TNA's Top Angle Is Compelling, Yet Disturbing
Watching last Thursday’s TNA iMPACT! sent me on quite the roller coaster of emotions. The main angle, featuring more interplay involving Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett, and a debuting Mick Foley went from being intriguing, to quite compelling, to absurd, to offering one of the most offensive wrestling moments I’ve ever witnessed.
In case you missed it, and judging from TNA’s weekly ratings, you probably did, the show teased several major happenings – Foley’s first appearance in the iMPACT! Zone; Some clarity on what his role will be at the upcoming Bound For Glory pay per view; and Jeff Jarrett addressing some controversial comments made by Kurt Angle in the U.K. Sun newspaper. All intrigued me enough to keep me up late last night after the VP debate to watch iMPACT! – or at least about 15 minutes of it – on my Tivo.
Because the most truly controversial comments made by Angle in the interview were his criticisms of TNA’s overuse of gimmick matches, I hoped Jarrett would take the opportunity to announce that he agreed and that, from now on, special stipulatiosn would only be used in the rarest of opportunities. Fat chance. Instead, Jarrett focused on Angle’s comments about Vince McMahon. Angle basically said in the interview that he was still fond of Vince, considered him a sort of father figure, and that nothing or nobody, including Jarrett, could ever break that bond.
Jarrett pounced on the statement by airing never before seen excerpts from an interview Angle gave soon just after he signed with TNA two years ago. In the interview, he tore into McMahon for being a “piece of s---t,” an “a—hole” and saying that he came close to beating him up. It was pretty venemous stuff, and made for some pretty compelling TV. Jarrett punctuated it by vowing to beat up Angle so bad that “even Papa Vince won’t take you back.”
Check out the video:
But wait, it gets more bizarre.
So later Mick Foley comes out, does his usual dose of pseudo-intellectual comedy that amused mostly himself, and was soon joined by Kurt Angle. With Angle in the ring, Foley proceded to talk about how, despite Vince McMahon screaming in his ear [he really said that], his last gig as an announcer for WWE was rewarding because it let him closely observe the work of such “great wrestlers” as Edge, John Cena, Triple H, the Undertaker, and on and on. Yes, Foley mentioned them all by name.
Foley then said that he came to realize and appreciate that Angle beat all those people and may be the best in the world, but to really confirm that, he wanted to closely observe Angle’s match against Jarrett at Bound For Glory as a special enforcer.
And here’s the topper. In the midst of cutting a promo on Jarrett, Angle took umbridge with Jarrett telling him last week how Angle lost everything along the way to becoming who he is, including his wife. Angle’s response last night: “Well, I’m not the only one who lost a wife.”
Ugh.
As did I, and I imagine anyone with an ounce of decensy who watched this, the iMPACT Zone let out a collective grown after Angle uttered that line.
Where do I begin? First off, it’s tasteless garbage like that that leads to reputable networks to run for the hills from anything wrestling related – just as the CW did with WWE. It’s inexcusable. And while the goal might have been to get storyline heat on Angle, that line served primarily to take away a lot of sympathy that Jarrett had earned from fans for the loss of his wife. It essentially made the company’s top babyface, Jarrett, a heel.
Sadly, exploiting death is nothing new in wrestling, with WWE going as far as having Randy Orton proclaim that Eddie Guerrero was rotting in hell three months after his death. But this one might take the cake. Jeff Jarrett – the founder of TNA – green lighting a comment like that about his wife to help get over his own storyline may be a new low for TNA. And that’s saying a lot for a company that until last week was featuring the sounds of an airplane crashing into a building in the theme music for Shiek Abdul Bashir.
But besides that bit of offensive fair, this angle was so strange on so many levels. I don’t get why TNA is so insistent on putting over WWE everytime that pick up an ex-WWE star. Foley’s promo may have been grounded in some solid storytelling fundamentals, but why point out to fans that most of the top talent in wrestling is performing on another channel?
And what in the world was all the anti-McMahon rhetoric all about? But for the occasional dig from a debuting former WWE performer, TNA has been fairly disciplined until now in just minding its own business, and not poking a stick at the rabid pitbull that is World Wrestling Entertainment. If the idea is to get some attention for calling WWE out, then maybe it worked. But I’m still of the mindset that TNA should tend to its own house keeping first.
This whole storyline has been undisciplined, self destructive and downright weird. But that said, I wouldn’t say that it has been ineffective. I’ve paid closer attention to iMPACT! since the Jarrett-Angle-Foley storyline began than I have ina long time.
