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WWF/WWE
Less than four years after earning Olympic gold, and after many months spent in developmental territories and competing in untelevised dark matches for the WWF. Angle officially debuted for the WWF on November 14, 1999 at the annual Survivor Series PPV event, held that year at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. He faced and defeated Shawn Stasiak in his debut match. He was supposed to begin his life as a smiling, All-American good guy (or face), but the intention was for his forced morality and overconfidence to make him a heel instead.
1999-2001
Angle initially embarked on an undefeated streak, though he suffered a loss in a tag team match when his partner, Steve Blackman, was pinned. This led to a match between the two at Armageddon 1999, which Angle won. His streak continued into 2000, when he was scheduled to face an unknown opponent at the Royal Rumble. The opponent was revealed as the debuting Tazz, who rendered Angle unconscious using his Tazzmission hold. However, Angle claimed that the Tazzmission was an illegal choke hold, and his streak was therefore unbroken (he was finally beaten decisively by The Rock).
Angle won the European Championship on February 8, 2000, defeating Val Venis. On February 27 at No Way Out Angle defeated Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Championship after (illegally) using the title belt to block Jericho's Lionsault. He would then unofficially merge the two titles into the "Eurocontinental" Championship. Angle was the third Eurocontinental Champion, following D'Lo Brown who, as Angle humorously put it on TV, "doesn't count" and Jeff Jarrett.
Veteran wrestler Bob Backlund became Angle's mentor, but, unfortunately for Angle, Backlund agreed to a match on Angle's behalf that would see him defend both his titles in a triple threat match. As this meant that Angle could lose his titles without being beaten, he was understandably angry, and used Backlund's own Crossface Chickenwing hold on him. On April 2, 2000 at WrestleMania 2000, Angle faced Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho, and lost both belts without being pinned or made to submit.
Angle also won the 2000 King of the Ring tournament in June 2000, defeating Rikishi in the finals, and wrestled in the main event of SummerSlam in August. With his on-screen nerves totally gone, Angle's light-hearted holier-than-thou routines provided the perfect compliment to his intense and tough wrestling style and helped to get him 'over' to fans massively.
The perfect proof of this fast progress came with his crowning achievement: defeating The Rock at No Mercy in October 2000 to win the WWF Championship. He would hold the belt for four months, and then go on in 2001 to have memorable feuds with Chris Benoit amongst others.
(Later he would also win the Hardcore Championship, WCW World Heavyweight Championship, WCW US Championship, and one half of the first WWE (SmackDown! brand-specific) WWE Tag Team Championship, with Chris Benoit as his partner)
He is also noted for his comedic angles, such as his 2000/2001 stint with Team ECK, featuring Edge and Christian, and his goofy, stooge-like role during The Invasion storyline of 2001 alongside Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon. During that time he turned face by having Austin turn on him: Angle toppled Austin for his second WWF title in an emotional bout in September 2001 in his home town by making Austin tap. He lost it back to Austin just a few weeks later. Angle then turned heel again by turning his back on the WWF and joining the WCW/ECW Alliance he'd spent months fighting against. At Survivor Series 2001 there was a winner takes all match. WWF vs. The Alliance. After being eliminated in the match Angle later returned to the ring to pick up the title belt as the ref was down. It looked as though Angle was about to strike the Rock however turned on the Alliance and struck Stone Cold which led to the Rock getting the victory. Angle 'returned' to the WWF fold and remained a sneering, patronizing, yet humorous heel.
At Vengeance 2001, Angle was one of four men to take part in the tournament to crown the first ever Undisputed Champion. After a strong battle with Stone Cold, Kurt became victim of the Stunner and was eliminated from the mix.
2002-2004
The year kicked off as Angle competed in his first Royal Rumble match. He was the last man eliminated by Triple H. By No Way Out Angle had got himself into a no 1 contender's match with Triple H where Stephanie McMahon was the referee. After a chair shot and an Angle Slam, Angle pinned Triple H to become the no 1 contender for WrestleMania X8. However in the weeks to follow, WWE co-owner at the time, Ric Flair gave Triple H another match with Angle which he won and stripped Kurt of his Wrestlemania title shot. He did however go on to WrestleMania X8 to defeat Kane.
At Judgment Day 2002, Angle was in a "Hair vs. Hair" match with Edge. With a surprise inside cradle, Edge beat Angle; however, Angle ran to the back while Edge chased him around the building. Eventually Edge caught Angle and applied a sleeper hold which knocked him out long enough for Edge to shave his head bald. For the purposes of comic relief, Angle wore a wig for the next month. He has maintained his bald head since.
