Kurt Angle Arrest and Summerslam

So the two big pieces of wrestling news this week are, that Kurt Angle was arrested over the weekend for allegedly stalking his (I assume now ex-)girlfriend Rhaka Khan, a TNA Knockout (soon to be ex-Knockout?). The details are that over the weekend they had a fight which resulted in him being kicked out of his house and a protection order being filed. When he and Khan (unbeknownst to Angle, according to him) ended up at the same venue a day or two later, police were called and, upon searching his car, found growth hormone which he may or may not have a prescription for.

Angle's claim is that this whole thing was concocted by Rhaka Khan; given he has a past of substance abuse, and a rocky relationship with his ex-wife, as well as a DUI on his record, this wouldn't necessarily be at all out of character; however innocent until proven guilty. Angle has gone on-record with his side of the events, that KHAN had been following HIM, while Khan's people claim he'd been stalking her, and had taken her cell phone in an attempt to delete incriminating text messages and photos.

It is a very sad case in all, but it should be interesting to see how all this plays out in court. I'm usually a bleeding-heart, soft-on-crime, pro-rehabilitation liberal, but as a woman, and as someone who witnessed the events leading up to and surrounding and following the Benoit murders from two years ago (albeit from afar), I do hope for Angle's own sake as well as that of his girlfriend, his ex-wife, and his children, that this case is taken very seriously. Without wanting to assume guilt, the Benoit case was a matter of strange behaviour going unreported because it was otherwise out of character for Benoit; as this becomes more and more in-character for Angle, I hope note is taken. And too bad too - even if he is not a stalker or abuser, given multiple brushes with the law and several ... interesting ... interviews and much backhanded political maneuvering in recent months and years, this is a man I had a great deal of respect for who is showing more and more aspects of his character I just have a hard time appreciating. Unfortunate.

In more fortunate news, it's Summerslam weekend! I haven't seen wrestling in a month with work and moving etc. (last I saw at all was the Raw Shaquille O'Neal hosted), and it will be nice to be able to relax in our new home on a Sunday evening with the WWE's usual summer send-off event. Hopefully our cable is installed by then, sometime Friday or Saturday. Fingers crossed. Meanwhile hope you guys all enjoyed Raw and ECW this week, enjoy Impact and Smackdown (and Superstars I guess) coming up, or whatever combination thereof you check out, and be sure and have fun w/Summerslam Sunday. I'll do my best to post my predictions for the show before the weekend, but if not I will be up and running regularly for next week for sure; hopefully we'll have our first broadcast of the new season up and running for In This Very Ring on Thursday, but the next week at the latest if that doesn't happen. Until then, stay tuned, be well!