Tag: TNA Wrestling

Kurt Angle on Why He Chose Not to Be an MMA Fighter, Despite Offers from the UFC

For years, Kurt Angle teased the notion of attempting to see how far his wrestling prowess could take him in mixed martial arts.
But the thought never materialized on account of the fact that the former Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist didn’t …

For years, Kurt Angle teased the notion of attempting to see how far his wrestling prowess could take him in mixed martial arts.

But the thought never materialized on account of the fact that the former Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist didn’t want to give up pro wrestling.

Angle detailed the close calls he had to signing with some of the most prominent organizations in the sport, including the UFC, on last Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, per a report from MMA Fighting‘s Dave Meltzer:

I’ve had meetings with them all in MMA, World Series, Elite XC, twice with UFC. Whether it was the money or the timing wasn’t right, it didn’t happen. I considered going until I turned 42. I wouldn’t even think about doing it now, unfortunately. I don’t regret it. When I met with Dana White, he wanted me to quit wrestling entirely, but I had just signed with TNA. I met with Dana the same week and he said I needed to quit wrestling. I couldn’t tell (TNA owner) Dixie Carter I wanted to back out.

The 46-year-old Angle, a former WWF/WWE heavyweight champ, still competes as a pro wrestler. He’s signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he’s the company’s heavyweight champ.

Angle admitted that he’s in the twilight of his career, and if he continues to compete as a pro wrestler, it will have to be on a part-time basis.

As for MMA, Angle knows his small window to dabble has long since passed. However, Angle did say that if he would have picked MMA following his Olympic gold medal in 1996, he would have experienced the same type of success that he enjoyed in pro wrestling.

“I believe I’d have been as good in MMA as I was in pro wrestling, but I don’t regret it,” he said. “If the money was there in MMA when I came out of the Olympics, I’d have gone into MMA. But it wasn’t there until I was four years into my WWE career. But I love pro wrestling, so it wasn’t meant to be for me.”

Angle convened with UFC President Dana White on more than one occasion to discuss potential deals. During his second meeting with White, which took place in 2008, Angle said White talked about the idea of having Angle join the cast of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, which included Kimbo Slice and Roy Nelson. That season of TUF was coached by Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Angle said:

The second time I met with Dana, I took the physical. He wanted me to do The Ultimate Fighter with Kimbo. He was great. He was willing to pay me a good bit of money to be on the show. But he wanted me ready in four-and-a-half weeks. It just wasn’t in the cards. I think it would have been great TV. He was willing to sign me to a six-fight deal after the show, but he wanted me on the show. But it wasn’t going to happen in four-and-a-half weeks.

Angle not only turned down White’s offer to compete on TUF, but he also walked away from a potentially lucrative deal to fight an old pro wrestling rival, former American Kickboxing Academy student Daniel Puder.

Angle said he was interested in fighting Puder in the Octagon, but said he decided to turn the deal down because he had just signed with TNA Wrestling days earlier.

An accomplished actor who has landed several roles in motion pictures and television shows, Angle made his name as an amateur wrestler. After winning a high school state championship in Pennsylvania, Angle won a pair of NCAA Division I titles at Clarion University. He then defeated Iran’s Abbas Jadidi to win the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in 1996 in Atlanta.

Angle’s younger brother, Mark, was also a top-flight amateur wrestler, reaching All-American status in three straight seasons from 1998 to 2000 at Clarion.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The (Reported) Death of TNA Impact, And How Its Cancellation Could Affect Pro Wrestling and MMA


(*single tear* [via @SoDuTw])

By Seth Falvo

The inevitable has finally occurred: TMZ is reporting that Spike TV has cancelled TNA Impact Wrestling after nine less than spectacular years. It is unclear when the final edition of Impact will air, but TMZ says that TNA’s deal with Spike runs through October. Neither Spike TV nor TNA have released official statements at this time.

