Kurt Angle | |
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Angle in 2005
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Birth name | Kurt Steven Angle |
Born |
Mt. Lebanon Township, Pennsylvania, United States |
December 9, 1968
Residence |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States |
Alma mater | Clarion University of Pennsylvania |
Spouse(s) |
Karen Smedley (m. 1998; div. 2008) Giovanna Angle (m. 2012) |
Children | 5 |
Family | Eric Angle (brother) |
Website | kurtanglebrand |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Kurt Angle |
Billed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Billed weight | 240 lb (110 kg) |
Billed from | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
Trained by |
Dory Funk Jr. Tom Prichard |
Debut | 1998 |
Medal record
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Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and retired amateur wrestler. 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 college, Angle won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships. He then won a freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Angle is one of four people to complete an amateur wrestling Grand Slam (junior nationals, NCAA, World Championships, 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 professional wrestling event in 1996, with his in-ring debut following in 1998. He signed a long-term contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) that same year, and participated in his first televised storyline in March 1999. After months of unaired matches, Angle made his official debut in November and received his first major push in the company in February 2000, when he held the European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship simultaneously. Four months later, he won the King of the Ring tournament, and not long after he began pursuing the WWF Championship, which he won in October; this capped off a rookie year which is considered by many to be the greatest in professional wrestling history.