Have you FREAKING lost it?

Lets hear it for Kurt Angle, the latest person to go from highly respected within his industry to an absolute kook who has seemingly lost it. Honestly, who allows this guy to talk to the media? He comes off as an absolute quack. Between TNA management and his supposed handlers, shouldn't somebody be putting a muzzle on him?

Take his latest interview with Fighting Spirit Magazine, for instance. How about these gems....

Kurt on TNA's ratings:

Kurt Freaking Angle: I’m excited about it. I just can’t believe how high our ratings are. I knew that we were doing good ratings, but I didn’t know we were pretty close to the Raw ratings, so I’m real excited.

Um, what? "Pretty close to the Raw ratings"??? The week before WrestleMania, when Raw typically does high ratings, and TNA had their first live edition of Impact (which should, theoretically, bring higher than usual ratings), Raw did a 3.9 cable rating. Impact, meanwhile, brought in a 0.4 cable rating. Raw's ratings were nearly TEN TIMES higher. How in the freakin' hell is that "pretty close"? Damn, even the Hall of Fame ceremony -- where fans are basically watching a black tie gala -- did a 2.1. I don't know a damn soul who watches AM Raw, and even THAT managed to beat TNA, with a 0.8 cable rating. And the show airs at 1 in the morning!

TNA has exploded. We’ve not exploded in ratings, but little by little – 30,000, 25,000 fans a week – it keeps going up. One week we did a 1.1, then a 1.2, then 1.35 – that’s small ratings and it’s about two million people, but the next week, God willing, that’s going to be two point one million. So, after a little while, you’re doing three million people. Now you’re doing the same ratings as SmackDown, so then what do you do? You go after Raw. They’re doing four million, so we take it to that level.

So first you were "pretty close to the Raw ratings" and now you're admitting that you've only achieved 1.35 at your absolute highest? And sorry Kurt, but you're NOT doing the same ratings as Smackdown. ECW, which is the red headed step child of WWE, averages a 1.3 rating.

Kurt on his impact in the industry:

I even heard that he (Jay Lethal) cried for real, because he beat Kurt Angle. It’s like beating Stone Cold or The Rock.

Yeah, Kurt....just like that.

Chris Jericho will never reach the top echelon that Undertaker, Hunter, Shawn, myself and Sting are at.

And later....

I can’t tell you who, but we’re working on a fight with Randy (Couture). If that falls through, Tito’s (Ortiz) up. We’re actually the same weight, so neither of us has to change. It won’t be 205, it won’t be heavyweight, it’ll be me and him at 215 just going at it. I don’t wanna have a warm-up match – I’m too big for that right now, too popular. I won an Olympic gold medal, there’s no need for me to have a warm-up. I’d rather just go against one of the top guys and do it. If I win, great. If I lose, then that’s okay.

Yeah, this guy really has an awfully inflated perspective on where he stands in the industry, doesn't he?

Kurt on being a part-timer:

First he says....

KFA: The thing that separates us from WWE is that you’re going to see the exact same superstars that are on TV. That’s the difference between TNA and WWE...we bring all of our talent to every one of our shows. WWE can’t say that because Shawn Michaels doesn’t come, The Undertaker doesn’t come.

Then he says....

In WWE, I asked for that – I asked to go part time like those guys and Vince said, “I can’t do it. We have five hours of programming – you’re too important”. Well, screw you, Vince. I gave you seven years of my life. Five broken necks. F**k you.

And then even LATER he says....

KFA: Nah. Listen, we’ve made Kurt Angle bigger than TNA. So, what do you do with somebody that’s bigger than your company – exploit them and run them into the ground? No. Kurt Angle is probably going to do 45 house shows a year instead of 100, so I don’t have to worry about doing too much.

Wow, Kurt, you gave up on that "all of our guys are at every show" stance pretty quickly, didn't you?

So you're criticizing Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker -- and by proxy, WWE -- because they have a part time schedule, yet you quit the company because they wouldn't give YOU that? Interesting....

As a side note, I do fully believe that Angle SHOULD have been granted a part-time schedule when he requested it, due to the condition that he was in.

Kurt on pushing the little guy:

So I asked, “Vince – what are you doing? Why are we picking up guys like Batista, who are 6’5”, 300 pounds and can’t even wrestle?” This was back when he couldn’t wrestle – he can now. I was saying, “Why don’t we pick up AJ – he’s only 190 pounds but he’s f**king awesome!” And Vince was like, “Kurt, you’re the real deal, so you can be 5’10”, 200 pounds, but we need the big guys.” “No we don’t, Vince – don’t discriminate! Let a 5’9” guy win the title!”

With all due respect, Batista managed to headline more than one WrestleMania, quite successfully so, and was essentially one of the top 5 guys in the company. And in the past few years, we've seen Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Kurt Angle -- all guys who are 5'11" or less (Mysterio is like 5'3") -- hold World Championships. If you want to count the ECW Championship, throw CM Punk, John Morrison, and Chavo Guerrero in there as well. Along with that, guys like Shawn Michaels, Edge, King Booker, and Randy Orton aren't exactly muscle bound freaks.

Incidentally, since Kurt Angle has joined TNA, the only World Champs we've seen are Sting, Angle, Abyss, and Christian. None of THOSE guys are 5'9". In fact, the only time AJ Styles -- the very main Angle praises as f'n awesome -- sees the main event, it's to be the comic-relief lackey for either Christian or Angle himself.