Text By Neil Cathan

What if...Kurt Angle didn't defeat Samoa Joe at Genesis 2006?

Part II

December 14th 2006: TNA iMPACT
 
iMPACT opens with Mike Tenay and Don West reviewing the ends to both Sting vs Abyss and the triple threat, before informing the fans that in tonight's main event, Abyss will tag with Samoa Joe against Sting and Daniel Puder, in a match made to settle some of these scores.
 
After a blistering opening bout between Chris Sabin and Jay Lethal, we go backstage, where Kurt Angle is watching a monitor intently, taking notes. The camera moves in, and shows an Abyss match in progress on it. The camera fades out on this scene, as Angle continues to make notes on his upcoming opponent.
 
The main event rolls around, and as all four men stand in the ring, each wanting to prove themselves, or in the Monster's case, just to inflict damage, the anticipation within the iMPACT zone slowly grows. Eventually, Earl Hebner steps in, and the senior official forces each team to choose a man to start. Joe pushes himself nose-to-nose with Sting, before telling the icon that he can "get you anytime I want", and heading to the corner. Sting heads to his own corner, evidently wanting to be fresh when he gets Joe in the ring.
 
Puder starts the match, clearly unsure, having never faced an opponent like Abyss. Abyss, on the other hand, has a very clear idea what he wants to do, and uses his size and strength to toss Puder around the ring with a series of slams and clotheslines. When Joe enters into the ring, the vicious strikes on an already worn out Puder start to take their toll. Puder is able to gain a brief respite when he grabs hold of Joe's forearm during a series of stiff strikes with it. Using his amateur skills, he uses Joe's momentum on the shot to flip him over, who give a cheer when Puder uses the chance to tag his partner in, bringing Sting and Joe into the ring together.
 
The events of last Sunday, when each man cost the other the world title, or a shot at it are obviously in both men's minds, as the two skilled wrestlers forget all the nuances they've learned, opting instead to rush each other in a whirling melee of fists, chops and knees. While Sting has obviously had a fire lit under him, fighting furiously, the fact remains that he is the much older man, and begins to lose the brawl, before toppling to a Joe enzuiguri that downs the icon. Joe spots from the corner of his eye Abyss, who is pacing the apron, obviously desperate to inflict pain on Sting once more. Joe obliges, and allows the monster to enthusiastically dominate Sting, tossing him roughly into a neutral turnbuckle.  Abyss charges into him, but more out of decades of experience than anything else, Sting is able to catch Abyss on the chin with both feet. It isn't enough to down the runaway freight train that is Abyss, but it catches him off guard long enough for Sting to mount a comeback, throwing a flurry of blows before whipping Abyss into the corner with Puder waiting on the apron. Puder holds the monster's arms back, allowing Sting to land the crowd pleasing Stinger Splash. Neither the crowd nor Sting are pleased with what follows, however, as Puder blind tags himself in.
 
Puder uses the window of opportunity he has with Abyss dazed to avenge his earlier beating, as he tackles Abyss's legs in an amateur takedown, and uses a variety of submissions to keep the monster grounded. Sting, meanwhile looks furious at having his momentum cut short by his own partner, not to mention his chance for a measure of revenge on Abyss. Abyss is able to get to his feet, groggily throwing elbows at Puder's midsection, forcing the break. As both men stagger apart, Sting stretches his hand towards Puder, who ignores it, while Abyss chooses to tag his partner in.
 
Abyss, a barely controlled monster having better teamwork than his own team is clearly the final straw for Sting, who pulls his trademark aluminium baseball bat from under the ring, before entering, clubbing first Puder, then Joe with the bat. Both men fall, and Hebner is forced to call for the bell, ruling the match as a disqualification in favour of Abyss and Samoa Joe. Abyss heeds Mitchell's warnings and advice from ringside, stepping off the apron, and leaving with his title. Meanwhile, Sting seems to have lost all control, repeatedly smashing the bat into Joe's back. iMPACT draws to a close with Sting being lead away by security. Standing on the top of the ramp, smiling approvingly at Sting's wanton violence is a familiar figure, Raven. Why he seems so pleased at this turn of events is questioned by Tenay and West, and unanswered, as Raven stalks to the back, a self satisfied smile covering his face the entire time.
 
