KURT ANGLE VS. JAY LETHAL

Today is the anniversary of one Jay Lethal stepping foot into a wrestling ring for his debut. So why Kurt Angle has recently retired, so it seemed appropriate to review the time they shared a ring on Pay-Per-View. Back in August, Kurt Angle teamed with Samoa Joe to beat Team 3-D in the “Match of Champions) meaning Samoa Joe got to choose a championship partner. Instead, he challenged Kurt Angle to a match for ALL THE BELTS the next month at Hard Justice, won by Angle. Sting won a match for the right to be Kurt's partner. This was Kurt Angle's second match of the night, having lost those championships to Ron Killings and Adam `Pacman' Jones. Jay Lethal is using his Randy Savage “Black Machismo” gimmick. What a time to be alive.

Before the match is shown on the DVD Kurt Angle says it's one of his favourite matches of his career, moving on to Jeff Jarrett who calls the match “what the business is about” and one that put Jay Lethal on the map. Mike Tenay and Don West are on commentary. I always liked that Kurt Angle came up through the floor in his entrance, it just made him that bit different to the rest of the roster. Don West questions if Angle is too busy thinking about his main event, looking past Jay Lethal and this match. Black Machismo comes down to the ring and the fans are eating it up, chanting “let's go Lethal” as the match begins.

KURT ANGLE © VS. JAY LETHAL (TNA X-Division Championship)

TNA NO SURRENDER 2007 (9^th September 2007)

(C) Impact Wrestling

They lock up and Kurt Angle immediately grabs the arm, dropping Lethal to the mat and keeping him in the wristlock. Jay Lethal counters into one of his own and Angle breaks with the ropes. Jay Lethal gets a headlock from the second lock up, but is sent off the ropes. Jay Lethal knocks Angle down and runs into a hip toss. Jay Lethal takes his time getting back into it, but still gets caught in a headlock and taken down to the mat. Jay Lethal gets back to his feet and pushes Angle off into a hip toss, but fluffs the dropkick, only clipping Angle. Jay Lethal covers but only gets 1. Lethal hits a double-sledge from the top rope and this time gets 2. Kurt Angle reverses an irish whip out of the corner but runs into a boot by Lethal. Kurt kicks him in the gut and cuts off any momentum with a powerbomb into the turnbuckles. Kurt Angle lays in stomps and drops Lethal across his knee for a nearfall.

Kurt Angle knocks Lethal into the corner with a European uppercut and focuses strikes on Lethal's midsection, then throws Lethal over with a suplex for two immediate nearfalls. Lethal gets trapped in a bodyscissors on the mat for an extended period, Kurt adds a chinlock to the move but Lethal is able to fight out of the scissors and slowly makes it to his feet. Jay Lethal elbows free and runs into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for another nearfall. Kurt Angle lays in rights and slams Lethal to the mat. Showing his frustration at this match going on longer. Kurt Angle drives his knee into Lethal's back, forcing him onto the bottom rope. A European uppercut and back suplex get Kurt another nearfall, he really tried to hold Lethal down that time. Angle pulls back on Lethal's neck with a knee to the spine but the fans chant Lethal to his feet. Kurt Angle clubs at Machismo's back but Lethal lands on his feet escaping a back suplex. They collide with clotheslines and both go down.

They get to their feet at similar times, Lethal ducks a clothesline and hits two of his own to Angle, but the irish whip is reversed but Lethal slides through Angle's legs and leaps into a headscissors from standing, followed by an enziguri. Kurt Angle gets to his feet in the corner, but Lethal jabs him. Angle goes nowhere on an irish whip and pulls Lethal into a german suplex, Lethal got more height than anything and almost landed on top of Angle. Jay Lethal kicks out of another pin and counters the Angle Slam into a DDT for a nearfall of his own. Jay Lethal signals for his elbow drop but takes too long, Kurt Angle scrambles up the ropes to meet Lethal and sends him back to the mat with a belly to belly suplex, covering for a close nearfall. Jay Lethal kicks off an attempt at the Angle lock and gets a nearfall from a small package. Jay Lethal misses a clothesline, so Angle connects with the rolling german suplexes, covering for 2. Kurt Angle stalks for the Olympic Slam (I forgot they used that in TNA instead) but Jay Lethal counters with an arm drag, causing Don West to lose his shit. The Lethal Combination connects and Lethal goes to the top rope. Kurt Angle isn't far enough away so it looks awkward, Black Machismo covers 1, 2, 2.99!

Jay Lethal counters a powerbomb but Angle rolls through with the sunset flip, Lethal slides out and covers Angle for another 2 count. Jay Lethal misses another clothesline, getting planted with a german suplex before Kurt Angle pulls the straps down, stalking Jay Lethal for another Olympic Slam, Jay Lethal turns over and rolls Angle up with the sunset flip, Angle slips out and grabs the Ankle lock but Lethal rolls through that and wins the match.

WINNER: JAY LETHAL

This was a good coming-out party for Jay Lethal. He looked on the level of Kurt freakin' Angle in this match and the fans REALLY wanted him to win. His gimmick was gaining a lot of traction and it was one of the only impersonator characters to work in wrestling. Kurt Angle made Lethal look a million bucks and played up his frustration well at not being able to put him away as the match went on. Jay Lethal had an answer for everything Angle threw at him and gave us a sleeper hit in the process.– WORKRATE: 3.5/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT 3.5/5 OVERALL 7/10

After the match Petey Williams, Sonjay Dutt and Sharkboy come out to congratulate Jay Lethal on his win. This match is available on TNA's DVD release "Kurt Angle: Champion"