For my big comeback to the IWC on a regular basis after nearly ten months on the shelf, I knew I wanted to pick a time where there was at least one substantial movement in the industry to discuss. I was prepared to spend the entire space I am allotted here to talk about what the recently departed Trish Stratus and the soon-to-be departed Lita meant for WWE’s Women’s Division over the past few years. I was going to give well-deserved plaudits to Trish for being the best WWE Women’s wrestler of her generation, a career that started with her being Test and Albert’s manager (T & A, get it?), and ended with a Sharpshooter (shades of Bret Hart, of course) being applied in the middle of the ring in Toronto to her best and most vital nemesis throughout her WWE tenure. (If I say tenure, does that mean I have to make a Matt Striker reference? You teachers know what I mean.)
The most impressive thing about Trish ending her career as a seven-time World Champion is this: While her competition was comprised of a mixed bag of talent — with Lita, Victoria and Mickie James at the top and Gail Kim, Jackie Gayda and Stephanie McMahon at the bottom — Trish was able to work through the many lulls that the Women’s Division saw and really come out a winner. My personal favorite feud for Trish was when she played the face card against an emerging heel in Victoria, but Trish was also ready, willing and able to turn heel (read: Jericho-Christian-Trish love triangle) and run with it. She was also injected into crucial storylines that affected the main event, being asked to form on-camera relationships with Vince McMahon, Triple H, and The Rock on separate occasions, and Trish Stratus really handled herself well in this crazy, often off-kilter business known as professional wrestling.
Let’s put it this way: Could you have imagined any other WWE Diva getting such a heartfelt response from fans in her last match? I know that this reaction was in her hometown, but there I was at my house two Sundays ago, screaming right along with the live audience, “Thank You Trish! Thank You Trish! Thank You Trish!”
Thank you Trish “¦
Now, onto other news “¦ “It’s real, it’s damn real!”
I received a text message last night at about 11 pm that read, “Angle is coming to TNA!” At first I thought this was a ruse by one of my friends, since he knew I didn’t order the No Surrender PPV and he is such a big TNA fan that I figured he just wanted me to feel like I missed out on something huge. Lo and behold, I then saw the announcement posted on the TNA Web site, and I said to myself, “Holy shit!” Coincidentally, that also seemed to be Jeremy Borash’s reaction, according to the story on the TNA site (actually, his reaction was “Holy @#$%!!!”, which I guess would equate to “Holy at pound/number sign dollar sign percent symbol!!!”).
All shenanigans aside, there is a double-edged sword in the signing of Kurt Angle by TNA.
The optimistic viewpoint is that TNA just signed its most legitimate mainstream wrestling personality who will instantly make an impact (no pun-intended) with wrestling fans as well as previously weary Spike TV officials. Let’s face it — Kurt Angle is an instantly recognizable star in the business that could potentially draw in both WWE fans and shoot-style wrestling fans, and the network has to love that. The Olympic Gold Medalist has credibility with his peers as well, and this move doesn’t just put TNA on the map for fans who have shied away from another wrestling show, it also might lure more big names into TNA should the product continue to grow and expand. (It’s kind of like the New York Mets signing Pedro Martinez two years ago, which enabled them to get other big names to the Big Apple based on Pedro’s mere presence. Angle definitely has that kind of swagger and sway.)
The more pessimistic viewpoint is this: While WWE is now instituting a Wellness Policy to make sure its crop of professional wrestlers stop dropping like flies, TNA is almost capitalizing on WWE’s good intentions by signing a wrestler who obviously has severe issues and injuries. Now, it’s not like Vince McMahon is a saint, and I am sure when it comes to business the Chairman of the Board would be just as shrewd as TNA in terms on capitalizing on an opportunity to ink a big name being released or jumping ship from a rival company, but one has to wonder how healthy this move is for Kurt Angle himself. Does TNA’s lighter schedule enable Kurt to continue to do what he loves without killing himself in the process, or is the TNA signing merely feeding Kurt Angle’s alleged disregard for his own well-being? This is the very question the IWC has rightfully been buzzing about since the bombshell was dropped last night, and one that isn’t going away any time soon.
With TNA finally getting itself off the ground and running after five years of existence, Kurt Angle just may be running himself into the ground. It’s a double-edged sword, but one that’s been wielded by TNA as fans of pro wrestling — and Angle the individual — guardedly watch with caution.
