Kurt Angle v. The TNA Top-10

[It's Damn Real!]

Gotta forgive me for being a bit late to the party here, but after seeing iMPACT!, color me very impressed with Kurt Angle's return promo. Not only did he humble himself before the entire TNA locker room by removing himself from the Championship Committee's Top-10 Contenders ranking system entirely – a system where he seeded #2 – but he's going to end up putting on what looks to be eight or nine fantastic matches that IMO are undoubtedly to help elevate the talent level of each and every one of those wrestlers, as well as their relevance for being in each of their respective seeds – especially guys like Wolfe, Terry, Joe and Pope – as well as to re-establish Angle as the most dominant force in TNA despite not actually being TNA World Heavyweight Champion (yet).

For those who didn't see it, or who don't remember, the TNA Top-10 Contenders list was as follows:

10. Kazarian
09. Samoa Joe
08. Rob Terry
07. Desmond Wolfe
06. Pope
05. Abyss
04. Mr. Anderson
03. Jeff Hardy
02. AJ Styles
01. Sting​

That means we're going to see Angle/Wolfe III, Angle/Anderson III, as well as Angle/Joe, Angle/Sting , Angle/AJ and Angle/Hardy all over again as well. Wow!

If that doesn't spell innovation or intelligent booking, I have no idea what does. Kurt Angle is single handedly the best thing in professional wrestling today IMO, and the fact they're booking him into a series like this is only going to mean successful futures for all the men involved as far as I'm concerned, because Angle doesn't actually have to win every one of these matches, and certainly doesn't have to squash anyone along the way in order to make this relevant. Not only can this work wonders for reinventing/re-establishing Angle's dominance, but they have all the foundation necessary to elevate a number of the guys the TNA fans voted in droves for like Pope and Wolfe especially.

Personally, the only match I don't give a fuck about is Angle/Abyss, but that's a personal bias because I hate the Monstard Abyssmal as a character, and I hate him as a main event talent. The idea he even belongs in the top-10, let alone seeded at #6 above Wolfe, Pope and Joe isn't just laughable, it's pathetic. But I digress...

--

That said, it's Q&A Time!

• What are your thoughts on Angle's return?

• How do you feel about the idea of him removing himself from the Top-10 rankings

• What do you think it means for the young and coming in the system currently

• How do you see this all panning out?

 

[gd]

What are your thoughts on Angle's return?

Much needed. TNA was slowly slipping into madness and stupidity yet again. With an Angle return, we're likely to get at least 15 minutes a week of some stability with Kurt. I'm sure happy about it.

How do you feel about the idea of him removing himself from the Top-10 rankings

Noble, awe inspiring, etc. Right? Honestly, doesn't matter much. The whole rakings system has been more or less a joke. With RVD as champ, Kurt wouldn't fit in anyway, at the moment. This seems like a good alternative.

What do you think it means for the young and coming in the system currently

Not much. Like I said, the rakings system is pretty stupid. Each of them losing to Kurt Angle probably won't hurt them that much though.

How do you see this all panning out?

Likely in a disappointing manner. Sure, Angle is supposed to have a match against all of those guys, but how many of them are actually going to be more than 5 minutes? Probably not a ton. It sounds good on paper, but the exectution is likely to be quite poor.

Because Angle removed himself from his spot, do you think TNA should look to move each rank up a slot and include a new #10 like Jay Lethal or Eric Young as a means to give either (or any of the other young guys) a legitimate crack at the main event?

I believe Kaz won that spot last night. Disappointing, I know. Something about him giving Ric Flair a blowjob and what have you.

 

[WJDwjdWJDwjd]

1. I love this storyline. Angle is definitely needed in TNA right now. We need someone who isn't linked to Hogan right now to put on an excellent storyline. Angle is always interesting and I love anything hes involved in when it comes to TNA. He seems more legit in TNA than he was in WWE.

2. I like the idea he has removed himself from the ranking. Hogan/Bischoff made it clear that everyone was basically starting over in the new TNA and everyone needed to prove themselves. Thats exactly what Angle is doing by going through the Top 10. Hes FINALLY using his three I's.

3. Angle can make anyone look good. Angle will put on matches with the young talent and give them the matches of their careers. So, by doing this, Angle will make himself look good as well as his opponents.

4.Like I said, I like this storyline and this will make Angle look like even more of a serious threat than he already is. Imagine all these match possibilities... Angle/Wolfe, Angle/Anderson, Angle/Hardy, Angle/Pope, Angle/Styles and even Angle/Terry may be a decent match... especially if Kurt gets the Global title out of it.

