Robin PottratzIt's True It's True!!! Kurt Angle has been arrested, but what does it mean for TNA?
August 16th 2009 20:33
It was reported that former Olympic Gold Medalist, WWE Champion and current TNA Professional Wrestling Champion Kurt Angle was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with possession of HGH (human growth hormone), violating a protection order against his girlfriend, and driving with a suspended license stemming from a September 2008 DUI arrest.
This is quite a cavalcade of charges for the 40 year old Angle, who has been released on bail but will face arraignments on Tuesday and Wednesday for his various indiscretions. This blog post however is not focusing on what Angle did, or what consequences he will face as an individual perpetrator...instead, this post is intended to pose the all too important question...What does Kurt Angle's latest arrest mean to TNA wrestling?...and to the wrestling industry as a whole?
In the decades that I have been watching and absorbing the industry of professional wrestling, I have rarely seen a competitor that came into the industry with more fanfare and more hype than Kurt Angle. He had the pedigree of being an Olympic Gold Medalist and All-American Boy not to mention the reputation of being a tenacious competitor and quick learner. Within a year he had won his first World Championship and was propelled into the wrestling stratosphere.
Years went by and Kurt Angle continued to cement his legacy and reputation as one of the best of all time during his stint in WWE. He headlined "Wrestlemanias," he put on "match of the year" candidates on a nightly basis and developed a huge following among fans of every age.
Then in 2006, Kurt Angle, citing injuries, mysteriously left WWE and many thought the wrestling industry as a whole...until two months later when WWE's chief competitor TNA Wrestling announced that they had acquired Kurt Angle and would be presenting him as the figurehead of the company...which they have done for the past 3 years.
Now some may disagree...but I have never seen a wrestling promotion invest so much and put so many eggs in one basket as I have seen TNA do with Kurt Angle. Angle has been in almost every high profile match in TNA...he has had overlong reigns as champion (at the expense of the younger talent) and continues to be the primary (and sometimes only) face representing TNA in all mainstream entertainment advertising.
Don't get me wrong...I think that TNA took a very calculated risk when they hitched their wagon to Kurt Angle. Angle is without a doubt, one of the absolute best wrestlers on the planet and will go down as one of the greatest bell to bell superstars in wrestling history...but as calculated and educated as it was...it was still a colossal risk for a company that seems to be constantly struggling to gain sure footing...and doesn't even come close to competing with the WWE juggernaut.
Which brings us to today, over the past few months...it has become increasingly apparent that Kurt Angle is starting to lose his faculties...both mental and physical. He looks increasingly older and more ragged with every week and even worse...looks like he is in terrible pain.
One could cite his divorce last year from his wife Karen and his September 2008 DUI arrest as the watershed moments for Kurt Angle...it seems that his personal life has been falling apart ever since while his professional life has been demanding more of him than ever before...he is currently the TNA World Champion (surprise, surprise!) and is scheduled to compete at a pay per view event in Orlando, FL no less than 36 hours after his arrest.
This arrest on multiple charges would be the straw that breaks the camel's back for most companies...but not TNA. TNA is in a very unenviable position...despite the breakdown of Kurt Angle...they will stick it out with him because they simply have no choice. TNA's numbers are less than staggering and if they lose Kurt Angle they will sink like a proverbial stone even more.
TNA has been riding the Kurt Angle train for three years at the expense of a lot of young talent that could have been elevated to main event status and been a serviceable replacement for the time being for Kurt Angle while he gets his personal affairs sorted out.
However TNA has not only been riding Kurt Angle...but a number of other talent that are simply over the hill and can't go bell to bell like they used to (Kevin Nash, Booker T, Scott Steiner, Mick Foley...yes people, they are all still wrestling...believe it.)
This arrest will not only to potentially irreversible damage to TNA, it will also put a black eye on an industry that has been trying to turn the page on drug use and abuse for the past two years. Kurt Angle is not only the highest profile wrestling name to have had a major drug arrest in recent memory...he is still considered a mainstream athlete. So for those uninitiated in pro wrestling...they will think that the industry is still a drug fueled death race that uses and abuses talent.
