I’ve not watched wrestling actively for almost four years now but I was raised watching it and still read about it here and there and this turn of events surprises me more than it should considering his list of injuries. He was only active for seven years but in that time, he cemented himself as one of the greats and I honestly believe that he is second to none when measured as a sports-entertainer. Many wrestle a more proficient style or talk better games but I don’t think anyone does all of it as well as he does or did.
Angle sucks!
Not really, I’ve not watched for a couple of years but he was always a firm favourite.
Good skills and very funny on the mike.
Second only, IMHO, to Mick Foley
(in the mike department that is)
I haven’t watched in quite a while, but I always loved Angle. The Olympic Slam was pretty lame as a finisher though.
I went to the 1990 NCAA finals and saw Angle win a championship in person. He was awesome: an in-shape, tough, lightning fast 230 pounder who made the average NCAA heavyweight look like the fat, slow behemoths they were. From then through his Olympic medal he was pretty much my favorite wrestler.
When I saw him on WWE a few years later, billed as “The Olympic Hero,” no less, I came close to crying. 
I hope he made enough money to retire comfortably.
The wrestling newsletters I’ve been reading say that he is a “victim” of the new WWE Wellness plan instituted a while back after the death of Eddie Gurrerro (sp). Kurt won his Olympic gold medal with a broken neck, and has had a number of health problems going thru the years, yet he has come back again and again. The thought is that he probably has been using (or over-using) pain medication (hence his recent 30-day absence that most termed a “suspension” although I don’t think it was officially named that) and WWE told him he needed to clean up his act or leave. He’s also had personal problems lately (including a divorce).
Thankfully, it seems Kurt and the WWE are parting on friendly terms and if he gets his act together he’ll be welcomed back. Kurt has always been one of my favorites (because I like seeing actual wrestling as well as the storylines) so I hope he can get himself straightened out and come back to the WWE.
I was just poking around a couple sites and saw that he has signed with TNA since being released from WWE and is effectively burning his bridges with them by claiming, amongst other things, that he, a five-time world heavyweight champion, former King of the Ring, and one of only seven WWF/E Grand Slam Champions, was “held back” in his seven years with the organization.
He obviously has some issues and my respect for him has fallen just a little.
Not doubting you, but are you sure that it wasn’t just talk to build buzz?
I’d love to see him go the movie route like the Rock and John Cena; I think he’d do very well.
I hope this isn’t another step down the road to something seriously harmful happening to Angle. There was a reason why he was let go by WWE, and I suspect it was strongly tied to their Wellness Plan. Shame on TNA for picking him up without any care for if he’s cleaned himself up or not. I wish him the best, but fear for the worst in the coming months…
His health is a major concern, but the TNA schedule is a lot less punishing than WWE’s. TNA tapings happen every once every two weeks, plus one live pay-per-view a month. That sure beats touring constantly with WWE, whose wrestlers are on tour 285-300 a year. No wonder their people have so many health problems – there’s no time to heal on that schedule. With TNA Angle only has to work three dates a month, leaving plenty of downtime. Whether it will make a big enough difference remains to be seen.
It’s tradition for former WWE superstars debuting in TNA to badmouth Vince and most, if not all have had valid complaints about being held back but Angle’s statement is so opposite reality that I can’t see it even being a work and believe that he is so embittered at McMahon following his release that he honestly believes, at least for the time being, that he was actually held back.
I could very well be wrong but that’s just my impression.
Agreed. I’m somewhat concerned that he will be another Rude, Hennig, Pillman, or Eddie.
There’s absolutely nothing left of his neck except muscle. He’s a liability in the ring now- a danger to himself every time he wrestles.