5. Angle/Kazarian should be a decent match... or a squash. They may just job Kazarian to Angle to make him look dominant and that he means business with this.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I hope Angle really has some solid matches with the rest of the talent in the polling. I think the polling system is a good idea on paper, but considering TNA will put anyone they want in the top 10 with little regard to the fans is ridiculous. We will get a few stinkers with Rob Terry and Kaz, but Angle is so good he could have a match with a broom and make it interesting.

I think they may have Angle beat every contender until he reaches number one, then they will probably have him go against the champion. Maybe that will be RVD. I'm not sure if these two have wrestled in the past, but it should be fun to see them square up against each other again. I'm glad that Kurt is putting himself out of the picture and working his way to the top. Too bad Sting can't do the same.

They better put Angle against Hardy fast unless they want to wrestle in a jail cell next month.

 

[CobraVenom]

2. I like the idea he has removed himself from the ranking. Hogan/Bischoff made it clear that everyone was basically starting over in the new TNA and everyone needed to prove themselves. Thats exactly what Angle is doing by going through the Top 10. Hes FINALLY using his three I's.

How is he using his intelligence? Intelligence would be keeping his second ranking and taking the strap from the RVD/Sting winner. After all, it's all about the belt, right? Right.

4.Like I said, I like this storyline and this will make Angle look like even more of a serious threat than he already is. Imagine all these match possibilities... Angle/Wolfe, Angle/Anderson, Angle/Hardy, Angle/Pope, Angle/Styles and even Angle/Terry may be a decent match... especially if Kurt gets the Global title out of it.

Three of those possibilities I don't have to imagine since they have been done already. Rob Terry is a joke and I will bet that not even Angle can make him look good.


Guys, this is a bad idea on TNA's part. Let's say that Kurt goes through the entire top 10. How weak would that make the upper card look? Very weak.

 

[gd]

Guys, this is a bad idea on TNA's part. Let's say that Kurt goes through the entire top 10. How weak would that make the upper card look? Very weak.

Not really, especially if they're losing to a pissed of Kurt freakin' Angle. In no way would be losing a competitive match to Kurt of losing due to some intereference from the guy you're feuding with negatively impact any of these guys. Having Kurt actually wrestle legit matches with these guys would be the best possible scenario. I definetly like the general idea here, I just doubt it's going to actually happen.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Even though I've always liked and respected Kurt Angle, it's obvious that this is all just to put Angle back within the TNA World Championshp hunt. Since coming to TNA, Angle has been a consistent presence within TNA's main event scene and I'm over it really. In terms of the TNA Championship scene, Kurt Angle is basically TNA's version of Triple H.

I know that TNA is trying to make a big deal out of the whole ranking system, but I don't buy into it at all. Ultimately, TNA is going to put whomever it wants in whatever position and give fans the illusion that they've participated in the process. TNA ruined it, for me at least, when the whole thing started by saying that the votes of fans would be one of the things taken into consideration by the so called TNA Championship Committee. I still would have been suspicious and a little underwhelmed by it, but announcing that it all came down to a "committee" just made it completely transparent and my interest went away quickly.

As far as the matches go I'm not really sure. I doubt that very many of these matches are quite going to be the epics that Angle has said they're going to be. I wouldn't be surprised if most of them lasted about 5 or 6 minutes with a few "epics" tossed in here and there.

 

[UFOcalling]

Good thread topic, as always IDR. When I watched Impact last night, Angle's promo got me a bit excited as well.

• What are your thoughts on Angle's return?

A bit unexpected, especially how he removed himself from the title-hunt. When he took his "vacation" last month, didn't he vow that his sights would be set on winning the title? I would have thought that he would take the first opportunity handed to him...more on that in the answer to your next question.

• How do you feel about the idea of him removing himself from the Top-10 rankings

The plan is to get his character over as the "noble" guy. He could have come out and cut a promo all about how he doesn't need the ranking system, and try to be a "cool" tweener guy...but he didn't, he took the humble-approach. Bravo to TNA for taking the high-road here.

• What do you think it means for the young and coming in the system currently

Obviously we're going to see some high-quality matches, possibly elevating and adding some credibility to some of the lower-card wrestlers in the ranks. As was stated many times already, Angle can make anyone look good in the ring whether he wins or loses. However, I really don't see anyone really getting a big push because of this angle...after all is said & done, I see everyone being on the same level (roughly) as they are now...I don't think anyone will move up or down in the "ranks", but only time will tell. Hopefully TNA can do something to salvage the Mongoloid Abyss before this plan comes to fruition, but I don't see Angle having a hand in that...I could be wrong there.

