Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American professional wrestler, actor and former amateur wrestler currently signed to professional wrestling promotion WWE, where he appears on the Raw brand. While at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Angle won numerous accolades, including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. After graduating from college, Angle won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships. He then won the freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He is one of four people to complete an amateur wrestling Grand Slam (Junior Nationals, NCAA, World Championships, and Olympics). In 2006, he was named by USA Wrestling as the greatest shoot wrestler ever and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time. He was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for his amateur accomplishments.
Angle made his first appearance at a pro-wrestling event in 1996, and signed with the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE) in 1998. Noted for his rapid comprehension of the business, he had his debut match that August within the company's developmental system after mere days of training, and participated in his first televised WWF storyline in March 1999. After months of unaired matches, Angle made his televised in-ring debut in November and received his first major push in the company in February 2000, when he held the European and Intercontinental Championships simultaneously. Four months later, he won the King of the Ring tournament and soon thereafter began pursuing the WWF Championship, which he won in October. This capped off a WWF rookie year which is considered by many to be the greatest in history. Among other accomplishments in the WWF/E, Angle has held the WWF/WWE Championship four times, the WCW Championship once, and the World Heavyweight Championship once. He is the tenth Triple Crown Champion and the fifth Grand Slam Champion (achieving this accolade twice under both the original and current format) in WWE history.[9] On March 31, 2017, Angle was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
After leaving WWE in 2006, Angle joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (now IMPACT Wrestling) where he became the inaugural and record six-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, and the second Triple Crown winner in TNA history (as well as the only one to hold all required titles at once). Angle is also a two-time King of the Mountain. As part of TNA, he made appearances for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF), holding the IWGP Heavyweight Championship once. In 2013, Angle was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame: he is the second wrestler, after Sting, to be inducted into both the WWE and TNA Halls of Fame.
Between WWF/WWE, Japan and TNA, Angle has won 21 total championships. He is the only pro-wrestler in history to have won the WWE Championship, WWE's World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW Championship, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and the IGF's IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Angle is also the only person to have been King of the Ring and King of the Mountain, as well as to have held both the WWE and TNA Triple Crowns. He has headlined numerous pay-per-view events for WWF/WWE and TNA, including both WrestleMania and Bound for Glory. In 2004, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter inducted Angle into its Hall of Fame and later named him "Wrestler of the Decade" for the 2000s. He is considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Former opponent and industry veteran John Cena said of Angle's legacy within WWE: "He is, without question, the most gifted all-around performer we have ever had step into a ring. There will never be another like him."
In wrestling[]
- Finishing moves
- Angle Slam (Olympic slam)
- Ankle lock
- Crossface chickenwing – adopted from Bob Backlund
- Signature moves
- Bodyscissors
- Double leg takedown, often transitioned into a pin or a suplex
- European uppercut
- Frog splash – adopted from and used as a tribute to Eddie Guerrero
- Headbutt
- Moonsault
- Multiple suplex variations
- Bridging / Release belly-to-back
- Bridging / Release / Rolling German - adopted from Chris Benoit
- Overhead belly-to-belly, sometimes from the second rope
- Rear naked choke
- Triangle choke
- Managers
- Bob Backlund
- Daivari
- The Destroyer
- Eric Bischoff
- Frank Trigg
- Karen Angle
- Kevin Nash
- Luther Reigns
- Mark Jindrak
- Paul Heyman
- Shane McMahon
- Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley
- Team Angle
- Tomko
- Trish Stratus
- Jason Jordan
- Nicknames
- "The American / Olympic / Steel City Hero"
- "The Cyborg"
- "The Godfather of The Main Event Mafia"
- "King Kurt"
- "The Most Celebrated Real Athlete in WWE History"
- "The (Only) Olympic Gold Medalist (in Pro Wrestling History)"
- "The Wrestling Machine"
- Entrance themes
