Shining a Spotlight 8.02.07: Angle vs Joe

Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe.

As we move to the main event of “Hard Justice,” one has to face the fact that TNA has done what I had thought completely impossible: They have managed to not only bungle an Angle-Joe feud, they’ve actually managed to make it seem dull and routine. This was a matchup I was looking forward to massively and seemed absolutely perfect. Angle, a man who may have been slowed a bit but is still a terrific in-ring worker and technician. Joe, the guy fans have wanted to hold the world title for over a year, also a great technician with power and even ariel moves to boot.

Nabbing Angle was one of the single biggest moves TNA has ever made, no one can deny that. Argue all you want about the circumstances of him leaving (which I did when it happened) but this was the best acquisition TNA had made. Christian was big but he had been pretty much mid-carder and Team 3D’s best years were behind them. This was different. This was a man who had been a major headliner for WWE for six years, who had been World Champion only a few months before, choosing to go to the company still considered secondary. A man with a huge fanbase and great respect and his star power seemed to be just the thing to put TNA in the big leagues. And with the roster of incredibly talented technical workers around, how could this possibly be anything but a huge success?

Then again, everyone thought the same thing about Bret in WCW and we all know how that turned out. Yet it boggles the mind to see just how badly TNA bungled what was an absolute sure-fire, cannot-miss program that could have elevated them big-time. Ryan Byers actually did a great thing in the Impact Crater back in November on how he’d book the Joe-Angle feud and he, a guy with no real booking experience, came up with a great timeline. If he could do it, surely TNA themselves could. Instead, they have blown it big time and it has made them look even more second-rate and, I dare say, has helped contribute to the lower buy rates for their last PPVs. Just how did they mess this up? A quick walk down memory lane if you will…

Angle made his debut on October 19, 2006 and his speech was interrupted by Joe. Remember, at the time, Joe had stolen the NWA World title belt from Jeff Jarrett to set up a probable match between them. The confrontation was good with Angle head-butting Joe to bust him open but from the start it seemed they might be rushing the big confrontation too soon. I know it was the battle we all wanted to see but it did seem smarter to build up to it with Angle facing a few guys before taking on Joe, preferably with Joe winning the NWA title.

Instead, we get Jarrett vs Sting at Bound for Glory with Angle as the special referee, which was so close to Bret’s entry in WCW it scared me. Sadly, a lot of that feeling proved all too true. The next week, after the reverse battle royal (which I personally didn’t think was so horrible as everyone else) Angle ran down Joe who came out and a big brawl set up the Genesis matchup. Luckily, TNA was wise enough to keep them apart for the next few shows, building up in interviews the big match. Everyone was expecting a classic to come. Hell, some people actually were voting for it as “Match of the Year” for Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Achievement Awards before it even took place. That was a lot of hype and sadly, the match itself didn’t deliver as well, only lasting thirteen minutes before Angle made Joe tap out.

This was the first major misstep of the feud. For 18 months, Joe had been built up as this unstoppable monster who couldn’t be beaten by the best the company through at him. The expectation was that he would keep that streak going when he won the NWA title and thus whoever beat him would be instantly over and credible with the entire fanbase. Angle should not have been the guy to beat Joe. Angle was already made, he didn’t need the boost of beating Joe at all but of course, TNA has this crazy thing about pushing ex-WWErs to the top off the bat so Angle had to go over. The whole thing came off as a disappointment…and a poor sign of what was to come.

The next week, Angle celebrated as Joe came out to demand a rematch and we had the nice idea of the two agreeing to watch each other’s backs until the rematch. That included a beat down of LAX that hurt the duo’s image a bit. It also included them on opposite sides of a six-man tag match with Angle beating Joe again. This led to the rematch at “Turning Point” which was longer, better and ended with Joe beating Angle. So of course, TNA had to do a third match, a rubber match and they also decided to make it an Iron Man match. Okay, the first two were rough but these two in an Iron Man bout was something many had been dying to see so surely TNA couldn’t screw it up right?