• How do you see this all panning out?

This is the best question of all, and the one that I asked myself last night. Where will TNA take this? Obviously Angle's going to have ten (eleven?) matches...will they be quick Thursday Night matches, or will TNA stretch this all the way until Bound For Glory? Could it last into 2011? ...probably not, but that WOULD be amazing in my own humble opinion.

My first thought was that this would be an awesome way to use Kurt for the rest of 2010. Build up each individual match for PPV, and really milk each feud for all they can get out of every single one. Hell, if it went on long enough, we could even see Angle switch from face to heel (and possibly back again) before it's all over. Not only would it be a great way for Angle to have a long-term program, but also REALLY elevate his inevitable title-match (the only one of the 10/11 matches that's a guaranteed PPV match). It definitely won't hurt the credibility of the other wrestlers involved either.

Then there's the other way TNA could go with this...Kurt has one match per week, with the "angle" (no pun intended) ending in a little under three months...the program will still have longevity, will still get a bunch of upper-mid-carders over, but not in the same way the longer-term idea would.

Either way this plays out, we're in for some stellar matches. Hopefully some stellar feuds as well. Way to go TNA! (at least I hope...there's still time for TNA to royally fuck this up).

 

[Infamous_Enigma]

First thing i wanna know is how joe is not even in the top 5. If i can remember correctly, they based it on a few records...Tna win/loss Career win/loss and Tna championship win/loss. Now if they are SOLELY basing it on that, Joe needs to be way higher. HIs undefeated streak+multiple X title Reigns+His world title runs+when he held mulitple titles at one. That is enough IMO to boost him to at least 4 if not 2. Abyss has one or two titles to his name. plus sucks ass as a character. Everyone if front of him has Nothing on joe. He simply needs to be higher, and im tired of management putting in places where he doesnt belong.

Next, Kurt dropping his seed # is something i didnt expect and its amazing that TNA keep that underwraps until he came back. Usually i read a spoiler about stuff like that. BUt I commend him on going back to his roots and working to the top, on match at a time. I cannot wait to see most of these matches, just because of what i have saw in the past(angle/wolfe...MOTY) To see these matches will be nothing short of my money's worth.

WHY WHY WHY is abyss in the top ten? before joe? and squashing Desmond Wolfe? Just because of a ring and the blessing of an old wrestler? Really thats all?? I just dont understand it, Abyssmal(props to IDR for the name) needs to drop this whole act and turn heel like he is supposed to. Im so sick of it. I swear if i see him get his ass beat for 10 minutes and comeback in the last 30 seconds cause he is "abyssing up" I will lose it. He is Tna's john cena. all because of hogan.

 

[Rated R SuperFan]

First off Angle's return was INCREDIBLE ! Humbling himself infront of the entire wrestling world was touching and very awesome !!! There isn't anyone in the top 10 Contender Ranking ( Or in TNA / the world) that can beat Kurt Angle not THIS Kurt Angle he is too focused I feel that he will give all of the 10 Top Contender's their career defining moment / match and he will end up being the TNA World Heavyweight Champion when all is said and done Oh it's real it's damn real !!

 

[JP317]

I think they may have Angle beat every contender until he reaches number one, then they will probably have him go against the champion. Maybe that will be RVD. I'm not sure if these two have wrestled in the past, but it should be fun to see them square up against each other again.

Angle and RVD have had 3 or 4 televised matches from what I can remember the last one being on WWECW. I can't comment on the storyline as Impact hasn't aired in the UK yet but I expect good things from Angle even if he has took on most of the top 10 like 5 times each.

 

[sislater69]

The one part of the story i dissagreed with, was giving the no.10 spot to an x-division guy in the form of a battle royal.
Because of Angle pulling out of the top 10, everyone moved up a spot and 10 was filled with Kaz. right?
Earlier in the program we had Orlando Jordan getting a victory over no.8 Rob Terry, this suggests to me that O.J. should have filled the last spot...

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Great thread topic, IDR. Seriously stepping up the game here in TNA's section.

• What are your thoughts on Angle's return?

Angle continues to show the fans why he's one of the best wrestlers on any brand in the world. His work ethic and mic work have gotten better and better in the past year. And his return was great...only issue is that it was too soon. Another month...not hearing a WORD from him...only having some vignettes of him preparing for his return would have worked a whole lot better. But they did a great job regardless.

