Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angleis an American professional wrestler, actor, former mixed martial artist and retired amateur wrestler. While at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, he won numerous accolades, including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic AssociationDivision I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. After graduating college, Angle won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships. He then won a freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Angle is one of only four people to complete an amateur wrestling...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWrestler
Date of Birth9 December 1968
CityMt. Lebanon, PA
CountryUnited States of America
There are so many things that have evolved since I wrestled. They don't have periods anymore. They have rounds... it confuses the younger demographic.
I'm not going to be a guy that retires and keeps coming back. When I'm gone, I'm gone. Same thing as amateur wrestling; when I won the world championships in Olympics, I left and I never went back. Same for pro.
It took me a few years to explain to my colleagues and my mentors and the people that I looked up to and I wrestled that I'm not in wrestling anymore. I'm in sports entertainment. Pro' wrestling doesn't mean that we're saying we're a step up above amateur wrestling, because there's nothing above Olympic wrestling.
The cool thing about pro wrestling is we do a lot more acting as far as characters in general than MMA. I know a lot of people like the MMA fighters because they like the rugged look.
My true love is with amateur wrestlin;, that's where I was born. I've always wanted to wrestle.
I don't like to have gimmicks. I don't like to have gadgets and stuff. I just like to go out there and entertain the fans by wrestling.
You've got to stay in pretty good shape to be a pro wrestler, and all the TNA wrestlers get a bit nervous when I wrestle them because they're afraid I'll tire them out, but the Olympics is a whole different level.
The hard part for me was being an Olympic gold medalist and having that persona; you don't see too many Olympic gold medalists go into acting. It's actually even more difficult. You're not taken very seriously, and you're looked at in a different light, so it was kind of hard for me to go straight from Olympics into acting.
I love Vince McMahon. He came up with the character. He ran with it, and then I was able to run with it. I thank him for the opportunity he gave me. Vince McMahon was one of my best friends, period.
I wasn't surprised at all. In fact, I thought, why stop there? Why not add the Big Show, or Chris Jericho, or the whole state of Nebraska for that matter? And don't you think a wrestling ring is a little old school, Lilian? Why not put the match in a shark tank, with real live sharks? Hungry sharks! And the only way to beat your opponent is to stuff him down a shark's throat, and pin the shark. Wouldn't that be a hoot?
Children love me, dammit!
Ive been chastised for going into mixed martial arts and backing out. But the reason I backed out was the terms - they wanted me ready to fight in four weeks, but youve got to be out of your mind. So I decided to go back to my roots, back to wrestling.
Wrestlers in the U.S.A. are very aggressive. All they want to do is attack, but they'll make mistakes.
Not to mention our former tag team champions lost their titles after my good friend Christian was hit in the genitals with a hockey stick by a midgit! I mean enough is enough