Tna Stars & Staff Comment On The Signing Of Kurt Angle

September 25th, 2006 02:15
TNA STARS & STAFF COMMENT ON THE SIGNING OF KURT ANGLE
By Ross Forman
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ORLANDO, Fla. - The backstage buzz before, during and after No Surrender was electric, to put it mildly. Wrestlers were asking about the major surprise. Announcers were asking. Even the referees. Not to mention the TNA front-office personnel who made the trek here from TNA’s corporate headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. No one knew for sure what – or who, as it turned out – the announcement would be, but everyone certainly had a guess, or two, or 10, or 20.

TNA Wrestling President Dixie Carter last week promised a major announcement at the end of the pay-per-view, held Sept. 22 at Universal Studios … and boy did she deliver, truly shocking the wrestling industry, from Stamford to Seattle and all points in between

Few moments in pro wrestling history have had the build-up and anticipation as Sunday’s announcement. I was there in Daytona Beach, Fla., in 1996, when Hulk Hogan ultimately was the third member of the nWo and turned his back on WCW and the fans. Well, Kurt Angle joining TNA Wrestling is bigger.

I don’t remember seeing the backstage area for almost any wrestling event so filled and yet, at the same time, so silent as when the Angle announcement was made.

The wrestlers, you see, did not know in advance. Sure, they all wanted to know, and everyone was asking everyone and anyone who they thought might know. But ultimately, when no one truly knew, it was a case of watch-like-the-rest-of-the-world.

The TNA roster was thrilled with the Angle announcement, without a doubt.

HOMICIDE
“That’s money.”

BOBBY ROODE
“It’s huge for the company and the business. One word: huge.”

KONNAN
“Kurt Angle … cream of the crop.”

DAVID YOUNG
“Get ready, because here we go. Now the ride really starts.”

CHRISTIAN CAGE
“He’s probably trying to steal my thunder too, just like Sting. Kurt Angle is an average wrestler. Christian Cage is still the biggest star at TNA.”

JIM CORNETTE
“Fantastic acquisition of a fantastic talent. He will take TNA to the next level.”

DON WEST
“Never in a million years did I think that would happen.”

SHANE DOUGLAS
“It’s always great to have a world-class athlete on the roster. Kurt Angle, a Pittsburgh native, is a tremendous addition to the TNA Wrestling roster.”

WILDCAT CHRIS HARRIS
“It’s an incredible privilege to be part of this company.”

ERIC YOUNG
“Frightening and exciting at the same time … is that possible?”

SIMON DIAMOND
“Reggie Jackson to the New York Yankees. Mark McGwire to the St. Louis Cardinals. Shaquille O’Neal to the Orlando Magic. Kurt Angle to TNA is bigger than all of them.”

ANDREW THOMAS
“The fan in me is thrilled.”

A.J. STYLES
“Kurt Angle is one of the most entertaining wrestlers in wrestling history.”

KAZARIAN
“What an incredible way to end an incredible show.”

SENSHI
“The game just got a lot more real.”

JEREMY BORASH
“Holy @#$%!!!”

BILL BANKS
"I will never forget the reaction from the fans inside the arena - just deafening"

Credit: tnawrestling.com