• How do you feel about the idea of him removing himself from the Top-10 rankings

Would have been better if he was number ONE...which means he would not only be giving up his spot in the rankings...but a TITLE SHOT at a PPV..and the BIGGEST PPV TNA has. It would have spoken volumes for what Angle wanted to accomplish. They could have done more with that all around by having Angle relinquish his spot, then having numbers 2 and 3 fight for the spot and an increase in the rankings...making the whole system more meaningful and making Angle's promo sound more genuine.

• What do you think it means for the young and coming in the system currently

Depends on a few factors. If Angle works with them, they'd definitely have some credentials to go with and would get better and better. However, I don't see this meaning a whole lot for the up and comers yet.

• How do you see this all panning out?

Angle will eventually end up champion again...or he'll go the path of HBK...and obsess over trying to win the belt back, only coming up short...giving the impression he's 'losing a step' and giving people incentive to watch his matches. He's got the potential to leave a lasting mark in TNA with all the matches he plans on having. And to me, and this is pure speculation...I think this may be his final run in TNA. He may be giving the fans one last hurrah before he leaves and goes back to the WWE and finishes what he started there.

Anyone else feel this may be a sign of him having one last blaze of glory in TNA?

 

[Vintage]

I'd love to see the following happen

10. vs Kazarian On Impact
09. vs Samoa Joe at Slammyversary
08. vs Rob Terry on Impact
07. vs Desmond Wolfe Impact main event
06. vs Pope at Victory Road PPV
05. vs Abyss webmatch or a mention from Tenay this happend at a house show and angle ripped his leg off or threw a sandwich at him for a countout.
04. vs Mr. Anderson Impact Main event
03. vs Jeff Hardy at Hard Justice PPV
02.vs AJ Styles Impact Main event
01. vs Sting - Impact Main event

RVD vs Angle at no surrender with Angle finally losing to RVD after becoming #1 contender

We have like 3-4 ppv's of great matches with TNA's top talent, must see matches on Impact for the summer and the conclusion of Angles feud with the Top 10 all within 3 months, which is a perfect length of time for the big payoff.

 

[shattered dreams]

Like many I am excited about the possibilities here. It will be interesting to see how they go about this. Here are some thoughts on the guys in top 10 and a few others.

Kazarian- If given proper time this one could rank surprisingly high because Kaz can work and it seems like these matches are going to be about showcasing in-ring ability. Hopefully, it is not a throwaway impact match with Flair shennanigans detracting from it.

Samoa Joe- Seems like the perfect way to put Joe back on the map wrestling-wise. How could you not be excited about seeing these two go again?

Rob Terry- Not excited about match but how this one ends should be telling. Is Angle going to take the loss to further build up this unbeatable freak story or is he going to hand Terry a loss? If Terry wins this match I will be sick to my stomach but not that surprised.

Desmond Wolfe- They likely have something big planned here as everyone will be anticipating this one. I'm rooting for ultimate submissions match. I would guess angle goes for at least one ironman type match in this series somewhere. Wolfe is one of the better fits for that type gimmick.

Pope- Angle elevates Pope's in-ring game to new level.

Abyss- Abyss is hopefully heel by this point and this match reminds everyone why they used to actually like abyss or at least not hate. The match these two had at turning point was quite good. Hopefully, this match is like that one instead of a simple hardcore fest.

Mr. Anderson- Not sure what else these two can do that would be that anticipated since they just worked together quite a bit. A tribute to stone cold passing out to bret hart might be half interesting. Maybe they can develop something in the mean time to add a twist to rejuvenate the feud.

Jeff Hardy- Has ladder match and sick spots on both sides written all over it.

AJ Styles- AJ and Kurt have wrestled a lot but they are both so in-ring talented that it never quites get stale. Ultimate x match would be cool gimmick.

Sting- I have almost no interest in seeing them go again although I could see that change if Sting keeps building on his current storyline.

Jay Lethal- Lethal has that clean victory over Angle. Let Angle build Lethal back up in his new role and show everyone just how good in-ring lethal can be but at the same time get some retribution.

Doug Williams- Angle tells williams to quit putting down the x-division guys and a wrestling clinic follows.

RVD-For some reason this one only seems interesting if Angle goes undefeated through his matches and RVD still has the belt.

At first I wondered like Lariat if this was some kind of fairwell tour but it does not quite seem to fit. If it was a fairwell type thing then I think it would be towards retirement instead of WWE.

