Marked Out: The Fall Of The Hardy Boyz, Nash Fired & Kurt Angle Talks “Warrior”
Never A Dull Moment For Matt and Jeff Hardy:
It’s been quite the eventful year for Matt and Jeff Hardy.
For years, Jeff was always considered the “troubled” brother, but in the past two weeks, Matt has been giving him a run for his money.
Matt’s personal life has been spiraling out of control following his Aug. 20 arrest for driving while intoxicated in North Carolina. Matt was already under suspension from TNA and he was fired just 24 hours following his arrest.
Four days later, Matt was rushed to the hospital after falling in his home. But things eventually hit rock bottom last week when he posted a YouTube video that implied he was going to commit suicide on Aug. 31. After dozens of phone calls to the authorities on behalf of Matt, the police determined that the video was just a sick prank.
Seriously, I was this close to writing a Matt Hardy eulogy for my debut column last week, but figured it would be too morbid.
The last time we saw Jeff prior to this week was at TNA’s Victory Road in March, where his main event title match against Sting was cut short after he was in no condition to wrestle (OK, he was high as a kite).
Unlike Matt, not only has Jeff been able to keep his job in TNA, he’s getting a brand new two-disc DVD set and his comeback received a huge push on IMPACT — the same day where he was sentenced to 10 days in jail, 30 months of probation and a $100,000 fine after pleading guilty to drug charges.
Huh?
Only Dixie Carter would capitalize off a wrestler’s personal demons that he’s battling outside the ring. Not even Vince McMahon would stoop this low.
TNA is willing to give Jeff third and fourth chances since they are in desperate need for stars that aren’t AARP members. For Jeff’s sake, I hope he has really cleaned up his act.
Kevin Nash Fired?
This is the second week of Marked Out and this is my second rant dedicated to Kevin Nash. Holy shit, it’s like you’re reading my Geocities website from 1995.
Nash was “fired” on Monday Night Raw this week by his BFF Triple H after the WWE COO discovered who sent the mysterious text at SummerSlam that resulted in CM Punk losing the WWE Championship. Despite the WWE.com mention the following day and Nash’s tweets, this screams of a total shoot. If the firing were legit, why would Nash drive out of the arena with John Laurinaitis?
Rumors have been swirling around Nash’s health and this storyline will allow him time to get back to 100 percent before coming back to ruin another storyline or two.
Kurt Angle on Warrior:
TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle continues to add films to his IMDB page with an appearance in the MMA action drama Warrior, which opens in theaters this weekend. Angle plays Koba, a Russian MMA fighter that is modeled after Fedor Emelianenko (back when Fedor actually won fights). Despite not having a speak role in the film, Angle’s character is influential to the film, which is about two brothers competing in a winner-takes-all MMA tournament.
“It wasn’t a huge part, but it was very impactful,” Angle told The Well Versed. “This movie is going to be a hit, just for the fighting alone. The fighting was very true to MMA. It wasn’t over choreographed. This was very true.”
When he’s not carrying TNA on his back, Angle is furiously training for the 2012 Olympics. At 42, he’s attempting to become the Bernard Hopkins of the Olympic wrestling world. “I’m down 215 pounds already, well ahead of my schedule,” Angle said on his Olympic training. “I’m right on par and I’m wrestling fantastically, thank God. I have no injuries and I’m feeling pretty good.”
Top Five Kurt Angle Matches:
5. Backlash 2001: Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (30 Minute Ultimate Submission Match) — It would be nearly impossible for these two wrestlers to have a bad match together. If you’re a fan of wrestling and not wrasslin’, this is the perfect match for you.
4. Hard Justice 2007: Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe — You could do a separate Top 5 with just Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe matches, but this one stands out because all of the TNA titles were on the line. Yes, only TNA would have a match that featured the winner taking home the TNA World Heavyweight, IWGP Heavyweight Championship, TNA X Division and World Tag Team titles.
3. King of the Ring 2001: Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon (Street Fight) — Long before we knew how dangerous concussions were, Kurt Angle and Shane McMahon battled in a hellacious street fight at the 2001 King of the Ring where Shane-O-Mac took some serious shots to the dome. Angle delivered several belly-to-belly suplexes to McMahon on the stage — including one botched spot that saw McMahon’s head land directly on the stage.
2. TNA Impact 1/4/10: Kurt Angle vs. A.J. Styles — The same night old ass Bret Hart made his return to the WWE after 13 years, Kurt Angle and A.J. Styles were putting on a wrestling clinic for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship during a special live three-hour edition of IMPACT.
1. WrestleMania XIX: Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar — The two best amateur wrestlers on the WWE roster locked up at Safeco Field for the WWE Championship. At first glance, you wouldn’t think this was Angle’s greatest match ever. But Angle worked this match with a severely injured neck, which required surgery immediately after WrestleMania XIV.
Quote of the Week:
“All I can do is ask. Give me one more shot.” — Jeff Hardy on IMPACT.
