WWF: Kurt Angle - It's True! It's True! [VHS]
Kurt Angle, the character, is further proof of why Vince McMahon has  turned the WWF into a billion-dollar empire. Quite simply, he's completely in touch with the times. During the '80s, Hulk Hogan was the WWF's biggest superstar, waving the American flag and telling kids the benefits of "saying their prayers and eating their vitamins." During the Reagan years, this kind of conformist patriotism worked. Times are a bit more cynical now, as WWF fans' reception to Angle proves. Angle is the only U.S. Olympic gold medal winner to ever become a pro wrestler. He preaches "the three I's": Intensity, Integrity, and Intelligence. In his first year, he won every championship in the business, and probably no one in the WWF is more hated. Compared to Stone Cold Steve Austin's beer-drinking bad boy image and the Rock's brashness, Angle's milk-and-cookies shtick is laughable to fans.Despite his accomplishments, the WWF writing crew has gone to great lengths to laugh at Angle's sincerity, painting him as a whining mama's boy. This video takes the joke further, refusing to give you a glimpse of the "real" Angle. Playing the entire documentary in character, he's mostly shown shooting a commercial and acting like an arrogant child. In between his on-set tantrums, the documentary splices together highlights of Angle's quick rise in the WWF. You also see interviews with other WWF superstars trying to explain why Angle annoys them. (Rikishi may summarize it best: "When I see Kurt Angle, I just laugh. He looks like one of the Little Rascals.") Those expecting to see what makes Angle tick will probably be disappointed here, but those wanting to discover why he's such a hated villain will find plenty of ammunition.--Dave McCoy