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WWE Raw Is WarThe Aug. 13 ''RAW Is War'' (Mondays, TNN, 9pm) from Chicago's All State Arena held dozens of memorable moments, but the most hilarious of them happened in the blink of an eye: Clueless Alliance lackey Shawn Stasiak bungled a backstage sneak attack, careening full bore into a suit of armor. It was impeccable slapstick that would have made Hal Roach proud.
But it took a replay or two to realize just how collaborative the masterful spot had been -- how much it required the perfect timing of Stasiak's intended victim, Kurt Angle, to pull off. In that, it was a beautifully symbolic moment, representing how, over the course of his brief WWF career, Angle has subtly but expertly put over not just himself, but his fellow superstars and, ultimately, WWF programming in general.
Angle -- an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling turned professional wrestler --- has a catch phrase that goes: ''Integrity, Intensity, Intelligence.'' I don't know about that, but measured by consistency, dependability, and adaptability, Angle is the WWF's most valuable player. It's easy to take him for granted because he seems overshadowed by more glamorous superstars like Austin, Rock, or Triple H (all of whom he's had protracted feud programs with). But, unlike those three, the guy has never had a long absence from the action or suffered a debilitating injury. Yet, all the while he's been at or near the center of the action -- not to mention winning every major WWF belt as well as the 2000 King of the Ring.
From the wide eyed, milk drinking jock to dimly pompous heel to his current incarnation as red white and blue defender of WWF tradition in the face of the Alliance, Angle has glided effortlessly from shtick to shtick, from heel to face, triumphant champ to determined underdog.
In the ring, he's never met a fighting style he didn't like, all the way from hardcore brutality (as in last night's melee with Rob Van Dam, and his 2001 King of the Ring street fight wit Shane O'Mac) to technical agility (his beautiful work earlier this year with Christ Benoit), and all varieties in between (tag, table, and cage work, to name a few).
But it's his innate vaudevillian sensibility that makes Angle indispensable. Whether as Stephanie's would be seducer, Edge and Christian's dunderheaded buddy, an irritant to Commissioners Foley and Regal, or the pathetic third wheel of the recent Austin/McMahon conspiracy, Angle has taken all comers and made them all look good...and the rest of us just look.
Who would you say is the WWF's MVP?
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