Reviews

TJR WWE Network Table for 3 Review with Kurt Angle, Shane McMahon and AJ Styles

By John Canton • Published 14th May 2018
TJR Wrestling

It’s time for another WWE Network review for the latest installment of Table for 3. This is the show where three wrestling personalities sit at a table in an empty restaurant and have a discussion while they have a meal together.

This was the first episode of Table for 3 in five months. The last episode featured Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy and Finn Balor, which was in December 2017. Why the big delay in new episodes? I have no idea, but that’s how WWE uploads these things sometimes.

Here is “Show Stealers” featuring AJ Styles, Shane McMahon and Kurt Angle with a run time of 23:28 on WWE Network. This was taped in late January based on this Instagram posted by Kurt Angle.

Angle talked about how he had so many great matches with AJ Styles in TNA and he never expected Styles in WWE wrestling Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 33 (2017). Angle said it’s not because of Styles’ talent, it was because AJ was always wrestling somewhere else. Styles and McMahon talked about how much they enjoyed their WrestleMania 33 match (Styles defeated Shane). Angle asked how they got so much time for the match, so AJ pointed at Shane. That was funny. Shane said he was happy with 25 minutes and they wanted around 30 minutes.

Shane spoke about how he watched a TNA match at Hard Justice 2008 when Angle wrestled Styles. Shane said the match was spectacular. Styles said it was Last Man Standing and it was a great match. Angle said he had some of his best matches ever with Styles. Styles mentioned the finish was the DDT off the top rope and Styles said that Angle sold it great.

They moved on to talking about King of the Ring 2001 when Shane wrestled Kurt in a brutal match that has become a classic. They joked about how Shane punched Angle in the face and Angle was bleeding from it. Angle said they both ended up in the hospital and they were proud of the match. Angle spoke about how much his back hurt from the suplex on the floor, which broke Angle’s tailbone. They talked about the famous glass spots. Angle noted that it was not sugar glass (the breakable kind) and Shane said it as because they were so worried about the pyrotechnics possibly blowing up the glass. Shane talked about landing right on the top of his head and Angle mentioned how loud it sounded. You could hear it when they showed the replay. There were more highlights of Shane landing head first and then being tossed face first through the match. Shane said it was one of the first standing ovations ever and it was in the Meadowlands. Shane said they were very new and green and wanted to set the tone. They thanked eachother. Shane said getting the adulation from the crowd and then walking to the back to a standing ovation from the boys in the back. Shane called it one of the greatest achievements of his life. Shane noted his wife Marissa was crying and he felt bad about her having to watch him go through. They spoke about Vince’s reaction with Shane telling the story that he was told that Vince almost came out to stop the match three times because it was too violent it was too emotional for him. Shane spoke about how they had a really good story and they were working out their story physically. Shane said they just meshed and then magic can happen.

Analysis: That match at King of the Ring 2001 is pretty legendary in terms of the violence and how entertaining of a match it was. It’s incredible that neither guy wasn’t more seriously injured because of some of the crazy spots in the match. Angle did plenty of interviews in the last decade talking about that match and how it was supposed to be sugar glass there, which is the breakable glass that looks like real glass and sounds like real glass. Instead, there was the real glass, which is what Shane explained about the pyro. Angle wrestled three times that night too! It’s insane.

The guys talked about how they trained their bodies after all of these years. Styles said you have to listen to your body. Angle said he does a lot of stretching and yoga. Styles spoke about doing burpees while adding that he doesn’t lift weights that much and he maintains what he has.

Styles spoke about how he would have matches with Angle and he would get tired, but Angle would just keep going. Angle said that he had too much intensity in his matches while telling Styles he wasn’t the only one to complain about it. Shane busted out laughing at that. Angle said after a few years of wrestling Styles, he knew how to pick his moments. Shane noted that Angle’s at a different level as an Olympic gold medallist. Angle: “Yeah you’re right.” They laughed.

They had a discussion about their families. Shane and AJ talked about how they compare football stories for their boys (each man has three boys, AJ has a daughter too). Angle noted his kids are 15, 11, 7, 5 and 1. (The two oldest are the kids he had with Karen Angle, who is now Karen Jarrett.) Angle said sometimes it scares him because he’ll be almost 70 when his youngest daughter graduates high school. Shane told Kurt he still looks good. AJ talked about his three boys and how his three year old daughter is smarter than the boys. AJ laughed about how boys just don’t care. Shane talked about how he has three boys and they knew if they kept going (by having more kids) there would be more boys. Styles said he was done at three boys, but then they had his daughter and said she was meant to be. Shane said one of the reasons why he came back to WWE in 2016 is because his boys had never seen him perform, so he said if the right opportunity presented itself then maybe. Shane talked about how he got the call from his dad Vince for the Undertaker match at WrestleMania in Dallas in a Hell in a Cell match. Shane said one of the highlights of his entire life, he talked to his boys backstage before his match (footage was shown of this) and told them to come out onto the stage with him. The boys were all excited about it. They showed highlights of when the boys ran on the stage with Shane. That was a cool moment. Shane laughed about how the boys were so great at it as if they practiced it even though he just told them about it moments before they went out there.