So why are we covering the death of a minor-league professional wrestling outfit that did everything it possibly could to run itself out of business on CagePotato.com? Because this is the same promotion that partnered with Bellator to bring us King Mo’s (unintentionally hilarious) wrestling career and Tito Ortiz slugging Rampage Jackson with a hammer. It goes without saying that the Bellator/TNA partnership is about to dissolve, but what can we expect Spike TV to replace TNA Impact with? Will this bring more MMA to Spike TV, or will Spike just find another indie wrestling organization to fill in TNA’s shoes? Your guess is as good as anyone’s at this point, so let’s recklessly speculate for a while.

Isn’t it a little premature to write that TNA Impact Wrestling has been cancelled, considering that TNA could still renew with Spike TV/find a different network?

Sure, Spike TV could still renew TNA Impact, just like someone hypothetically could hold the UFC flyweight and heavyweight titles simultaneously. Not that it matters, but rumor has it that Spike TV executives cancelled Impact because they learned that TNA president Dixie Carter hired Vince Russo as a consultant, even though Spike specifically told her not to give him a job. If that’s true, that’s an oddly appropriate note for a company so hellbent on running itself into the ground to go out on.

As for another network picking up TNA Impact? Take it away, Razor…


(*single tear* [via @SoDuTw])

By Seth Falvo

The inevitable has finally occurred: TMZ is reporting that Spike TV  has cancelled TNA Impact Wrestling after nine less than spectacular years. It is unclear when the final edition of Impact will air, but TMZ says that TNA’s deal with Spike runs through October. Neither Spike TV nor TNA have released official statements at this time.

So why are we covering the death of a minor-league professional wrestling outfit that did everything it possibly could to run itself out of business on CagePotato.com? Because this is the same promotion that partnered with Bellator to bring us King Mo’s (unintentionally hilarious) wrestling career and Tito Ortiz slugging Rampage Jackson with a hammer. It goes without saying that the Bellator/TNA partnership is about to dissolve, but what can we expect Spike TV to replace TNA Impact with? Will this bring more MMA to Spike TV, or will Spike just find another indie wrestling organization to fill in TNA’s shoes? Your guess is as good as anyone’s at this point, so let’s recklessly speculate for a while.

Isn’t it a little premature to write that TNA Impact Wrestling has been cancelled, considering that TNA could still renew with Spike TV/find a different network?

Sure, Spike TV could still renew TNA Impact, just like someone hypothetically could hold the UFC flyweight and heavyweight titles simultaneously. Not that it matters, but rumor has it that Spike TV executives cancelled Impact because they learned that TNA president Dixie Carter hired Vince Russo as a consultant, even though Spike specifically told her not to give him a job. If that’s true, that’s an oddly appropriate note for a company so hellbent on running itself into the ground to go out on.

As for another network picking up TNA Impact? Take it away, Razor…

What are the odds that Vince McMahon buys TNA Wrestling?

This may sound crazy, but I doubt Vince McMahon wants to acquire TNA; frankly, he’s far more interested in what the UFC is doing than anything TNA has ever done. TNA has never been any sort of legitimate threat to his business, and without a television contract, buying them out just means buying a few wrestler contracts and a video library filled mostly with guys he doesn’t want in the first place. As awesome as early AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe matches were, there’s no point in making them a part of the WWE video library when none of those guys are ever going to be relevant WWE wrestlers.

Enough wrasslin’ talk, what does this mean for Bellator?

At the very least, it means no more awkward plugs for TNA Impact during Bellator events, and no more Bellator fighters stumbling through cheesy professional wrestling storylines in crossover appearances. That alone is a gigantic plus in my book.

Unfortunately for Bellator, I’m tempted to say not much else. There’s no way that an MMA promotion could pump out enough events to fill in for a professional wrestling show, so let’s not even entertain the idea of Bellator getting a weekly segment on Spike. Even if they could, MMA simply wouldn’t bring in the ratings that professional wrestling brings in; despite being on its deathbed, TNA Impact is averaging more viewers than Bellator’s most-watched event brought in, period. Professional wrestling is cheap content that can bring in decent ratings, even when it’s complete garbage.

