Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation/WWE and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
| Kurt Angle | |
|---|---|
| Ring name(s) | The Conquistador Kurt Angle[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 0 in[1] |
| Billed weight | 230 lb[1] |
| Born | December 9, 1968
(aged 57) Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Billed from | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Trained by | Dory Funk Jr.[2] Tom Prichard[2] |
| Debut | August 20, 1998[3] |
| Retired | April 7, 2019[4] |
Angle won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics, winning with a broken neck. He is the first Olympic gold medalist in professional wrestling history. He wrestled for the WWF/E from 1998 to 2006. During this time he became a six-time world champion (along with many other championships) and won the King of the Ring tournament in 2000.
In 2006 he signed a contract to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he was the first TNA World Champion, a title he would also hold six times. Angle is also a two-time winner of the King of the Mountain ladder match. He competed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) because of their partnership with TNA. There he won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. His TNA contract expired in September 2014.
Angle returned to WWE on April 3, 2017, as the general manager of Raw and wrestled on occasions. He retired on April 7, 2019 after WrestleMania 35. He is in many of wrestling Hall of Fames, most notably the WWE, TNA, and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fames. He is the only wrestler to have won the WWE, WWE's World Heavyweight, the WCW Championship, TNA World Heavyweight and the IWGP Heavyweight Championships, in addition to an NCAA wrestling championship.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | End Game | Brad Mayfield | |
| 2009 | Chains | Deputy | Short film |
| 2011 | Dylan Dog: Dead of Night | Wolfgang | |
| 2011 | River of Darkness | Sheriff Will Logan | |
| 2011 | Waking Up | "Crush" Carlisle | Short film |
| 2011 | Warrior | "The Great" Koba | |
| 2012 | Beyond the Mat | Coach Kamen | Still not released |
| 2012 | Death from Above | Thule | |
| 2012 | Drummer for the Mob | FBI Agent | |
| 2012 | Olympic Trials with Kurt Angle | Himself | Funny or Die short |
| 2013 | Pain & Gain | Benjamin Rowe | |
| 2013 | Horse Cops | Eli Paste | |
| 2013 | Pro Wrestlers vs Zombies | Himself | |
| 2014 | Sharknado 2: The Second One | Fire Chief | |
| 2014 | Not Cool | Security Guard | |
| 2015 | The Last Witch Hunter | Bodyguard |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Fox 53 Ten O'Clock News | Himself | Sportscaster: "The Angle on Sports" |
| 2000 | SMTV Live | Himself | |
| 2001 | The Weakest Link | Himself | |
| 2007 | Inside MMA | Himself | Season 1, episodes 10 and 11 |
| 2008 | Pros vs. Joes | Himself | Season 3, episode 1 |
| 2009 | Criss Angel Mindfreak | Himself | Episode: "Car Wreck Vanish" |
| 2011 | Extreme Makeover: Home Edition | Himself | Episode: "The Lampe Family" |
| 2013 | Baal Veer | Himself | [5] |
| 2016 | Duck Dynasty | Himself | Episode: "Van He'llsing" |
| 2016 | Those Who Can't | Coach Joe Donnelly[6] | Episode: "A New Dog in the Yard" |
| 2018–2019 | OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes | Chip Damage | Voice; 6 episodes |
| 2021 | Ryan's Mystery Playdate | Himself | Episode: "Ryan's Super Tough Playdate" |
Championships and accomplishments
Folkstyle/freestyle 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 Hall of Fame
- National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member (Class of 2001)
- National Collegiate Athletic Association
- NCAA Division I All-American (1990–1992)
- NCAA Division I Heavyweight 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)
Professional wrestling
- The Baltimore Sun
- Best Worker of the Decade (2010)[7]
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Future Legend Award (2000)[8]
- Inoki Genome Federation
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame
- Class of 2021[11]
- Power Pro Wrestling
- PPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[12]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Comeback of the Year (2003)[13]
- Feud of the Year (2000) vs. Triple H[13]
- Feud of the Year (2003) vs. Brock Lesnar[13]
- Feud of the Year (2007) vs. Samoa Joe[13]
- Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2001)[13]
- Match of the Year (2003) vs. Brock Lesnar in an Iron Man match on SmackDown! on September 16[13]
- Match of the Year (2005) vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21[13]
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2000)[13]
- Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2003)[13]
- Rookie of the Year (2000)[13]
- Wrestler of the Year (2003)[13]
- Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2001[14]
- SoCal Uncensored
- Match of the Year (2000) vs. Christopher Daniels on September 13, 2000 (Ultimate Pro Wrestling)[15]
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- TNA World Heavyweight Championship (6 times, first)[16]
- TNA X Division Championship (1 time)[17]
- TNA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Sting (1)[a] and A.J. Styles (1)[18]
- King of the Mountain (2007, 2009)[19][20]
- Second TNA Triple Crown Champion[21]
- TNA Hall of Fame (2013)[22]
- TNA Year End Awards (5 times)
- Feud of the year (2006, 2007) vs. Samoa Joe
- Match of the Year (2007) vs Sting at Bound for Glory
- Memorable Moment of the Year (2006) Debut at No Surrender
- Who to Watch in 2007 (2006)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Best Gimmick (2000)[23]
- Best on Interviews (2002)[23]
- Best Technical Wrestler (2002)[23]
- Feud of the Year (2003) vs. Brock Lesnar[23]
- Match of the Year (2002) with Chris Benoit vs. Edge and Rey Mysterio at No Mercy on October 20[23]
- Most Improved (2000)[23]
- Most Outstanding Wrestler (2001–2003)[23]
- Readers' Favorite Wrestler (2002–2003)[23]
- Wrestler of the Year (2002)[23]
- Wrestler of the Decade (2000–2009)[24]
