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Kurt Angle
 Statistics
Real Name: Kurt Angle
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 220 lbs
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Wrestling Debut: 1999
Signature Move: Olympic Slam
Biography
Kurt Angle had an illustrious amateur career before he joined the WWF. In his
early 30s, Angle had over 20 years of experience in amateur wrestling, and had
won over 200 bouts. His greatest amateur achievement was in the summer of 1996,
when he claimed a gold medal at the Olympics in Atlanta.
After signing with the WWF, Kurt Angle trained intensely at the WWF Dojo and in
Memphis Championship Wrestling. Kurt made his TV debut in 1998 on an edition of
Sunday Night Heat, when he attacked the anti-American Tiger Ali-Singh.
Kurt made his in ring debut for the WWF at Survivor Series 1999, where he faced
off against Shawn Stasiak. Angle was booed by the fans because of his "Olympic
Hero" gimmick. Half way through his match with Stasiak, Angle got on the mic and
asked why he was being booed. This, of course, was the plan, and a big heel push
was in store for Angle.
After his debut, Kurt went on a winning streak. He was unbeaten from his debut,
until Royal Rumble 2000. At the Royal Rumble, he was defeated by Tazz, who was
making his WWF debut.
Soon after his loss at Royal Rumble 2000, Angle won the WWF European and
Intercontinental Titles. However, he lost both the belts at WrestleMania in
April 2000 in a triple threat match. Angle was not pinned in the match.
Soon after WrestleMania, Angle started teaming with Edge and Christian. They
called themselves "Team ECK." Although this didn't really open any new doors for
Angle, it gave him the opportunity to showcase his comical side.
The next big step in Angle's professional wrestling career came at the 2000 King
of the Ring. Kurt Angle defeated Rikishi in the finals to become King of the
Ring for the year 2000.
The next night on RAW, Angle found himself in a triple threat match with Triple
H and the Rock for the #1 contendership for the WWF Title. The Rock won the
match with the help of Chris Jericho.
During the summer of 2000, Kurt Angle embarked on an intriguing feud with top
WWF star Triple H. The feud surrounded Kurt's flirting with Triple H's wife,
Stephanie McMahon.
On the August 7th RAW, Angle, Triple H and Chris Jericho take part in a match to
decide who would be #1 contender for the WWF Title. Angle and Triple H both
pinned Jericho, and throughout August, the mystery of who was the #1 contender
continued. Eventually, a triple threat title match was assigned for SummerSlam,
pitted The Rock against Triple H against Kurt Angle. The Rock successfully
defended his WWF Title at SummerSlam. However, the feud started heating up just
before SummerSlam when Kurt Angle kissed Stephanie.
After months of build-up, Angle finally faced Triple H one-on-one at Unforgiven
2000. In a no-DQ match, Triple H defeated Angle, after Triple H told his wife to
choose between him and Angle. Stephanie kicked Angle in the nuts, which allowed
Triple H to hit his second pedigree and win the match.
Kurt Angle's biggest achievement in the WWF came in October 2000. At WWF No
Mercy, Kurt Angle defeated The Rock to become WWF Champion. Angle was soon
defending the title against the Undertaker, and won when his brother, Eric
Angle, took his place in the match. Undertaker powerbombed Eric, and went for
the cover, thinking it was Kurt. Kurt then entered the ring and attacked
Undertaker from behind to pick up the victory.
At Armageddon in December, Kurt Angle was to face his toughest challenge yet. He
would defend his WWF Title in a 6-man Hell in the Cell match. Angle was up
against The Rock, Undertaker, Rikishi, Austin and Triple H. Surprising, Angle
overcame the odds and retained his WWF Title.
Angle's WWF Title reign came to an end in February 2001, when he was beaten by
The Rock. From there, Angle went on to feud with Chris Benoit. The series of
matches between the two were outstanding, and the brought a sense of "old
school" back to the WWF. Their feud was ended at Judgment Day in a 2 out of 3
falls match, with the last fall being a ladder match. Their feud outstretched
all expectations, and it was a great hit.
Soon after his victory over new WCW owner Shane McMahon at King of the Ring,
Angle joined forces with Steve Austin and Vince McMahon. Their backstage
segments were comedy at it's best, and Angle was starting to be recognised as a
face. This face turn was put in place at WWF Invasion, when Austin turned on the
WWF, and joined the WCW/ECW alliance. Kurt Angle, along with the Rock, is now
the WWF's leader against the WCW/ECW Invasion.
Kurt Angle is a true WWF superstar, and he has what it takes to be a long term
WWF Champion.
Angle became two-time WWF Champion late in September 2001, but soon lost the
title back to Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Kurt rolled into WrestleMania X-8 with the prospect of a match against the Big
Red Machine, Kane. Angle was up to the task, as he defeated Kane.
Kurt has been in several feuds since WrestleMania X-8, none of which elevated
his current status. Many still believe that Angle should be a main-eventer.
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