So Viacom is going to bring in Ring of Honor/Chikara/Some other indie wrestling promotion, then?

Not necessarily — I wouldn’t be surprised if Viacom was refusing to renew the television deal in order to outright purchase TNA Wrestling. Right now, the Spike TV deal is TNA’s primary source of income. Without that, they’re worth next to nothing (both ECW and WCW were bought out for peanuts when they lost their television deals). As for why Viacom would want to buy the promotion, it’s because the problem with TNA isn’t a lack of talent on the roster, it’s how completely clueless everyone running the company is. In other words, Viacom recognizes that a new, more competent regime would easily lead to better ratings.

Should I donate to that campaign to purchase TNA Wrestling?

I’m going to say that this is an awful idea for several reasons, but it’s your money, so sure, why not.

Seven Last-Minute Changes to the Bellator PPV That Would Actually Make It Worth Paying For


(Trust us, Bjorn. When Tito pulls out of the Shlemenko fight in a few days, you’ll want to start thinking outside the box. / Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

By Seth Falvo

By now, you’ve all heard the news: The main event of Bellator’s inaugural pay-per-view has been cancelled due to one of the headliners getting injured only one week out from the fight…again. Except this time around, Bellator isn’t simply moving the remaining card to Spike TV. Instead, Bellator is making Rampage vs. King Mo the new main event, having Michael Chandler fight Will Brooks for a completely meaningless interim lightweight title, moving Alexander Volkov vs. Blagoi Ivanov to the main card, and asking us to kindly fork over our money for this new line-up.

I hate to be pessimistic, but I really don’t think this strategy is going to end well for anyone involved.

The biggest problem with the “Alvarez vs. Chandler III-free” Bellator 120 is that there’s no hook. Every good pay-per-view has to be about something, and if “These two aging light-heavyweights used to really hate each other five years ago” is that something, it’s doubtful that too many fans are going to spend both their money and a Saturday night on it. The boom period for MMA on pay-per-view is long gone. If a new competitor is going to put on a successful pay-per-view event, it’s going to need a stronger product than UFC Lite — it’s going to need something to make it actually stand out.

So it’s in that spirit that I’ve decided to offer up a few last-minute suggestions to make Bellator 120 a more interesting card, to both the casual MMA fans and the grizzled diehards who Bellator is hoping to attract. All of these suggestions are at least a little crazy. Some are crazy enough to actually work. We’ll start off with what I feel is the most practical, then descend further into madness in no particular order…


(Trust us, Bjorn. When Tito pulls out of the Shlemenko fight in a few days, you’ll want to start thinking outside the box. / Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

By Seth Falvo

By now, you’ve all heard the news: The main event of Bellator’s inaugural pay-per-view has been cancelled due to one of the headliners getting injured only one week out from the fight…again. Except this time around, Bellator isn’t simply moving the remaining card to Spike TV. Instead, Bellator is making Rampage vs. King Mo the new main event, having Michael Chandler fight Will Brooks for a completely meaningless interim lightweight title, moving Alexander Volkov vs. Blagoi Ivanov to the main card, and asking us to kindly fork over our money for this new line-up.

I hate to be pessimistic, but I really don’t think this strategy is going to end well for anyone involved.

The biggest problem with the “Alvarez vs. Chandler III-free” Bellator 120 is that there’s no hook. Every good pay-per-view has to be about something, and if “These two aging light-heavyweights used to really hate each other five years ago” is that something, it’s doubtful that too many fans are going to spend both their money and a Saturday night on it. The boom period for MMA on pay-per-view is long gone. If a new competitor is going to put on a successful pay-per-view event, it’s going to need a stronger product than UFC Lite — it’s going to need something to make it actually stand out.

So it’s in that spirit that I’ve decided to offer up a few last-minute suggestions to make Bellator 120 a more interesting card, to both the casual MMA fans and the grizzled diehards who Bellator is hoping to attract. All of these suggestions are at least a little crazy. Some are crazy enough to actually work. We’ll start off with what I feel is the most practical, then descend further into madness in no particular order.