Whatever the ramifications are for Kurt Angle, TNA, and pro wrestling as a whole...one thing is for certain...action needs to be taken in order for this story to avoid a tragic ending.
This is quite a cavalcade of charges for the 40 year old Angle, who has been released on bail but will face arraignments on Tuesday and Wednesday for his various indiscretions. This blog post however is not focusing on what Angle did, or what consequences he will face as an individual perpetrator...instead, this post is intended to pose the all too important question...What does Kurt Angle's latest arrest mean to TNA wrestling?...and to the wrestling industry as a whole?
TNA has invested the farm on Kurt Angle...given his arrests, was it a mistake?
In the decades that I have been watching and absorbing the industry of professional wrestling, I have rarely seen a competitor that came into the industry with more fanfare and more hype than Kurt Angle. He had the pedigree of being an Olympic Gold Medalist and All-American Boy not to mention the reputation of being a tenacious competitor and quick learner. Within a year he had won his first World Championship and was propelled into the wrestling stratosphere.
Years went by and Kurt Angle continued to cement his legacy and reputation as one of the best of all time during his stint in WWE. He headlined "Wrestlemanias," he put on "match of the year" candidates on a nightly basis and developed a huge following among fans of every age.
Then in 2006, Kurt Angle, citing injuries, mysteriously left WWE and many thought the wrestling industry as a whole...until two months later when WWE's chief competitor TNA Wrestling announced that they had acquired Kurt Angle and would be presenting him as the figurehead of the company...which they have done for the past 3 years.
Now some may disagree...but I have never seen a wrestling promotion invest so much and put so many eggs in one basket as I have seen TNA do with Kurt Angle. Angle has been in almost every high profile match in TNA...he has had overlong reigns as champion (at the expense of the younger talent) and continues to be the primary (and sometimes only) face representing TNA in all mainstream entertainment advertising.
Don't get me wrong...I think that TNA took a very calculated risk when they hitched their wagon to Kurt Angle. Angle is without a doubt, one of the absolute best wrestlers on the planet and will go down as one of the greatest bell to bell superstars in wrestling history...but as calculated and educated as it was...it was still a colossal risk for a company that seems to be constantly struggling to gain sure footing...and doesn't even come close to competing with the WWE juggernaut.
Which brings us to today, over the past few months...it has become increasingly apparent that Kurt Angle is starting to lose his faculties...both mental and physical. He looks increasingly older and more ragged with every week and even worse...looks like he is in terrible pain.
One could cite his divorce last year from his wife Karen and his September 2008 DUI arrest as the watershed moments for Kurt Angle...it seems that his personal life has been falling apart ever since while his professional life has been demanding more of him than ever before...he is currently the TNA World Champion (surprise, surprise!) and is scheduled to compete at a pay per view event in Orlando, FL no less than 36 hours after his arrest.
This arrest on multiple charges would be the straw that breaks the camel's back for most companies...but not TNA. TNA is in a very unenviable position...despite the breakdown of Kurt Angle...they will stick it out with him because they simply have no choice. TNA's numbers are less than staggering and if they lose Kurt Angle they will sink like a proverbial stone even more.
TNA has been riding the Kurt Angle train for three years at the expense of a lot of young talent that could have been elevated to main event status and been a serviceable replacement for the time being for Kurt Angle while he gets his personal affairs sorted out.
However TNA has not only been riding Kurt Angle...but a number of other talent that are simply over the hill and can't go bell to bell like they used to (Kevin Nash, Booker T, Scott Steiner, Mick Foley...yes people, they are all still wrestling...believe it.)
This arrest will not only to potentially irreversible damage to TNA, it will also put a black eye on an industry that has been trying to turn the page on drug use and abuse for the past two years. Kurt Angle is not only the highest profile wrestling name to have had a major drug arrest in recent memory...he is still considered a mainstream athlete. So for those uninitiated in pro wrestling...they will think that the industry is still a drug fueled death race that uses and abuses talent.
Whatever the ramifications are for Kurt Angle, TNA, and pro wrestling as a whole...one thing is for certain...action needs to be taken in order for this story to avoid a tragic ending.
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