Bigger Acquisiton: Kurt Angle or Christian Cage?

[A.J.]

It been almost a year since Kurt Angle has been in TNA and almost 2years since Cage as has been in TNA as well and since both men have been in TNA they each have a way of impacting the company. Christain was the frist guy to come over from the competitor that left on his own and made an instant impact as he became the face of the company. Then you have Kurt Angle who was let go by WWE and goes to TNA and makes his mark as he draws somes media attention but not as much as he had hoped for.

Looking back at each superstar they have their own unqiue ways of impacting TNA from a company standpoint and for me the bigger acquisition was Christian Cage. I pick Cage becuase he came on his own and he was going to live with that descion and make the best of it. He wasnt let go or fired like others he made the choice to come over. He took TNA and became the face and is IMO still TNA impact player as he owns the fans. Now Kurt has done some things as give TNA media exposure but has done much else from a stand point like he said he was. Granted he has an uphill climb as all of TNA does, but he was in a way forced out unlike Cage.

So looking at it who was the bigger acquistion Kurt Angle or Christian Cage?

*Mod Note: Do not in anyway turn this into a WWE vs TNA thread as it will be closed*

 

[Don Killuminati]

I agree that Cage was the bigger acquisition. He quit WWE and went to TNA instead of being released. He wanted to go to TNA and help them grow and has done just that. Their rating have gone up since he came (not all because of Cage) but he did help them get more people to tune into TNA including me. He's become their big heel and has been great at it. His skills on the mic can turn a crowd that's going crazy for him boo him almost instantly. And when he talks he has the crowd paying full attention and looking forward to his next promo. He's really filled a top heel spot nicely since Jarrett isn't the top heel anymore.

While Angle is a bigger name he hasn't had as much of an impact and didn't come on his own. He has still helped them though by having their ratings get to 1.2 partly to his title win. But he just hasn't done as much for the company as Cage has. So I'll say Cage because he has been the top guy in TNA for awhile and they've grown during that stretch.

 

[bilo]

Cage by far.

Cage came into TNA knowing he had to work, he had to do the best he could and he did.
Angle came in thinking he was the best and that the fans would bow to him just because he was there in TNA.
His ego was running wild, he's done little for the comapny as a whole.

To be honest Kurt Angle bores the hell out of me in entertainement value....and if you ask WWE fans who out of the 2 they would want back, im sure a majority if not all would want Christian Cage back over Angle.

So to me Cage is and was the bigger acquisition.

 

[Shocky]

Surprisingly I'm going with Christian Cage. I am a huge Kurt Angle fan, but I don't think his style has caught on with the TNA fans yet. Now whether it be the way that Angle has been booked having anything to do with it, i'm not sure.

Let's face facts, Angle hasn't been properly booked ever since he came to TNA. They have spent way to much time establishing him as a Tweener. Tweeners are hard to get behind either way. One week he's feuding with a Face in Samoa Joe, the next week it's Cage, Tomko, then feuding with Sting again. There has been no sense of direction with the Angle character. I know Angle has stated that he likes being the character he is now, but it's still too hard to get behind either way.

However, Cage came in as a solid face, won the title, spent the time as the big name of the company. He then has now very effectively taken the spot of Jeff Jarrett in the company as the top heel. I find Cage to be more enjoyable then anyone in the company right now myself. His inring ability is top notch, his mic skills are superior to anyone on the roster, perhaps in the business today, and his ability to work is very good.

Right now, I'm saying Cage is the bigger acquisition.

 

[Darsolo]

I think the bigger star right now is cage, and will stay so. As mentioned by all above, when he left WWE for TNA he broke the barrier for stars to begin to jump ship like the old days of wwf/wcw. Some of the best wrestlers to date came from that period. (funny that 2 of them are now dead, but thats life)
If anything can be said of Kurt Angle its that he is a great performer, and probably the best technical wrestler alive today(again a mantel acquired over the weekend) now that he has the belt the sky is the limit, but if he stays as a heel, it wont do well for him in the long run.
Last thing totally off topic, but with the WSX contracts being void now, Teddy Hart, Matt Cross, Jack Evans, and Tornado should have there phones burning off the hook if WWE or TNA knows whats good for them.

 

[super_crazy]

I think Christian because he rele put TNA on the map. He decided not to renew his contract and took a pay-cut to go to TNA but that didnt seem to matter to him because he wanted to make a name for himself and the company and thats just what he did.

