Kurt Angle, who as previously reported is suffering from a torn ACL, posted a photo of his injured knee on his official Instagram account. Angle included a link to the photo on Instagram in the tweet below, which we posted earlier today:
4 months and 29 days for My Return to the Ring! Training starts today! Stay tuned!! #MyComeback http://t.co/xO7TlJ9XkP
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) May 9, 2014
In the tweet, Angle linked to the following photo of his injured knee:
As previously reported, TNA announced via their official website that Kurt Angle suffered a torn ACL and will need surgery to repair it. Angle contacted TNANews.com and told them the following, “I was limited in the ring and don’t want to be anymore. I injured it 5 years ago. Held up until now. I love going 150%.”
Angle also tweeted the following on his official Twitter account earlier today:
4 months and 29 days for My Return to the Ring! Training starts today! Stay tuned!! #MyComeback http://t.co/xO7TlJ9XkP
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) May 9, 2014
It should be noted that around September, when he is projecting his ability to return to the ring, is around the same time that his TNA contract expires.
TNA announced via their official website that Kurt Angle “suffered a torn ACL.” You can read their official release below.
Kurt Angle re-injures his Knee on IMPACT against EC3 | Torn ACL that will require surgery
On Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast, Kurt Angle finally got his chance at payback one-on-one against Ethan Carter III. However, during the course of the match, Kurt’s surgically-repaired knee gave out on him twice, leading to Ethan Carter capitalizing on the injury to get the pin and win over his nemesis. After the bout, Kurt was immediately taken for X-rays, which unfortunately revealed that the TNA Hall Of Fame has suffered a torn ACL that will require surgery. You can watch the footage from Angle’s injury below, plus the doctor’s prognonsis afterwards – stay tuned to ImpactWrestling.com and @IMPACTWRESTLING and @RealKurtAngle on Twitter for further updates on Kurt’s condition!
http://youtu.be/SwwFhM_pers
As previously reported, Vince Russo has opened up an official commentary-style website which covers music, movies, sports and pro wrestling. His latest pro wrestling piece is a top ten list of the easiest talents he ever produced during his years in the business.
The top five reads as follows:
5. Kurt Angle
4. “Any Female Wrestler”
3. Dustin Rhodes
2. Paul Bearer
1. “Mr.” Backlund
You can check out the full top ten list here and here.
Russo’s official website is also accepting writers and video specialists. You can apply for those positions at PyroAndBallyhoo.com/hiring.
The following is some information on Kurt Angle’s Pittsburgh-based nutrition company, Barn Dad Innovative Nutrition, sent to us from David Sucevic …
BarnDad Innovative Nutrition is a health and wellness company focused on the importance of integrating fiber into the everyday diet.
BarnDad Innovative Nutrition is committed to educating the public about the importance of a high fiber diet and providing the most quality and great tasting foods, snacks and supplements to help people achieve their health and fitness goals.
BarnDad Innovative Nutrition is the home of Fiber DX™. Fiber DX™ is a 100% natural (non-GMO), 8-layer fiber supplement. It is a flavorless, universal ingredient that mixes instantly in water or other beverages and can also be used in baking as a flour substitute. Each serving of Fiber DX™ contains 11 grams of soluble and insoluble fibers and 7 grams of protein.
More information can be found at BarnDadNutrition.com and/or Facebook.com/BarnDadInnovativeNutrition.
Eric Young has been in TNA for nearly a decade and in that time we have seen him be a member of Team Canada, a stint a a comic book hero Super Eric, all the way through to being the top dog in the company and current TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
The 34-year-old from Florence, Ontario, Canada has won numerous titles turing his time in the company including; X Division champion, multiple time Tag Team champion, Television champion and ever Knockouts Tag Team champion with ODB, however the current title around his waste tops the lot.
We caught up with EY to talk about, getting to work with some of his heroes, his Animal Planet shows, and of course the night he was crowned TNA World Champion, plus much more.
Q. How did you first get into the sport of professional wrestling?
I’ve been a fan since I was five-years-old, I’ve watched it my whole life and it’s all I ever really wanted to do. The week after I finished high school I began training at a gym, and three months after that I had my first pro match and it ha just snowballed from there. I’ve wrestled in all 50 states, every province, wrestled all over the world and now I’m the World Heavyweight champion, it has been a pretty wild ride.
