Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American professional wrestler, actor and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Angle was involved in amateur wrestling during both high school and college. In college at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, he won numerous accolades, including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion.[5][6] After graduating, he won the 1995 World Championship tournament.[5] Angle then competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he won a gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling.[6][7] Kurt Angle nearly did not win an Olympic gold medal because he tried out for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was nearly accepted before 1996.[citation needed]
Initially turning down an offer to join the World Wrestling Federation (WWF),[6] Angle signed a multi-year contract with the company in 1998. His first big push in the company was in February 2000 when he held both the European Championship and Intercontinental Championship.[8] Not long after, Angle began pursuing the WWF Championship. He continued to be a part of main event matches until August 2006, when Angle was granted a release from his contract.[9] Throughout his tenure in the company, he was a six-time World Champion (four-time WWF/E Champion,[10] World Heavyweight Champion[11] and WCW Champion),[12] WCW United States Champion,[13] WWF Intercontinental Champion,[14] WWF European Champion, [15] WWF Hardcore Champion[16] and WWE Tag Team Champion (with Chris Benoit).[17] In addition, he was the winner of the King of the Ring tournament in 2000,[18] the tenth Triple Crown Champion, and the fifth Grand Slam Champion. He is also the 2007 King of the Mountain winner at Slammiversary.
After leaving WWE, Angle joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he became the second wrestler in TNA to win TNA's Triple Crown and the first man to hold all three TNA championships simultaneously.[19] While in TNA, his real-life wife Karen began accompanying him to the ring and playing a part in his on-screen storylines. Angle has also made appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling and Inoki Genome Federation, where he is the former IWGP Third Belt Champion.[20] Also a former two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Angle is a eight-time World Champion overall, though TNA bills him as a twelve-time wrestling champion when adding in his two NCAA Championships, the IWGP Third Belt Championship and Olympic gold medal.[citation needed]
Angle was involved in amateur wrestling during both high school and college. In college at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, he won numerous accolades, including being a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion.[5][6] After graduating, he won the 1995 World Championship tournament.[5] Angle then competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, where he won a gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling.[6][7] Kurt Angle nearly did not win an Olympic gold medal because he tried out for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was nearly accepted before 1996.[citation needed]
Initially turning down an offer to join the World Wrestling Federation (WWF),[6] Angle signed a multi-year contract with the company in 1998. His first big push in the company was in February 2000 when he held both the European Championship and Intercontinental Championship.[8] Not long after, Angle began pursuing the WWF Championship. He continued to be a part of main event matches until August 2006, when Angle was granted a release from his contract.[9] Throughout his tenure in the company, he was a six-time World Champion (four-time WWF/E Champion,[10] World Heavyweight Champion[11] and WCW Champion),[12] WCW United States Champion,[13] WWF Intercontinental Champion,[14] WWF European Champion, [15] WWF Hardcore Champion[16] and WWE Tag Team Champion (with Chris Benoit).[17] In addition, he was the winner of the King of the Ring tournament in 2000,[18] the tenth Triple Crown Champion, and the fifth Grand Slam Champion. He is also the 2007 King of the Mountain winner at Slammiversary.
After leaving WWE, Angle joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he became the second wrestler in TNA to win TNA's Triple Crown and the first man to hold all three TNA championships simultaneously.[19] While in TNA, his real-life wife Karen began accompanying him to the ring and playing a part in his on-screen storylines. Angle has also made appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling and Inoki Genome Federation, where he is the former IWGP Third Belt Champion.[20] Also a former two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Angle is a eight-time World Champion overall, though TNA bills him as a twelve-time wrestling champion when adding in his two NCAA Championships, the IWGP Third Belt Championship and Olympic gold medal.[citation needed]
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