Angle on the other-hand had the choice to go back to the WWE eventually, but he had apperently had enough so he went to TNA and i dunt think he did as much for them as he could have done.

 

[Uncle Sam]

At first I was really excited to have Angle on the TNA roster, everyone went crazy when he headbutted Samoa Joe and hit him with the Angle slam. But since, he's just got more and more boring. I'm also pretty pissed that he won the title with AJ Styles and Samoa Joe barely even getting a mention in the match.

Now Christian, I liked him as a face but damn is he good as a heel! He's pretty much a lighter version of Edge and that's something that I really like. He's charasmatic, he can work pretty well in the ring (even though he's not an amazing wrestler) and his microphone skills are the best in the business, except maybe Edge's.

So yea, Christian - for me at least - has been a far bigger and better acquisition than Angle, who seems to be on his last legs anyhow, sadly.

 

[Minor League Brian]

I have to go with Christian on this one. Angle has been far to flip floppy recently, not to mention he's just lost it. It's quieted down a bit, but do you remember some of the shit that was coming out of his mouth early on?

I was -beyond- pissed when I found out he had become TNA's first World Heavyweight Champion. I mean, they -really- screwed that one up. The first TNA champ should have been a TNA wrestler, someone home-grown through and through. AJ and Joe are the prime candidates. At best I'd like to see Angle get it second, add a little prestige, but eventually drop it. The man's in-ring skills just don't seem up to par, in my opinion, with the rest of TNA.

I mean, he's a damn good wrestler but his style just doesn't seem to work with TNA. Then again, I rarely see him wrestle on TNA shows. Normally he does his big old flashy entrance that takes up like 2 or 3 minutes, comes down and says some boring as promo ending it with "Oh it's real, its damn real!" Yay? Not to mention, as I said earlier, he can't seem to decide if he's heel, face, or tweener.

In short.

Cage. For. The. Win.

 

[Colamania]

Cage. Has to be. He changed the face of wrestling, possibly forever, when he jumped from WWE to TNA of his own free will, and whacked their ratings out of the park. The victor must be Cage, and i do think that if Joe didn't win the title in KOTM, it should have been Cage. Angle is the one i'd have liked to win least out of the 5, just behind Chris Harris. Angle is just boring with the pointless promos which never go anywhere, followed by "It's real, it's damn real." He should get a new phrase, not just rip off his old WWE one.

 

[noone911]

Angle was the biggest acquisition in terms of news and shock value. Christian however, as most people pointed out, turned out to be the better investment and thus I suppose you could say the biggest acquisition.

I think Angle might be better received if he dropped the "I'm awesome and the best" attitude. It doesn't make him look like a heel or a tweener, it just makes him look and sound stuck up and crazy. You can tell he's trying to be too intense. If it was calmed down he could still be big, especially since he's more recognizable and pressworthy outside of TNA.

 

[Jonny B]

I would go as far to say that Christian Cage is right at this moment the most effective heel in the Business. For me he has been booked really well in TNA getting the belt for his initial run was good for him, but to be honest he works so much better as a heel. In terms of big name draws Angle has to be the biggest they have attracted (bar maybe Sting) but it’s the way in which they have both worked in TNA that sets them apart. As it was already said Angle hasn’t been booked very well, and while if he is booked well enough he has the potential to be their biggest star it just hasn’t happened for him yet. On the flip side like others and I have said Cage has done the best in the TNA Environment.

When you look at their past’s before TNA, Angle was their biggest acquisition, however when you look at it from the TNA only point of view its Cage by a mile.

 

[colly109]

Christian by Far,

Suprising my self saying this cause i think angle is fantastic

But Christian has more to him fantastic on mike and equally as good in the ring and like the other guys said the fact he jumped on his own accord showed the class of the guy he could of sat in his comfort zone but instead he chose to further is carear

Christian for me Chaps (though angle is freakin awesome)

 

[stormcradledriver]

Angle could have been a major investment, but with all this talk of him doing MMA and stuff, what's the point. Sure he's a pure athlete, and no one can do the stuff that he does. But I agree, Christian Cage came here because he wanted to, because his heart was in putting out a good product on an up and coming name in the industry. His feud with Jarrett has helped put over TNA. Angle was so hyped up, but he's like too competitive about life in general. And I love what Angle has done for the sport. But it feels like its just always about him, storyline or not. And I'm sick of it.

