WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has revealed that he has never been honored by the Olympic community for his legendary success in professional wrestling.
Angle, 55, overcame serious injuries to win the men's freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, despite breaking his neck.
The American wrestler then moved to WWE just two years later and became one of the absolute best, winning six world titles and defeating the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and The Undertaker. Ta.
And the Olympic hero's success in the squared circle opened the door for other up-and-coming athletes like Brock Lesnar, Chad Gable, and others who found more financial profit from amateur wrestling.
However, the former WWE Champion's former Team USA teammates have not reached out to congratulate him throughout his 21-year career, as freestyle wrestling is still a sport that is “shy”. .
Nevertheless, the former world heavyweight champion has no hard feelings, as his Olympic past is a part of his life that he will always cherish.
When asked if his WWE career ever received recognition from his Olympians, Angle told SunSport: “No, but there's a reason for that. Amateur wrestling is kind of frowned upon by professional wrestling. ” he said.
“Here in the United States, when people say, 'Are you a wrestler?' you have to understand.” The first thing people think of is WWE.
“So if I'm an Olympian and you come up to me and say, 'What do you do for a living?' I say, 'I'm a wrestler.' 'Oh, I'm on TV. I'm one of those “trolls''!'' I was like, “No, I'm a real wrestler.''
“When you're an amateur wrestler, there's a certain status that you think beyond pro wrestling. I'm a pro wrestler and I'm an amateur wrestler.
“But I think my involvement in professional wrestling really loosened the reins on the amateur wrestling community and made them think, 'Oh, okay. People can make a living doing this.'
“As an amateur wrestler, it's really hard to make a living after performing or competing in the Olympics. I mean, you can continue to compete, you can make money doing it, but you know, you can't make a living. There won't be any eggs.''You know, you can't retire forever.
“I opened a lot of doors. Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin, Otis, Chad Gable, Gable Stevenson came through there.
“So I think there's a life after amateur wrestling, and that opens the door for a lot of wrestlers, whether it's MMA, pro wrestling, coaching, whatever you choose. I feel like it opened up to me.”
I don't hold a grudge
However, Angle is still in touch with the U.S. Freestyle Wrestling Team and is almost lined up for a position heading into the Paris Summer Olympics.
The Olympic gold medalist had hoped to work as a commentator, but lost out on the job.
Despite this, the Olympian is adamant that he will still be rooting for his country's athletes when he watches the 2024 Olympics from Pittsburgh.
Angle continued, “There was a time when I was thinking of commenting, but to be honest, that's not going to happen because they've already got their team ready. I don't feel comfortable commenting back to them. “It was a little too late,” he added. that.
“But what I'm going to do is sit back and watch the Olympics and enjoy it like everyone else.
“This time of year is my favorite time of the year. It only happens once every four years. It’s really special to be able to see athletes from your country represent themselves, do their best and maybe even win a gold medal.” It’s a great time. There’s no better time.”
