 hour to 2 hours. Was that a disappointment for you?

What were the issues in your mind that TNA had growing their audience?

The Angle Alliance is born with you, AJ Styles & Tomko! Was this something you were excited to be a part of?

Kaz won a tournament to become the #1 contender and wrestles you on Impact and you win a great match. What did you think of working with Kaz and did you think he could’ve been a bigger star with TNA back then?

Hall & Nash enter the Impact Zone and the Angle Alliance attack them before Samoa Joe makes the save - and it’s to build to Turning Point where Hall, Nash & Joe will take on you, Styles & Tomko. This is a mismatch of styles…how tough is something like this to put together?

I’m sure all anyone wants to talk about is when Scott Hall no-showed but first…on the Thanksgiving episode of Impact…you got a turkey leg stuffed in your mouth. What’d that taste like?

Well…we’re at Turning Point and it’s the last pay-per-view of the year for TNA…and Kurt’s match is a bit of an afterthought and everything is focused on Samoa Joe’s shoot promo before the main event.

“It was a crazy week for TNA, complete with two major no-shows on PPV, a worked shoot angle, a match on PPV where the results won't come out until TV nearly two weeks later, a supposed breaking of the script, two wrestlers quitting and a bunch looking elsewhere, a pep talk, an emotional rant followed by an apology and a whole lot more.”

Kurt - how chaotic is this day?

When do you realize that Scott Hall isn’t going to be there?

It’s even written into the storyline as you give Joe a speech about how Hall & Nash were washed up and using him because Joe could still go. Were you disappointed that Hall wasn’t going to be?

Observer:

“The main event saw Angle & Tomko & A.J. Styles come out to face Nash & Joe. Joe was told by management to go out and do a promo to bury Hall for no-showing. Somewhere in the promo, which wasn't planned much ahead of time because nobody knew if Hall was going to come, the story is that Joe went off track and into business for himself. The strangest part, aside from the whole show building to the promo, was the sign of the Vince Russo worked shoot playback, including telling everyone it's a shoot, and looking at Dixie Carter and saying they would fire him if they didn’t like it. Nash, in the ring, looked furious that he was getting buried in the promo. Joe's purpose by management was, because they thought the fans loved Joe as the babyface, to make it seem like it was Hall’s fault, and then buildup and make people accept Eric Young as their third man.”

So instead of Hall it’s Eric Young…do you think that made the match better?

8. Samoa Joe & Eric Young & Nash beat Kurt Angle & Tomko & A.J. Styles in 9:31. Crowd was dead for the match. Nash ended up walking out of the match and then Joe pinned Tomko using a muscle buster.

*¾

Do you remember the meeting before the show before all the stuff happened regarding the undercard wrestlers complaining?

Was the feeling in the locker room at the time - that the wrestlers from TNA were trying to work hard and the guys coming from WWE taking the top spots?

“Shortly after the show was over, Joe and Nash had a near altercation.

Multiple sources watching have slightly different stories but the basic gist was Joe was talking to Nash, still mad about how everything went down. Nash told him he didn't want to talk right now because he was mad and for Joe to leave him alone. Somewhere in there, Nash either pie-faced Joe, shoved him hard, or threw a forearm to the head.”

Kurt - when Joe cuts that promo while you’re at ringside - did you think Joe was talking about you?

What did you think of Joe cutting that promo?

Were you there for Nash & Joe’s fight afterwards?

From there until the end of 2007 you’re building towards going to Japan to take on Yuji Nagata for New Japan and also taking on Christian at Final Resolution…but we’ll discuss that…how about this Kurt…in 2023!