Q. When growing up who were some of the wrestlers that you enjoyed watching?
Being from Canada, Bret and Owen Hart were massive influences on me. Then there were guys like Sting, Terry Funk, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, I have a huge list of wrestlers that I enjoyed watching. I loved Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior, there was just something about it from the age of five or six and I couldn’t get enough.
Still to this day I have lots of VHS tapes with tens of thousands of wrestling, I loved it when I five and I still love it today.
Q. You’ve had the chance to work with the likes of Sting, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, what was it like working with guys you grew up watching?
It’s hard to put that into words, these were guys that I idolised growing up, these were people that I wanted to be. I actually got to wrestle Sting in his first match back after 10 years away, and just being in the ring with him was a dream come true but very surreal at the same time. Sting was always good to be, Hulk as well, they always had time for me and it was great to be able to share a locker-room with guys like that and be on the same roster.
Q. The likes of Sting, Hulk Hogan, AJ Styles, and Jeff Jarrett have all left TNA in recent months, what has that been like?
There is always massive turnover in professional wrestling, people come, people go, some people go to work in other places and some people end up coming back, that is just the nature of the beast. It’s never nice to see anyone go, but I’m still really good buddies with AJ Styles and we talk whenever we get a chance – we’re actually planning on doing a bike trip together in the summer.
Q. When you first started in TNA did you ever think you’ll become World Heavyweight champion?
It’s always something that I wanted, and personally it’s always something I believed I could do. I don’t think there is anybody that doesn’t want to become World Heavyweight champion when they are in this business. The night I won the belt from Magnus on IMPACT! was a great feeling, I’m not taking anything away from him, it was an amazing match and he’s a super talented guy but I was better that day and now I’m the World champion and that sounds kind of crazy to say out loud.
Q. What can we expect from you as Champion?
I told the fans and I meant it, that I’m going to be a fighting champion, that’s the kind of champion I like and that is the kind of champion I’m going to be. Every chance I get to defend my title I will, I will defend my title against anybody, anytime, any place, any time.
Q. Who are some of the people you are looking forward to defending your title against?
The list is huge, pound-for-pound TNA has one of the pro wrestling rosters in the world. I’ve got a massive history with Bobby Roode, and he was they guy that held the belt longer than anybody, I would love to get in the ring and test myself against him.
Guys like Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, Austin Aries, James Storm, Gunner, Ken Anderson, these are all guys that I want to defend my belt against. They are all worthy, they all deserve a shot at the belt and secondly I want to test myself against the best and see what happens.
Q. What have been some of the highlights for you during your 10 year tenure in TNA?
Obviously my favourite moment was that night on IMPACT! when I won the gauntlet match and then went on to wrestle Magnus and become the World Heavyweight Champion for the first time. I wouldn’t change anything about my journey, it’s been an amazing journey, I’ve done all these different roles – I’ve been X-Division Champion, I’ve Tag Team champion on numerous occasions, I’ve held the TV title, I’ve even won the Knockouts Tag Titles with ODB.
One of the things I’m most proud of is being on television every week for nearly 10 years, which is something not many people are able to do. I think that shows my versatility, you never know what is going to happen next in this industry, it’s a crazy business but it has been great to experience all of it, the good, the bad and the indifferent.
I’ve always prided myself when the fans say things like, Eric Young is the most entertaining guy in professional wrestling. That’s really important to me, it always has been, it always will be, that’s the name of the game when it comes right down to it, it’s a television show, and it’s about entertaining people, if that with physicality that’s great, if its with comedy that’s great.
My first two years in TNA I didn’t say a singe word, I was the guy on team Canada to carry the action and to be physical, I got hired here because I was a pro wrestler, it had nothing to do with me being funny, and it’s cool to remind people of that because I’m a pro wrestler at my core, or the other stuff is important to me but I’m a pro wrestler first and foremost.
Q. As World Champion, what more can we expect from yourself for the rest of 2014?
More of the same, I’ve always prided myself putting in 100% effort and it doesn’t matter if I’m sick or I’m hurt I will always put in the same amount of effort. As champion I feel that extra weight on my shoulders, being ‘the guy’ it’s important for me that people say Eric Young was involved in the best match on the show. For me it’s about making moments and memories, it’s about making people remember stuff. I’ve had lots of positive feedback so far and I just want to continue defending my belt and being the best I can.
