Timmins wins over superstar wrestlers
Monday, July 23, 2007 @ 10:00

With his signature finishing move applied on his opponent, professional wrestler Kurt Angle sensed victory.

Angle's ankle lock caused his adversary, Christian Cage, to scratch and claw but to no avail in getting to the ropes to break the submission hold.

Not being able to take any more pain, Cage reluctantly tapped out sending the crowd in the Archie Dillon Sportsplex into a frenzy.

Blood Sweat and Ears brought Gold Rush 2007 to Timmins on Saturday, and with it, arguably today's most popular wrestler in Angle.

The match between Angle and Cage headlined numerous other matches that brought the crowd to its feet throughout the night.

In the end, yet another match was decided by Angle's submission manoeuvre.

"When I put it on, you're going to feel the pain," the Total Nonstop Action superstar said.

"That's my move and that's what you have to do in this business."

And Angle would be one to know.

He has won several championships, including the TNA world heavyweight title, which he brought to Timmins with him.

In June, Angle also won the International Wrestling Grand Prix championship in Japan by beating Brock Lesnar.

Having travelled the globe, Angle has experienced crowds of every kind and said that Saturday night's throng at the Sportsplex was top-notch.

"It was a great crowd in a great town," he said.

"I've never been to this part of Canada. It's a cool little town and the people here are very smart when it comes to wrestling, which is not surprising in Canada. I think that the promoter here is on to something big."

BSE has been well-received in its performances at the Sportsplex and at a local high school with Saturday's show arguably the biggest with TNA stars in Angle, Cage, Robert Roode, Traci Brooks and Christopher Daniels.

If Saturday is any indication of what can be regularly expected from Timmins, BSE would be wise to bring more stars to Northern Ontario, Angle said.

"The fans who come here are highly passionate," he said. "If Christian Cage says five words they're going to respond. If I do the same thing, they'll respond, and that's what you want.

"If you're going to pay good money to watch wrestling, you might as well have a good time and that's what happened tonight. The 1,500 to 2,000 fans beat the heck out of 15,000 that don't say a word.

"It makes you want to wrestle harder."

With a cut above his left eye after the match, Cage agreed that though the number in attendance was smaller, the crowd still packed a big punch.

"There are so many people in the bigger venues, that when you look out in the crowd you don't see people, you see an ocean," Cage said. "When you come here, you see faces."

Gold Rush was Cage's second time in Timmins, and from what he has seen, it is similar to his hometown of Orangeville, Ont.

"I grew up in Ontario, but never got the chance to come this far north," he said. "I grew up in a small town, so it's nice to come back to a small town, close community."

The match between the two stars was the result of Cage challenging Angle for the TNA title. But the wrestling organization would not allow them to go at it in one of its shows.

"Cage came to me and said 'hey, there's a really hot town in Canada that would love to have you come up and wrestle,'" Angle said.

The champion admitted that he had not heard of Timmins before that point, but was glad that he agreed to do the show.

"This is what I call highly successful for me, the promoters and the town," Angle said. "It's a win-win-win situation. If (the promoters) and the fans want me back I'll come back. Maybe next time I'll wrestle Jeff Jarrett or Bret Hart.

"I hope I come back. The fans are great. I know this town is Shania Twain proud, but it has more to it than Shania Twain."

In Cage's return to Timmins, he received a fair share of both cheers and jeers. Being the bad guy wasn't a hard pill to swallow for Cage, however. In getting any response from the crowd, Cage said he does his job.

"Being jeered is being cheered for me," he said. "That's how I look at it.

"(Fans) come to be involved in the show and to get away from real life."

Leading up to the main event between Cage and Angle were a number of action-packed bouts.

Canadian wrestling legend Lance Storm defeated Daniels despite interference by Brooks and Roode.

Ash beat out five other BSE wrestlers in a suicide six-pack championship match. He pinned Bang-Bang Pete to retain his title.

Roode got the better of Kris Chambers, who won over the crowd. Kelly Couture and Angel won their female tag match against Brooks and Danyah.

And in the event's opening match, the Suicide Kidz and Japanese wrestlers Raijin & Brute defeated the Blackouts and TNT in an eight-man elimination match.

BSE also donated the money they collected from a raffle draw to the South Porcupine Food Bank. Raffle tickets were sold, with the winner receiving an autographed and framed set of tights from Cage.

With his perceived success of the show, Angle only sees things getting bigger for BSE in Timmins.

"Next time they bring in guys of my magnitude ... I think the attendance is going to continue to go up and the promoters are going to have to continuously bring people that they normally don't see here," Angle said.



*Credit Timmins Press*