Kurt Angle

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Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9 1968 in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania) is an American 1996 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling and a professional wrestler performing for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on the SmackDown! brand. Angle is also a graduate of Clarion University. He is also the only person to have ever won the WWE Championship, the World Heavyweight Championship and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

Among Angle's trademarks is the audience — whether he is face or heel — chanting "You Suck!" in sequence with his entrance music.

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Amateur wrestling

Angle had a distinguished career in amateur wrestling. He was a 2-time NCAA Division I champion and a 3-time NCAA Division I All-American while attending Clarion University of Pennsylvania. Angle has a tattoo of the Clarion University Golden Eagle on his upper back. He was also 1987 USA Junior Freestyle champion, 2-time USA Senior Freestyle champion, and 1988 USA FILA Junior World Freestyle champion. Before Angle won his 1996 Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling, he sustained amateur wrestling losses to former PRIDE and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion Mark "The Hammer" Coleman and Mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Mark Kerr.

Angle reached the pinnacle of his amateur career at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, winning the 90-100kg (198-220 pound) weight class. While Kurt Angle won an Olympic gold medal with a badly injured neck, his neck was not broken. In WWE, Angle exaggerates the severity of his injury, claiming that he won his medal with "a broken freakin' neck!" However, according to the official rule book of the International Olympic Committee, no competitor will be authorized to participate in an event if they are seriously injured, indicating that Angle was not seriously enough injured to warrant exclusion from the event.

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Despite originally being against professional wrestling as Sports Entertainment, Angle later opted to enter the pro-wrestling world. Angle discovered that an entirely different skill set and commitment was necessary to excell in this atmosphere.

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Extreme Championship Wrestling

On October 26, 1996 Angle was convinced to attend the taping of an Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) event named High Incident by Shane Douglas. He provided guest commentary during a match between Taz and Little Guido, but walked out of the building after the infamous "crucifixion storyline" (where Raven attached The Sandman to a cross using barbed wire). Angle was shocked by the controversial imagery and feared that his career prospects would be damaged if he was associated with the incident, so much that he threatened to sue ECW owner Paul Heyman if he was shown on TV in the same broadcast as the stunt.

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World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

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1998-1999

In 1998, Angle was signed to a contract by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He was assigned to the Power Pro Wrestling developmental territory in Memphis, Tennessee, where he began training as a professional wrestler. In 1999, Angle began competing in dark matches for the WWF. After several weeks of vignettes, he made his on-screen debut on November 14, 1999 at the Survivor Series pay-per-view, defeating Shawn Stasiak. Angle's somewhat sanctimonious character, touting morality and "the three I's" -- intensity, integrity, and intelligence -- spoofed the wholesome babyfaces of the 1980s. Angle was intended to be a heel in the anti-hero, "Attitude" era 1990s. He initially embarked on an undefeated streak, though he suffered a loss in a tag team match when his partner, Steve Blackman, was pinned by The Rock. This led to a match between the two at Armageddon 1999, which Angle won.

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2000

Angle's unbeaten streak continued into 2000, when he was scheduled to face an unknown opponent at the Royal Rumble. The opponent was revealed as the debuting Tazz, who rendered Angle unconscious using his Tazzmission hold. Angle claimed that the Tazzmission was an illegal choke hold, and that his streak therefore remained unbroken (he was finally beaten decisively by The Rock several weeks later).

Angle won the WWF European Championship on the February 10, 2000 edition of SmackDown!, defeating Val Venis. On February 27, 2000 at No Way Out, Angle defeated Chris Jericho for the WWF Intercontinental Championship, and began referring to himself as the "Eurocontinental" Champion. He was the third wrestler to hold both titles at once, following D'Lo Brown (who, Angle claimed, "doesn't count") and Jeff Jarrett (rarely acknowledged on WWF television following his acrimonious departure from the company in 1999).

Veteran wrestler Bob Backlund became Angle's mentor, but, unfortunately for Angle, agreed to a match on Angle's behalf that would see him defend both his titles in a triple threat match. As this meant that Angle could potentially lose both of his titles without being beaten, he was understandably angry, and used Backlund's own Crossface Chickenwing hold on him. On April 2, 2000 at WrestleMania 2000, Angle lost his Intercontinental Championship to Chris Benoit and his European Championship to Chris Jericho without being involved in either fall.

In mid-2000, Angle joined forces with Edge and Christian to form "Team ECK". Team ECK feuded with Too Cool and Rikishi throughout mid 2000. On June 25, 2000, Angle defeated Rikishi in the finals of the sixteen man King of the Ring tournament. Immediately following his victory, Angle began a short-lived feud with Hardcore Holly that ended abruptly after Angle inadvertedly broke Holly's arm with a botched moonsault.

