Do I still have it?
Any person who has excelled in any field asks themselves this question once they have stopped. People are obsessed with it, creating simulations pitting one person or group against another. We have discussion if this athlete could compete against that athlete. Most of the time, it is just a mind game. John Elway won’t be a surprise substitution in Super Bowl LII, Michael Jordan won’t be starting in Game one of the 2018 NBA Finales. In the world of professional wrestling, however, this question will be answered in less then forty eight hours for one man, as Kurt Angle will wrestle in the main event at the TLC pay per view.
Legacy
We shouldn’t be surprised. Angle first caught the nation’s attention by stepping up in a moment where most other people would fail. Five months after breaking his neck in the Olympic Trials, he won the gold medal in Atlanta. There was no excuses, no talk of giving up. Angle wanted to win for his country and nothing was going to stop him. When he decided to become a professional wrestler, he worked away from the spotlight. He didn’t believe that his status made him exempt, if anything he worked harder to prove that he could do it. In matches after matches, he was giving it everything he had, sometimes at the cost of his own body. He entered the WWE Hall of Fame just last year, with a career that any professional wrestler would dream about having. He had nothing to prove, just be a non-wrestling part of the show as the manager of Raw.
Passion
And yet, the question is always there. Being in a non wrestling capacity must be hard. You are there, so close to the action, but not in the ring wrestling. It is always there, at every television show or house show. You see new talent come up and you wonder I bet the two of us could have a hell of a match. You want the chance to show that not all of your skills and training have left you. The final stress is that this is the WWE. Yes, I know that there are other wrestling promotions, but this is the big stage. A great major league player might love his home stadium, but there is a little shiver that goes down their spine when they step into Fenway Park, where all of their heroes once played. When Angle steps out in front of that audience, you can bet that he has been thinking about this moment for a very long time.
Commitment
In the coming days and weeks, a lot of talk will be about Angle and this match. Some people will ponder why, while others will talk about the Kurt’s ability in the ring. The most important thing to note, however, is that a Hall of Famer, with nothing to prove, helped out his company when they needed him the most. Vince McMahon probably had fifty different plans if something went wrong, the motto of the WWE is “the show must go on”. Angle could have said no, but that wouldn’t be in his character. He said yes, he might have even volunteered, for his brothers and sisters. He wanted to give the crowd their money’s worth. This is what he does, what he has always done. Giving everything he has.
Answer
The funny part is that the Do I still have it question has already been answered for Kurt Steven Angle. It was answered the moment that they asked and he said yes. Any wrestler or potential wrestler needs to know what Angle did. His dedication should be praised and his hard work rewarded. If you did not plan to watch TLC, get the free trail and watch Angle’s match. For a man who has given everything, it is a small price to pay. This will be moment that not many sports or entertainment can match. After his match, there will no longer be any questions or what ifs. Just a simple three letter word replacing a five word sentence.
Do I still have it?
Yes.
Oh it true, it’s damn true.
