Professional wrestling is littered with larger-than-life characters who redefined the industry and whose life and careers are just as storied as anything that happened to them in the ring. In that spirit, we think it's the perfect time for the WWE Universe to reacquaint themselves with one of the best to ever step inside the ring, Kurt Angle.
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Kurt Anglehas faced many trials and tribulations throughout his life and wrestling career. So, now seems like as good a time as any to run through everything there is to know about the WWE Hall of Famer.
How Old is Kurt Angle?
Kurt Angle is 54 years old, putting him in roughly the same age bracket as some of the WWE Superstars he most famously competed against, like Triple H, The Rock, Chris Jericho, andStone Cold Steve Austin. Born on December 9, 1968, in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Angle debuted in WWE atSurvivor Series1999 at the age of 30.
How Tall is Kurt Angle?
Based on his incredible, larger-than-life in-ring style, we don't blame anybody in the WWE Universe for thinking Kurt Angle was taller than he was during his career – Angle officially measures in at six feet tall.
What Did Kurt Angle Do Before WWE?
Olympic wrestler Kurt Angle during an interview with host Jay Leno on August 13, 1996. Photo: Margaret C. Norton/NBC/Getty Images
Before he debuted in WWE, Kurt Angle turned heads by being one of the most accomplished amateur wrestlers in history. Throughout high school and college, he had no equal in wrestling, collecting multiple high school and NCAA championships along the way. Angle parlayed a lifetime of hard work and dedication into winning a freestyle gold medal at the1996 Summer Olympicsin Atlanta, further cementing his status as one of the best amateur grapplers ever – a feat he accomplished with, as Angle likes to say, a "freakin' broken neck." (But more on that later.). To say that Angle was red-hot coming out of the 1996 Summer Olympics is an understatement – the world had never seen an athlete quite like him.
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As a result, professional wrestling companies like ECW and WWE took notice of the emerging star. And the rest, as they say, is history.
What Are Kurt Angle's WWE Career Highlights?
Kurt Angle and the Street Profits speak to the WWE crowd. Photo: WWE
Where do we begin? Angle's list of accomplishments reads exactly how you'd expect a first-ballot WWE Hall of Famer's to look. Here are the titles he's won in WWE, in no particular order:
- WWE Championship (on four occasions)
- WWE World Heavyweight Championship
- WWE Tag Team Championship
- WWE European Championship
- WWE Hardcore Championship
- WWE Intercontinental Championship
- WCW World Championship
- WCW United States Championship
Add in winning the King of the Ring tournament in 2000 and being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017, and you have a blueprint for any aspiring WWE Superstar aspiring to be one of the all-time greats.
Of course, the accolades Angle collected throughout his WWE career arguably pale in comparison to the memories he gave the WWE Universe on a weekly basis. Who can forget hishysterical backstage interactionswith Stone Cold Steve Austin or when hedrove a milk truckto the ring during an unforgettable episode of Monday Night RAW?
Kurt Angle's career can be summed up by his uncanny ability to put on a clinic inside the ring and make the WWE Universe's sides split thanks to some of the most extraordinary comedic timing seen in any form of entertainment. Does it get any better than himmocking Shawn Michaels' iconic entrance musicand co-opting it for himself? We think not.
What is Kurt Angle's Best WWE Match?
Kurt Angle and the Street Profits during a WWE match. Photo: WWE
Although this is a loaded question if there ever was one, most WWE historians and fans agree that Kurt Angle vs.Shawn Michaelsat WrestleMania 21 is not only Angle's best match but one of the most incredible WWE contests ever. See for yourself:
How Did Kurt Angle Break His Neck?
Kurt Angle holds the American flag at the freestyle wrestling competition during the Summer Olympics at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Getty Images
When participating in the 1996 Olympic Trials, Kurt Angle fractured two of his cervical vertebrae, suffered two herniated discs in his neck, and pulled four neck muscles for an encore. That, ladies and gentlemen, isn't just a broken neck – it's a destroyed neck. It's a testament to the otherworldly abilities of Angle that he could still walk, let alone win Olympic gold at the summer games in Atlanta!
Angle credits a rigorous five-month rehabilitation process – and sadly, plenty of painkillers that ultimately led to an addiction that almost took his life years down the road – for his remarkable performance at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Where is Kurt Angle Now?
Kurt Angle looks on from the sidelines as the Street Profits wrestle in the ring. Photo: WWE
As an unofficial ambassador for WWE, Kurt Angle still stays involved in the modern professional wrestling scene. Although officially retired from active competition, there's no telling when he'll show back up on WWE television in some capacity. He also hosts a podcast,The Kurt Angle Show, a weekly series featuring Angle giving candid thoughts on his career.
Will Kurt Angle appear atWWE Paybackon September 2, live from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania? It makes almost too much sense, doesn't it? We advise the WWE Universe to keep their eyes peeled – WWE's Olympic Hero may pull the milk truck out of retirement for the big event!
You can tune in toPeaco*ckto watch WWE's Payback on September 2. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe onPeaco*ck.