Wrong.

Now it didn’t start off too bad as Angle appeared to snap at losing to Joe which actually works with his always-proud perfectionist character. So you had Angle running around backstage beating up people and putting Angle Locks on Don West and threatening to do the same with So Cal Val which brought Jim Cornette into the ring. Cornette gave the contrived explanation that there was nothing in the contracts to force either man to face each other in a singles match but did book them in a tag match. Then they had the bit where an “Impact” show ended with them in a full-on brawl throughout the entire Impact Zone and outside too. Now this shouldn’t sound too bad but you have to put it in perspective. These are two guys known for great technical ring work and are about to have a match where the whole point is to wear your opponent down and score the most falls in 30 minutes. Having them engage in a brawl out of a 2000 WWF match isn’t a good way to sell that and that’s without the completely idiotic sight of Joe dragging Angle around by the bald scalp as fans cheer them on. The next week had them once more fighting to interfere in the main event.

The main problem was that there was no clear definition of who the face was and who the heel was. I know Russo is always a “shades of grey” guy but it’s hard to really care for a match-up as big as this when there’s no sense of exactly who to root for. Angle had some cheers thanks to his reputation but his antics didn’t quite seem huge enough for a true heel response. Joe had always had fan appeal and is a bad-ass but didn’t seem enough to truly be cheered for as the full-on face. It also seemed that there was no real reason for the feud, no issue that made these guys hate each other, not even talk of how it was a “fight for respect” which makes it even harder to care. Sure, fans can respect both guys but you need a clear cut one to cheer for in a matchup this big and TNA failed to provide that. The match did turn out to be the best of the bunch, with Angle winning 3-2 to earn a shot at the NWA title and seemed to end it all.

So for the next few months, the two would go on different paths which unfortunately showed even worse ways to be booked. First, TNA blew another major opportunity to make some great cash by giving away the first-ever Angle-AJ Styles match for free on Impact and having it last only three minutes to boot. Joe, meanwhile, was booked to a poor streak, fighting Abyss and having only his second-ever loss be to, of all people, Tyson Tomko. Both men would be partners for the Lethal Lockdown match at “Lockdown” where there was tension about their working together. We then jump ahead to the last few months as Angle attacked Joe at Slammiversary and cut a promo against him afterward, seeming to finally turn full-fledged heel. And then…

Oh, Lord and then…

The entire “Match of Champions” has to rank as one of the dumbest things TNA has ever done and the poor showing for “Victory Road” seems to prove that. First, after spending months building Jay Lethal’s “Black Machismo” character up and having him finally win the X Division title, TNA has him drop it immediately to Joe because Vince Russo still loves the old “whacky tag partners who hate each other” bit. Then the next week we had Joe interfering in Angle’s title defense leading to another big pull-apart brawl which was beyond tired. Then, TNA misses an obvious way to boost the match by having Team 3D retain the belts rather than lose them to Styles and Daniels. Face it, no one could ever believe even TNA would be stupid enough to give either 3D a singles belt which made the entire match unnecessary. Having Styles and Daniels, on the other hand, would have let some doubt in about either of them claiming either singles belt and boosting the buy rate. But instead, TNA goes along with the “all titles” on the line match that could only be won by either of the singles guys. Of course the problem was that TNA kept pushing the rivalry between the guys meant to be partners which overshadowed the actual match itself.

So Joe wins and claims the tag belts alongside the X Division title and now we have the absolutely ludicrous idea of Joe and Angle going at it for every title in TNA. Even Vince McMahon has not been crazy enough to have one guy hold all the gold in WWE. I know Russo has always clung to the theory of belts being props but this is taking it way too far. TNA already has issues with making their championships legitimate, now they throw them all on two guys for one match? At least that should be the whole reason for the match right there but of course TNA has to throw in some whacky comedy hijinks like Angle spending an hour searching for his missing clothes. That all ended with Angle beating down Joe, sending the message he’s better and then the next week doing another goofy skit of him talking in what appeared to be a shrink’s office but turned out to be Kevin Nash’s tanning booth. Note that during that whole bit, he never once mentioned Samoa Joe by name.

