Kurt Angle and the Olympics...

We discussed the story of Kurt Angle pulling out of the Olympic trials at work. Essentially Angle says he is too injured to compete and is therefore taking part. Angle goes on to talk about how he's come to realise how much hammer his body has taken and how he's realised he can't take chances with it anymore.

The non-cynical side of me wants the latter part to be true. We've talked before about Angle's obsession with the sport and my own fears that it's going to lead him into a wheelchair...or worse.

However, the cynical side of me (which was in agreement with DS) looks at it as one big con job. A nice little PR stunt that has gained Angle and TNA some publicity points. Cry off now and Angle gets to go out with his head held high.

For me the pulling out part just doesn't ring true. This is a man who wrestled with a broken neck. Who says in the article that other wrestlers worry about him wearing them out during matches. A man who has shown, on many occassions, that he sees himself as a master of the impossible. Now he's pulling out of a chance for even more immortality on a few smaller injuries? It doesn't fit.

Then there is the small fact that less than a week before the trials Angle is facing Jeff Hardy in a steel cage match at Lockdown. Sure, wrestling Hardy for TNA isn't the same as wrestling the young blood in the trials. But surely if he's carrying those injuries the last thing he wants to do is throw himself around a steel cage. Not taking risks, eh, Angle...

As we've discussed, and as I've also commented on Out Cold (Mike Nelson)'s Facebook page, something about ths just doesn't ring true for me. If he was pulling out and not competing for TNA as well, I'd say yes (maybe) but it just smells fishy to me.

Kurt had no chance of making the team, something he even admitted, but had he been totally serious he might have at least put in a half decent showing, and TBH I'd have said "well, fair enough, he gave it a go".

But I just don't believe he ever intended to get to the trials. For one, I don't think he would have passed the drug tests. I think the plan all along was to take it as far as he could without getting found out, and then find an excuse to quit. It gets him and TNA lots of publicity, and it makes Angle appear more "legitimate" as an athlete (something WWE are also keen to do with their guys as the stuff with Lesnar shows) as wrestling tries to attract MMA fans back.

It's worked, and good luck to him I suppose, but the news didn't surprise me.

Totally agree. He says himself he's abused painkillers so I don't think for one minute he would pass that test. And the wrestling for TNA just doesn't sit right.