WWE veteran remembers his unique pitch for Kurt Angle's feud against a current AEW star (Exclusive)
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever step foot in a ring. While he is best known for his work in the Stamford-based promotion, his tenure in TNA is considered by some to be even better. Veteran Dutch Mantell recently recalled a unique pitch he suggested for Angle's feud against a top AEW star.
Before joining WWE and eventually AEW, Samoa Joe was one of the brightest talents on TNA's roster in the mid-2000s. His incredible feud with Kurt Angle only helped to elevate The Samoan Submission Machine's career. This is largely thanks to the mind of WWE veteran Dutch Mantell, who introduced a unique aspect to the stars' rivalry leading up to their bout at Lockdown 2008.
Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's SmackTalk, Mantell detailed a pitch he proposed to his colleagues on the TNA creative team:
“When we were booking that in TNA, I said, ‘Guys, let’s do something different.’ I told Jeff [Jarrett] and Vince Russo. They said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Why don’t we actually promote this match?’ They said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘Let’s not put them on TV every week, and let’s don’t put them against each other every week.’ I said, ‘Why don’t we just take them off TV and just let them talk the game?’ And we did.
While separating feuding stars might seem counterintuitive at first glance, Mantell had a way to work around this that would keep fans intrigued:
“We took them off and Samoa Joe, we showed him training, you know. Kurt Angle, […] we had him do a deal where he’d marked out a, you know a murder scene when they do the yellow chalk and they go around the body, and he’d [say], ‘Samoa Joe this is gonna be you after that pay-per-view’. [From 02:15 to 03:02]
Check out the entire episode of SmakTalk below:
This technique proved to be successful as Lockdown 2008 would go on to be TNA's bestselling pay-per-view, according to Mantell.
Kurt Angle claims a TNA stable could have been as popular as a WWE Hall of Fame faction
Since retiring from in-ring action, Kurt Angle has focused much of his energy on his podcasting career. On a recent episode of his show, he claimed that the TNA's Main Event Mafia could have been as big as the WWE Hall of Fame group, The nWo.
The original incarnation of The MEM comprised of Angle, Booker T, Sting, Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner, all of whom have held gold in WWE. While the group was very successful and extremely popular with the audience, many feel as though they never reached the heights they were capable of.
All members of the Main Event Mafia are now in the Hall of Fame. https://t.co/ziMLxKTxyo
The faction was reestablished in 2013, this time with Angle and Sting joining forces with Samoa Joe, Rampage Jackson, and Magnus. Again, their run together fell short of expectations.
To strike a comparison with The nWo is a high bar to set, but there is an argument to be made that Angle's sentiments have some truth behind them. Unfortunately, that time has now passed, and what could have been will remain unknown.
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