It’s true. Oh, it’s damn true.
Few wrestlers make an immediate impact the minute they step into the WWE. Sure, Kurt Angle’s first match was against Shawn Stasiak, but he quickly blazed a trail in the company that was looking for some personable superstars who also knew how to do some great work in the ring. Kurt Angle fit that bill.
Fans hated the ‘wrestling machine,’ Kurt Angle, to the point that they couldn’t do anything but cheer him. With an amateur wrestling background, the charisma to stand toe-to-toe with The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin and the skill to put on classic matches with Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Benoit, Angle had it all.
He’s often forgotten when it comes to great wrestlers from the early 2000’s. When the Attitude Era ended, and the ‘Ruthless Aggression’ era began, Kurt Angle was one of the leaders of the program. Always on the top of the card, always reinventing his career in one way or another. He played a dominant comedy act babyface and also killed it as an uber aggressive, ruthless heel. He won multiple titles with WWE and received a ton of accolades for his work from the Wrestling Observer Magazine including Wrestler of the Decade for 2000-2009, Wrestler of the Year in 2002 and Match of the year for his tag team bout with Chris Benoit against Edge and Rey Mysterio at No Mercy 2002.
Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit vs Rey Mysterio and… by puropwgwwestuff
Now, one of the most decorated sports entertainers of all-time will be getting his proper place in history. Kurt Angle will be getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Following from Brian Campbell of ESPN.
Kurt Angle, the 1996 U.S. Olympic gold medalist who performed for WWE from 1998 to 2006 as a six-time WWE world champion, will headline the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017. Angle received the news Monday afternoon that he’ll be inducted as part of a ceremony to be held on Friday, March 31, as part of the WrestleMania 33 weekend festivities, at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
While the news is likely to catch many pro wrestling fans off guard, considering Angle’s standing with WWE since his departure, no one was more surprised than the decorated former amateur who also won two NCAA Division I national championships during his time at Clarion University.
“I was shocked. I’ve been out of WWE for a long time and out of touch with them so I didn’t really expect this,” Angle told ESPN.com. “It’s a huge honor. This is the only Hall of Fame that I’m not in and probably [the one] I want to be in the most. This is the one that means the most for me. I had a lot of fun entertaining the fans for seven years with WWE, and I’m glad that my hard work paid off.”
“I figured they either decided they didn’t want to do anything with me or they forgot,” Angle said. “Hunter said they never forgot and he called and told me this is the first thing they want to do. And whether I wrestle or not after this — which is irrelevant right now — I’m just really proud to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
“I gave a lot of energy and time to WWE those first seven years, and I’m grateful that they recognized it.”
Angle admitted he had difficultly watching the current WWE product in recent years, not knowing if he was going to one day return. Although his WWE contract runs through the Hall of Fame ceremony, Angle said Monday that his new deal does not include a WrestleMania match.
“We have not talked about any wrestling,” Angle said. “Whether we do or not, that remains to be seen… There are no guarantees. I think right now the most important thing is the Hall of Fame — and I think both sides feel that way.”