Throw a One-Night Heavyweight Tournament

Tell Rampage, King Mo, Tito Ortiz and Alexander Shlemenko to forget about that pesky cut down to 205, and throw in Cheick Kongo, Eric Smith, Alexander Volkov and Blagoi Ivanov for good measure. Keep the original four fights as the opening round of the tournament, then air Michael Page vs. Rickey Rainey before the semi-finals and Michael Chandler vs. Will Brooks before the tournament championship bout.

Why It Would Work: The appeal of one-night tournaments has been obvious since the dawn of MMA (no matter what you consider that to be), and the tournament concept is consistent with everything Bellator already does.
Why It Wouldn’t Work: Well, let’s ignore the fact that this season’s light-heavyweight tournament will be decided by a heavyweight bout in this scenario, and instead focus on how this tournament would guarantee that at least one division’s tournament winner will go on to earn a title shot despite coming off of a loss. Also, anyone who thinks a one-night heavyweight tournament is a fool-proof promotional strategy has clearly never heard of YAMMA Pit Fighting.

On that note…

A One Night Open-Weight Tournament

Embrace your inner-Super Hluk. You know you want to.

Why It Would Work: This is the type of spectacle that practically sells itself to the hardcore fans who remember when staying up until 7 AM to find out that Sakuraba mangled his arm seemed like something a normal human being would do.
Why It Wouldn’t Work: This is also the type of spectacle that the Mississippi Athletic Commission would (presumably) frown upon.

BellaTNA: The Hybrid MMA/Professional Wrestling Card

Viacom has been forcing a strange Bellator/TNA partnership for the past few years. Why not promote a half professional wrestling, half MMA card when it actually kind-of makes sense?

Why It Would Work: At least TNA Impact has a built-in fan base that has demonstrated they’re willing to spend money on the company’s pay-per-view events. And besides, Bobby Lashley is currently on the TNA Roster, so there’s that, I guess.
Why It Wouldn’t Work: So, you expect TNA to announce its involvement in the pay-per-view on Thursday’s edition of Impact, hope that fans actually buy it in time for Saturday, and present it to an audience that paid for a show they assumed would only feature MMA bouts? TNA has made some boneheaded business decisions, but this would be a low point even for them.

On the next page: PRIDE, boxing, and the most obvious solution of all…

Rampage Jackson Already Made His TNA Impact Debut, And Here’s The Video

If watching two dudes stare ominously at each other from inches away whilst using a microphone to communicate is your thing, then BOY DO WE HAVE A VIDEO FOR YOU.

After signing a dual contract with Bellator and TNA wrestling ala Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal earlier this week, former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson made his big debut with the latter last night. And if he was hoping that being a professional MMA fighter would earn him some of that “respect” he’s always talking about in the world of wrasslin’, he was…right, we guess? Rampage could barely get out one of his signature howls before being challenged by Kurt Angle (a.k.a “Koba“) — a close-talker if there ever was one — who vehemently declared that Page “get off his plane” or some such nonsense. This lead to a heated staredown which ended with Page laying the smackdown on Kurt’s candy ass shaking Angle’s hand like a gentleman??!

Jesus, if we ever needed any evidence that Rampage has truly lost the fire, this is it. The Rampage of old would have at least promised us some “black on white” crime before commenting on Angle’s stank bref. Pour one out for a fallen friend, Potato Nation…

–J. Jones

If watching two dudes stare ominously at each other from inches away whilst using a microphone to communicate is your thing, then BOY DO WE HAVE A VIDEO FOR YOU.

After signing a dual contract with Bellator and TNA wrestling ala Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal earlier this week, former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson made his big debut with the latter last night. And if he was hoping that being a professional MMA fighter would earn him some of that “respect” he’s always talking about in the world of wrasslin’, he was…right, we guess? Rampage could barely get out one of his signature howls before being challenged by Kurt Angle (a.k.a “Koba“) — a close-talker if there ever was one — who vehemently declared that Page “get off his plane” or some such nonsense. This lead to a heated staredown which ended with Page laying the smackdown on Kurt’s candy ass shaking Angle’s hand like a gentleman??!