December 21st: TNA iMPACT
 
This edition of TNA iMPACT is hyped up in the early goings by the announcers as featuring a sit down interview with Kurt Angle, where he'll talk about the strategy he's decided on from watching tapes of Abyss. Before that, however, there is a confrontation backstage, that luckily, a camera crew has managed to capture. Raven watches with great interest as Sting and Samoa Joe stand face to face. Sting is the first to speak, uttering in a low threatening growl
 
"You're all that stands between me and my rightful prize. Last week was only a taste. Step aside, kid."
 
Joe responds by drawing a hand in front of Sting's face, and listing off on his fingers all the big  names he's beaten, a who's who of TNA, including names like Japanese legend Jushin "Thunder" Liger.
 
"...and not a one of them could beat me. What makes you think some old man is going to stop me now?"
 
Sting and Joe continue to stand face to face, as road agents and referees quickly get between the two, and Raven grins with psychotic glee. Over this, Tenay confirms for the fans that at Final Resolution, Sting will face Samoa Joe for number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
 
When the interview comes around, we see Kurt Angle and Jeremy Borash dressed in sharp suits, sitting in comfy chairs in a studio. J.B. thanks Kurt for joining him, before getting right to the point, and asking Kurt what his game plan is.
 
"Well, JB, I was watching the tapes, and the most obvious thing is that power of Abyss. I was watching him smash everything put in his path, always on the offensive. And I don't mind telling you, it was a little intimidating. I thought 'This is it Kurt. How can you form a plan against someone that dangerous and unpredictable?' But Abyss hasn't won a olympic gold medal with a broken freakin' neck!" Angle holds the medal up, as if to illustrate his point. Angle grows in intensity "Kurt Angle has won an olympic gold medal with a broken freaking neck! Kurt Angle is a national amateur wrestling champion, and while you might be unstoppable with that power and size, all men are the same size on the ground, Abyss! So come January 14th, Final Resolution, I'm going to take the fight to Abyss, not let him take it to me. I'm going to control the fight, and keep him on the ground. Now I'm sorry, JB, but I've important training to do, not waste time talking to someone like you!"
 
With this Angle walks off set, as JB looks at a loss for words.
 
December 28th 2006: TNA iMPACT
 
iMPACT opens in the ring, with Sting facing off against Robert Roode. Roode struts up and down the ring, goes between the ropes and stands on the apron, proudly telling a fan in attendance about how he's beaten Sting, but Sting's never beaten him, and how he's going to embarrass Sting again. Sting has heard enough, and runs behind Roode, pushing him from the apron to the outside, where he collides with the barrier. Sting launches himself over the top rope onto Roode with a plancha, eliciting a "You've Still Got It!" chant from the crowd. Sting seems unaffected by the crowd's appreciation, focussing on viciously and repeatedly kicking Roode, who is leaning on the barrier for support.  Referee Slick Johnson's count reaches 10, and the match is ruled a double countout. The bell ringing for the decision seems to shake Sting to his senses, and he backs off from Roode, who tries to recover his feet.
 
The camera switches now from this "match" to Samoa Joe backstage with Jeremy Borash. Just as he opens his mouth to talk, Raven walks over, interrupting the interview before it begins. Joe looks at him with obvious disdain, which Raven ignores. Joe turns to Raven and asks him
"What do you want, you little snivelling goth?"
Raven ignores the insult, and carries on regardless
"I came here to thank you, of course."
Samoa Joe looks just as confused as Borash as to what Raven's talking about.
"If I ever did anything for you, I promise you it was by accident. And I already gave you your five minutes of fame when I choked you out in September, so you're a little late in thanking me for that. What did I ever do for you?"
Raven chuckles
"I'm thanking you on behalf of Sting as well as myself. You woke up the darkness in him. Things are going to get real interesting around here"
Raven walks off, and Joe heads the other way, JB shrugs his shoulders, far too intimidated by the two men to chase either down if they're not in the mood to give an interview.
 
