The Kurt Angle Show - TNA No Surrender 2009 [Show Notes (Patreon)

Let’s get into our topic - we’re coming right off Hard Justice last month where you defeated Sting & Matt Morgan in a 3-way match to keep the TNA Title and you’ll be scheduled for another multi-man title match in the main event of No Surrender.

Kurt - are you a fan of these matches?

Do you think it weakens a title when you have all these types of people in a match?

Do you prefer one-on-one or multi-man matches?

We are in the height of the Main Event Mafia - and it feels like every week on Impact you guys are opening the show with a promo. Do you think you needed to open every show with a promo?

Matt Morgan is out there quickly and hot - since you screwed him over and went into business for yourself to get the win. What did you think of Matt on the microphone?

Kurt - you offer him another chance to get in the Main Event Mafia by teaming with Morgan to take on Team 3D in a tables match. Jeez Kurt it feels like all we ever talk about in these TNA episodes is gimmick matches. Do these matches mean anything when we keep doing them over and over again?

In that match you guys keep breaking tables “accidently’ - until you actually break one by accident that’s supposed to be the final table when Morgan’s legs hit and it kind of breaks it. What goes on in this match - is it sheer panic?

Finally Bubba - I mean Brother Ray - finds one and Morgan gets thrown through the table and Team 3D gets the victory. Did you like working with the Dudleys - I mean Team 3D.

I keep correcting myself Kurt because during the commentary Taz kept going in and out of calling him either Bubba or Brother. Taz had replaced Don West on commentary at this point - what did you think of having Taz in TNA?

Did you enjoy Taz with Mike Tenay or Don West with Mike Tenay?

The next week Morgan again barges into the Main Event Mafia locker room. Kurt you cut him off and asked if Morgan barged in because he screwed up in the tables match. Morgan says no you screwed up and you admit to it - and let him know that he scheduled a 6-man match tonight with Morgan teaming with Booker & Scott Steiner to take on Hernandez, AJ Styles & Sting. Morgan lets you know that he signed himself up for the 4-way match for the TNA Title at No Surrender - you know to watch your back. This Morgan to Main Event Mafia storyline took up a lot of TV time - do you think it helped anyone?

Do you think Morgan would’ve fit in the Mafia?

Does it make sense that a guy who lost his World Title shot at the last pay-per-view and then a tables match the week before on TV - could just sign up for a World Title shot? I mean in theory a guy like Cody Deaner could’ve done the same thing right?

You’re on commentary for the 6-man and you’re hilarious during it. You would AJ a quitter who wanted to quit the business, when Hernandez lifted Morgan into a vertical suplex and held him there you & Taz both put him over that it was impressive and that it took credibility away from Morgan getting into the Mafia. Was that a shoot comment Kurt that wasn’t meant to be a shoot?

We haven’t talked a lot about Hernandez on the show - what did you think of his size & work?

He had a reputation of being - dangerous - stiff - and especially with his finish the Border Toss. Did you have any qualms or issues working with him?

During the same match you discuss Bobby Lashley coming into the company and that he shouldn’t be in pro wrestling and MMA at the same time. That was quite the ironic statement by you considering you were always rumored to be doing MMA & pro wrestling wasn’t it?

Were you excited to have Lashley join TNA?

Did you think you two would have some amazing main event matches for TNA?

What was your relationship like with Bobby at the time?

From the Torch at the finish:

Morgan then set up the Hellivator, but as he wasted time checking his phantom watch and looking like a total idiot, Steiner entered with a chair. Hernandez shoved Morgan into the chair. Styles then springboarded at Morgan and scored the pin. Angle called Morgan a “major disappointment” and said that type of performance will not earn him a slot in the Mafia.

I mean - Morgan isn’t meant to look the smartest here was he? Was this the plan and the booking?

How silly is something like that?

Morgan would fight back against the Mafia afterwards with punching Booker and it would lead to Impact the next week where Booker yelled that he wanted to take Morgan out and then you defend him saying he’s your project! Kurt - how does that make any sense?!?!

There’s a backstage segment where Kip James is installing phone lines in Booker’s locker room and Booker throws him out - can you believe Kip is still in the shape he’s in and still wrestling for AEW?

Doug Williams & AJ Styles have a match which involves you on commentary. Did you enjoy being on commentary?

How good were Doug & AJ in the ring man?

Doug Williams - what can you tell us about him?

If he was 15 years later - he would’ve been amazing in WWE/NXT wouldn’t he?

The next week you’re out there on Impact dangling the carrot again to Matt Morgan…that he’s right on the cusp of joining the Main Event Mafia. Sting and AJ come out to interrupt and it leads to you saying that you will do anything to retain the TNA title and Morgan thanks you for finally admitting what you’re doing. A match is made with you & Samoa Joe taking on AJ Styles & Daniels. How…odd is it to be teaming with Joe here?

