Before someone asks, yes, it’s been a bit of a slow news day. But we’re wrestling fans, and we’ve been known to enjoy fantasy booking and other speculative exercises. Plus, anything is better than another “Mount Rushmore”, amirite? Just me? Alright, moving on…
Olympic gold medalist and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle did an interview recently (it’s on The Men’s Journal website, but credited to Gambling.com, so…) in which he talked about his TNA stable from the late aughts. Formed in 2008, the Main Event
Mafia began as a group of men who’d had multiple World title runs in numerous top companies, with Angle leading Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, Sting, and Booker T. Samoa Joe would join the group’s initial incarnation in 2009, and in 2013 Magnus (aka Nick Aldis) joined its second.
Angle was asked who he’d cast in a reboot of the Main Event Mafia made up of “only currently active wrestlers from any company”. His picks?
“Ooh, man, I’d have to pick four members. I would say Roman Reigns, definitely. Gunther, because you need the muscle. You need the goon. I would also say Kenny Omega because you’re going to need the athleticism. I’d also go with CM Punk because you need the attitude. That would be my dream Main Event Mafia.”
That’s an interesting mix of top guy skillsets, and I’m having a hard time finding fault with it. Personally, I’d probably swap out Gunther for… Swerve Strickland maybe? Or maybe Oba Femi as a future main event staple?
As for whether Angle’s new dream squad of Reigns, Gunther, Omega & Punk could stand up to Booker, Sting, Steiner and Nash? He gives them a shot, but not a great one:
“I don’t know if I’d like it better than the version of the faction we had… That was pretty legendary. But that new group, maybe it’s good. Maybe it’s good.“
Give us your modern Main Event Mafia in the comments below, or weigh in on Angle’s, in the comments below.