 

[Derrtown]

Even though I've always liked and respected Kurt Angle, it's obvious that this is all just to put Angle back within the TNA World Championshp hunt. Since coming to TNA, Angle has been a consistent presence within TNA's main event scene and I'm over it really. In terms of the TNA Championship scene, Kurt Angle is basically TNA's version of Triple H.

I dont really agree with this. Kurts only been TNA Champ 3 times/Nwa Champ for a night in the 4 years hes been there and before his last reign he hadnt held the title in almost 2 years!

Kurt though does give the main event credibility and all the guys hes gonna face in the rankings should all come out looking stronger than before in some way thats if its done right. No need for 2 mins squash matches. Thats not really gonna help anyone

 

[Fan_of_Wrestling]

At first I wondered like Lariat if this was some kind of fairwell tour but it does not quite seem to fit. If it was a fairwell type thing then I think it would be towards retirement instead of WWE.

It would be sad to see Angle beat everyone of TNA's "Best" 10 guys, then only to go back to TNA showing how big the gap is between WWE and TNA.

As for the Angle vs. the Top 10... it's fantastic for TNA, it gives them a solid storyline of wrestler wanting to prove he's the best! It brings a focus back on winning matches... and it will give them at least 8 solid matches. I hope TNA hooks some casual fans into this storyline early on, because I feel it's the kind of storyline that can get people watching each week.

One thing for TNA... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ADVERTISE HIS MATCHES! There is no excuse not to pre-advertise these matches for Impact.

 

[maar130]

Well, this seems cool because no matter were the angle (non pun intended) is going you will see very good matches, at least 3 or 4. I mean is nothing you haven't seen before because lets face it, Kurt has pretty much worked with the entire TNA roster at one point or another so whine about seeing Styles VS Angle is not good, you know those two can deliver, and he can have still very good matches with Joe or Anderson of Wolfe.

With Hardy don't wait a wrestling clinique but that could be a good clash, same with RVD if he ever gets to him while he is the Champion.

With Abbyss and Terry, well, he always gives an effort when he is against big dudes, I mean his match with Mark Henry years ago sucked bad and his match with Batista was a joke just to promote thier matches for Backlash that year but the effort was there.

From the storyline stand point at least it will be a constant storyline, yes the main focus is Kurt Angle so don't expect him to put everyone over, maybe one but then again maybe none. If you are tired of him at the top well maybe you won't like it but then again he is one if not the best wrestlers in the world so what did you expect? He pretty much will be on top again.

Now like Fan_of_Wrestling said, they need to advertise the matches, not everyone goes to the internet and read the spoilers or every TNA fan is tweeting all the time, they need to start promoting matches one week or two in advance, and not just during RAW commercial breaks either.

Hopefully this wil get a good amount of time during matches and gives TNA the opportunity to showcase its top talent along with Kurt, who truth be told, is the best of them.

Also on the note of him comming back to WWE, I really don't think it is the case, I mean Angle seems to be a true believer of TNA and has no real attach to WWE, He seems more to want to bring war to them tha to go back and Vince Macmahon has shown little to no interest in the last few years about Kurt.

 

[rackmors]

What are your thoughts on Angle's return? Angles return is great TNA was really missing him for some star power.

• How do you feel about the idea of him removing himself from the Top-10 rankings? Angle removing himself was a classy move cause he was gone for a month and although I respect everything he has done for wrestling he did not deserve to be up there while he was gone

• What do you think it means for the young and coming in the system currently? It means that if they can hang with Kurt Angle they are in need of a push

• How do you see this all panning out? I see Kurt 9 of the best matches in TNA history even though I hate this new Abyss he is still a good wrestler and blends well with Kurt Angle

 

[The Shockmaster]

Kurt angles current storyline is one of the few things that has managed to catch my attention in the past month or so on TNA. However this storyline could go incredibly wrong in one of two ways.

The first is that they start giving him matches on regular Impacts mowing through the contenders and making it last at the most three months. Having an occasional impact featuring a match of angle wouldn't be bad but it wouldnt give the life to the storyline that it should.

The second thing that could go wrong is making him face a single contender at every pay per view, rising a spot every time he wins. This would be cool but if there was only a top 5 or so. Currently there are 9 more people in front of him and then a title match. Thats 10 more months...or in other terms April of next year!

So my questions

Do you think this story line is credible?

Would you like to see this storyline end quickly or draw it out?