The main event, and last TNA match of 2006 is set to see Christopher Daniels tangle with Kurt Angle for the first time. Daniels makes his way to the ring, and awaits his opponent a look of determination on his face, a win over Kurt Angle could do big things for his career. Angle's music plays, and the crowd grows louder in anticipation of the great match that is sure to come. However, no-one comes out for a long time. Suddenly, a figure comes out, and the crowd pop, before realising it's Jim Cornette,  in his usual foul temper, carrying a microphone.
 
"Cut the god-damn music already! As I'm sure you can all see, Kurt's not here tonight. I never even got told why Kurt's not going to be here this week, the man's impossible to get hold of right now. I'm not going to rob you people of a match though, so we've got another amateur wrestling star here in his place...Daniel Puder!"
 
Puder makes his way to the ring, to a fairly disappointing reaction and chants of "We Want Angle!" Puder and Daniels start off slow, letting the crowd's displeasure die down before the match gets going fast. When it does, Daniels uses his superior size to run rings around Puder, until Puder is able to catch him in an arm drag, again using his momentum against him to flip him with extra force. From here, Puder goes straight to work on the arm of Daniels, trying to soften him up for a later keylock, and keep him grounded with submissions, so that he can't use his speed to win the match. Daniels is a master at wrestling on the ground however, and is able to reach his feet, where the two trade shots, the fans cheering each Daniels punch, and booing each one that Puder returns. Daniels gets the better of the exchange, and hits the ropes, only for Puder to duck the lariat and roll him up into a schoolboy for a near two. Standing over his opponent, with the legs trapped, Puder engages in some MMA style ground and pound, rocking Daniels with a series of punches before the ref separates the two, giving Puder a warning.
Daniels is able to build some momentum from here, rallying the crowd behind him as he executes headscissors, leg lariats, tornado DDTs and other high impact moves. For the third time, Puder is able to catch him as he runs in, however, and hits the already hurt chin with a stiff lariat. Puder is quick to capitalise from here, and locks on the keylock. In the middle of the ring, with nowhere to go, Daniels is forced to tap, and Puder gets some momentum behind him, after his recent losses.
 
The show ends on the annual TNA end of year awards. The ceremony culminates in naming AJ Styles the TNA MVP of the year, granting him a title shot on the first iMPACT of 2007. If he wins, he would go on to face Angle at Final Resolution in Abyss's place, providing purists with something of a dream match. AJ's celebration is cut short by the strings motif that signals the arrival of Abyss, however. AJ  beckons Abyss into the ring, and fans get a preview of the action next week, as Styles rushes Abyss with a series of quick strikes, before hitting the ropes, only for Abyss to smash the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt across his head, before raising it high above his head, while standing over AJ's prone form, as iMPACT fades to black for the last time in 2006.
 
January 4th, 2007: TNA iMPACT
 
The sadistic grin of James Mitchell is the first sight viewers of iMPACT in 2007 are greeted with. Standing in a dark room, the only other definable object in the room is the monster who looms behind him. Mitchell smiles cruelly, and speaks condescendingly to the audience
"A lot of you seemed upset at Angle's absence last week, so here's a bit of a public service announcement. A happy new year's gift, from me and monster to you. You see, Angle was...otherwise indisposed last week. Let's watch the footage..."
 
We cut to a Paparazzi Productions video, where Abyss and James Mitchell stand outside a house in the suburbs, in the early hours of the morning. Mitchell raps on the door with his cane, and it is answered by Kurt Angle, groggy, wearing a navy blue dressing gown. Abyss launches himself at Angle, catching him with an uppercut, sending him staggering into his hallway. Abyss grabs Angle by the head, and hurls him into a wall, throwing a series of knee shots to Angle's body, before beating him down with clubbing forearms. He drags Angle by the head into another room, the kitchen. Angle's head is smashed repeatedly against the kitchen counter, and suddenly we hear a woman's shrill scream from off screen, along with pleas to "Stop it! Stop it! Oh god, no!" The camera turns briefly to see Karen Angle, weeping at her helplessness at the scene in front of her. The camera turns back in time to see Kurt battle to his feet and throw a sloppy punch at Abyss, only to be roughly shoved away. Abyss grabs a frying pan that is hanging on the wall, and cracks it across Angle's head with a dull thud. Mitchell cackles with insane glee, standing over Angle, who is bleeding profusely, and may well have been knocked out in his own home.
"You want to talk about how you're going to take the fight to Abyss? This, my friend, is how you take the fight to someone! You want to talk about how all men are the same size on the ground? Well, don't you look awful big lying there in a heap, huh, big guy?"
Mitchell slaps the barely conscious Angle across the face, before continuing
"And didn't you have something to say about how you'd keep him on the ground? Well, looks like you can stay there yourself, doesn't it? Come on, Abyss, let's go."
As the monster and his master leave, Mitchell turns to Karen, who is kneeling by her beaten husband, and wishes them a happy new year, before laughing maniacally one last time.
 
