WWE should pull a bait and switch at TLC

I am not against the idea of Kurt Angle wrestling.

I am for the idea of saving him from himself.

When Roman Reigns fell ill, I can absolutely understand the thinking behind replacing him with Kurt Angle. The TLC pay-per-view (PPV) has been sold almost entirely on the idea of The Shield’s first match back together as a team in over three years and with that gone, WWE needed something equally big to convince fans to tune in. Booking Angle for his first match in a WWE ring in over a decade is just that, and maybe even bigger.

That’s the only justification for this.

Again, I’m not saying Angle shouldn’t wrestle again at all. I’m worried about the fact that he’s apparently been cleared this quickly — remember, they wouldn’t clear him or even talk about letting him wrestle for a very long time, and waited until he was having retirement matches on the independent circuit before bringing him back and then immediately put him in the Hall of Fame. I’m worried about the fact that he’s been put in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. I’m worried about the fact that he’s Kurt Angle and in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.

If you think he won’t go out there and risk his body to give fans an amazing match, you haven’t been paying attention for all this time. And at this point in his career, hell, at this point in his time on Earth, every bump is a risk. There is zero reason to for this man to be anywhere near a gimmick in a match.

But because they can’t trust Angle not to go all out, I’m going to advocate for something that will piss everyone off.

The bait and switch.

This isn’t my idea. Our own ReverendKain mentioned it in the Cageside offices when discussing this:

And folks on Twitter were thinking along the same lines:

There’s even a great story to tell with it:

I care more about Angle’s safety than WWE misleading me so they can sell this show. Let Jason Jordan go out there and try to make himself a star in the biggest spot he could be given. Save Angle for a bigger show in a safer match.