It was déjà vu for Kurt Angle last night as he had to miss a pay-per-view main event due to injury at TNA Sacrifice. This is nothing new to Kurt Angle who has been hampered by neck injuries going back to the Olympics. Was last night the beginning of the end of a great career or just another bump in the road for one of wrestling’s great warriors?

Neck injuries in pro wrestling were numerous several years ago in the WWE. Most of the top stars including Steve Austin, Edge, Chris Benoit, and Kurt Angle all underwent major neck surgery as a result of the numerous bumps and bruises of professional wrestling. However, only two were unable to fully recover from those surgeries. One is Steve Austin who is retired and the other is Kurt Angle.

It was the shock of the wrestling world when the WWE and Kurt Angle parted ways in 2006. There was never any question about Kurt Angle’s skills inside of the ring. Most agreed that he was one of, if not the best worker in the business. Why would the WWE cut ties with arguably their best performer?

The answer most say is that the WWE believed that Angle risked paralysis if he continued his career. Angle has admitted that he had a problem with pain killers due to the increased pain from his neck injuries. It became a matter of choices for Kurt Angle and it was no surprise that Angle wanted to continue wrestling at all costs. Unfortunately the WWE did not agree with Angle’s decision and regretfully let him go.

Like many, I was outraged when Dixie Carter and TNA signed Kurt Angle. On my radio show I said several times that I felt it was irresponsible for Carter to sign Angle. There is no doubt that Angle can still have great matches, but what about that bad bump? One bad bump and this guy could be crippled for life. Was it worth risking a man’s life for the success of your company? Apparently Dixie and TNA felt that way.

Since signing with TNA, Kurt hasn’t missed a beat. Maybe I was wrong? Maybe the doctors were wrong? After all this was a guy who won a gold medal with a broken neck and went on to wrestle successfully for several years thereafter. Angle’s career in TNA inside of the ring has been brilliant. He hasn’t missed a match and is back to WrestleMania form. Was Angle right all along and could the WWE have made a big mistake?

Well, last night Angle was scheduled for arguably one of his biggest matches since joining TNA. Putting Samoa Joe over at Lockdown was huge, but putting him over twice is considerably bigger. Most feuds are sold on rematches and grudge matches, and this was the rematch from Lockdown. Unfortunately, for fans TNA would reap the benefits regardless of whether the match would take place or not.

Angle injured his neck this past week in Seoul, Korea. Angle missed several shows during the week but claimed he would wrestle at Sacrifice. Sunday night, Sacrifice opened up with Kurt Angle announcing that he was too hurt to wrestle. Angle was replaced in the main-event by Kaz. This is the first time that Angle has missed a major match due to injury since joining TNA.
There is already outrage from fans across the Internet about the way TNA handled the situation. It was reported earlier in the week that Kurt Angle was hurt and was in jeopardy for Sunday. TNA had enough time to announce the injury this Thursday and avoid selling a match that wasn’t going to happen. In all fairness, it is conceivable that it was going to be a gameday decision and any announcement otherwise could have screwed up planned storylines and angles.

Dixie Carter said in several interviews after signing Kurt that if she felt he was at risk and unable to wrestle that she wouldn’t allow him to wrestle. This is just one of several neck injuries to a man who makes a living taking bumps and pushing his body to maximum limits.

I have no doubts that Kurt Angle will continue wrestling in TNA. I have plenty of doubts about whether he should, but that is just one man’s opinion. At 39 years of age, how much longer can Kurt push his body before it completely breaks? Is it worth another great match to live the rest of his life in a wheel chair?

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