We cut from here to the shocked faces of Mike Tenay and Don West at the announce desk. Tenay is the first to speak "Well, that's not how anyone wanted the new year to start. As soon as we know about the condition of Kurt Angle following that horrific home invasion, we'll let you know. I can promise you that tonight, you'll see Abyss defend his title against AJ Styles."
Don West interjects with "I hope AJ rips his god-damned head off."
 
Before the main event, we go backstage to see Raven enter Samoa Joe's locker room. Joe spots him, and hurls him bodily, pinning him to a locker, a look of rage on his face
"You want to talk about the darkness inside of Sting? Take a look at what was in my locker room when I came in here!"
Joe grabs Raven by the back of the neck, flings open the door to his locker, where we see a glass tub, full of black scorpions. Joe tosses Raven across the room.
"What the hell am I going to do about that?"
Raven grins evilly, and answers in elated tones
"We can use this. This is perfect. You and me, we could manipulate Sting, if we worked together."
Joe looks disgusted at Raven.
"I don't need to manipulate anyone to win. You're lucky I've got other things on my mind, or I'd use you as a message to Sting. Now get out of here."
Raven scuttles out of the room, but when the door is closed, a wide smile spreads across his face, and he mutters "It's really begun" before walking off. 
 
The main event sees AJ Styles use the tactic he's used in every fight against Abyss, hurling himself over the top rope onto Abyss as he makes his way to the ring. Styles recovers his feet, and goes into the crowd, using the guardrail to deliver his springboard forearm smash. A running dropkick, and a tornado DDT onto the outside, running across the apron to perform it, follow, before Abyss is thrown into the ring. Styles keeps moving through the match, knowing from past experience that this is the only way to best the monster. Abyss finally catches him with a massive flapjack, however, hurtling Styles almost a foot over the monster's head, before he comes crashing down. Abyss has control of the match for a good time now, using his superior power to dominate Styles. When Abyss misses a charge in the corner, Styles pele kicks him to begin his comeback, and baseball slides out to strike Mitchell, before the manager can insert himself. Styles begins turning the match in his favour, and is so focused on this that he doesn't notice Christian Cage makes his way to ringside. As Styles hits the ropes to charge at a standing Abyss, Christian grabs his legs out from under him, causing him to stumble. Abyss takes the opportunity, and catches him with a black hole slam to retain his title, much to the frustration of the TNA faithful, who had really got behind their franchise player's chances. And so the first iMPACT of 2007 ends the same way the last one of 2006 ends, with Abyss standing tall in the middle of the ring.
 
