KB’s Review: What’s Your Angle Kurt?

It takes a lot to really get me into a wrestling story. Whether it’s having seen everything so many times or just the simple fact that wrestling stories, at least in WWE, aren’t given the chance to grow properly, it takes a lot to really get me into something. However, this Kurt Angle text message story has gotten my interest piqued. I want to know who is sending him those messages, how Corey Graves is involved and who Angle told he loved as he got off the phone this past Monday. As you might have guessed, today we’re looking at the story as a whole and a few potential reveals for the story, which we’ll be getting this Monday night.

First of all, why is this story working so well? Above all else, it’s working because of Angle. He’s someone with some of the best facials you’ll find in wrestling and he can make you go from laughing to sad in the span of just a few seconds. He’s someone we’ve watched for the better part of twenty years now and as a result, a lot of fans care about him and want to know where this is going.

On top of that though, it’s a story they’ve let build up instead of just rushing everything through. WWE has a lot of problems at the moment but one of their biggest issues is not letting their stories grow and build. How many times have you seen something that sounds interesting but WWE is already either having the match or getting to the reveal of the story later in the night? It takes away the chance to build anything up and that’s not the best way to tell a story.

Kurt Angle's controversial secret will be exposed next week: Raw, July 10, 2017

This case has been a bit different though as Angle has been dealing with these issues for weeks now. Angle has received text after text and it’s clearly getting to him more and more every single time. You throw in Graves, whose only real connection to Angle seems to be their shared hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and things get all the more confusing. Graves’ participation was made a bit better when he revealed the Enzo Amore/Big Cass story, which makes Graves seem a bit more important than your run of the mill announcer and therefore a potentially more important player in whatever Angle has going on at the moment.

Above all the other reasons however is it’s intriguing. There are multiple options for what the big reveal might be and there’s a chance that it could be quite the surprise. While a lot of people seem to have figured it out (and there’s a good chance that they have), it’s fun to speculate about who or what the reveal is going to be. Let’s take a look at the most likely scenarios and which would be better not just for Angle but for everyone involved with the story.

First, we’re going to look at what I consider the less likely of the two major theories: Angle is having an affair with former TNA boss Dixie Carter. There are some hints that it might be Carter, such as her appearing in Angle’s recent “WWE: 24” documentary, the show with the reveal taking place in Nashville, where Carter worked for TNA for years, and Carter being enough of an outsider that she won’t really shake things up all that much.

Kurt Angle opens up about his WWE departure (WWE Network Exclusive)

While I don’t think it’s going to be Carter, I do think that she’s an interesting idea. If nothing else, just the idea of seeing Carter appear on an episode of “Monday Night Raw” after so many people consider her to be one of the worst wrestling executives in history, would be worth it for the shock value alone. I was surprised to see Carter show up on the WWE Network but this is a bit of a stretch.

That’s where it falls apart for me: it’s a bit too much of a stretch. Carter isn’t the most well known name in the world for the wrestling fan masses and it feels a bit too much like the Claire Lynch story from TNA. It’s not the best story in the world if it’s someone that we have to spend a long time introducing. The story fits but it would need to be someone else in the role.

That brings us to the most likely option and also the one who has been the biggest theory so far: Angle having an affair with Stephanie McMahon, leading to a match with Triple H at “Summerslam 2017”. There’s a history (albeit a distant one) there and it sets up a big match on a big stage. Angle isn’t going to get in the ring very often so when he does, it should be as part of a major story.

However, I don’t think it’s this story. If there’s one thing McMahon seems to be completely obsessive about, it’s making sure that she and her husband never have any major black marks against them. I really can’t imagine a story of her and her Angle having an affair as it would suggest that they weren’t the greatest family in the world. If Chyna and all of her issues are off limits because of her connection to Triple H, I can’t imagine putting a story on TV about an affair, even if it’s fake.

Stephanie McMahon fires Mick Foley: Raw, March 20, 2017

The other option though is that Angle isn’t talking to a woman but rather someone else. As in the result of an affair with someone woman who hasn’t and won’t be seen on TV. As in his son, perhaps someone who could be appearing on WWE TV already. Perhaps someone who has already had some success without any on-screen assistance from his father. Maybe even someone with an amateur wrestling background of his own, even at the Olympic level.

In case it’s not clear, I’m talking about Chad Gable. We’ve been seeing more of him in singles action in recent weeks and it’s not like a lot of people (myself included) haven’t pushed for Angle to turn American Alpha into the new Team Angle. It might be a stretch to go this far with it, but having Angle revealed as Gable’s father and someone who could mentor him to become a top star could go a long way.

Chad Gable answers Kevin Owens' New Face of America Open Challenge: SmackDown LIVE, June 20, 2017

If nothing else, it’s a way to get McMahon back on TV as she could complain about Angle having an illegitimate child to go along with his established issues with drugs and substance abuse (you know, because McMahon is the bastion of all things positive and wholesome). You can use that same route to set up the Angle vs. Triple H match the same way while Gable starts his big push by being involved in the story and then moving on to something else, like say the Intercontinental Title.

This is a long shot but I could see them going somewhere with Gable as Angle’s son/protege. It’s been a good while since American Alpha did anything on WWE TV so, if they seem interested in splitting them up (for whatever reason), let Gable get one heck of a rub as they start his singles career. That’s certainly not the best news for Jason Jordan but at least Gable could get something out of it.

The thing here though is there are multiple options for the story and I’m curious to see where things are going. That curiosity is what makes the story work. There are multiple options for what the reveal could be and I’m wanting to see how we get back to the point where we’re praising McMahon all over again. It could be something completely unrelated to any of this but we’ll find out on Monday and that’s what makes things fun.

 

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