Meet Kurt Angle, the wrestling machine and Olympic hero. Photo/ Bleacher Report.
Kurt Angle is a former wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action (TNA).
He won Olympic gold in the heavyweight weight class in 1996.
Angle has expressed his interest in pursuing an acting career after retiring from professional wrestling.
Kurt Angle biography brings you facts about the Olympic hero who is also one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
Kurt Angle is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action (TNA).
Kurt Angle. Photo/ Bleacher Report.
The legend made his professional wrestling debut on August 20, 1998, and announced his retirement on April 7, 2019. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on March 31, 2017.
Kurt Angle won Olympic gold in the heavyweight weight class in 1996.
Kurt Angle has expressed his interest in pursuing an acting career after retiring from professional wrestling. He has featured in several films such as End Game, Chains, River of Darkness, Waking Up and The Last Watch.
Kurt Angle Biography
Full Name Kurt Steven Angle
Date of Birth December 9, 1968
Age 53
Place of Birth Mt Lebanon, Pennsylvania, United States
Height 6 ft 0 in
Nationality American
Profession Retired wrestler
Marital Status Married
Early Life
Kurt Angle biography has it that he was born on December 9, 1968, in Pennsylvania, United States. He is the son of Jackie and David Angle.
Kurt Angle began amateur wrestling when he was just seven years old. He attended Mt Lebanon High School and was part of the freshman wrestling team.
After graduating from high school, Kurt Angle attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania and continued with amateur wrestling.
During his days at college, Kurt Angle was a two-time USA Senior Freestyle champion and a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champ.
The future WWE superstar graduated from Clarion University in 1993 with a degree in education.
Career
Kurt Angle continued wrestling after completing his university studies. In 1995, he won a gold medal at the FILA Wrestling World Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.
Angle competed in the 1996 Olympics and won gold after defeating Abbas Jadidi in the heavyweight weight class.
After the Olympics, World Wrestling Federation offered Kurt Angle a 10-year contract. However, the negotiations failed because Angle was unwilling to lose any match.
Kurt Angle would later consider WWF’s offer after watching ‘world-class athletes doing very athletic things in the ring’.
Vince McMahon‘s promotion offered Kurt Angle a five-year contract in August 1998. His first fight was within WWF’s developmental territory, the World Wrestling Alliance (WWA). He lost the match to Tom Prichard.
After several months of wrestling in WWF’s developmental territories, Kurt Angle made his televised in-ring debut on November 14, 1999. He won the match, which was against Shawn Stasiak.
In February 2000, Kurt Angle won the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship.
In 2000, Kurt Angle became the first wrestler to win both an Olympic gold medal and the world championship after defeating the Rock to win the WWF Championship.
Kurt Angle was good as a heel and a face. However, his relationship with Vince McMahon began to deteriorate in 2006, and he desperately needed a break. WWE released him in 2006.
The former WWF champion joined Total Nonstop Action (TNA) after his departure from WWE. TNA was, at that time, the only promotion nearly as big as WWE, which had monopolized the wrestling industry.
Kurt Angle wrestled at TNA for ten years, then returned to WWE, where he was inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame by his long-time rival John Cena.
He appeared on the Raw Reunion in July 2019 and raised a toast alongside Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin and other wrestlers of his era.
On June 19, 2022, Kurt Angle returned to Impact Wrestling at Slammiversary in a video message to congratulate the promotion on their 20 years.
Personal Life
Kurt Angle is of Italian, Irish, Lithuanian, German and English descent. Eric, one of Kurt Angle’s four older brothers, is also a wrestler.
Kurt Angle married Karen Smedley on December 19, 1998. The couple had two children before Karen filed for a divorce in 2008.
Angle got engaged to Giovanna Yannotti in 2010. Giovanna is 19 years younger than the WWE legend. They have four children (one adopted).
Kurt Angle and his wife. Photo/ SportsLumo.
FAQs
Is Kurt Angle rich?
As of 2022, Kurt Angle’s net worth is estimated to be around $5 million.
Who is Kurt Angle’s brother?
Eric Angle. He is a former amateur and professional wrestler.
Abraham Odhiambo is an avid sports fan who loves to write about football, boxing and wrestling. He's a big supporter of Manchester United. He's pursuing a bachelor's degree in Communication and Media at Egerton University.
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