January 11th, 2007: TNA iMPACT
 
Raven starts tonight's proceedings, sitting in a steel chair in the middle of the ring, microphone in hand. When he talks, it's in a slow, reasonable tone.
"Last week, I made a proposition to Samoa Joe. And, though he rejected, I know that his eyes had been clouded by rage and fury, and confusion at an emotion that was, until now, unknown to him: fear. And so, being a forgiving man, I will give him another chance. Joe, why don't you come out here, and make your amends? I will welcome you, and absolve you of those rash actions last week."
The familiar drumming rhythm, and chorus of "The champ is here" echoes through the arena, and Samoa Joe paces purposefully to the ring. Raven stands to meet him, and Joe gets within arms reach, and asks Raven for the microphone.  Raven passes it willingly to him, expectantly awaiting his response.
As was ever the case with Joe, he comes to the conclusion that actions will speak louder than words, and after hesitating as if considering his answer, shrugs, and settles for smashing the microphone across Raven's head, the thud ringing out through the arena. He drops the microphone, grabs the chair Raven had been sitting on, folds it closed, and busts Raven's head wide open with it, sending Raven staggering through the ropes to escape, only for Joe to follow with a corkscrew plancha, showing his usual incredible agility for a man his size, which Raven is too busy being crushed to appreciate. Joe tosses Raven back into the ring, and as Raven struggles to his feet, is met with a brutal missile dropkick. The chants of "Joe's gonna kill you" go quiet when the lights go out, to be replaced with a loud cheer as Sting, baseball bat in hand, appears behind Joe, ambushing him with a shot to the back of the head. Sting stands over him, ready to deliver another shot, when Raven grabs the microphone, and eggs Sting on.
"Yes! Yes! Accept it! Embrace it! Embrace the darkness inside you, Sting!"
Sting hesitates for a moment and walks up the ramp, ignoring Raven's goading
"Coward! You can hide from it, but it'll find you! Just learn to love it!"
 
This would start a theme for the night that would be continued later in the evening, of wrestlers coming to the ring to address an issue, and it getting quickly out of hand. The next emergence of this came when Christian Cage hit the ring to a chorus of boos. He waited for the jeers to die down, before speaking in an almost apologetic manner.
 
"I'm sorry. I know that normally, I come out here, and I solve all of your confusion, all of your problems, but this week it's my turn. I have a question that just keeps confusing me. I mean, I asked my grandma, my dog, my buddy on the road, my inspirational poster of Rocky, and none of them had an answer for me. So, with all my usual sources of wisdom dried up, I thought I'd take a last ditch effort, and ask you."
 
Waiting for the boos to die down again, Cage continues
 
"I know! I know! It's sad how desperate I've gotten! Anyway, here it is: when I beat AJ Styles 1,2,3 in the middle of the ring two Pay Per Views in a row, why is it that he got a title shot, and there's no gold around my waist?"
 
Christian's rant is cut short by the arrival of AJ Styles, who walks onto the ramp, microphone in his own hand.
"Let me answer your question for you there. I spent the year wrestling all the top level wrestlers in the Tag, X and heavyweight divisions. You spent your year groaning and moaning about how everyone loves Sting more than you and how Rhino didn't say thank you enough times, stabbing your friends in the back, and trying to split other friends up. I spent 2006 wrestling, maybe if you'd done the same, you could have had  been kicked around by Abyss again. In fact, why don't I give you a nice start on wrestling this year, right now?"
 
Christian puts a hand up, as if to stop him, as the brash young star makes his way down the ramp.
"Woah, woah, little guy. I've already pinned you twice, and neither you, nor anyone else for that matter, has beaten me. I've got nothing to prove. I know one man who does though, one man who, like me, has been constantly overlooked and underestimated."
 
At this cue, Daniel Puder rushes behind Styles, burying a forearm in his back. As the fans jeer, Puder beats on Styles all the way to ringside, before tossing him in. As Puder lays the boots into Styles in the corner, referee Andrew Thomas runs to the ring, making the match official.
 
Puder dominates the early goings of the match, although Thomas forces him to use more wrestling, as supposed to the illegal boots. An accomplished amateur, Puder has no problem complying. With his unfair advantage, Puder pushes the chance for a big upset, and to show that the win over Daniels was not a fluke. He is perhaps over enthusiastic in this, as he goes for his keylock finisher early on, and Styles reaches the ropes, forcing a ropebreak, and a chance to reach his feet.
 
From here, Styles uses his high impact strikes to keep Puder from closing in on him. However, while Puder is knocked down, Styles is reluctant to follow up, fearing another onslaught on the mat.  Sensing that Styles fears his ground fighting, Puder shoots in for a double leg takedown, only to realisethis was exactly what Styles was goading him into in the first place, as Styles reacts instantly, dropping his knee onto the head of Puder. From Puder's face down position near the knees of Styles, it's a simple matter to hoist him up for the clash, and the accompanying three count.
 
