#268: Kurt Angle vs. Sting, TNA Bound for Glory (10/14/2007).

This is for Angle’s TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

This was a true dream match when it happened. Sting, the face of WCW, going against Kurt Angle, one of the greatest to ever come out of WWE and the man who was the top dog in TNA Wrestling. This started when Angle accused Sting of slapping his wife Karen, which obviously didn’t happen, but Kurt used that as an excuse to go to Sting’s son’s football game, and harass him one night. This match is taking place in Atlanta, where Sting held down the fort in WCW for so many years, and where Angle won his Gold Medal in the 1996 Olympic Games.

The bell sounds, and we are under way. They lobby for the first move, but neither man has the advantage right away. They lock up, and Sting forces Angle into the corner. They lock up again, and Angle takes control of the back. Sting quickly takes control, and Angle grabs the ropes to force a break. They lock up once again, and Angle grabs the arm. He forces Sting to the mat, and the Stinger is back up, grabbing Angle’s arm now.

Angle takes the ropes again, as Sting backs away to monitor the situation. Another lock up, and Sting executes a side headlock takedown. Angle with a head scissors as a counter, and both men are back to their feet. One more lock up, and Angle quickly takes the side headlock. He lands a shoulder tackle on Sting, who responds with a hip toss, and Angle rolls to the floor to catch a breather. Back in the ring, Angle kicks low, and lands a nice uppercut to the chest.

He gets Sting in the corner and chops him a few times, until Sting turns it around and lands the 10 punches to the head. Angle with another uppercut to the head, and he avoids a dropkick by Sting. Sting is able to hit it anyway, and he clotheslines Angle to the outside. Sting sends Angle into the guard rail, and then slams his head off the announcer’s table. He brings Angle into the ring, and eats another uppercut. Angle then slams his own shoulder into the ring post. Sting goes for the Scorpion Deathdrop, but Angle reverses it into a suplex.

Back breaker by Angle, and he gets a few nearfalls off of that. He drives his boot into Sting’s throat, and then hits a snap suplex for a 2 count. Angle then grapevines his legs around Sting’s midsection, and rakes the eyes. Sting is able to get to his feet, but Angle slows his momentum with a belly to belly suplex. Snap mare by Angle, and he goes into the Camel Clutch next. Sting reaches down and finds a second gear to get back to his feet. He elbows his way free, and both men clothesline each other down.

Both are back up, and they exchange fisticuffs. Clothesline by the Stinger, and another. Angle cuts him off with an uppercut. Sting with a Double A Spinebuster out of nowhere, and it gets him a nearfall. Stinger Splash connects in the corner, and Sting hits it again to the back of the champion. Bulldog by Sting hits flush, and now the challenger goes to the top rope. Angle rushes up there with him and hits a belly to belly suplex to the mat below! Angle makes the cover, and Sting kicks out.

Sting counters the Angle Slam into a roll up, and Angle kicks out. Angle hits three German Suplexes in succession. He covers, and Sting is able to kick out again. Angle pulls the straps down, and he applies the Ankle Lock. Sting uses his leg strength to counter it, and he puts Angle in the Scorpion Deathlock! Here comes Karen Angle, who’s on the apron to check on her husband. The referee sends her away, but here’s Kevin Nash to give Sting a clothesline. Nash has been an ally of Angle in recent weeks.

Angle hits the Angle Slam, but thanks to Karen’s distraction, Sting is able to kick out just in time. Angle places Sting on the top rope, looking for another suplex. Sting smacks Angle down to the mat, and he looks for a splash, but Angle gets the knees up to block it. Angle covers, and Sting kicks out! Front slam by Angle, and the champion goes to the top rope. He hits a 450 splash on Sting, with his knees landing right on Sting’s chest! Angle covers, and Sting kicks out again!

Angle goes back to the Ankle Lock, and Sting crawls to the ropes, spitting at Nash, who’s at ringside. Sting pulls Angle to the ropes, hitting Nash right in the head. Angle accidentally knocks the referee out, and Sting lands the Scorpion Deathdrop. Another referee comes out to make the cover, but Nash pulls him to the outside and punches him. Nash enters the ring to attack Sting with punches. He and Angle look to double team Sting, but the Stinger counters with a double clothesline.

Sting decks Nash with a right hand, and walks into a low blow by Angle. He grabs the baseball bat, and goes to hit Sting. He blocks it, though some of it still hits him right on the head. Sting takes the bat and attacks Angle with it. Nash tries to come in, and Sting attacks him with the bat. Sting is busted open, and so is Angle. Sting hits the Scorpion Deathdrop, and that’s enough for the 3 and the win. Sting is the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion!

That match has not aged as well as I thought it had, but it’s still good nonetheless. It’s not an all time classic, but the work presented here was fine enough. I liked Sting’s strategy in the beginning, as he tried to out wrestle Angle. The champion got sick of this right away, and looked to wear down the Stinger. As the match went on, the sequences came and went, but they didn’t seem to matter much in the grand scheme of things.

And then Karen Angle came to the ring, and the shenanigans began. From her appearance, to the interference of Kevin Nash, this match quickly turned into “LolTNA” territory with how overbooked it became. In my opinion, it simply wasn’t needed, but that’s my opinion. There were some notable botches in this match that added a layer of brutality to this, such as Angle’s 450 Splash that saw his knees land right on Sting’s chest, and the baseball shot that Sting ended up taking right on the head. So, that kind of saved it right at the end.

Overall, not a bad match by any means. It’s just not a great one like I remember.