Do you think that Angle deserves the Title again?
(kind of a dumb question) lol

Would you like to see Angle involved in maybe a triple threat match or fatal four way type match(or any gimmick match involving multiple contenders) to help elevate his rank in the contenders slot faster?

 

[The Great Ace]

• What are your thoughts on Angle's return? Not advertised/teased enough. They should have had some vignettes, as someone previously posted. I'm glad he's back, and his return was nothing short of remarkable. The entire promo was brilliant, and I would give anything to see the look on Kazarian's face again when Angle said he was coming for him.

• How do you feel about the idea of him removing himself from the Top-10 rankings
It was noble, and could have some good matches coming from it. Abyss/ Angle seems to be everyone's least favorite idea, and I can concur. But I think Rob Terry/ Angle will be much worse. I could see both of these matches being held on Impact, and with no need for anything more.

• What do you think it means for the young and coming in the system currently
It means they are about to kick it with the greatest wrestler in the history of pro wrestling. Guys like Lethal and Pope, while they will ultimately be decimated by Angle, will have some of the greatest matches of their careers. I think this will be good for the Pope especially, because there has been some speculation as to whether or not Pope is suited for main event status. This will make or break his career, depending on if it's done right or not.

• How do you see this all panning out?
I see Angle putting on some nice matches, maybe even MOTY candidates with some of the top guys.
Ultimately, I see Angle making it to the top, and more than likely getting the title back. Because he's Kurt Angle, and that's the way it goes.

Now to answer SM's questions:

Do you think this story line is credible? Absolutely. Angle is one of the few people who can actually make this determination storyline believable.

Would you like to see this storyline end quickly or draw it out?
Draw it out. It could easily lead into next year. If you do this quickly, it will involve a lot of Impact matches. That will ruin the whole campaign. If they make it a year-long mission to regain his WHC, it will show real determination. If they make it a three-month long bloodbath, it will kill the main even status of many.

Do you think that Angle deserves the Title again?
Deserves is not the correct word for this question. He's Kurt Angle. The title is rightfully his. Everyone else is just borrowing it. Haha

Would you like to see Angle involved in maybe a triple threat match or fatal four way type match(or any gimmick match involving multiple contenders) to help elevate his rank in the contenders slot faster? Not to move him faster, but let's say with Anderson and HArdy(if their partnership lasts), he could do some kind of triple threat where it puts the odds stacked against them, and still have him come out on top. Maybe have Hardy and Anderson double team him for weeks, leading up to a triple threat(handicap) at a PPV.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Updated rankings were released last night with a number of originally ranked members falling down and falling out. As you recall, when this angle debuted, the original top-10 ranking was as follows:

Bolded names are no longer ranked.

10. Kazarian
09. Samoa Joe
08. Rob Terry
07. Desmond Wolfe
06. Pope
05. Abyss
04. Mr. Anderson
03. Jeff Hardy
02. AJ Styles
01. Sting​

However, after various wins/losses and another brainstorm by the Championship Committee, new rankings have been released as of iMPACT! last night that are as follows:

10. Rob Terry
09. The Pope
08. Kurt Angle
07. Hernandez
06. AJ Styles
05. Jay Lethal
04. Samoa Joe
03. Mr. Anderson
02. Jeff Hardy
01. Abyss​

Bolded names are new entrants.

Terry fell back two slots from 8 to 10, Pope fell back three slots from 6 to 9, Angle moves up two (three) slots from outside the rank to 8, Hernandez enters the rank at 7, AJ Styles fell back four slots from 2 to 6, Jay Lethal enters the rank at 5, Samoa Joe moves up five slots from 9 to 5, Mr. Anderson moves up one slot from 4 to 3, Jeff Hardy moves up one slot from 3 to 2 and Abyss moves up four slots from 5 to 1.

Thoughts on the new rankings?

 

[goodlay]

The rankings are fine, but where the hell did Rob Terry come from? Why not put a guy like Matt Morgan at 10? Terry hasn't been seen on iMPACT in forever. Last night was the first time we'd seen him in at least a month.

But this thread is about Kurt, so i'll talk about Kurt. Next week we get Angle/Hernandez which will probably be the weakest of his top 10 matches imo. I don't know, maybe im wrong, but I don't see amazing chemistry happening between these two.

But what will be awesome - AJ/Kurt. I see this being the PPV match, and it will probably happen at Hard Justice. Should be fucking awesome, the match on Jan. 4th and the match at Genesis were both classics.

If it happens at Hard Justice, will there be some hardcore stipulation? Hopefully not. They should just let these guys go at it.