So now we have a matchup between two phenomenal workers for all the belts in the company and my interest for it is incredibly low. Now I don’t claim to be able to book better than guys working for companies. I recognize that there are a lot of factors involved and that you just can’t predict how fans will react. Still, TNA’s epic blowing of such a sure-fire set-up is mind-boggling. They have taken a program that could have paid dividends and made them stand out and turned it into just another feud without end. Worse, they’ve made themselves look even more second-rate by having one of their own dominated by a star from another company.

To me, that’s the key problem with this entire feud. I’ve written about this in the past but I still believe a major problem TNA has is that they will push former WWE guys (and Sting and Steiner) to the forefront immediately upon their entry. After Joe, Angle moved onto Christian, TNA making it sound like a big deal when the fact is, it’s a matchup that would have been seen on “Smackdown” just a year before. It’s true that Angle was a major investment and one can argue it’s good that he’s been pushed to the championship (especially considering how WCW so horribly misused Bret). But to many fans, he’s still identified with WWE and having the guy fans want to be on top in TNA losing like this to Angle just makes TNA look weaker at a time they’re really trying to break out more.

The bad showing by “Victory Road” is really worrisome. Despite their hopes, the buy rates for the PPVs featuring Angle-Joe were still on the average as past TNA PPVs but “Road” was far lower, only about 15,000 buys tops. Remember, TNA doesn’t charge for the Impact Zone and still barely tour. The PPVs are their major income and by fouling up the “Road” build-up like that, they killed off a lot of revenue. Wrestling is in a very dangerous time now after the Benoit mess which drove a lot of fans away from the entire industry on a whole. If WWE is hurting, you can bet TNA is too and they don’t have the massive sources Vince McMahon does. Of course, they do have such flashes of brilliance as hiring “Pacman” Jones to be a wrestler. Oh yeah, that’s just the thing to get them respect, hiring a football player who’s not playing this season because he’s been suspended due to various antics, including a shooting at a strip club. It reminds me once more of WCW’s attempts to get press by using Dennis Rodman and we all know how well that turned out.

Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle are arguably the two biggest assets TNA has. But they’ve already fouled up running a successful program with them before and now, in a battle with all the belts, that’s coming back to haunt them. Even worse, it’s sent a message that should be paid attention to any top guy of WWE (like RVD) who’s thinking about jumping to TNA. Sure, you’ll get a big push off the bat but if a company can blow Joe vs Angle, what can’t they screw up? I want TNA to rise and succeed, I truly do. But if they can take a program that had fans salivating and make it dull…then their long-term capabilities for survival don’t seem very promising.

So this matchup isn’t just for the gold. It could very well show what TNA’s future is. If they figure out a way to blow it and give fans an ending that’s screwball and convoluted and designed to make no man come out a clear loser…then you have to truly fear for TNA’s survival. TNA has a chance in this hard time for wrestling to step up to the plate. But if they strike out with Joe-Angle one more time…well, it could be the start of a long, slow decline that none of us want to see.

Also around 411mania:

Larry C also looks at the bad decisions TNA is making in News and Views.

Ripple Effect looks at Summer Slam’s main eventers.

What I Like About Wrestling goes You Tube crazy.

Hidden Highlights celebrates its 100th edition.

The Shimmy looks back at 2002.

The Fink books Ric Flair’s last matches. Please, the guy’s going to be going for another decade and still as great as ever.

Can They Be Champ? examines the injury list.

Schmoozes & Screwjobs does a major job on Smackdown.

The Piledriver Report tries to be positive, which is commendable.

Julian counts down the 10 biggest pops. No offense but nothing but ECW does threaten to invalidate the list.

Don’t forget Ask 411, Fact or Fiction, Column of Honor, the Shimmy, Navigation Log and all the rest.

That’s all for now. For this week, the spotlight is off.