Jesus, if we ever needed any evidence that Rampage has truly lost the fire, this is it. The Rampage of old would have at least promised us some “black on white” crime before commenting on Angle’s stank bref. Pour one out for a fallen friend, Potato Nation…

–J. Jones

Irony of All Ironies: Rampage Jackson Reportedly Signs With Bellator/TNA, Debut Tentatively Set for Fall


(Shoe of the future or electric razor of the future? You decide.  Photo via Fighterxfashion.com)

Rampage Jackson. Rampage. Jaaacksson.

I keep repeating the name out loud, hoping to dredge up some semblance of the physical being who once inhabited that moniker, of the powerbombing, ref-pranking, good time-having brawler who was feared the world over, but all I’m left with are the memories of a bitter, perpetually lamenting transexual rapist and peddler of millipede-shaped death shoes. Tis a cruel mistress, this thing we call time.

Although we’ve had our fun mocking Page’s downward spiral from the sidelines over the years, we truly (and somewhat secretly) have been holding onto the hope that we would one day see the Rampage of old — the aforementioned jive-talking world-beater — back in action whenever he finally found a promotion that “appreciates him.”

Well good news, Potato Nation, as it appears that Rampage has finally found said promotion…in Bellator.

Ariel Helwani has the details:

According to those same sources, Jackson’s new deal will be similar to the one Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal signed with the promotion last year, which gave him the opportunity to appear on TNA Impact Wrestling programming on Spike TV. Jackson has flirted with the idea of pursuing a pro wrestling career in the past, and it seems as though he will soon get a chance to showcase himself as a sports entertainer.

Jackson’s Bellator debut has yet to be finalized, but a fall date appears to be a possibility. Bellator would not confirm the new contract when contacted by MMAFighting.com.


(Shoe of the future or electric razor of the future? You decide.  Photo via Fighterxfashion.com)

Rampage Jackson. Rampage. Jaaacksson.

I keep repeating the name out loud, hoping to dredge up some semblance of the physical being who once inhabited that moniker, of the powerbombing, ref-pranking, good time-having brawler who was feared the world over, but all I’m left with are the memories of a bitter, perpetually lamenting transexual rapist and peddler of millipede-shaped death shoes. Tis a cruel mistress, this thing we call time.

Although we’ve had our fun mocking Page’s downward spiral from the sidelines over the years, we truly (and somewhat secretly) have been holding onto the hope that we would one day see the Rampage of old — the aforementioned jive-talking world-beater — back in action whenever he finally found a promotion that “appreciates him.”

Well good news, Potato Nation, as it appears that Rampage has finally found said promotion…in Bellator.

Ariel Helwani has the details:

According to those same sources, Jackson’s new deal will be similar to the one Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal signed with the promotion last year, which gave him the opportunity to appear on TNA Impact Wrestling programming on Spike TV. Jackson has flirted with the idea of pursuing a pro wrestling career in the past, and it seems as though he will soon get a chance to showcase himself as a sports entertainer.

Jackson’s Bellator debut has yet to be finalized, but a fall date appears to be a possibility. Bellator would not confirm the new contract when contacted by MMAFighting.com.

Ah, so Rampage got himself one of those fancy King Mo double-down deals we’ve heard so much about. How’s that been working out for old Mo, anyway?

The irony of this situation is overwhelming, to be quite honest — here’s a guy who has been complaining for years about the dirty, lowball shit the UFC has been pulling on him, and what does he do? Sign with the promotion that seemingly cannot go a week without having one of their own fighters publicly rake them over the coals for their repeatedly shady business practices. Surely a great deluge of grievances and accusations is upon us.

It has only been a handful of months since Jackson ended his UFC contract on a surprisingly high note at UFC on FOX 6 (despite the fact that he lost his third straight fight to Glover Teixeira, I should say), yet it feels like it has been an eternity since we have seen the Rampage we all came to know and love in the spotlight. While I think it’s safe to say that that Rampage is dead and buried, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued to see who Bellator pairs him off with first. Any other takers?