When you think of 4 of the best wrestlers in TNA history - you, Joe, AJ & Christopher Daniels all rank up there if not the best in your opinion right?

The match goes 8 minutes - and Morgan holds up a chair at the finish but Styles reverses you into it and Styles would roll you up for the win. You would slap Morgan after the match and he would give you a Hellivator in response so I think we’ve finally moved to this point in the story. Long time coming was it not?

You 4 - on pay-per-view - with 30 minutes - a 4-way or a tag match - one of the best matches that never happened right?

Is it surreal to see Joe as sort of a bit player just 2 years after being champion?

The match is finally official - the 4-way at the pay-per-view will be between you, AJ Styles, Sting & Matt Morgan. So basically the same as the month before - just with AJ Styles now. Not a bad addition to the match is it?

It feels like a waste to have Sting in these matches though doesn’t it?

You’re on commentary for the go-home Impact which features Morgan beating Samoa Joe in 5 minutes. I mean my goodness the fall of Samoa Joe. Why do you think it was?

The go home angle is you & Morgan brawling and you kicking him low and suplexing him through a table. Are you excited about this match going into it?

From the Observer

TNA’s No Surrender PPV was a mixed bag, but with a strong final scene, as A.J. Styles was in the ring in a confetti celebration of winning the TNA championship surrounded by fans and wrestlers.

Do you think the Impact Zone - where the show took place - had just become stale for the company by this point?

9. A.J. Styles won a five-way over Matt Morgan, Hernandez, Sting and champ Kurt Angle to win the TNA title in 15:10.

It started with Hernandez coming out with his briefcase saying he was cashing it in. Nobody’s learned the lessons about fans thinking babyfaces are stupid. Shouldn’t he cash it in after the four guys beat each other up, or at least for a singles match. Mike Tenay tried to explain that he didn’t want to take any shortcut, but there’s a difference between shortcut and stupidity.

Hard to disagree with Meltzer here right?

Hernandez was about to border toss Angle on the stage, but Young chop blocked Hernandez’s knee with a police baton, and then piledrove him on the ramp. The piledriver didn’t look good, but on the ramp, better safe than sorry. Hernandez was taken out and everyone probably figured he’d come back for the finish, but never did.

This was just a waste here wasn’t it?

The match broke down into a tornado match with Angle & Morgan vs. Styles & Sting. That made perfect sense since all the build-up leading to the match was how Angle and Morgan were going to go at it. Instead, they agreed to work together, but did the swerve at the end. Lots of finishers were used with the partner doing the save. Good match but crowd was pretty burned out by this point. Styles used the Styles clash on Angle but Morgan saved. Morgan used the Hellevator on Styles and Sting saved. Sting tried for the scorpion deathlock, but Angle reversed into an ankle lock. Morgan then turned on Angle using the carbon footprint for the save. Morgan went after Sting, who moved out of the way and Morgan missed a tackle and went to the floor. Sting and Styles were both in the ring with Angle laid out. Sting then turned away from getting the pin, and dove off the apron onto Morgan. Styles used the springboard 450 on Angle for the pin, and they had the big celebration. ***

From the Observer

I didn’t think the show was particularly good or bad. The handling of the title change was strong, but the nature of it somewhat devalued the title. Angle himself won the title in a multiple person King of the Mountain match when Samoa Joe, with the belt in hand, gave it to Angle doing his heel turn. That’s bad enough for a title change. This time, Matt Morgan laid out Angle with the carbon footprint, but ended up missing a tackle and flying over the top rope. Sting and Styles were in the ring, and Sting decided that instead of trying to win the title, which he’d been fighting to get for 15:00, he instead would do a dive on Morgan. This allowed Styles to use a springboard 450 on Angle to win it. If this was done with the idea Sting was passing the torch to Styles, which the recent television has been pushing, it would make sense. But to build for the next PPV, Bound for Glory, the company’s biggest show of the year, with Styles defending against Sting, that finish made less sense. The original plan was for it to be Styles defending against Sting, with Sting retiring if he didn’t win the title. When they did the angle to set up the match at the Impact tapings the next day, the idea of Sting retiring wasn’t brought up. It’s probably not impossible, but it’ll take some work to explain why Sting would have the title win in front of him, and choose not to take it to give it to Styles, and then put his career on the line to get a shot with Styles. Maybe they are changing some plans as there are main event plans for both this PPV and the November show that have been changed….

What do you think of the match - the ending - the finish - and your time in TNA at this point as well?