So how would you book Kurt Angle in TNA?

[Limity (BLM)]

Okay, so everyone here pretty much agrees: TNA wasted a golden opportunity with Kurt Angle.

So, can we do better? How would we go about booking him?

I would still have him confront Samoa Joe and take the title, but I would immediately separate them after that, and keep Joe's main event push. Throughout the months I'd have them both keep remarking about the other, for instance Joe saying, "I still haven't forgotten you, Angle."

I agree with a lot of people here, Joe/Angle is a goldmine, and should be kept for later.

But, I'm trying to figure out how best to use Angle. I'd use him sparingly, and maybe as kind of like Cornette's go-to guy. Not his enforcer or henchman or anything like that, more like Cornette's ace in the hole. Perhaps in exchange for a guaranteed title shot.

Or, how I would do it is use Angle sparingly. Set it up so that a lot of TNA talent think that Angle is overrated, that he can't hack it with TNA's superior wrestlers. Those wrestlers would challenge Kurt Angle at the next iMPACT. I'd hype the hell out of NEXT WEEK's show, or maybe the week after that. That way Angle is not all over TV, he's something special, something else.

I'd put him in a series of one-on-one matches with guys that would really showcase how good of a wrestler Angle is. Guys like Jay Lethal, Ron Killings, or Petey Williams.

For the first few months you'd only see Angle sparingly, and when you would, you'd see him in a kickass special match. Only later on would I introduce him into a main event feud and maybe seem him more regularly.


SO, that's my idea. What about you guys? How would you book Angle?

[Old School Heel mark4Morishima]

Angle and Joe is tough to book. Their styles are too similar: both skilled powerhouses with legit grappling experience (greco-roman and judo, respectively). I'd book them in a mentor/student relationship for a good long while so when the feud does come it gets real heat.

The easiest feuds to book are based on contrast. Two guys whose styles are so different they just obviously have to not like each other. I'd have Angle vs.

* Brother Ray - loudmout no-talent fatass.
* Jeff Jarrett - classic chicken heel
* Any one of the X guys
* Storm or Harris

To build up Joe for the eventual feud, I'd have him go after Sting with Angle's backing. And the Stinger would have to lose that one.

[Josh DELUXE]

I would give him a "rave" gimmick where he comes out to some funky scifi-sh techno music and he's all hopped up on ecstacy and lsd. Instead of giving everyone belly-to-belly suplexes, he'll merely hug them. He will cuddle his opponents to death.

[Old School Heel mark4Morishima]

limity said:

Perhaps in exchange for a guaranteed title shot.

Oh god. There's already way too much tomfoolery about who gets a title shot in TNA already.

But I like the idea of him being Cornette's glorified errand boy.

[Jimichiro Likes Erick Rowan]

Have him back at to his 2000-2002 antics & pair him with Nash, Lethal & Dutt.

[Joekishi]

"I'm better than this company, don't give me trash to wrestle, give me a title shot"

and lots more comedy.

[JMA]

He wouldn't wrestle on TV every week and when he did it would be a squash. Angle has to be shown as special. Having lower card wrestlers get good offense on him hurts that image. A competitive Angle match would require him to face an opponent on his level and would be at a PPV.

[Timmy8271]

He would be a heel and a total Psycho Circa his feud with Eddie in 04. I'd have him take out the lower card guys like Lethal, Petey Williams and Sojay. Then he would feud with Chris Harris in a big blood feud. Then I'd put him over Rhyno and AJ Styles. This all would last about 6 months to a year before he fights Joe. I would still have his first loss be to Joe.

[Old School Heel mark4Morishima]

jma said:

He wouldn't wrestle on TV every week and when he did it would be a squash. Angle has to be shown as special. Having lower card wrestlers get good offense on him hurts that image.

Unless they use him like Ric Flair to get younger wrestlers over but still appear like a crafty old veteran who can pull out the win. Which I think would be a good idea.

I won't hold my breath for it though.

[thestinger]

I would book Joe to win at KOTM at Slammiversary.

Then Angle goes, 'You're not really the champion, in one on one matches, I beat you two to one!"

Thus sets up the 'final battle' (for the forseeable future). In order to be the true world champion Joe Vs. Angle 4.

Then I would have Joe win, and Angle goes nuts. Full heel turn goes on to attacking people at random. He goes on to fueds with rising stars like Chris Harris and Abyss. Instead of getting face pops for bashing WWE, he could get heel heat by deriding his opponants as 'nobodies.'

[Danimal]

The last two times folks have tried to heel Angle up it hasn't really worked. Hell he assaulted Joe's girlfriend for no reason and insulted the American troops for piss-sakes and he still wasn't really a heel. This makes him harder to book. You want to heel-turn him but how do you get him over as a true heel?

I don't mind him too much as a douchebag face. He can feud with anyone right now and have it believable.

[Mr.K-itty]

how would i book kurt angle:
show him the door ;D

[Josh DELUXE]

futureproof said:

I would give him a "rave" gimmick where he comes out to some funky scifi-sh techno music and he's all hopped up on ecstacy and lsd. Instead of giving everyone belly-to-belly suplexes, he'll merely hug them. He will cuddle his opponents to death.

Actually now that I think about it I'd give him a gimmick as a pharmacist of some sort. This way not only would he be hooked on the pain killers, but he could get everyone else hooked on them as well.

[wwerules60]

He would debut as a heel, talking about how he has faced the likes of Steve Austin, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H. And then he would go on about how he is now reduced to a second rate show who is a side attraction at an amusement park, no place for an Olympic gold medalist.

[Joekishi]

yeah that's what would have been entertaining, Angle is an awesome jerk

[What?]

wwerules60 said:

He would debut as a heel, talking about how he has faced the likes of Steve Austin, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H. And then he would go on about how he is now reduced to a second rate show who is a side attraction at an amusement park, no place for an Olympic gold medalist.

Agreed.

[Old School Heel mark4Morishima]

mrk said:

how would i book kurt angle:
show him the door ;D

Strong.