Angle began showing feelings for Triple H's wife Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, with the two implictly enaging in an affair. At SummerSlam 2000 on August 27, 2000, Angle and Triple H faced The Rock in a triple threat match for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. In the course of the match, Angle suffered a legitimate concussion, and was assisted from ringside. The injury was integrated into the match when Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley asked the groggy Angle to return to the ring to aid her husband. Angle re-entered the match, but instead of helping Triple H, attempted to win the title for himself, disrupting Triple H's momentum and enabling The Rock to retain his title. The feud between Angle and Triple H ended at Unforgiven 2000 on September 24, 2000, with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley helping her husband defeat Angle.

Following his feud with Triple H, Angle refocused on the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, finally defeating The Rock at No Mercy on October 22, 2000 following botched interference on behalf of The Rock from Rikishi. He went on to successfully defend the title at Survivor Series on November 19, 2000, with his brother Eric distracting his opponent, The Undertaker, and enabling Angle to roll-up the challenger. Angle went on to retain his title once again in a six man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon on December 10, 2000.

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2001

Angle retained the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in a match with Triple H at the Royal Rumble on January 21, 2000, but lost to The Rock at No Way Out on February 25, 2001. Following his defeat, Angle began a feud with Chris Benoit. He prevailed over Benoit at WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, 2001, but lost to Benoit in an "Ultimate submissions" match at Backlash on April 29, 2001. The feud culminated in a two out of three falls match at Judgment Day on May 20, 2001, with Angle's gold medals (which had been purloined by Benoit in the course of their feud) on the line. Angle won the second and third falls, with Edge and Christian assisting him in the third fall.

When The Alliance invaded the WWF in mid 2000, Angle was forced to join forces with WWF World Heavyweight Champion "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to repel the invaders. After Austin betrayed Angle and the WWF by joining The Alliance at WWF Invasion on July 22, 2001, Angle became a face for the first time in his career, and assumed leadership of the WWF. During this time, Angle won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship (defeating Booker T), the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (defeating Rhyno) and the WWF Hardcore Championship (defeating Rob Van Dam).

Angle defeated Austin for his second WWF World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven on September 23, 2001. However, he lost it back to Austin just a few weeks later when WWF Commissioner William Regal turned heel and joined The Alliance. Although Angle was scheduled to team up with WWF superstars to face off against The Alliance at Survivor Series, he decided to join The Alliance himself, thus turning heel once more and calling all members of Team WWF losers. At Survivor Series Angle was eliminated by The Rock. Later during the match as Austin was about to win, Angle struck Austin with the title belt which led to The Rock getting the victory. Angle then returned to the WWF and remained a sneering, patronizing, yet humorous heel.

At Vengeance, Angle was one of four men to take part in the tournament to crown the first ever Undisputed Champion. After a strong battle with Austin, he became a victim of the Stone Cold Stunner and was eliminated.

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2002

In 2002, Angle competed in his first Royal Rumble match, making it to the final two before being eliminated by Triple H. By the time No Way Out rolled around, Angle had gotten himself into a number 1 contender's match with Triple H where Stephanie McMahon was the special referee. After a chair shot and an Angle Slam, Angle pinned Triple H to become the number 1 contender for WrestleMania X8. However, the next night on RAW, WWF co-owner at the time, Ric Flair gave Triple H a rematch with Angle in which he defeated Angle to regain his title shot.

During the next month, Angle would ignite a feud with former friend Edge. At Judgment Day 2002 the two engaged in a "Hair vs. Hair" match in which Edge won. Although Angle tried to escape the building in order to save his hair, Edge caught him and applied a sleeper hold which knocked out Angle long enough for Edge to shave his head. Angle wore a wig for a few weeks following the event, claiming it to be his real hair. He eventually ditched the wig and has maintained his bald head since.

The following month, at King of the Ring Angle faced Hulk Hogan for the first time, winning the match via his ankle lock submission. While Angle was billed as being the first person to defeat Hogan via submission, Lex Luger had actually done it on WCW Monday Nitro to win the WCW Championship in 1997 and later that year Sting did as well. Angle's win was Hogan's first defeat via submission on WWE programming.

Angle went on to feud with Rey Mysterio, culminating in a victory at SummerSlam. Afterwards, he again feuded with Benoit. The feud ended when Stephanie McMahon forced them to form a tag team and participate in a tournament for the WWE Tag-Team Championship.

Angle went on to his third WWE Championship reign, defeating Big Show in December, thanks to the help of Brock Lesnar and the F-5. Angle then turned heel again by hiring Paul Heyman, who was feuding with Lesnar at the time.

On the December 26 edition of SmackDown!, as a Christmas 'gift' to his new client, Paul Heyman gave Kurt Angle his own back-up team, Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin, who debuted that night under the name Team Angle.