Christian rushes the ring, going for an unprettier, which AJ avoids, fighting back against his rival with a series of punches and chops. While he's working Cage in the corner, he doesn't notice Puder recovering his feet behind him. The numbers game quickly becomes too much, even for the phenomenal one, until Christopher Daniels, chair in hand chases Puder and Cage from the ring. He gestures to be given a microphone, and when he gets one, speaks in a commanding voice
 
"Christian, Danny-boy, it's simple. You guys are tired of being overlooked, we're tired of your faces! Let's kill two birds with one stone here, you two get a match with TNA's greatest tag team, the Phenomenal Angels, this Sunday, at Final Resolution! You get your big match, we get to shut you up once and for all. Everyone wins, right?" The fans cheer the announcement, as the card for final Resolution gets a third big match, alongside Angle's challenge for Abyss's title, and Samoa Joe vs Sting, for the first time ever.
 
As the show draws towards it's end, Mitchell and Abyss head out to a ring, looking sombre. Well, Abyss looked clinically insane, and Mitchell not far off. But Mitchell has his most serious and saddened expression on, even trading the red jacket in for a solemn inky black suit. Stepping between the ropes, microphone in hand, Mitchell addressed the unforgiving audience
 
"We are gathered here today, to mourn the TNA career of Kurt Angle. Though it only touched our lives very briefly, I think there were plenty of memories made. Let's take a look, shall we?"
 
The video screen begins to play a video, accompanied by a mournful piano serenade. The image of Kurt Angle staggering in the ring, blood gushing from his head in his match against Joe, is followed by that of Daniel Puder forcing him to tap out after the match, and then by the brutal assault on Angle in his own home, with several of the shots covered in slow motion, and the final one where Abyss cracks Angle across the head with a frying pan repeated several times, before it fades to a black screen, with white lettering reading 'Kurt Angle's TNA Career, October 2006-December 2006'
 
Mitchell wipes an imaginary tear from his eye, when his attention is grabbed by the sudden, unexpected cheers of the crowd. Mitchell turns behind him, to see Angle jumping the guardrail, armed with a chair. Mitchell dives for cover, as Angle hits the ring fast, smashing the chair across the head of Abyss, once, twice, the fans cheering each shot, before throwing it away, for the more personal attack of a flurry of punches and clothesline, bowling Abyss over the top rope. Angle leans over the ropes, screaming in rage at the two men fleeing up the ramp. Angle stands furious and victorious in the ring, as iMPACT fades to black.
 
January 14th, 2007: TNA Final Resolution
 
Of the three main event bouts, the first to be contested is the tag battle between the Phenomenal Angels and the team of Christian Cage and Daniel Puder.
 
Cage and Puder realise early on, when Daniels outmanoeuvres first Puder, who then tags out, only for Christian to receive the same punishment, that they cannot let the fight build momentum. And so Christian's veteran experience with fighting dirty and Puder's excellent mat wrestling are put to good use, keeping Styles and Daniels from mounting any real counter offence for a good time, until AJ Styles counters a takedown from Puder by rolling back with it, landing on his feet, while Puder is left sitting on the mat, until Styles drops both boots into his face with a crisp dropkick, followed up by a knee drop. Styles and Daniels then use quick tags of their own, combined with a new found wariness to manage to hit both of their opponents with high impact dropkicks, hurracaranas, DDTs and planchas to the outside on both men, making it quickly apparent why Cage and Puder feared letting them build up steam.
 
The personal issues between Styles and Cage quickly boil up, resulting in the two of them abandoning the match proper to brawl around ringside, neither man gaining an obvious advantage. Meanwhile, in the ring, Christopher Daniels is able to deliver a brainbuster on Puder in the ring, and point to the turnbuckle, signalling for the Best Moonsault Ever. As the fans cheer, Daniels hops onto the bottom turnbuckle, up to the second, but is caught as he jumps onto the top one from behind, and rolled up by Puder for the three count. Puder exits the ring, having sneaked a win from Daniels, he doesn't wait for Daniels to seek out retribution.
 