Q. With yourself as TNA Champion and Daniel Bryan as WWE Champion, is it the era of the beard?
Yeah, it’s obviously the era of the beard, I’m not daft, I don’t live under a rock, I hear these things and I’m sure he hears them too. I’ve actually met Daniel in person and I always hear nothing but good things about him. Anytime anyone want to compare me to him, I have absolutely no problem with that, feel free to carry on, he’s a super talented guy and a tremendous wrestler.
Q. Away from wrestling you’ve also presented a number of hit shows on Animal Planet, what has that been like?
It’s amazing, it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. I still have other goals in my life but TV is something that I’ve always wanted to do. I love entertaining people, the shows allow me to combine my passion of extreme sports, I’ve always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie. I’ve been all over North America and done lots of crazy things, and it’s been an amazing experience.
Q. What is it like being a guest on the Steve Austin podcast?
Steve and myself are kind of wired the same way, he loves pro wrestling and always has, I love pro wrestling. He’s also an outdoors man, he loves fishing an he watched my shows on Animal Planet and loved them and through the miracle of Twitter I got talking to him, we went back a forth and hit it off right away.
We’re still buddies and talk to this day. For me he was a guy that I idolised and is one of the top five pro wrestlers of all time. I got to go to his house in LA, we sat around his computer with the microphone and we just talked about wrestling and life.
TNA star Kurt Angle recently held an “#AskAngle” chat on his official Twitter account. During the chat, a fan asked Angle if he were to return to WWE, who would he be most interested in wrestling first. Angle replied by saying “if?,” as if it is an inevitability that he will be returning at some point in the future and then mentioned Daniel Bryan as the person he would like to work with the most.
You can check out the tweet from Angle below.
@ec310kp if? Daniel Bryan
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) May 2, 2014
The following are highlights of a Main Event Radio interview with TNA star Bobby Roode:
Looking back at his first world title run: “Things worked out for the best for myself. Becoming World Champion. Obviously the disappointment was there at Bound for Glory. I was the first ever winner of the BFG series. Going through that series and win it the way that I did. Being with Beer Money, winning the tag team titles with James and before that with Eric Young in Team Canada. This was my first real shining moment as a singles competitor. To win the series was a huge deal. And then to walk in to the main event of BFG against a competitor like Kurt Angle. It was a perfect story for me. Walking out without the title that night was very disappointing for me personally. Looking back at it, the way it all went down; I think it actually helped me out.
“It lit a fire under me and made me want the world title even more. In the end, I won the world title; I held it longer than anybody else in the history of the company. Held it longer than anybody else, something that I’m proud of. Those were great matches with Austin [Aries]. We had really good chemistry together, looking back at those series of matches had together make me really proud. Then we had the tag titles together which was awesome. The ultimate goal in this business as wrestler is to be the world champion. From day one, to be the #1 guy, to be the champion has been my number one focus. My sights are set on Eric [Young] or whoever has the World title, maybe Magnus after Sunday. My goal is to once again be a World Heavyweight Champion.”
Thoughts on Eric Young being champion: “I’m happy for Eric. We’re two guys who came up the same way, grew up in Canada, with the dream of being a wrestler and a world champion. He’s a TNA original, we were tag champs together, there’s a lot of history between the two of us. He’s been in the business long enough and he saw the way that I carried the title and he sees there’s a bullseye on his back. When the time comes to doing business, I’m going to do what I have to do. I know what it takes to get it, to win it, to hold it, to keep it. That eagerness to carry the world championship again and to have that responsibility again. That was something I thrived on and something I missed. I will take that opportunity and make the best of it when it comes again.”
Wrestling Kurt Angle: “Kurt is in my personal opinion the best there’s ever been. He can go out there in his entire career and entertain the masses by his professional wrestling, the way he handles himself in the ring, his character. There’s no doubt that he is the best there’s ever been in this business. For me to have been able to go out there with Kurt and to have produced the matches that we did. To have fans talk about our matches as some of the best matches they’ve seen, or as match of the year; it meant a lot to me. Something that I’m proud of. Unfortunately with Kurt’s injury we had to cut the program short. Hopefully down the road we get to meet up again and do something special.”
Beer Money and would they ever reform: “In my personal opinion, Beer Money is probably the most recognizable, most over act that TNA has been able to produce from the ground up. You have two original guys, two guys who went out there as Beer Money. We had the tag team titles longer than anybody else in the history of the company. It’s something special. This week on Impact we came back for one night only. We had a common goal to soften up our opponents before their matches (Bully Ray & Gunner). In the wrestling business, you never say never for down the road. But for right now Bobby Roode’s goal is to put Bully through a table and then go on to become a World Heavyweight Champion again. I’m sure that James Storm feels the same way and has the same goal to become a Heavyweight Champion. Down the road, if the time is right, and we both feel it’s right; maybe Beer Money will come alive again.”
