Angle To TNA

[Lightning_Rod]

word on the street is TNA's big surprise for there 'No Surrender' PPV was the signing of none other than Kurt Angle.

 

[Ray Nolan]

Whoa! Didn't see that coming!

 

[Lightning_Rod]

TNA WRESTLING MAKES TWO MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS
Signs Kurt Angle
iMPACT! Moves To 9 PM on Spike TV Starting Thursday, November 16


Nashville, TN, September 24, 2006 – Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling announced today that Olympic gold medalist and pro wrestling megastar Kurt Angle has signed exclusively with the company. It was also announced that TNA iMPACT! will move to 9:00 PM ET/PT Thursdays on Spike TV starting November 16.

“This has been a huge week in our company’s history,” said Dixie Carter, president of TNA Entertainment, LLC. “The signing of Kurt Angle and the move of iMPACT! to 9 PM are both significant benchmarks in the growth of TNA. The history of pro wrestling is marked with events that change the landscape of the industry and I believe that this week will be viewed in that context.”

Angle, a 2-time NCAA Division I champion and a 3-time NCAA Division I All-American, capped off his illustrious amateur career by winning a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1996 Olympics, competing with two cracked vertebrae, two herniated disks and four pulled muscles.

On November 14, 1999, Angle made his on-screen debut with the World Wrestling Federation. Since then, this 5-time WWE World Champion has held every major championship belt in WWF/E. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003.

“Kurt is considered the greatest wrestler in professional wrestling,” added Carter. “His in-ring ability is matched only by his leadership and attitude. We are thrilled Kurt is joining the TNA family and we look forward to a long, successful relationship.”

“Being with TNA feels like I found my home,” Kurt Angle commented. “TNA will be the most watched show on cable TV – it’s just a matter of time. Thank you TNA for saving my career, my life and my desire to do what I love.”

TNA also announced it will premiere in primetime on Spike TV starting Thursday, November 16, kicking-off with a two-hour extravaganza from 9:00 – 11:00 PM, ET/PT to celebrate the move. The following Thursday, TNA can be seen in its regularly scheduled timeslot (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT), with encores continuing to telecast on Saturdays (11:00 PM – Midnight, ET/PT).

“We’ve been impressed by TNA’s growth and the acquisition of Kurt Angle today continues to show us that wrestling fans, as well as professional wrestlers, know that TNA is the place to be and now primetime on Spike TV is the place for them to be,” says Kevin Kay, General Manager of Spike TV.

After twenty telecasts in the Thursday 11 PM ET/PT time slot, TNA iMPACT! is averaging a 1.0 HH rating, with a 1.1 in M18-49, a 1.3 in M18-34 and an average audience of 1.1 million viewers. Compared to YAGO in that timeslot, TNA is up +137% in HH, +211% in M18-49, +244% in M18-34 and +157% in average audience. Among ad-supported cable channels in the time period (11:00 PM – Midnight, ET/PT), Spike ranks #1 in M18-49, #1 in M25-34, and #2 in M18-34. (All ratings reflect Most Current viewing levels)

The new wrestling alternative, TNA delivers a distinct brand of high-risk, athletic entertainment. TNA’s roster includes new, fresh talent like AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Monty Brown and recognizable stars such as Sting, Christian Cage, Jeff Jarrett, Team 3D, and others. TNA features the innovative six-sided ring and the high-flying “X Division,” as well as concept matches such as “Ultimate X,” “King of the Mountain,” and “Six Sides of Steel.”

TNA Entertainment, LLC is a privately held company headquartered in Nashville, TN. The names of all Total Nonstop Action Wrestling televised programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and all TNA Wrestling logos and trademarks are exclusive property of TNA Entertainment, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information, visit www.tnawrestling.com.

Spike TV is available in 90 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc


i didnt se it happening either, but it could be a major turning point in the wrestling world, it could give tna the right push to take it to wwe.

 

[go_the_bombers]

Vince would be pissed

 

[YelloMit]

Agreed.

 

[Lightning_Rod]

if any one wants to see the promo that he cut its here

http://www.lpwinfo.com/

 

[go_the_bombers]

Its gonna be intresting to see how TNA go now!

 

[My North]

So Kurt Angle was never injured and tired when he left the WWE????

 

[dockers_bengals]

I thought he had problems with pain killers also.If these things are true when he left wwe surely it can't be good for him to keep going.

 

[go_the_bombers]

So Kurt Angle was never injured and tired when he left the WWE????