Angle put over Styles saying that he might be the best wrestler in the world right now. Shane said he agreed. Styles said that he’s had the opportunity to be in the ring with greats like Angle and Shane. Styles talked about how you learn when you’re in the business and you never stop learning. Angle said the reason AJ is so good is because he has the ability to learn and has always wanted to learn. Angle told Styles he is teachable while adding that a lot of people aren’t open to learning.

Styles talked about Angle’s rise to the top in WWE and asked how long it took him to wrestle main event guys. Angle said he started in late 1998, then started on TV in late 1999 and then ten months later he won the WWE Title from The Rock at No Mercy (October 2000). Angle joked that he had no idea what he was doing when he was champion. Shane told a story about how Angle said that people in Pittsburgh loved him and Shane told Angle the people will boo him. Angle said when he came back, he couldn’t believe that the people booed him. A clip aired of Angle on Raw on November 15, 1999 in Pittsburgh and the fans booed him. Angle did a promo that night complaining about how the people cheered a pimp like The Godfather instead of a gold medallist like him. Angle said if he didn’t do that in his hometown then this character may not have worked. Angle ended up saying that he was glad that he did it and that he was the top heel in the business within six months. I wouldn’t agree with that because Triple H was above him, but he was right there.

Shane asked Kurt if he preferred being a heel or a face. Angle said he enjoyed being a heel more because he had the ability to make an ass out of himself and he liked that. Angle said it was fun. Shane said that it was self-deprecating. Shane said it was similar to The Rock. Angle knew the fans hated him, but they couldn’t wait to hear him and the fans loved him as a heel. Angle said that he wishes he could have been a face more, but he always enjoyed working more as a heel.

Styles talked about how he always enjoyed being a face and getting to take a picture with a kid to put a smile on his face. Styles said he really enjoys that especially at this point in his career. Angle complimented Styles for always being good at that.

Shane said he liked being the heel better because you get to instigate more and you get the set the tone more. Angle joked about how as a heel you know it’s going to blow up in your face. Shane said it’s simple storyline to have the good guy beat the villain while Styles chimed in saying you never know where the villain will go after that.

They wrapped up the discussion shaking hands. Shane said it was fun hanging out. Angle said hopefully there is more to come. Shane suggested a triple threat match. Angle laughed and said he would pay to see that. Shane said knock him out early and let them do all the work. Styles joked that this means they will just throw Styles around. Angle joked about how he wanted to know how long Shane would keep doing that shuffle dance of his. Shane said he would teach him. Shane said he could still do some good things out there and Styles told Shane not to teach Kurt that dance.

The broadcast ended with a graphic saying: “To Watch All AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle Impact Wrestling Matches In Their Entirety, Download the Global Wrestling Network App.” The GWN logo appeared on the screen as well.

Analysis: WWE made a deal with Impact to air the footage and in return, WWE had to plug the GWN app during the show. Smart move by both sides.

Final Thoughts

It was a fun show with the highlights being the Angle/Shane discussion about King of the Ring 2001 because it was such a memorable match due to how violent it was. That’s one of those matches we’ll always remember because of the broken glass and the tremendous punishment both guys took, especially Shane.

The discussion about their families was cool. Angle has five kids, Styles has four and Shane has three. Between them, they will probably end up with several professional wrestlers in the group.

I also enjoyed the heel/face discussion because that’s not something that is talked about in public by wrestlers that often. Angle’s reasoning for why he liked being a heel more made a lot of sense for him because he was able to show his personality more as a heel.

Lastly, it was nice to hear them talking about Styles and Angle in TNA/Impact Wrestling while also showing highlights from it. That’s such a rare thing for WWE to about, so it was refreshing to see that.

Here’s the ad for upcoming episodes in the next season of Table for 3.

Based on that ad, future episodes of Table for 3 will include:

Kevin Nash, Diamond Dallas Page and Big Show

Trish Stratus, Lita and Alexa Bliss

Road Dogg, Jeff Jarrett and Elias

Nia Jax, Beth Phoenix and Natalya

Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Edge and Christian – I guess that’s a Table for 4.

Check out my review of past Table for 3 episodes right here. Thanks for reading.