Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle ( December 9 , 1968 ) is an American professional wrestler , actor and 1996 Olympic gold medalist . Angle was involved in amateur wrestling during both high school and college . In college at Clarion University of Pennsylvania , he won numerous accolades , including being a two - time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion . After graduating , he won the 1995 World Championship tournament . Angle then competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta , Georgia , where he won a gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling . Initially turning down an offer to join the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) , Angle signed a multi - year contract with the company in 1998 . His first big push in the company was in February 2000 , when he held both the WWF European Championship and the WWF Intercontinental Championship . Not long after , Angle began pursuing the WWF Championship . He continued to be a part of main event matches until August 2006 , when Angle was granted a release from his contract . Throughout his tenure in the company , he was a 6 - time world champion ( four - time WWF / E Champion , World Heavyweight Champion and WCW Champion ) , WCW United States Heavyweight Championship , WWF Intercontinental Champion , WWF European Champion , WWF Hardcore Champion and WWE Tag Team Champion ( with Chris Benoit ) . In addition , he was the winner of the King of the Ring tournament in 2000 , the tenth Triple Crown Champion , and the fifth Grand Slam Champion . After leaving WWE , Angle joined Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) , where he became the second wrestler in TNA to win TNA ' s Triple Crown and the first man to hold all three TNA championships simultaneously . While in TNA , his real - life wife Karen began accompanying him to the ring and playing a part in his on - screen storylines . Angle has also made appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling as well as Inoki Genome Federation , where he held their version of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship . In addition , he is a five - time TNA World Heavyweight Champion , the second Triple Crown winner in TNA history — being the only one to hold all the required titles at once ( and the only wrestler in history to be a Triple Crown winner in both WWE and TNA ) . Angle is also a two time King of the Mountain winner , winning at the 2007 and 2009 Slammiversary PPV event . In 2010 the Wrestling Observer Newsletter named Angle the Wrestler of the Decade of the 2000s . Amateur wrestling career . Angle started amateur wrestling at the age of six . He attended Mt . Lebanon High School , where he won varsity letters in football and wrestling and was an All - State linebacker . He went undefeated on the freshman wrestling team at Mt . Lebanon High and qualified for the state wrestling tournament his sophomore year . Angle also placed third in the state wrestling tournament as a junior and was the 1987 Pennsylvania State Wrestling Champion as a senior . Upon graduating from high school , Angle attended the Clarion University of Pennsylvania , where he continued to wrestle at an amateur level . He was a two - time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion , national runner - up in 1991 , and a three - time NCAA Division I All - American . In addition , Angle was the 1987 USA Junior Freestyle champion , a two - time USA Senior Freestyle champion , and the 1988 USA International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles Junior World Freestyle champion . After graduating from college , Angle continued to wrestle . In 1995 , he won a gold medal at the World Championships in Atlanta , Georgia . Following this victory , Angle began preparing for the 1996 Summer Olympics under Dave Schultz at the Pennsylvanian Foxcatcher Club , training between eight and ten hours a day . In January 1996 , not long after Angle began training at the club , Schultz was murdered by John Eleuthère du Pont , the sponsor of Schultz ' s team of Olympic prospectives . As a result , Angle quit Eleuthère du Pont ' s team , searched for new sponsors , and joined the Dave Schultz Wrestling Club in Schultz ' s memory . Angle faced further hardships while taking part in the 1996 Olympic Trials , when he suffered a severe neck injury , fracturing two of his cervical vertebrae , herniating two discs , and pulling four muscles . Nonetheless , Angle won the trials and then spent the subsequent five months resting and rehabilitating . By the Olympics , Angle was able to compete , albeit with several pain - reducing injections in his neck . In the fall of 2006 , Angle stated that he temporarily became addicted to the analgesic Vicodin after injuring his neck . He won his gold medal in the heavyweight ( 90 – 100 kg ; 198 – 220 lb ) weight class despite his injury , defeating the Iranian Abbas Jadidi by officials ' decision after the competitors wrestled to an eight - minute , one - one draw . The bout saw Jadidi earn a point after two minutes and 46 seconds by turning Angle , and Angle earning a point of his own with a takedown after three minutes and eleven seconds . The officials ' decision was protested by Jadidi . Shortly after his victory , Angle turned down a contract with the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) . In the same year , he became a marketing representative for Protos Foods , the manufacturers of OSTRIM , an ostrich meat based foodstuff . Professional wrestling career . Extreme Championship Wrestling ( 1996 ) . On October 26 , 1996 , Angle was convinced by Shane Douglas to attend the taping of an Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) event named " High Incident " . He provided guest commentary during a match between Taz and Little Guido , but left the building after Raven " crucified " The Sandman by attaching him to a cross using barbed wire . Loverro , Thom . The Rise & Fall of ECW : Extreme Championship Wrestling ( p . 172 ) Angle , shocked by the controversial imagery and afraid that his career prospects would be damaged if he was associated with the incident , threatened to sue ECW owner Paul Heyman if he was shown on television in the same broadcast as the stunt . In 1997 , following the incident , Angle worked for a year as a sportscaster on Pittsburgh ' s local Fox affiliate WPGH - TV . World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment ( 1998 – 2006 ) . Debut ; WWF Champion ( 1998 – 2000 ) . In October 1998 , Angle signed an eight - year contract with the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) . He was assigned to the Power Pro Wrestling developmental territory in Memphis , Tennessee , where he began training . Angle ' s first appearance on WWF television was on the March 7 , 1999 episode of " Sunday Night Heat " , where he took part in an angle with Tiger Ali Singh . This angle involved Singh paying him money to blow his nose on the American flag . Angle instead blew his nose on Singh ' s flag and fought him off . His first official WWF match was a dark match victory over Brian Christopher on April 11 , 1999 . In the following months , he wrestled in house shows and other dark matches in preparation for his televised debut . After several weeks of vignettes , Angle made his in - ring debut on November 14 , 1999 at the Survivor Series , defeating Shawn Stasiak . In his initial push , he remained undefeated for several weeks , eventually losing to the debuting Tazz at the Royal Rumble . Angle ' s television character was an " American hero " gimmick based on his gold medal win at the 1996 Summer Olympics . In his promos , Angle presented himself as a role model and stressed the need to work hard to realize one ' s dreams , stressing the " 3 I " s , " Intensity , Integrity , and Intelligence " . In his promos and ring entrances , Angle would always wear replicas of his gold medals around his neck . Despite standing for many principles that are associated with fan favorites , Angle ' s character was arrogant , talked down to the audience , and behaved as if he thought he was better than the fans , leading to him quickly becoming a villain . Angle won both the WWF European Championship and the WWF Intercontinental Championship in February 2000 , billing himself as the " Eurocontinental Champion " . He dropped both of his titles without ever conceding a fall in a two falls Triple Threat match with Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 2000 . The match had been agreed on to Angle ' s behalf by his mentor , Bob Backlund . Throughout mid - 2000 , Angle and Edge and Christian ( " Team ECK " ) feuded with Too Cool and Rikishi , with Angle defeating Rikishi in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament . He went on to feud with Triple H after a love triangle between Angle , Triple H , and Triple H ' s wife Stephanie McMahon developed . As a change to the intended storyline of Stephanie turning on her husband and going with Angle , he lost to Triple H at Unforgiven . Following his feud with Triple H , Angle received another push and began pursuing the WWF Championship , defeating The Rock at No Mercy , after interference from Rikishi . With his victory over the Rock , Angle became the first wrestler to have won both an Olympic Gold medal and the World title . Angle retained the WWF Championship for the rest of the year in matches with The Undertaker at Survivor Series and in a six way Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon . After beating Triple H at the Royal Rumble , Angle eventually lost the title to The Rock at No Way Out , he held the WWF Championship for four months . He then feuded with Chris Benoit , whom he defeated at WrestleMania X - Seven but lost to him at Backlash in an Ultimate Submission match ; Benoit defeated Angle four falls to three in sudden - death overtime . Continuing the feud , Angle again defeated Benoit in a two out of three falls match at Judgment Day . Benoit pinned Angle after an " Angle Slam " in a " Pinfalls Only " fall , and then Angle made Benoit submit with the ankle lock in the " Submissions Only " fall . Angle won the third fall , a Ladder match , with the help of Edge and Christian . The Invasion ; Team Angle ( 2001 – 2002 ) . When World Championship Wrestling and ECW formed The Alliance and invaded the WWF in mid - 2001 ( dubbed as " The Invasion " ) , Angle became a fan favorite and began a storyline where he joined forces with WWF Champion Steve Austin to repel them . At Invasion , Angle and Austin captained a team of five WWF superstars against five handpicked members of the Alliance . As part of the angle , Team WWF lost to Team Alliance when Austin turned on his team to join The Alliance . At the close of the match , Austin nailed Angle with a Stone Cold Stunner , causing him to get pinned by the other team . After winning and losing the WCW Championship , WCW United States Heavyweight Championship , and the WWF Hardcore Championship in matches with Alliance members , Angle was booked to defeat Austin in a SummerSlam rematch for his second WWF Championship at Unforgiven . He dropped the title back to Austin on the October 8 , 2001 episode of " Raw " when WWF Commissioner William Regal joined The Alliance and cost Angle the match . As part of the storyline , Angle subsequently turned into a villain again and joined the Alliance himself ; during a WrestleMania X - Seven rematch between Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon , he interfered seemingly to aid Vince but instead struck the members of team WWF with a steel chair . Angle , however , ultimately returned to the WWF side by enabling The Rock to defeat Austin in a " Winner Takes All " match between the WWF and The Alliance at Survivor Series . He remained a villain by claiming sole responsibility for the destruction of The Alliance . After dropping the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship to Edge , the duo were booked into a lengthy feud . During this feud , Edge started the " you suck " chants every time Angle entered a WWE ring , usually in tune with Angle ' s entrance music . The chants followed Angle throughout the rest of his WWE career . In the course of the feud , Angle lost a " hair versus hair " match to Edge at Judgment Day , and his head was shaved bald . Following the loss of his hair , Angle ' s storyline called for him to wear a wig and insult bald people , leading to a feud with Hollywood Hogan , who stripped Angle of his wig . Angle later scored a submission victory over Hogan at King of the Ring . In October 2002 , Angle became the fifth WWE Grand Slam Championship winner when he won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Chris Benoit at No Mercy 2002 . Their team was successful but problematic , as the two bickered constantly , with Benoit often fed up with Angle ' s over - the - top antics . After dropping the title to Edge and Rey Mysterio on an edition of " SmackDown ! " , Angle won his third WWE Championship at Armageddon , defeating The Big Show , with the help of Brock Lesnar . While still in his third reign , Angle began a new storyline when he gained the services of manager Paul Heyman and " Team Angle " . Feuding with Lesnar and Guerrero ( 2003 – 2004 ) . He then began feuding with Brock Lesnar , who had won the 2003 Royal Rumble match , after Lesnar claimed to be the new top superstar on " SmackDown ! " . Angle dropped the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XIX to Lesnar . On April 11 , 2003 , Angle underwent neck surgery performed by Dr . Hae - Dong Jho to repair nerve and spinal damage , calcium buildup , bone spurs , and intervertebral disc problems . Rather than have Dr . Jho remove the afflicted discs and fuse his vertebrae together , Angle opted for a less conventional surgery where Jho removed only the spurs and selected portions of the discs . The alternative surgery reduced Angle ' s rehabilitation time from one year to three months . He returned as a fan favorite in June . Shortly after returning , Angle defeated Lesnar and Big Show in a Triple Threat match at Vengeance to regain the WWE Championship . During this time , Lesnar seemed to become an ally to Angle . Lesnar , however , secretly worked with Vince McMahon on a plot against Angle and stated that he never tolerated losing the belt to him at Vengeance . After retaining the title in a singles bout with Lesnar at SummerSlam , he dropped the title to Lesnar in an Iron Man match on an episode of " SmackDown ! " . Angle then formed a five - man team to rival Lesnar ' s team at the Survivor Series , with Angle ' s team coming out victorious . Angle then got involved in a feud with Eddie Guerrero . Initially being a firm friend and ally to Eddie during the latter ' s feud with his nephew Chavo , Angle turned on him when it was announced that Guerrero , not Angle , was the number one contender for the WWE Championship . At No Way Out , Guerrero defeated Lesnar to win the WWE Championship , and Angle won a match to become new number one contender . After losing to Guerrero at WrestleMania XX , Angle began to once again suffer from legitimate neck problems . As a response , he was made the on - screen General Manager of SmackDown ! , with his absence from the ring attributed to injuries suffered after Big Show chokeslam med him off a ledge . Angle continued his feud with Guerrero throughout 2004 . He cost Guerrero the WWE championship against John " Bradshaw " Layfield in a Texas Bull Rope match at The Great American Bash by participating in the worked finish ; Angle came down to the ring and showed a replay where JBL ' s shoulder hit the corner pad before Guerrero ' s hand . Angle was later fired by Vince McMahon as General Manager in July 2004 , after discovering that he was faking his handicapped status . In November 2004 , Angle initiated the " Kurt Angle Invitational " , a worked weekly segment where " hometown heroes " ( plants ) , challenged him to a match , with Angle promising to give his Olympic gold medal to the first person to last more than three minutes in the ring with him . The Invitational was won by Eugene in July 2005 starting a new angle for both men . As a result , Angle faced Eugene at SummerSlam , defeating him by making him tap out to the ankle lock . On November 4 , 2004 , episode of " SmackDown ! " , during an unscripted segment of " Tough Enough " , Angle challenged the finalists through a squat thrust competition . The winner was Chris Nawrocki , and the prize Nawrocki won was a match against Angle . After Angle defeated Nawrocki , Daniel Puder , an American professional mixed martial artist , challenged Angle . During the match , Angle and Puder wrestled for position before Angle took Puder down ; in the process , Puder locked Angle in a real submission hold , a " kimura lock " . With Puder on his back , one of two referees in the ring , Jim Korderas , quickly counted three to end the bout , but some observed that during the pin , Puder ' s shoulders were not on the mat . Puder later claimed he would have snapped Angle ' s arm , thus making Angle tap out on national television , if Korderas had not ended the match . Following the incident , Dave Meltzer and Dave Scherer gave these comments ; " The Wrestling Machine " And Departure ( 2005 – 2006 ) . In January 2005 , Angle took part in the Royal Rumble , but was eliminated by Shawn Michaels , who had returned to the ring to eliminate in retaliation . After mocking Michaels by defeating his former tag team partner , Marty Jannetty , and attacking former manager , Sherri Martel , Angle defeated Michaels in an interpromotional match at WrestleMania 21 , which won Pro Wrestling Illustrated ( PWI ) Match of the Year Award . He continued to feud with Michaels upon being drafted from " SmackDown ! " to " Raw " in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery , losing to Michaels at Vengeance . Angle later challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship at Unforgiven , where Angle won the match by disqualification , thus not winning the title . Angle also challenged Cena again in a Triple Threat match along with Michaels at Taboo Tuesday , in a losing effort . Angle returned to the SmackDown ! brand in January 2006 , where he was pushed to gain the vacant World Heavyweight Championship in a twenty - man battle royal , turning face in the process . He retained the title against Mark Henry at the Royal Rumble . Shortly after the match , The Undertaker made his return and challenged Angle for the title . Angle retained the title in a match with Undertaker at No Way Out before dropping it to Rey Mysterio in a Triple Threat match , which also included Randy