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2003

Angle decided to rekindle his rivalry with Benoit and defeated him via anklelock submission at the 2003 Royal Rumble. During this time Kurt Angle was feuding with Brock Lesnar, who won the Royal Rumble that year gaining him a shot at Angle's WWE Championship at WrestleMania XIX. Angle lost his title to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX in March and subtly turned face by congratulating and befriending Lesnar immediately afterward.

Angle seriously considered trying to make a comeback to freestyle wrestling for the 2004 Summer Olympics, but he abandoned that plan late in 2002 when neck problems that dated back to his past amateur wrestling career recurred.

Also during this year, Angle opted for a new type of neck surgery that allowed him to return in three months rather than a year. During this time Angle would gain respect from the audience, and told them that he was proud of the "You Suck!" chants. Team Angle, however, turned on him. Angle told his former protégées that he "earned" the "You Suck" chants, and kicked them out of his group. Haas and Benjamin later re-dubbed themselves "The World's Greatest Tag Team".

Angle regained the WWE Championship to begin his fourth title reign in a triple threat match at Vengeance against Big Show and Lesnar. Lesnar turned on Angle a few weeks later by aligning himself with Mr. McMahon. At SummerSlam 2003, Angle became the first of only two men to ever make Lesnar tap out, getting the submission victory with the ankle lock. Lesnar eventually regained the title in September in a 60 minute Iron Man Match on SmackDown!.

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2004

In March 2004, Angle's neck problems returned again and he feared the possibility of career-ending surgery. For a time, he considered having an operation similar to the one he had in 2003, but has decided against it for the time being.

After a short feud with Eddie Guerrero leading up to WrestleMania XX, and turning heel once again, Angle played the role of General Manager on SmackDown!. This change came after Angle was thrown off a 25-foot high ledge by Big Show with a chokeslam and claimed he could no longer wrestle again (this was a storyline to allow Angle to recover from his recurring neck injury yet still participate in WWE shows). During his tenure as General Manager, Angle regularly favored heels over faces, and attempted get Rey Mysterio "fired" for misconduct. He also stripped John Cena of the WWE United States Championship. After costing Guerrero a WWE Championship match against John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), Angle was "fired" from that position when his career-ending injury was proved to be fake. He returned to the active roster during SmackDown! on July 20.

On November 16 in Dayton, Ohio, Angle kicked off the "Kurt Angle Invitational." This meant that, at every location where SmackDown! took place, he would allow a "hometown hero", all of whom have been local professional wrestlers, to challenge him to a match. If that person defeated Angle, he would award them with his authentic 1996 Olympic gold medal.

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2005

At the 2005 Royal Rumble, Angle was eliminated from the Rumble match by Shawn Michaels and later dumped Michaels over the top rope to eliminate him in retaliation. Meanwhile, other attempts to capture the WWE Championship came when Kurt Angle and WWE U.S. Champion John Cena were the finalists of a #1 contenders' match. Cena defeated Angle at No Way Out.

As a result of what happened at the Royal Rumble, Michaels issued a challenge to Angle for a match at WrestleMania 21, which Kurt Angle accepted when he appeared on RAW to attack Michaels. Angle defeated Michaels by submission at WrestleMania 21 on April 3.

On the May 12, edition of SmackDown!, Angle cut a promo about Booker T's wife Sharmell, saying he wanted to have "bestiality sex" with her and then "that kind of perverted sex." At Judgment Day on May 22, he lost the resulting match with Booker T. Angle then gave Booker T an Angle Slam, and went after Sharmell with handcuffs. Unfortunately for Angle, Booker T stopped him and handcuffed him to the ropes, and let Sharmell slap Angle in the face and kick him between the legs.

On June 13, Angle became the second person to be drafted from SmackDown! to RAW in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery. His feud with Shawn Michaels ended at Vengeance 2005, losing to the Heart Break Kid. Angle went on to face Ric Flair for the very first time on June 27, episode of RAW, winning the match with an Ankle Lock.

He continued the "Kurt Angle Invitational" and two weeks in a row defeated Matt Striker to retain his gold medal. The July 25 RAW saw the end of the Invitational when the returning Eugene survived three minutes against Angle to win his gold medal, becoming the only successful challenger in the event. Eugene then started "The Eugene Invitational" to begin on the August 1 RAW episode, the first edition of which Angle interfered in. On the August 8 RAW episode Angle lost to Eugene in his home town attempting to get the medal back. Angle and Eugene met again at SummerSlam 2005, where Angle regained his Olympic gold medal.

On August 22, Angle was revealed as the number one contender for John Cena's WWE Title. Angle defeated John Cena by disqualification in the main event of Unforgiven, as Cena struck Angle with his WWE Title belt. Angle attacked Cena after the match, only to be given an F-U through the Spanish announce table. He was almost awarded the title the next night on RAW by Eric Bischoff, but Vince McMahon intervened.