 

[RVDgurl]

The nod definately goes to Christian Cage. He has become such an important part of the TNA roster. Cage's character, as a whole, has dramatically improved since he joined TNA. He commands the attention of the crowd like very few wrestlers do. Although I despise Kurt Angle, he is talented and has had a big impact on TNA- I just don't feel he has been as influential as Cage has been.

 

[Jewlz]

I think Angle might be better received if he dropped the "I'm awesome and the best" attitude. It doesn't make him look like a heel or a tweener, it just makes him look and sound stuck up and crazy. You can tell he's trying to be too intense. If it was calmed down he could still be big, especially since he's more recognizable and pressworthy outside of TNA.

That's just Angle's nature he was the exact same way most the time in WWE which is what made him annoying to me so it didn't bother me seeing him leave.

Now to the question as much as i don't like him i'd have to say Christian it just seems like there's so much more TNA can do with him than Angle.

 

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

Like everybody else, I'm afraid that I gotta join the Christian Coalition. lol

The thing about Angle is that, while he is a great wrestler and technician, he is just a one dimentional wrestler. He ihas to go over the jobbers in squashes and has to stand strong against first teir wresters.

Christian, on the other hand, plays well with others. He even took bumps from Shark Boy in a match I saw. He sells for guys, no matter what their station in TNA is. And pulls off the whole sneaky and creepy thing to perfection. He plays the classic hell better than some classic heels. So my vote is for Christian!

 

[Mr.Thomas...Thomas]

kurt angle is a waist, He is now down to what 160 pounds, and wants to fight brock lesnar in mixed martial arts. yeah I will pay to see that. because if that fight takes place thats the last we will see of angle.

 

[That Irish Kid]

Cage was the bigger aquisition from my standpoint, but only because of TNA's uncanny ability to book badly. Christian definitely was the more controversial of the two, due to the fact that he quit in the middle of a contract as opposed to Angle leaving when he was given a "hiatus" by the WWE. It certainly gave TNA a lot of firepower as far as the whole 'competing with WWE' thing went. Angle would've and definitely should have been the more important hiring, he has more in-ring talent and is a bigger name. I mean how often can you get a main-eventer from the WWE to jump ship?

It's just too bad that his booking made the crowd un-interested in him. I still mark for him though.

Better aquisition: Christian Cage

 

[Doc Taboc]

Ill say Cage. Tecnicly it would be Angle but to me he just doesn't seem TNA. Cage is someone that always should of been pushed in WWE but he is a great heal in TNA. Cage has it all mic skills, the smart ass funny persona, and just big enough to be a great athlete. Cage hands down.

 

[Mr.Thomas...Thomas]

Cage is much better than angle, but you cant say that on here because the ******* AJ will give you an infraction, please can I have another.

 

[Matisyahu]

Angle coming to TNA was nothing more than a way to say F the WWE who were seemingly concerned for his well being and did not want him to be quote the next Eddy Guerrero. So I took it as a slap in the face any ways as a WWE fan.

Quite simply Christian was and is the greatest acquisition so far from the WWE to TNA because first off even when he was in WWE I saw that they had no interest in pushing him to anything good I mean everyone loved him there but it is obvious that he wasn't going to be a world champion there but simply a high profile guy who got beaten every single time by the Cena type who are invincible. When he went to TNA I was actually happen and sad because sure I would miss him in WWE but he would be better off in TNA and is currently their top heel.

But it is sorta shitty that the top tag team came from WWE in the Dudley Boyz (screw the team 3d name they will always be the Dudleys!) and the top heel and the world champ are both from the WWE and are the reason TNA has the majority of its newer fan base.

Seems to me that a Joe or a Styles or Daniels should be the top guys not those who no longer fit into the WWE lifestyle or else got sick of that lifestyle

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I also have to vote Cage, and here's the #1 reason why - Durability.

It's great that TNA grabbed a man whom I feel is the greatest pro wrestler of all time in Kurt Angle. Pound for pound in terms of intensity, athleticism, microphone, versatility, etc. But even being in his mid to late-30's, Angle has suffered two serious neck injuries, and truly shouldn't be wrestling at all right now. He has mortgaged his 50's and 60's for superstardom in his 20's and 30's, and WILL NOT be able to keep this pace safely.

Cage, on the other hand, may still even have his BEST years ahead of him! He talks better than 95% of the wrestlers on either the WWE OR TNA roster, works well with others, is an ambassador of the sport (I met him in NYC after a Fozzy show once - a pleasure to meet him) and hasn't suffered a major injury as of yet.

Also...HE'S A BLONDE CANADIAN!!!