THE TWO SHEDS REVIEW by Julian Radbourne
E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshesreview.com
Blog: www.myspace.com/twosheds316

He’s regarded as the best wrestler in the world today, and in 2006 he shocked the wrestling business by signing for Total Non-Stop Action, having only just been released by World Wrestling Entertainment. Now, TNA have paid tribute to one of their greatest stars with the DVD release of Kurt Angle – Champion.

This two disc set takes a look back at Angle’s proverbial “humble beginnings”, through to his amateur wrestling career, where, of course, he won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. It’s a very interesting segment which makes for very enjoyable viewing, especially when we get the viewpoints of those close to him.

From there, we learn about Kurt’s decision to become a professional wrestler, and of his quick success in the WWF. Obviously, Kurt also talks about his injury and addiction problems, which ultimately led to his release from the company. A short time later, Kurt signed with TNA, and made an immediate impact (no pun intended).

As the interviews continue, we hear how Dana White told him he would have to quit his wrestling career if he wanted to join the UFC, and of how he’s changed TNA as a company.

But there’s a lot more to this release than a chat with Kurt and his friends and family. Interspersed with the interviews are some of Kurt’s greatest matches in TNA. His five classic matches with Samoa Joe are here, starting with their first match at Genesis 2006, right through to their hybrid wrestling/MMA encounter at Lockdown 2008. In between, there’s the King of the Mountain match with Joe, Chris Harris, A.J. Styles and Christian Cage, and singles matches with Jay Lethal, Sting and Yuji Nagata.

In conclusion – this is a great release, one which I enjoyed immensely. Although these matches aren’t that old, it was great to see these again, and I can’t recommend this release highly enough. If, like me, you’re a long-time Kurt Angle fan, then you’ll love this.

With thanks to the powers-that-be at TNA for supplying a copy of this release.