At King of the Ring 2002 Angle became the first person to make Hulk Hogan tap out.
Later Kurt Angle and former partner Chris Benoit turned face by opposing Los Guerreros (Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Eddie Guerrero).
After Angle won his third WWE Championship against The Big Show in December 2002, he turned heel by hiring one of the most hated and concurrently revered managers of all time, former ECW owner, and ex-WCW talent, Paul Heyman.
On the December 26, 2002 edition of SmackDown!, as a Christmas 'gift' to his top client, Paul Heyman gave Kurt Angle his own back-up team, Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin, who debuted that night under the name Team Angle, and later dubbed themselves "The World's Greatest Tag Team."
Angle later lost his title to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX in March 2003. Angle subtly turned face by congratulating and befriending Lesnar immediately afterward.
Angle seriously considered trying to make a comeback to freestyle wrestling for the 2004 Summer Olympics, but he abandoned that plan late in 2002, when neck problems that dated back to his past amateur wrestling career recurred.
In 2003, after the aforementioned neck problems led to an almost career-ending injury, he opted for a new type of surgery that allowed him to return in two months rather than a year. Angle would gain respect from the audience, and told them that he was proud of the "You Suck!" and "What?" chants. With that the fans continued to chant those catchphrases, though not as often as when he was heel and this time, it means respect.
Angle would soon regain the WWE Championship in a triple threat match at Vengeance after hitting the Angle Slam on Brock Lesnar. This was his fourth title reign. Due to jealousy Lesnar turned on Angle. One month later at SummerSlam, Angle became the first of only two men to ever make Lesnar tap out. Lesnar eventually retained the title in September 2003.
In mid-February 2004, Angle turned heel once more by turning his back on WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero. In the storyline, the reason for this was because he thought that Eddie was nothing but an embarrassment to the championship due to Eddie's real-life past problems with drugs and alcohol. He then fought, and lost to, Eddie at WrestleMania XX for the championship in March 2004, but Eddie retained the title by employing one of his infamous cheating techniques in a creative finish involving a loose boot.
However, in March 2004 his neck problems recurred yet again, and it was feared that he would have to undergo possibly career-ending surgery. For a time, he considered having an operation similar to the one he had in 2003, but has decided against it for the time being. He also injured his knee in late 2003.
After WrestleMania XX, Angle played the role of a disabled General Manager on SmackDown!, after he was thrown off a ledge by The Big Show and claimed he could no longer wrestle again (this was a storyline to allow Angle to recover from his recurring neck injury yet still participate in WWE shows). During his tenure he regularly favored heels over faces, and attempted to force Guerrero into being "fired" for misconduct. Angle was "fired" from that position when his career-ending injury was proved to be fake, but returned to the active roster during a SmackDown! taping on July 20 (aired on July 22).
Angle returned to the ring in July 2004 at a WWE house show in Japan. He has publicly stated that he will work a reduced in-ring schedule in the future, and is reportedly planning to change his wrestling style to reduce the risk of further damage to his neck.
On August 15, 2004, Angle had his first big match since Wrestlemania 20 and it was against the man who beat him there, Eddie Guerrero. This time Angle took off Guererro's boot and applied the ankle lock multiple times before Guerrero eventually tapped out.
He then formed a stable with Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak, dubbed Kurt Angle and his Protégés, by SmackDown! commentators. They concentrated their power on taking down The Big Show, successfully tranquilizing him, and shaving his head in the middle of the ring. This formed a feud which continued throughout 2004 and early 2005.
On November 16, 2004 in Dayton, Ohio, Kurt Angle kicked off the "Kurt Angle Invitational." This meant that, at every location where SmackDown! took place, he would allow a "hometown hero", all of whom have been local professional wrestlers, to challenge him to a match. If that person defeated Angle, he would award them with his authentic 1996 Olympic gold medal.
2005
At the Royal Rumble 2005 on (January 30, 2005 in Fresno), Kurt Angle lost in a triple threat match against The Big Show and JBL. However, later in the event, Kurt Angle bullied Nunzio and took his Royal Rumble spot, only to be eliminated by Shawn Michaels, whom he later attacked after Michaels was eliminated, kicking a feud into high gear that started when Angle insulted Michaels during 2004's Survivor Series. Meanwhile, other attempts to capture the WWE Championship came when Kurt Angle and WWE US Champion John Cena were the finalists of a #1 contenders' match. Ultimately, Cena defeated Kurt Angle.