Who knows

 

[Cleavy]

I thought he had problems with pain killers also.If these things are true when he left wwe surely it can't be good for him to keep going.

Well TNA doesn't have a drug policy in place.

And a BIG WOW for the announcement. Great poster too.

 

[Lightning_Rod]

well word on the street is that vince asked kurt to leave due to his pain killer addiction and i think tna dont have such a program in place regarding drugs. i also have a better link for the promo ill post it now http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7SrNxBylHk

 

[YelloMit]

Sweet.

 

[Oh Furious One]

It's legitimate.

This just opened up a ridiculous amount of dream matches that seemed almost impossible before.

 

[go_the_bombers]

It's legitimate.

This just opened up a ridiculous amount of dream matches that seemed almost impossible before.

What are some of the matches u want?

 

[Leafie]

What are some of the matches u want?

Angle Vs Samoa Joe
Aj Styles
Daniels
Homicide
Low Ki
Petey Williams
Abyss
surely plenty more but im just dreaming of all the fantastic matches that are going to take place

 

[jezza]

DId not see that coming at all. From the article someone posted here he sounded like he was in no shape at all to keep wrestling and really needed the time off.

 

[Greatness23]

Holy crap, HUGE!
TNA got one hell of a steal there. But wow, where is Kurts loyalty?

On a side note, didn't WWE get Monty Brown and... someone else? I thought Ron Killings was going to come back but last I heard he's going to Mexico.

 

[iceman]

Surprising, i definetly thought he was retiring to get his body and marriage back in shape....

Wrestling is obviously his life now - he cant live without it

 

[Mitchell Madness]

TNa is getting bigger, I can see a WCW - WWF rivalry beggining all over again, but this time I hope WWF/E loses big time. WCW had the stars who are now at TNA like Sting and Steiner.

 

[Altum Volantes]

WCW had the stars who are now at TNA like Sting and Steiner.

Yeah, 5 years ago and they were past their prime (and ultimately unsuccessful) then.

I wouldn't get too excited, Kurt's a great get for TNA but ultimately TNA would probably need The Rock, Austin and Hogan to really have a chance of challenging the WWE.

 

[go_the_bombers]

Yeah, 5 years ago and they were past their prime (and ultimately unsuccessful) then.

I wouldn't get too excited, Kurt's a great get for TNA but ultimately TNA would probably need The Rock, Austin and Hogan to really have a chance of challenging the WWE.

Agree! don't forget TNA also brought back Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell

 

[Lightning_Rod]

kurt is on a road to destruction, the fact he was fired was to better his lifestyle, he refused to take time off and just masked his injuries and pain with different medication, the reason he has joined TNA is because they dont have a policy in place to prevent the excess use of drugs, TNA is more interested in the star power and not the life styles of these wrestlers.

TNA is good and i love the fact its got the same feel as WCW, but the fact is it isnt WCW, its a rip off of WCW, the fact they keep buying old WCW, ECW and WWE stars means they wont improve there own young talented roster, they need to focus on their young guys and look for soime up and coming stars otherwise they will have no future stars.

Even with the equasition of the Rock, Austin and Hogan, as some one said, they still wouldnt be able to take it to WWE, the Rock wouldnt fit in to what TNA is, the Rock was a great wrestler but was more noticed for his mic skills and loved the in ring antics, this goes agaisnt what i see TNA as, They fill their show with wrestling and thats all good, but WWE are all for the gimmicks, the mic skits and back stage antics. Austin is past it and his body is screwed he would only make cameos and short matches as his body cant take it, and hogan well christ he needed to retire a long time ago.

Either way ide love to see TNA take it to WWE, but with their own talent, cos i dont think they can beat WWE with old used talent like stiener, sting, nash, rhino and jarrett.

 

[Cleavy]

On a side note, didn't WWE get Monty Brown and... someone else? I thought Ron Killings was going to come back but last I heard he's going to Mexico.

Both are still with TNA.

 

[Jumpin' Jimmy]

Either way ide love to see TNA take it to WWE, but with their own talent, cos i dont think they can beat WWE with old used talent like stiener, sting, nash, rhino and jarrett.

Those guys were stuffed years ago. About as credible as Mick Foley, Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper and Ric Flair on WWE.

Where are The Rock, Rikishi, Goldberg and Brock Lesnar these days? Lesnar settled his lawsuit with WWE in April so may come back via TNA.