AJ Styles and Sting’s departures: “It’s unfortunate. At the end of the day this is a business Not everybody is going to be happy and people go their separate ways. It’s the wrestling business and we’re seen it happen a million times. Unfortunately, AJ was a TNA original and was the face of our company for a very long time. That departure bothers me the most. I had a great relationship with AJ, we were friends, we were part of Fortune together, and we had some great matches. I understand where AJ’s coming from, it’s all business, and I wish him nothing but the best. Sting was a great guy to have in our locker room. He was a veteran leader. A guy that you can go and talk to, a guy who I had some memorable matches, and a guy who mentored me a lot and taught me a lot in the ring. He’s an icon; his name will live forever in this business. And I wish him nothing but the best of luck. At the end of the day this is a business and you’ve got to do what you can for yourself.”
Future Stars: “Our company is looking really strong for the future. Ethan Carter has a hell of a career in front of him. He’s young; he’s got a lot to learn. His eyes and his ears are always open, always asking for advice. He’s handling himself better each and every week. Down the road he will be a main event guy and possible champion. Gunner’s the same thing. He’s got a look and demeanor about him that is world champion material. The Wolves wrestling ability speaks for themselves. They’re a great tag team and great individual wrestlers as well. The future looks very bright.”
Whatever happened to his classic weapon, the hockey stick: “If it calls for it, I’m not afraid to pull it out. Here’s a funny story: Scott D’Amore, Coach D’Amore introduced the hockey stick every match. I used to wear a hockey pad and we were going to use frozen hockey pucks and put it in my sleeve and hit people in the back of the head with clotheslines. That’s another Canadian cliché, a hockey cliché that we were going to use. Maybe I’ll take out a hockey stick for my match against Bully at Sacrifice. Or maybe they’ll make a table out of hockey sticks and I can put him through that.”
When will TNA return to Canada: “Hopefully we can come back to Canada soon. I would love to get an opportunity to run TV in Montreal, or in Toronto, even in Ottawa. Running 4-5 shows would be great. The guys love coming up to Canada, the Quebec area especially. We didn’t get there last year at all. Hopefully this summer or in the fall we can come up to Canada and have Montreal be one of our stops.”
Check out the complete interview at WebSportsMedia.com.
The following is the final lineup for tonight’s TNA Sacrifice pay-per-view:
TNA World Heavyweight Title Match
Magnus vs. Eric Young
TNA X-Division Title Match
Tigre Uno vs. Sanada
TNA Knockouts Title Match
Angelina Love vs. Madison Rayne
TNA Tag-Team Title Handicap Match
Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards vs. Robbie E, Jessie Godderz & Zema Ion
Tables Match
Bully Ray vs. Bobby Roode
I-Quit Match
Gunner vs. James Storm
Committed Match
Samuel Shaw vs. Mr. Anderson
Tag-Team Match
Willow and Kurt Angle vs. Ethan Carter III and Rockstar Spud
Make sure to visit SESCOOPS.COM later tonight for the absolute best live play-by-play results coverage of TNA Sacrifice 2014.
The following is the final lineup for this Sunday’s TNA Sacrifice pay-per-view:
TNA World Heavyweight Title Match
Magnus vs. Eric Young
TNA X-Division Title Match
Tigre Uno vs. Sanada
TNA Knockouts Title Match
Angelina Love vs. Madison Rayne
TNA Tag-Team Title Handicap Match
Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards vs. Robbie E, Jessie Godderz & Zema Ion
Tables Match
Bully Ray vs. Bobby Roode
I-Quit Match
Gunner vs. James Storm
Committed Match
Samuel Shaw vs. Mr. Anderson
Tag-Team Match
Willow and Kurt Angle vs. Ethan Carter III and Rockstar Spud
TNA added the above video to their official YouTube channel previewing tonight’s TNA Sacrifice “go-home” edition of Impact Wrestling, which airs on Spike TV at 9pm EST.
Below is a list of confirmed matches for the show.