- World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
- "Medal" by Jim Johnston
- "I Don't Suck" by Jim Johnston
- "Medal" (Remix) by Jim Johnston
- "Medal" (Revisited) by Jim Johnston
- “Special Op” by Jim Johnston (used as an honorary member of The Shield)
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- "My Quest" by Dale Oliver
- "Gold Medal" by Tha Trademarc
- "Main Event Mafia" by Dale Oliver (used as a member of the Main Event Mafia)
- World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
Wrestlers trained[]
- Eric Angle
- Steve Bradley
Championships and accomplishments[]
Amateur wrestling[]
- Canadian Cup Championship
- Winner (1990)
- Collegiate / High School
- Clarion University Freshman of the Year (1988)
- Pennsylvania State Wrestling Champion (1987)
- International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles
- FILA Junior World Freestyle Champion (1988)
- FILA World Championships gold medal in freestyle wrestling (100 kg) (1995)
- International Sports Hall of Fame
- Class of 2016
- National Amateur Wrestling
- National Amateur Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2001)
- National Collegiate Athletic Association
- NCAA Division I All-American (1990–1992)
- NCAA Division I Champion (1990, 1992)
- Olympic Games
- Summer Olympics gold medal in freestyle wrestling (heavyweight) (1996)
- USA Wrestling
- USA Junior Freestyle Champion (1987)
- USA Senior Freestyle Champion (1995, 1996)
- USA Wrestling Hall of Fame (Class of 2001)
- Greatest Shoot Wrestler of All-Time
Professional wrestling[]
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Future Legend Award (2000)
- Inoki Genome Federation
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- George Tragos / Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2012
- Special Honoree (2015)
- Power Pro Wrestling
- PPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2001
- Feud of the Year (2000) – vs. Triple H
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2000)
- Rookie of the Year (2000)
- Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2001)
- Comeback of the Year (2003)
- Feud of the Year (2003) – vs. Brock Lesnar
- Match of the Year (2003) – vs. Brock Lesnar (on SmackDown! on September 16)
- Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2003)
- Wrestler of the Year (2003)
- Match of the Year (2005) – vs. Shawn Michaels (at WrestleMania 21)
- Feud of the Year (2007) – vs. Samoa Joe
- SoCal Uncensored
- Match of the Year (2000) – vs. Christopher Daniels on September 13, 2000 (Ultimate Pro Wrestling)
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- TNA World Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
- TNA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Sting (1) and A.J. Styles (1)
- TNA X Division Championship (1 time)
- King of the Mountain (2007, 2009)
- IMPACT Hall of Fame
- Class of 2013
- Second TNA Triple Crown Champion
- World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
- WWF/WWE Championship (4 times)
- World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
- WWF European Championship (1 time)
- WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time)
- WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chris Benoit
- WCW Championship (1 time)
- WCW United States Championship (1 time)
- King of the Ring (2000)
- WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament (2002) – with Chris Benoit
- WWE Hall of Fame
- Class of 2017
- Tenth Triple Crown Champion
- Fifth Grand Slam Champion
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Gimmick (2000)
- Best on Interviews (2002)
- Best Technical Wrestler (2002)
- Feud of the Year (2003) vs. Brock Lesnar
- Match of the Year (2002) with Chris Benoit vs. Edge and Rey Mysterio (at No Mercy on October 20)
- Most Improved (2000)
- Most Outstanding Wrestler (2001–2003)
- Readers' Favorite Wrestler (2002–2003)
- Wrestler of the Year (2002)
- Wrestler of the Decade (2000–2009)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
- Class of 2004
World Championships / Olympic Games matches[]
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 Olympic Games at -100kg | ||||||
| Win | 9–0 | Abbas Jadidi | 1–1 | July 31, 1996 | 1996 Olympic Games | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Win | 8–0 | Konstantin Aleksandrov | 4–1 | |||
| Win | 7–0 | Sagid Murtazaliev | 4–3 | |||
| Win | 6–0 | Wilfredo Morales | 2–0 | July 30, 1996 | ||
| Win | 5–0 | Dolgorsürengiin Sumyaabazar | 4–0 | |||
| 1995 World Championship at -100kg | ||||||
| Win | 4–0 | Arawat Sabejew | Referee Decision | August 13, 1995 | 1995 World Championships | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Win | 3–0 | Oleg Ladik | Referee Decision | |||
| Win | 2–0 | Josef Glazer | 3–0 | |||
| Win | 1–0 | Kenan Şimşek | 2–0 | |||
Luchas de Apuestas record[]
| Winner
(Wager) |
Loser
(Wager) |
Location | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edge
(Hair) |
Kurt Angle
(Hair) |
Nashville, Tennessee | Judgment Day | May 19, 2002 |