Orton , at WrestleMania 22 . At Judgment Day , he defeated Mark Henry . On May 29 , 2006 , Angle was drafted to the newly created ECW brand . It was during this time that he acquired the nickname " The Wrestling Machine " ( Bestowed upon him by ECW commentator Joey Styles . ) Upon coming to " ECW " , he issued an open challenge for One Night Stand , which was accepted by Orton . Angle defeated Orton at One Night Stand , later losing to him in a rematch at Vengeance . Angle appeared sporadically on WWE television throughout mid - 2006 . On August 25 , 2006 , he was granted an early release from his WWE contract due to " personal issues . " Kurt Angle stated in the " Kurt Angle : Champion " documentary DVD that he asked for his release from WWE because he couldn ' t get time off and he was working beat up , severely on some occasions . He also states that when he quit , WWE lost their very top talent , as he was at the very top of the payroll . Japan ( 2007 – 2009 ) . On February 18 , 2007 , Angle made his debut in New Japan Pro Wrestling , teaming with former IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yuji Nagata to defeat fellow TNA wrestler Travis Tomko and fellow WWE alumnus Giant Bernard . Angle was booked to face Brock Lesnar in a champion versus champion match for the Inoki Genome Federation on June 29 , 2007 , and defeated him by submission for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship , and he challenged him to an MMA fight . On December 19 , 2007 , Angle defended the IWGP World Title successfully against Kendo Kashin . On January 4 , 2008 , Angle made his third successful IWGP World Championship defense when he defeated Yuji Nagata at the New Japan Pro Wrestling supershow " Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome " by forcing Nagata to tap out to the ankle lock . On February 17 , 2008 , Angle lost the IWGP title to Shinsuke Nakamura in a unification match , thus ending the IWGP championship controversy . Kurt Angle is not recognized as an IWGP Heavyweight Champion by New Japan . He returned in August during the G1 Climax in two special tag matches A . J . Styles as his opponent with Shinsuke Nakamura and Masahiro Chono as Angle ' s partners and Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinjiro Otani as Styles ' s partners . Angle ' s team won both matches . He returned at the January 4 Dome Show in a special 8 Man Tag match with Kevin Nash , Chono , and Riki Chōshū against G . B . H . Angle would get the win for his team . Angle faced Bernard at New Japan ' s ISM tour on February 15 and defeat Bernard . After Hiroshi Tanahashi retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Nakamura in the main event , Angle challenged Tanahashi for his IWGP Heavyweight Championship which Tanahashi accepted . Tanahashi defeated Angle on April 5 at New Japan ' s " Resolution 09 " to retain the title . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( 2006 – 2016 ) . Debut ; World Championships ( 2006 – 2007 ) . A few weeks after his WWE contract expired , Angle signed a contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) . The new signing was viewed by some as a promotion not having concern for the health of a wrestler . On September 24 , 2006 , during the closing segment of No Surrender , TNA President Dixie Carter announced that TNA Wrestling had signed Angle to a contract , with Jim Cornette introducing video footage of Angle training in a six - sided TNA ring . On the December 28 , 2006 episode of " TNA Impact ! " , this was announced as the " Moment of the Year " for TNA . Angle made his TNA debut on October 19 as a face , confronting Samoa Joe after Joe refused to relinquish the NWA World Heavyweight Championship belt that , according to the storyline , he had stolen from Jeff Jarrett . The two men ended up fighting while Jarrett took the title back . Angle was then the special enforcer for the Title vs . Career match between Jarrett and Sting at Bound for Glory , but , as part of the worked finish , he took out referee Rudy Charles and assumed the referee ' s role for the rest of the match - up . Angle ' s first match in TNA took place on the November 16 airing of " Impact ! " , where he was booked to defeat Abyss with the ankle lock and be attacked after the match by Samoa Joe . At Final Resolution , Angle was booked to defeat Samoa Joe in a thirty - minute Iron Man match 3 – 2 to earn a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Against All Odds , which he lost to Christian Cage after interference from Tomko and Scott Steiner . This led to a feud between Angle and Steiner , with Angle pinning Steiner at Destination X . After Angle defeated Steiner , he was