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2004)[25]
- WWE / World Wrestling Entertainment / Federation
- WWF/WWE Championship (4 times)[26]
- WCW Championship (1 time)[b][27]
- World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[28]
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)[29]
- WWF European Championship (1 time)[30]
- WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time)[31]
- WCW United States Championship (1 time)[b][32]
- WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time, first) – with Chris Benoit[33]
- Fifth Grand Slam Champion[21]
- King of the Ring (2000)[1]
- 10th Triple Crown Champion[21]
- WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament (2002) – with Chris Benoit[34]
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2017)[35]
World Championships/Olympic Games matches
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Score | Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 Olympic Games | ||||||
| Win | 9–0 | 1–1 | July 31, 1996 | 1996 Olympic Games | ||
| Win | 8–0 | 4–1 | ||||
| Win | 7–0 | 4–3 | ||||
| Win | 6–0 | 2–0 | July 30, 1996 | |||
| Win | 5–0 | 4–0 | ||||
| 1995 World Championship | ||||||
| Win | 4–0 | Referee Decision | August 13, 1995 | 1995 World Championships | ||
| Win | 3–0 | Referee Decision | ||||
| Win | 2–0 | 3–0 | ||||
| Win | 1–0 | 2–0 | ||||
Kurt Angle Media
Angle at King of the Ring in 2000 – a tournament he eventually won
Angle and Brock Lesnar after their WWE Championship title match at WrestleMania XIX
Angle applies the ankle lock to Shawn Michaels
Angle as the "Godfather" of the Main Event Mafia
Angle and Jeff Jarrett at Slammiversary IX
Angle at Bound for Glory in October 2015
Footnotes
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Kurt AngleWWE. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kurt Angle's ProfileOnline World of Wrestling. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
- ↑ Kreikenbohm, Philip. Kurt Angle (p. 16). Cagematch.net. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
- ↑ Powell, Jason. 3/11 Powell's WWE Raw TV Review: The Shield's farewell, Batista and Triple H, Finn Balor vs. Bobby Lashley for the Intercontinental Championship, all roads lead to WrestleMania coming out of WWE Fastlane. Pro Wrestling Dot Net (March 11, 2019). Retrieved March 12, 2019.
- ↑ PHOTOS: Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle to fight 'Balveer'? Photo Gallery, Picture News Gallery. December 9, 2013. http://www.indianexpress.com/picture-gallery/olympic-gold-medalist-kurt-angle-to-fight-balveer-/4064-1.html. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
- ↑ "Those Who Can't" A New Dog in the Yard (TV Episode 2016) – IMDb (in en-US) (November 17, 2016). Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ↑ Eck, Kevin. Best of the Decade awards. The Baltimore Sun (January 11, 2010). Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ↑ Past Honorees. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ↑ Kurt Angle and Don Curtis to enter Hall of Fame (October 12, 2011)WCFCourier. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
- ↑ Kurt Angle reception set for 2015 National Pro Wrestling HOF (May 22, 2015)Wrestleview. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
- ↑ Next Official Memphis Wrestling Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. memphis-wrestling.jimdosite.comOfficial Memphis Wrestling. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ↑ Power Pro Wrestling Heavyweight TitleWrestling Titles. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
- ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 PWI Awards. Pro Wrestling IllustratedKappa Publishing Group. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ↑ Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2001Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ↑ Southern California Match of the Year. SoCal Uncensored.
- ↑ TNA World Heavyweight Title history. wrestling-titles.com.
- ↑ Total Nonstop Action Wrestling official title historyTNA Wrestling. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
- ↑ TNA World Tag Team TitleWrestling Titles. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
- ↑ TNA Slammiversary resultsProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
- ↑ Slammiversary 2009Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Kurt Angle-Wrestler. Kurt Angle Official Site. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
- ↑ Impact HOF - Impact Wrestling.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 23.7 23.8 Meltzer, Dave. Biggest issue of the year: The 2011 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards Issue. Wrestling Observer Newsletter (January 26, 2011). Campbell, CA. p. 1–40.
- ↑ Beltrán, William. Según el Wrestling Observer... ¿Quiénes son los mejores los mejores de la década? (in es). Súper Luchas Magazine (August 3, 2010). Retrieved August 5, 2010.
- ↑ Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. Pwi-online.com. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ↑ WWE World Heavyweight Championship HistoryWWE. Retrieved August 28, 2007.
- ↑ WCW World Championship HistoryWWE. Retrieved August 28, 2007.
- ↑ World Heavyweight Championship HistoryWWE. Retrieved August 28, 2007.
- ↑ Intercontinental Championship History. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/. Retrieved August 28, 2007.
- ↑ European ChampionshipwebWWE. Retrieved August 28, 2007.
- ↑ History of the Hardcore ChampionshipWorld Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
- ↑ US Title HistoryWWE. Retrieved August 28, 2007.
- ↑ WWE Tag Team Championship History. http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/wwetag/. Retrieved August 28, 2007.
- ↑ WWE Tag Team Title Tournaments. Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ↑ Kurt Angle returns to WWE for Hall of Fame induction. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2017/04/01/kurt-angle-returns-wwe-hall-of-fame-induction/99902060/. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
Other websites
Media related to Kurt Angle at Wikimedia Commons
- Kurt Angle on WWE.com