PWTorch.com has just learned that Kurt Angle is out of WrestleMania and will almost surely be out of action for a full year. His neck is said to be in terrible shape and he will require surgery and extensive rehabilitation. His condition is not considered career-threatening at this time, but it's serious enough that he won't wrestle even one more match until his neck is fixed.
As detailed in our previous report yesterday, Angle began suffering numbness in one of his arms on the South African tour over the weekend that concerned him greatly. He shifted to tag matches and limited what he did in the ring until it got checked out. It wasn't one particular move or bump that caused his condition, but a result of years of wear and tear.
Angle is said to be extremely upset, sad, and disappointed with the situation. He will relinquish his title on TV within the next couple of weeks. Because the news is so new this afternoon, there is no word yet on where Brock Lesnar not fits into WrestleMania
Well, my two favorite wrestlers won't be part of the fed for 2003 after WM. Gonna be a LONG year.
By the way, Storm's gimmick includes 1.) telling the audience to shut up, and 2.) occasionally making everyone stand for the Canadian national anthem. You know they don't know what to do with a wrestler when he's making fans stand for a national anthem. It's like waving a white flag and saying, "This guy has no personality -- we give up."
That completely sucks. The one match for WM that they had really worked hard to set-up is now gone. I guess they are going to go overtime in trying to sign Goldberg now. That cmopletely sucks for Angle definitely. I hope he gets well and the surgery is free of complications.
January 4th 1999 - The day WCW injected itself with 10 gallons of Liquid Anthrax...AKA...The day Hogan "Defeated" Nash to win the WCW title in front of 40,000.
2. I bet Kurt takes up some sort of managerial role while he recovers for Team Angle
3. I bet they pull in somebody within the company to fight Brock at Mania, Undertaker, Big Show, Benoit, or Nash.
Satire 03/03/03 (wienerboard.com) <- No kidding, right? Buffy 7.16 gets a 7.65372 Andrew is funny, but I'm not sure that we needed "The Andrew Episode".
Originally posted by VenomWEll, the best last minute booking they could do is have Benoit beat Angle for the title and turn heel to set up a match with Brock....
So that means, expect Taker or Big Show to get the nod...
Unfortunately, going by the original newsbit, the next match Angle has won't be until around mid-2004...
-Patrick
I think the Torch said Angle would drop it leading up to Wrestlemania...
No, it's going to be held up. Angle can't wrestle at all.
Best Case Scenario: A tournament for the belt is held between now and Wrestlemania with the finals at Mania proper.
Worst Case: They have a ceremony giving the belt to the ghost of Al Wilson who feuds over the title with Funaki.
Thank God the WWE has plenty of other matches to draw or WrestleMania would have been a disaster.
Satire 03/03/03 (wienerboard.com) <- No kidding, right? Buffy 7.16 gets a 7.65372 Andrew is funny, but I'm not sure that we needed "The Andrew Episode".
The Torch said Angle will relinquish his title, not lose it in a match. They said he can't even work one more match.
This is obviously bad news. Angle was the glue that held SMACKDOWN! together and is arguable one of the top three performers in WWE. Had he gone over at WM, he'd have really made a name for himself.
This really screws up WWE's plans for WM, but to be honest, I wasn't all that excited in Angle/Lesnar. I was before and WWE really tried, but it seemed that the harder they tried, the more they ruined the mystique surrounding the match by making Lesnar the face. I guess that's all a moot point, but now SMACKDOWN! is starting to look weaker with both Edge and Angle out.
Actually, as bad as this is, and as much as I like Kurt, the more I think about it, the cooler I think a Smackdown WWE title Tournament can be. It'll be minus Edge and Angle sure, but it will give guys like Benoit, Brock, Rey, Eddie, and Team Angle some opportunities for some really great matches and it gives guys like Albert, Big Show, Undertaker, and Rikishi something real purpose over the next month.
Satire 03/03/03 (wienerboard.com) <- No kidding, right? Buffy 7.16 gets a 7.65372 Andrew is funny, but I'm not sure that we needed "The Andrew Episode".
Allow me to be the latest person to say Fuck, shit, bugger, and arse. This truly sucks for Kurt.
I'm glad they're not going to have him lose it in a match though. The last thing we want is Angle damaging his neck further.
I suppose they could have Steph say she's stripping him of the title for attacking Edge. Better just to come clean though I'd reckon and hold a tournament with Benoit going over and turning heel.
One thing just occured to me though. Rock threatened to go back to Smackdown last night if Eric pissed him off. I doubt it would be worth blowing Rock/Austin just to give Brock a ready made heel to feud with. Especially as you then just leave Austin without a fight.
EDIT: Funaki/Al Wilson's ghost. For the title. Ahhhhhh *drools*
(edited by dMr on 4.3.03 2311) "You dont appreciate a lot of stuff in school until you get older. Little things like being spanked every day by a middle aged woman: stuff you'd pay good money for these days."
In lieu of a post that just says "fuck" about 4000 times in a row, I'll just add to the chorus of people who are unspeakably depressed about this news.
However, here's an idea I've been pondering for how to do this: Tonight on Smackdown have Angle come out and drop all the arrogance and all that smarminess and do a serious in ring interview that says everything that's wrong with him. Have him tell Lesnar it was all mind games and things to get in his head, and that Angle respects Lesnar as the most amazing talent the WWE has seen in many years. Make the moment as real and touching as possible. Then you have Benoit come out and just attack. Lay out Lesnar with a chair, put Angle (gingerly) in the crossface, and just get on the mic and rail as much as possible. Maybe have Heyman as a mouthpiece talking about what a loser and and a crybaby Angle is. Then have Steph announce a match at WM to fill the vacant WWE title between Lesnar and Benoit.
All I'll say is, the wrestling gods are finally punishing the WWF for royally screwing the last two years up.
Half of me says it serves the WWF right, and the other half of me really really feels for Kurt and Brock, because this was going to be their huge moment in the sun - they were going to main-event Wrestlemania and finally showcase the new generation. And now that's gone, in one fell swoop.
The sports of pro wrestling and bodybuilding are in a league of their own. Truly popular in North America and around the globe, both have been laughed at, not taken seriously as sports and humiliated in the media.