–J. Jones

TNA Wrestler King Mo Crosses Over to the Dark Side, Calls MMA a ‘Joke’

(“I don’t give a damn about some Bellator fighter that goes by the name of King Mo.” Well, that makes two of you. Video via TNAWrestling)

When Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal signed a dual-contract with Bellator and TNA Wrestling earlier this year, fans wondered how he’d be able to straddle the often-opposing worlds of real fighting and show fighting — a rare trick to pull off outside of Japan. But Lawal’s one-year suspension for steroids has allowed him to focus the majority of his energies on learning the pro wrestling game, and we’re starting to get the feeling that we might lose him altogether. Call it hunch, based on the fact that Mo thinks MMA is a fad, and can’t stand you people. Here’s what he told BleacherReport in an interview published yesterday:

“It starts with the way the fans don’t think for themselves,” Lawal stated. “They have to look to certain people for approval on how they think. They bash the fighters and think fighting is easier than it really is. A lot of people didn’t grow up fighting. They grew up playing football and basketball. So they can relate to missing a pass, a layup, free throws and dropping a pass, an interception or kicking a field goal.

“MMA fans never grew up fighting. They just put on their Affliction or Tapout shirts and say, ‘Hey I’m a fighter or hey I’m going to a fight.’ To me, its a joke. It is a certain demographic that’s involved and I’m not with that.“


(“I don’t give a damn about some Bellator fighter that goes by the name of King Mo.” Well, that makes two of you. Video via TNAWrestling)

When Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal signed a dual-contract with Bellator and TNA Wrestling earlier this year, fans wondered how he’d be able to straddle the often-opposing worlds of real fighting and show fighting — a rare trick to pull off outside of Japan. But Lawal’s one-year suspension for steroids has allowed him to focus the majority of his energies on learning the pro wrestling game, and we’re starting to get the feeling that we might lose him altogether. Call it hunch, based on the fact that Mo thinks MMA is a fad, and can’t stand you people. Here’s what he told BleacherReport in an interview published yesterday:

“It starts with the way the fans don’t think for themselves,” Lawal stated. “They have to look to certain people for approval on how they think. They bash the fighters and think fighting is easier than it really is. A lot of people didn’t grow up fighting. They grew up playing football and basketball. So they can relate to missing a pass, a layup, free throws and dropping a pass, an interception or kicking a field goal.

“MMA fans never grew up fighting. They just put on their Affliction or Tapout shirts and say, ‘Hey I’m a fighter or hey I’m going to a fight.’ To me, its a joke. It is a certain demographic that’s involved and I’m not with that.”

Part of me wonders if Lawal is intentionally playing a sort of MMA-traitor heel here, dissing MMA fans so that they’ll tune in to TNA Wrestling on Spike and watch him compete out of…hostility, I guess? I don’t know. It’s kind of a stretch. Let’s just assume that this is really how Lawal feels, and that he’s under the impression that pro-wrestling fans are a well-informed, well-dressed, and respectful bunch, who have all spent time gaining hands-on training in the Dungeon. Let’s see how Mo feels in six months, after being mobbed by dudes like this after every show.

Lawal, who made his introductory TNA appearance on October 4th (see the video at the top of this post), has spent all month studying his new trade at Ohio Valley Wrestling in Louisville, Kentucky, under the guidance of Nick “Eugene” Dinsmore. And it’s kicking his ass, to hear him tell it:

“I thought it was going to be hard, but this (pro wrestling training) is harder than I expected,” Lawal stated. “I’m going to tell you this. Pro wrestling training is three times harder than MMA. It’s harder because of the psychology, the positioning, the bumps, hitting the ropes and cutting promos…That s**t is hard. People don’t understand this s**t. People think wrestling is all fake. If you think it is fake, come try it out and you will see how real it really is.”

On the other hand, you get to do as many steroids as you want and nobody bothers you about it. (Boom. Score another one for us asshole MMA fans.)