– Bobby Lashley vs. Kenny King
– Kurt Angle vs. Rockstar Spud
– Gail Kim & Madison Rayne vs. Angelina Love & Velvet Sky
– MVP vs. Austin Aries
– Bully Ray & Gunner vs. Bobby Roode & James Storm
– Abyss vs. Magnus
TNA issued the following press release today …
TNA Entertainment, the Nashville-based sports entertainment company known for the global pro wrestling program, IMPACT Wrestling, has signed with UTA, it was announced jointly today by Dixie Carter, President of TNA Entertainment, and UTA.
TNA Entertainment’s IMPACT Wrestling, one of Spike TV’s top-rated shows, averaging 1.4 million viewers each week, is broadcast in 120 countries worldwide. Additionally, TNA Entertainment produces more than 100 live Impact Wrestling events each year as well as monthly PPV events with such internationally beloved professional wrestling stars as Jeff Hardy, Bobby Roode, Kurt Angle, Eric Young, Magnus, James Storm, MVP, Gail Kim and the lovely and lethal Knockouts.
UTA will represent the 12-year-old company to extend its television broadcast reach as well as to expand its licensing programs and slate of live event programming. TNA will also leverage UTA’s expertise in digital and social media to build monetization strategies for its digital media operations. TNA launched a cross-platform programming effort, #IMPACT 365, in October 2013 to provide viewers with ongoing storyline and original content 24/7 on its website and across YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and other platforms.
“UTA’s diverse range of capabilities make them an ideal partner to help TNA add tremendous visibility and value to the global IMPACT Wrestling brand,” said Dixie Carter. “We are confident that by working with the UTA team, we will not only expand our wrestling business in exciting ways, but we will also build new entertainment ventures and properties.”
TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held sports entertainment company based in Nashville, Tennessee, that specializes in events, products, numerous TV properties, merchandise and music, as well as, the management and promotion of professional wrestlers. The product is the world’s most innovative experience in professional wrestling and is broadcast in more than 120 countries. For more information, please visit www.impactwrestling.com.
United Talent Agency is a premier global talent and literary agency representing many of the world’s most widely-known figures in every current and emerging area of entertainment, including motion pictures, television, digital media, video games, books, music, theatre and live entertainment. The agency is also globally recognized in the areas of film finance, film packaging, corporate consulting, branding, licensing, endorsements and the representation of production talent. The agency operates the brand strategy firm UTA Brand Studio as well as New York and Los Angeles-based United Entertainment Group, a joint venture firm focusing on branded entertainment for Fortune 500 companies. UTA also owns leading broadcast and news agency N.S. Bienstock.
– Kurt Angle recently did an interview with TSN out of Canada regarding his future in TNA and whether or not he will return to WWE. You can check that out at TSN.com.
– Speaking of interviews, below is a new one with WWE Hall Of Famer Tony Atlas. Atlas discusses WWE Legends House, Ultimate Warrior and more.
– The internal reaction to Eric Young winning the TNA World Heavyweight championship is mixed. While people are happy for him because he’s been with the company forever and is seen as a hard worker, others question if he is the person who should be “the face of TNA.”
– TNA announced that more contract renewals will be announced soon. As previously reported, former TNA World Heavyweight champion James Storm just signed a new deal with the company.
– Kurt Angle tweeted the the following over the weekend about unspecified ‘rumors’ –
Rumors. They haunt U and U can't do anything about them, except to prove them wrong. #RiseAboveIt
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) April 12, 2014
(Partial source: PWInsider)
Apparently TNA veteran Chris Sabin is parting ways with the company. The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion’s contract with the company expired, as his last official booking was the “One Night Only” pay-per-view taping on Saturday night in Orlando, Florida.
According to one report, TNA did make Sabin an offer to re-sign, however much like the AJ Styles situation, it was reportedly a low-ball type of offer, one that Sabin turned down.
Additionally, Sabin has already started to reach out to independent pro wrestling promoters and is looking to begin taking bookings.
As noted recently, the next TNA veterans that could be on the way out of the company are Kurt Angle, Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian.
(Credit: PWInsider.com)
The following are results from TNA’s “World Cup” pay-per-view taping, which took place on Saturday night in Orlando, Florida.
The teams were selected by way of a draft. The teams were as follows:
Captain Eric Young with Bully Ray, Eddie Edwards, Gunner and ODB.
Captain Kurt Angle with Davey Richards, Mr. Anderson, Sanada and Madison Rayne.
Captain Ethan Carter III with Jessie, Robbie E., Magnus and Gail Kim.