As a result of what happened at the Royal Rumble, Shawn Michaels issued a challenge to Kurt Angle for a match at Wrestlemania 21, which Kurt Angle accepted when he appeared on RAW to attack Michaels. The two would continue to taunt and ambush each other until Wrestlemania in a RAW vs. SmackDown! Match.
This feud later saw Angle say he would accomplish everything Michaels has done in his 16 year career in 4 weeks. This saw Angle compete in his first ladder match during one of his "Hometown Hero" sections (for his Olympic Gold), which of course he won with ease. After the match, Angle announced that he will face Marty Jannetty, Michael's former tag team partner from the 1980s and early 1990s. Angle claimed that since Jannetty had taught Michaels "everything he knows" while part of the Rockers, he could teach Michaels "how to tap out" by forcing Jannetty to submit on SmackDown!
The next week, on SmackDown!, Angle made good on his promise and forced Jannetty to submit to his ankle lock submission, but only after a nearly 20-minute match and a strong showing for Jannetty which saw him nearly pin the Olympic champion. Next, Angle would bring in another "blast from Shawn Michaels' past" in "Sensational" Sherri. Angle came to the ring with Michaels' former manager, copying Michaels' entrance almost exactly. The pair performed their own version of Michaels' theme music, before Angle turned on Sherri and made her tap out to the Ankle Lock.
Finally, Angle beat Michaels by submission in the highly anticipated "interpromotional" match at WrestleMania 21 on April 3, 2005. Many fans considered the match the best of the four-hour show.
On the May 12, 2005 edition of WWE SmackDown!, Angle cut a promo about Booker T's wife Sharmell, saying he wanted to have "bestiality sex" with her and then "that kind of perverted sex." At Judgment Day on May 22, he lost the resultant match with Booker T. He then gave Booker T an Angle Slam, and went after Sharmell with handcuffs. Unfortunately for Angle, Booker T stopped him and handcuffed him to the ropes, and let Sharmell slap Angle in the face. On June 9, he lost another match to Booker T on SmackDown!
On June 13, Angle became the second person to be drafted from SmackDown! to RAW in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery. He continued his feud with Shawn Michaels who he faced at Vengeance 2005, but Michaels pinned him ending the HBK-Angle rivalry. Angle went on to face Ric Flair on June 27, 2005 episode of RAW, the pair had a dirty fight that ended when Angle made Ric Flair tap out.
Angle continued on with his "Kurt Angle Invitational" in which Angle had previously challenged "hometown heroes" while on SmackDown! to last three minutes in the ring with him; if anyone succeeded, Angle would give the successful challenger his authentic gold medal from the 1996 Summer Olympics.
The July 25, 2005 RAW from Cleveland saw the unlikely end of the "Kurt Angle Invitationals" when the returning from an injury, Eugene survived three minutes against Angle, winning Angle's gold medal, and became the first successful challenger. Eugene then started "The Eugene Invitational" to begin on the August 1, 2005 RAW episode.
The August 8, 2005 RAW episode had Angle in his hometown against Eugene for the gold medal in "The Eugene Invitational." Kurt had a great start but accidentally knocked into the ref resulting in a warning. Then Eugene chopped the ref while he was down and blamed it on Kurt. Finally Eugene dodged a clothesline and sent Kurt into the ref resulting in Kurt losing via DQ. Angle continued to attack Eugune, until Hulk Hogan came for the save. Angle and Eugene met at SummerSlam and Angle with aid of the ankle lock won back his gold medal.
On August 22, 2005 Chris Jericho and John Cena were in a "You're Fired" match for the WWE Championship. Jericho lost and got "fired" by Eric Bishoff. While Jericho was getting taken away by Security, Angle came in the ring and attacked Cena. It was then revealed by Bischoff that Angle was the new number one contender and would get a shot at the WWE Championship against Cena at WWE Unforgiven.
Kurt Angle tried his best from Unforgiven To New Years Revolution 2006 to beat John Cena for the WWE title but could not do it! Angle made the jump to Smackdown! After Batista was injured and the title had to be vacated! Kurt Angle won a Battle Royal and became the WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!
WrestleMania 22 Kurt Angle lost the title to Rey Mysterio but was not pinned!Rey Mysterio beat the Legend Killer Randy Orton in a Triple Threat Match!
Personal life
Angle recently separated from his wife Karen (as of August 2005). He noted that the strain of being on the road took it's toll on their marriage. He has a young daughter Kyra. Angle has four older brothers, including Eric, also a wrestler, and one late sister, the latter of whom died due to heart complications, a problem for several Angle family members. His father was killed in a construction accident, and Angle dedicated his autobiography, "It's True, It's True" to him as a result.
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