The fans are torn between who to support as Samoa Joe and Sting pace around each other, taking their time to start their match. Duelling chants for both men bounce across the arena, the 900 strong crowd sounding like a much larger crowd. The two tie up, and Joe throws a knee into Sting's midsection. A series of chops and forearms follow this, and it's topped off with a spinning heel kick, downing the icon, who rolls under the bottom rope to catch his breath. Joe waits in the ring for Sting to come back in, knowing that he has the power and speed advantage, and doesn't need to risk losing his high ground by going outside with the increasingly violent Sting. Sting slowly enters, his eyes on Samoa Joe, and the two circle each other again, each knowing how much rests on the match, and the calibre of opponent they have. Sting runs in with a lariat, catching Joe across the chest,  before hiptossing him down, and chopping him across the chest as he stands up, with enough force to make the tough Samoan stagger away. Sting follows with a series of chops to Joe, who goes to rest in the turnbuckle. Sting puts enough distance to get a  good run up for the Stinger Splash, only to be caught mid-air by Joe for a uranage, earning a two-count. Joe locks the choke on from here, and could very well have sent the match home early, were it not for Sting getting his left foot on the bottom rope.
 
Hebner breaks the submission, but Joe doesn't give Sting enough time to properly reach his feet, hitting the opposite rope, and dropkicking Sting through the middle rope he's resting on. Joe grabs a chair from under the ring, placing it in a corner of the guardrails, and sitting Sting down in it. Joe rolls back under the ring, restarting the count, before Olû kicking Sting's head against the steel barrier, and running the outside of the ring, coming full circle for the final dropkick. Sting is tossed roughly back into the ring, as the crowd is split once again between calling "Joe's Gonna Kill You" and having sympathy for the brutalised veteran. Sting scores an uppercut as he reaches his feet, surprising his opponent, and sending him staggering. A kick in the gut is a precursor to a DDT, only earning a two count for Sting. Sting exhaustedly clambers the turnbuckles to deliver a missile dropkick to Samoa Joe, taking a break to revel in the "You've still got it!" chant that meets this move.
 
Sting goes for the kill from here. With Joe down, Sting rolls outside the ring, grabbing hold of a steel chair. As Sting stalks Joe in the ring for the shot, Raven rushes to the ring, shouting encouragement to Sting through the ropes. Sting hesitates, before tossing the chair at Raven instead.  Raven staggers backwards, his lip cut open by the thrown chair. Joe and Sting circle each other once more, Sting having decided to settle this without weapons. Joe sends Sting reeling with a jumping kick to the head, which is all the opening he needs to rush Sting, planting him on the top rope, and delivering the musclebuster for the three count. Joe's streak remains intact, and he has finally gained the title shot he has been pushing so hard for. Joe waits in the ring for Sting to regain his feet, and the fans cheer as Sting shakes hands with Joe, and raises his arm.
 
One match which is bound to contain less goodwill is the bout between Kurt Angle and Abyss. The match kicks off with Abyss in the unfamiliar position of being overwhelmed, as Kurt's rage carries him through the early stages with a flurry of strikes, clotheslines and suplexes performed at furious speed and intensity. Angle, in his rage, goes for the finish early, however, trying for an Angle Slam, only for Abyss to reposition his weight, landing on his feet on the apron. From here, Abyss grabs Angle by the head, throwing him over the top rope to the outside. Abyss drops down, and launches on a targeted attack on the head of Angle outside, making good use of the announce table, ringpost, steel steps and apron. This area is obviously still sensitive, as it gets busted open quickly, and all the power of Angle earlier seems gone.  Angle is eventually thrown back into the ring, where he barely kicks out at two. Abyss measures Angle for a chokeslam, his first real wrestling move of the match, but Angle floats over, delivering a thunderous german suplex to the monster. Hebner begins his count as both men are down, reaching eight before both men fight to their feet. They trade shots, and Angle is obviously outmatched in this style, until he resorts to a desperation head butt. Abyss staggers, dropping his head enough for Angle to score a spinning neckbreaker for two. As Hebner is distracted by Mitchell's attempts at entering the ring, Daniel Puder runs into the ring, bringing a steel chair smashing across the skull of Kurt Angle. Angle staggers into the corner, and Puder flees before the referee spots him. Angle charges in for Abyss, but is easy pickings for the black hole slam, which puts him away for the three.

To be continued....

 

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