Captain Bobby Roode with James Storm, Kenny King, Samuel Shaw and The Beautiful People.
Qualifying Matches
– Eddie Edwards def. James Storm
– The Bro Mans def. Mr. Anderson and Sanada
– Gail Kim def. Madison Rayne
– Eric Young def. Bobby Roode
– Kurt Angle def. Magnus
– Angelina Love def. ODB
– Ethan Carter III def. Davey Richards
– Bully Ray & Gunner def. Kenny King & Samuel Shaw
TNA World Cup Finals
(The remaining two teams, captained by Young and EC3, met in elimination matches.)
– ODB def. Gail Kim
– Robbie E. def. ODB
– The Bro Mans def. Eddie Edwards
– Bully Ray def. Jessie
– Robbie E. def. Bully Ray
– Gunner def. Robbie E.
– Magnus def. Gunner
– Eric Young def. Ethan Carter III via DQ.
– Eric Young def. Magnus to win the TNA World Cup for his team.
The following are results of the Impact Wrestling television taping for the Thursday, April 24th edition of the show.
– Magnus comes to the ring for a promo. He says he was never really beaten by Eric Young for the title, and says the biggest failure that fateful night was his help. He says good help is hard to find. He brings out Abyss. Magnus calls Abyss an idiot and says he now realizes why everyone abandoned him. Magnus fires Abyss. Abyss says he realizes now that he’s a monster and that he’s going to once again start destroying lives, starting with Magnus. Magnus says Abyss is no longer a contracted TNA wrestler. MVP comes out and confirms that fact. MVP says he will consider this Abyss’ TNA tryout, and that if he can defeat Magnus, he can regain his spot back in TNA.
– Bobby Lashley def. Kenny King via countout. Lashley dominated the majority of the match. As he was about to hit his finisher on King, King rolled out of the ring and simply walked off to the back. The referee counted him out.
– Madison Rayne comes to the ring for a promo. She calls out The Beautiful People. They come out and Madison attacks them. They recover, however, and get the upper hand. Brittany does a run-in to try and save Madison, but the numbers game is too much for them. The Beautiful People do their brown-bag skit on Madison. Gail Kim eventually comes out to make the save. She challenges The Beautiful People to a match later tonight.
– Kurt Angle def. Rockstar Spud. Angle dominated the match and finished off Spud via tapout with his ankle lock submission. Ethan Carter III comes out and attacks Angle after the match, but Willow ends up coming down to make the save.
– The Beautiful People def. Madison Rayne and Gail Kim in Knockouts tag-team action.
– Bobby Roode and James Storm def. Bully Ray and Gunner in tag-team action.
– MVP def. Austin Aries in the main event of the evening.
As previously reported, the TNA contracts of Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian are due to expire within the next few weeks. The biggest name due after them is Kurt Angle. His deal with TNA is set to expire in August or September.
The general consensus as it pertains to Angle is that he has made noises, and said all of the right things in terms of getting back into the mix with WWE.
In the past, WWE has shown little to no interest in re-signing Angle. There is also some concerns as to whether or not Angle could pass the extensive WWE physical, something that is required to work for the company these days.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
– Kurt Angle has been teasing a TNA return on his official Twitter account recently. The Olympic Gold Medalist posted the following tweets recently.
Hey EC3…
Guess whose knee is feeling a lot better….
See you soon!
You've been warned. @EthanCarterTNA…
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) April 9, 2014
#IMPACTLive will air tonight at 9/8c on Spike TV. EC3, look over Your shoulder because U never know when I'm coming!
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) April 10, 2014
– The following is the official preview video for tonight’s edition of TNA Impact Wrestling:
http://youtu.be/c91pStHgdz0
– Below is the latest edition of the Impact Podcast:
http://youtu.be/CJaKHWaaYXs
The belief among many, and this is just locker room talk, is that Jeff Jarrett’s new promotion will start in January and CMT would be their cable television home.
The CMT rumors come from the fact that Toby Keith, who is rumored to be a big part of the financial backing of the company, has close connections with that network.
The rumors going around TNA is that Kurt Angle could likely be the lead star of Jarrett’s new promotion. While Angle and Jarrett have obviously had their issues in the past, the two are said to be on good terms right now.
Angle’s contract with TNA is set to expire in the fall. Because of what happened with other high-paying contracts in TNA, such as Hulk Hogan, Sting and AJ Styles, many feel that Angle staying without taking a dramatic pay cut is unlikely.