After Daivari helped Angle defeat Shelton Benjamin on the November 21 RAW, Angle announced Daivari would be his personal referee and the special guest referee for his upcoming match with Cena for the WWE Championship at the 2005 Survivor Series. Cena won the match after SmackDown! referee Charles Robinson counted the fall.

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2006

During the January 10 edition of SmackDown! at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Angle was announced as the 20th participant in a 20 man Over-the-Top Battle Royal for the World Heavyweight Championship, which had been vacated earlier that night due to injuries suffered by the former champion Batista in a match the previous week. Angle would go on to shock the wrestling world by winning the Battle Royal and the World Heavyweight Championship.

On the January 16 episode of RAW, Angle competed in his final match on that brand in a non-title match with Shawn Michaels where if Michaels lost, he would be released from his contract immediately. However, Daivari's interference backfired, and Michaels was able to keep his job by rolling Angle up for the pin. Post-match, an extremely irate Angle confronted Daivari and fired him as his manager, thus starting a face turn.

Angle successfully defended his World Heavyweight Title against Mark Henry at the 2006 Royal Rumble and against The Undertaker at No Way Out 2006.

At WrestleMania 22, Angle lost his World Heavyweight Championship title in a Triple Threat Match against Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton. Angle lost his title even though he wasn't pinned because Rey Mysterio won the match by pinning Randy Orton.

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Wrestling facts

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Finishing and signature moves

Image:AnkleLock.jpg

Standing or grapevined ankle lock
Angle Slam / Olympic Slam (Olympic Slam)
Super Angle Slam / Super Olympic Slam (Top rope Olympic Slam)
Bridging belly to back suplex (1999)
Crossface chickenwing (2000)
German suplex
Rolling German suplexes
Moonsault
Overhead belly to belly suplex
Top rope overhead belly to belly suplex
European uppercut
Body scissors

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Managers

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Championships and accomplishments

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Amateur wrestling

Pennsylvania State Wrestling Champion (1987)
Clarion University Freshman of the Year (1988)
2-time NCAA Champion
Espoir World Cup second Place (1989)
Yasar Dogu Tournament second Place (1989)
Canadian Cup Championship Winner (1990)
National Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame (2001)

Olympic Games

1996 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling

Professional wrestling

PNW

1-time PNW Tennessee Heavyweight Champion

Power Pro Wrestling

1-time PPW Heavyweight Champion
1-time PPW Young Guns Champion

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Feud of the Year 2000 (versus Triple H)
PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year, 2000
PWI Rookie of the Year, 2000
PWI Inspirational Wrestler of the Year, 2001
PWI Comeback of the Year, 2003
PWI Feud of the Year, 2003 (versus Brock Lesnar)
PWI Match of the Year, 2003 (versus Brock Lesnar)
PWI Most Popular Wrestler, 2003
PWI Match of the Year, 2005 (versus Shawn Michaels)

World Championship Wrestling

1-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion
1-time WCW United States Champion

World Wrestling Entertainment

4-time WWE Champion
1-time World Heavyweight Champion
1-time WWF Intercontinental Champion
1-time WWF European Champion
1-time WWF Hardcore Champion
1-time WWE Tag Team Champion (with Chris Benoit)
2000 King of the Ring winner
12th WWE Triple Crown Champion
Fourth Grand Slam Champion
WWE Smackdown General Manager

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

He is a member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (inducted in 2004)
2000 Most Improved Wrestler
2001 Most Outstanding Wrestler
2002 Wrestler of the Year
2002 Most Outstanding Wrestler
2002 Best Interviews
2002 Best Technical Wrestler
2002 Match of the Year (with Chris Benoit vs Edge and Rey Mysterio Jr)
2003 Most Outstanding Wrestler
2003 Feud of the Year (vs Brock Lesnar)

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Championship succession

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Personal life

Angle separated from his wife Karen in August 2005, claiming that the strain of being on the road took its toll on their marriage. He and Karen have a daughter, Kyra, who was born in December 2002. Angle has four older brothers, including Eric, also a wrestler, and one late sister, the latter of whom died due to heart complications, a problem for several Angle family members. His father was killed in a construction accident, and Angle dedicated his autobiography, "It's True, It's True" to him as a result. Angle claimed in an interview that, following the death of his father, he regarded his wrestling coach as a paternal figure. He also became a born again Christian. As of January 2006, Angle and his wife Karen have reconciled.

Angle's older brother Eric has appeared with WWE on occasion, normally in order to impersonate Angle. Eric posed as Kurt during his WWF Heavyweight Championship title defense against The Undertaker at the 2000 Survivor Series, enabling Angle to roll-up his confused opponent, and switched places with Kurt during a title defense against Brock Lesnar on SmackDown! in 2003.

Angle has announced in several interviews that he intends to pursue an acting career after he retires from professional wrestling.

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