But there’s always a price to be paid when bookers try to integrate real-life issues into scripted storylines. When done right, it can actually work well, and I think there are some “shoot” elements of this angle that have really clicked. Honestly, if they had kept Jill Jarrett out of it, I wouldn’t be nearly as critical of this whole deal.
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Comments (11)
I love these kind of reality based angles. They're exciting and they get the internet talking. The lack of reality based angles is one of the main reasons the WWE has been so bland for the past several years. After the Attitude Era the WWE basically begun pretending that the internet didn't exist and that their fans didn't know anything about the wrestling business other then what was shown to them on WWE television.
Its just cheap heat. I works REALLY WELL. Angle is a douche bag.
Angle compares is Wife leaving him for being a stroke, To Jarret's Wife Dying of Cancer. I don't see a problem with it. it's what being a heel is all about.
Do you know what most people did when they heard “Well, I’m not the only one who lost a wife.” they wanted to see angle get his teeth knocked in.
Stop being so touchy. this is wrestling.
I way disagree. In 2008, I'd like to think most fans realize it's all scripted. So when Angle takes a shot at Jarrett's dead wife, I'd think most sophisticated fans (not kids or - pardon the term - "marks") would not get upset with Angle, but with Jarrett and/or whoever booked the angle. Whatever the case, I agree it's "cheap" heat, and that's the problem. There are far more effective ways to make fans want to see Angle get beat up without leaving so many people with a bad taste in their mouths.
im glad this was brought up. i hated those parts of impact. it actually makes me wonder if TNA is actually owned by vince. im waiting for the day when vince or whoever gets tired of hearing them mentioned on TNA and they decide to do something about it. just think about it, if vince really wanted to put TNA out of business, he would have already. but he doesnt care because they will never be a threat with angles that angle/jarrett.
I heard of an up and coming tag team---- Osnofla and Frahncis--- they supposedly are a high-flying brother duo coming out of Mexico or Ecuador or some Latin country. Be on the lookout! Mr. Castillo.....have you ever heard of them. If so, do you think they stand a chance in the American market?
I heard of an up and coming tag team---- Osnofla and Frahncis--- they supposedly are a high-flying brother duo coming out of Mexico or Ecuador or some Latin country. Be on the lookout! Mr. Castillo.....have you ever heard of them. If so, do you think they stand a chance in the American market?
I think Foley very much subscribes to the philosophy that if you say something is crap, when you beat it, you are merely just better than crap. It's something he believes with his promos, and he could be using it for the wrestling business as a whole.
It's no point TNA doing VKM style promos bashing the WWE. The WWE is clearly a successful wrestling product, and bashing it just makes you think 'Well hang on, if WWE sucks and it's making 50 million more profit a year than TNA with a truly global fanbase, then TNA must REALLY suck.
Putting over WWE wrestlers on a TNA program that gets a third of it's audience isn't going to tell anyone about the WWE that doesn't already know about it. Therefore putting them over, it's the classy thing for TNA to do. I agree with it. It means that fans can think for themselves 'Yes, WWE is good, but TNA have been doing some really good stuff lately also' so instead of being told what to like, they are encouraged to think for themselves.
I stopped watching TNA in 2005 once Mr. McMahon was clearly the company's top heel. Up to that point, I had enjoyed TNA since Impact's original debut on Fox Sports for being "The New Alternative."
I have hoped TNA could recapture my attention by focusing on its homegrown talent and leaving WWE alone, but then they brought in Kurt Angle, and then Booker T, and now Mick Foley. I had been saying that the only thing TNA could do to get my interest is a program between Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle, but now here it is, and I'm still reading recaps and grateful that I didn't invest my time watching the shows.
I was a huge TNA fan a few years ago, and I have to say that leading up to Bound for Glory 2006, their product was great. I consider BFG06 to be one of my favorite shows that TNA has ever done. But the moment they hired Russo it seemed like it went downhill. With the old booking team it somewhat made sense when they did things. But that was when the X Division wasn't a parody of wrestlers that nobody cares about anymore.
Osnofla shall return. I am creating the most powerful stable of wrestlers ever seen with the help of my two new partners - Gustavo and Cuca, and our mascot Britton.
Fighting Unibrow & Osnofla have insight on new OVW talents? I think Gustabas & Cuca are managed by Syed.