One of the key ideas of Jarrett’s new promotion is to introduce a lot of new faces to the U.S. national scene. Jarrett has been doing a lot of talent scouting at independent wrestling events, as well as looking at videos of guys that people are recommending to him, including a lot of international talent.
Finally, there is talk that the promotion would open with a Jeff and Karen Jarrett reality show, a vehicle designed to build to the launch of their television show and the promotion itself a few months later.
(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)
As previously reported, Kurt Angle underwent knee surgery back in February. Angle has been off the radar for a while recovering, but recently posted the following tweet regarding his current condition:
Knee Recovery Going Well. Be back in the ring very soon my friends! #AngleHungry
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) March 18, 2014
Kurt Angle has been officially pulled from Sunday’s TNA Lockdown pay-per-view. Angle recently underwent surgery after the TNA crew returned from the UK, which he delayed so he could wrestle on the tour. The storyline explanation is that Angle will need surgery due to EC3’s attack, which aired on Thursday’s Impact. Angle tweeted on Friday:
Attack by EC3 in London aired last night has taken me out of Lockdown Sunday. Surgery required but I will be back soon!
— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) March 7, 2014
EC3 played up the storyline on Twitter, noting that he’ll still be competing at Lockdown and will hold a press conference at the TNA Lockdown Fan Interaction event to address the situation.
I will be hosting a press conference tomorrow at #FanInteraction for #LockdownMiami in regards to @RealKurtAngle's status and injury.
— ecIII (@therealec3) March 7, 2014
In the meantime, my thoughts are with @RealKurtAngle. In the heat of competition, things happen. For that, I am truly sorry. #GetWellKurt
— ecIII (@therealec3) March 7, 2014
For my millions of fans, the answer is YES, I will still be in action at #LockdownMiami. I live for my fans, wouldn't miss it for the world.
— ecIII (@therealec3) March 7, 2014
– When asked by the local CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh about the possibility of Kurt Angle returning to WWE, Stephanie McMahon noted, “never say never.” You can check out the complete article at CBSLocal.com.
– Chris Jericho did his usual pre-pay-per-view tease on Twitter, noting that he was stuck in an airport in Minneapolis, which is where Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view takes place. Jericho tweeted the following:
DEEP THOUGHTS WITH CJ Airport delays suck.
#minneapolis http://t.co/QZQ5qaMNTl
— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) February 22, 2014
Here are some highlights from Jim Ross’ latest blog:
Next WWE Hall Of Fame Inductee: “Rumor mills are working OT regarding as to who will be the next inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. I think that it’s cool that the HOF induction ceremony will air live, as I understand it, on the WWE Network. Hopefully the live audience will mind their manners and not feel compelled to display their defiance and disrupt the show for any reason. Cheering and classy displays of support are awesome however wise ass, look-at-me chants aren’t.”
Cesaro: “If Cesaro can’t be put into a position, either as a fan favorite or a villain, to be an impactful talent in WWE, it will be a real, head scratcher. I see Cesaro as a fan favorite moving forward. If not, how well could Cesaro do associated with Heyman after Lesnar takes his leave again?”
Kurt Angle in WWE: “I’m hearing that Kurt Angle did NOT have ACL surgery and only had a clean up ‘scope procedure. I’d love to see Kurt get healthy in all phases of the veteran wrestler’s life and finish his storied career in WWE. I also don’t think that Angle should be wrestling that much these days and if he is utilized strategically then his matches will have much more validity and interest. In my view, Kurt is a future WWE Hall of Famer and will, in a perfect world, have one, last, great match at a future WrestleMania. By planning ahead, this could theoretically be facilitated for WM31.”
Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com.
– As previously reported, Irish wrestler Prince Devitt attended a TNA live event from Dublin, Ireland last month. Devitt met with TNA officials about the possibility of joining the company, but he was basically just doing them a courtesy with no real intention of working for TNA. If he was to leave New Japan Pro Wrestling, it would only be for WWE, who he’s been courted by.
– TNA star Kurt Angle has been in bad physical condition lately. Despite his claims that his health is fine (and being able to put on good TV matches), he was barely able to move around behind the scenes. There was even a photo of him sitting in a wheelchair circulating online last week (view here).
It was recently discovered that Angle has no ACL cartilage left in his knee. Chris Jericho worked with a similar condition several years ago and part of his ACL cartilage eventually grew back.
(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)