picked to lead a team of four other wrestlers against a team of Christian Cage ' s choice in a Lethal Lockdown match at April ' s Lockdown . Angle chose Samoa Joe , Rhino , Sting , and Jeff Jarrett for Team Angle , while Cage chose A . J . Styles , Scott Steiner , Tomko , and Abyss . The man who gained the winning pinfall would become the number one contender to Christian Cage ' s NWA World Heavyweight Championship . Team Angle was victorious after Jeff Jarrett hit Abyss with a gimmicked guitar full of thumbtacks and allowed Sting to score the pin . The following episode of iMPACT ! , Angle interrupted Jeff Jarrett ' s face promo , stating he was upset at Jeff for not handing him the title shot and replied , " Looks like you ' re in the wrong place at the WRONG time ! " , which showed signs that an Angle heel turn could be near . Cage was set to defend the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Sting and Angle in a triple threat match at Sacrifice . The day of the PPV , the National Wrestling Alliance ( NWA ) , the owners of the NWA World Heavyweight and the NWA World Tag Team Championships , stripped Cage of the title and Team 3D of the tag team title . NWA Executive Director Robert K . Trobich stated the reason was that Cage refused to defend the NWA Title at NWA live events . At the PPV event , Cage , still holding the physical NWA Championship belt , defended what was billed as the " World Heavyweight Championship " against Angle and Sting . Angle was the victor of said contest by making Sting submit , who had technically just pinned Cage , and was announced as the new " World Heavyweight Champion " . The " Impact ! " following the event , Angle came to the ring with a new championship belt , and announced he was the new " TNA World Heavyweight Champion " . Afterward , Cage and Sting came to the ring and the three began to argue over who was the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion . Due to the controversial finish to their match at Sacrifice , the title was declared vacant by Cornette . A tournament was held for the title which culminated in a King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary on June 17 , 2007 . At the event , Angle became the TNA World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Cage , Samoa Joe , A . J . Styles , and Chris Harris . He then attacked Joe after denying a request for a handshake , reigniting their feud . This would also cause Angle to fully turn heel in the process . At Victory Road , newly crowned X Division Champion Samoa Joe teamed with Kurt Angle to face TNA Tag Team Champions Team 3D , with the stipulation that if a wrestler pinned the other opponent , he won his championship . As part of the planned outcome of the match , Joe pinned Brother Ray of Team 3D to win both tag team belts , which he held by himself . On the following episode of " Impact ! " , Joe ( now holding the X Division and Tag Team Championships , with Angle holding the TNA and ( IGF recognized ) IWGP World Championship s ) challenged Angle to a match at Hard Justice where it was winner take all . While illustrating how he would take away everything important in Angle ' s life , Joe brought Angle ' s wife Karen into the fray , as she demanded a divorce . During the match , however , Karen turned on Joe and aided her husband . As part of his next push , Angle won , gaining all the championships and becoming the second Triple Crown champion in TNA and the first to hold all three titles at the same time . Including the IWGP Title , this made Angle a quadruple champion . Angle , however , dropped both the X Division and Tag Team Titles to Jay Lethal and Team Pacman , respectively , at No Surrender . At Bound for Glory , Angle lost the TNA World Title to Sting , but won it back on the October 25 edition of " Impact ! " . The Angle Alliance ( 2007 – 2008 ) . Angle then joined forces with A . J . Styles and Tomko as The Angle Alliance at Turning Point against Samoa Joe , Kevin Nash , and Scott Hall . Styles had planned for Christian ' s Coalition and The Angle Alliance to team up together , but Christian Cage demanded to be the leader of The Angle Alliance after Cage denied Angle ' s request of being his " lackey " . At Final Resolution , Angle successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Cage due to interference from Styles and again at Against All Odds with help from Tomko . At Lockdown , Angle lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Samoa Joe after being pinned . Feud with AJ Styles ( 2008 ) . After suffering a neck injury , Angle was out of action . In the storyline , he returned to " Impact ! " to ask his estranged wife Karen to reunite with him , but she declined his offer . Later that night , after Styles suffered a beating at the hands of Team 3D , Booker T , and Tomko , Angle added to the mugging by hitting Styles with a steel chair . At Slammiversery , Angle lost to Styles , being pinned after interference from Karen . At Victory Road , Angle and Team 3D won a six - man tag team Full Metal Mayhem match defeating the team of Christian Cage , Rhino , and Styles . At Hard Justice , Angle once again lost to Styles – this time in a Last Man Standing match . The feud continued on the next edition of " Impact ! " , with Styles winning Angle ' s gold medal in a mock amateur wrestling match . The next week Angle challenged Styles to a ladder match for the Olympic Gold Medal . As they both stood on the top of the ladder , the arena went dark and Jeff Jarrett ' s music played . When the lights turned on , Styles had a guitar and performed an " Acoustic Equalizer " on Angle to win the match . Feud with Jeff Jarrett , The Main Event Mafia ( 2008 – 2009 ) . Angle began a feud with Jarrett after No Surrender when Jarrett hit Angle with his guitar , a match that involved him , Christian Cage and Samoa Joe for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship . On the October 2 edition of " Impact " , Mick Foley announced that he would be the special enforcer for Angle ' s match with Jarrett at Bound for Glory IV . Angle lost to Jarrett in this match , being pinned after taking the mandible claw from Foley and a guitar shot and Stroke from Jarrett . He started attacking other superstars backstage in order to get a rematch against Jarrett . On the first HD " Impact ! " , Angle , Booker T , Kevin Nash , and Sting started a new stable of legends called The Main Event Mafia . Scott Steiner joined the group the following week . Angle then defeated Abyss at Turning Point in a Falls Count Anywhere match . After weeks of torturing Jeff Jarrett to give him a rematch , Jarrett said that if Angle could defeat Rhino at the second Final Resolution of 2008 , with Mick Foley as the Special Enforcer , he would grant it . Angle defeated Rhino to earn a rematch with Jarrett at Genesis after Al Snow made a surprise appearance and distracted Foley for Angle to cheat . At Sacrifice , Angle lost his leadership of the Mafia to Sting because of their match ' s stipulation . On June 21 at Slammiversary , Angle won ( so he wouldn ' t leave TNA ) the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the third time in a King of the Mountain match with help from Samoa Joe . On the following edition of " Impact ! " , Angle regained leadership of the Main Event Mafia after he and the rest of the Mafia , attacked Sting while introducing Joe as their newest member . At No Surrender Angle lost his championship to A . J . Styles in a five - way match which also included Matt Morgan , Sting , Hernadez and A . J . Styles . Face turn and various feuds ( 2009 – 2010 ) . After defeating Morgan at Bound for Glory , Angle came out on the following edition of " Impact ! " and put over the younger talent of the company , turning face in the process . Afterward , he was assaulted by the debuting Desmond Wolfe , who defeated him via knockout in a street fight the following week . At Turning Point Angle defeated Wolfe in a rematch . The following month at Final Resolution Angle faced Wolfe in a " Three Degrees of Pain " two out of three falls match . Wolfe managed to gain the first fall by pinning Angle following the Tower of London , but Angle forced him to tap out with the ankle lock to win the second fall . In the final fall , which could only be won by escaping the Six Sides of Steel , Angle managed to escape first and won the match . On the January 4 , 2010 , live , three hour , Monday night edition of " Impact ! " Angle received a shot at A . J . Styles ' World Heavyweight Championship , but was defeated in the main event of the show . Two weeks later at Genesis Angle received one last shot at the World Heavyweight Title , but was once again defeated by Styles , who turned heel with the help of Ric Flair and nailed him with the title belt . As a result , Angle was barred from challenging for the belt as long as Styles is the title holder . Due to the circumstances surrounding the loss , Hulk Hogan gave Angle another shot at Styles and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on the January 21 edition of " Impact ! " , but this time he lost the match after referee Earl Hebner , who was later revealed to have been paid off by Flair , called for the bell in an incident similar to the Montreal Screwjob . Angle responded to the incident by spitting in Hogan ' s face , threatening to quit TNA and go back to WWE . Angle apologized to Hogan , after being saved by him from Scott Hall and Syxx - Pac . At Against All Odds Angle took part in the 8 Card Stud Tournament to crown a new number one contender , but was defeated in the first round by Mr . Anderson , after Anderson used Angle ' s dog tags to bust him open . On the following edition of " Impact ! " Angle promised to make Anderson suffer for disrespecting the U . S . soldiers , but was in the end once again laid out by him , effectively starting a feud between the two . At Destination X Angle defeated Anderson in a rematch . Angle and Anderson were booked in a rubber match inside a steel cage at Lockdown . On the April 5 edition of " Impact ! " Anderson defeated Angle in a ladder match to win possession of the key to the cage door . At Lockdown , Angle defeated Anderson in a steel cage match and afterwards announced that he would now be taking some time off from wrestling . Climb up the rankings and feud with Jeff Jarrett ( 2010 – 2011 ) . Angle returned on the May 20 edition of " Impact ! " and was ranked number two by the Championship Committee in the inaugural top 10 rankings for a World Heavyweight title shot . Angle , however , decided to take his name out of the running for a title shot and vowed to fight his way through the top 10 and earn his spot at the top of the company . At Slammiversary VIII Angle started his climb back to the top by defeating Kazarian , who was ranked number ten . Angle continued his climb , defeating Desmond Wolfe , who was ranked number nine prior to the match , on the June 24 edition of " Impact ! " , and D ' Angelo Dinero , ranked number eight , at Victory Road . On the July 22 edition of " Impact ! " Angle defeated number seven ranked Hernandez and followed that up three weeks later by defeating number six ranked A . J . Styles . On the August 19 edition of " Impact ! " the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was vacated and instead of continuing his climb , Angle was entered into an eight - man tournament for the title , defeating X Division Champion Douglas Williams in his first round match . At No Surrender Angle first wrestled Jeff Hardy to a twenty - minute time limit draw , after which Eric Bischoff ordered a five - minute extra time . After that and a second five - minute extra time also ended in draws , it was ruled that , due to a cut , Angle wouldn ' t be allowed to continue the match , ending the match in a no contest . At Bound for Glory Angle was defeated by Hardy , when he turned heel and pinned Anderson , after an interference from Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff , who then went on to form an alliance named Immortal , with Hardy , Abyss and Jeff Jarrett . On the following edition of Impact ! Angle came out to make his retirement speech , after his failed attempt to win the World Heavyweight Champion , but was interrupted by Jarrett , who announced that he had made a deal with Hogan and Bischoff in order to end Angle ' s career at Bound for Glory , before attacking him , when he was restrained by TNA ' s security officers Gunner and Murphy . The following week Angle returned , trying to get his hands on Bischoff and Ric Flair , before being stopped by TNA ' s security officers . Angle returned three weeks later on the November 11 edition of Impact ! , saving Samoa Joe from Jeff Jarrett , Gunner and Murphy . After not appearing again for two weeks , Angle made another return on the December 2 edition of Impact ! , saving Samoa Joe from Jeff Jarrett and Abyss . On the January 6 , 2011 , edition of Impact ! Angle interrupted Jarrett ' s $ 100 , 000 Mixed Martial Arts Challenge and signed a contract to face him at Genesis in an MMA exhibition match , since he had promised not to wrestle again . The match was thrown out in the third round after Jarrett blinded Angle . After the match Jarrett bloodied Angle , before announcing that he was ending his mixed martial arts career and promised that his wife , Karen Jarrett ( formerly Karen Angle ) , would be joining the retirement party . On the January 13 edition of Impact ! Karen made her return and stopped Angle just as he was about to attack Jeff , telling him that she would not allow him to ruin their personal lives and promised to tell all about their divorce the following week . The following week Karen slapped Kurt , providing a distraction which allowed Jeff to beat him down . At the end of the show Crimson saved Angle from a beating at the hands of Immortal and Fortune . The following week Ric Flair reinstated Angle in order to place him and Crimson in a seven – on – two handicap match against Jarrett , James Storm , Robert Roode , Kazarian , Rob Terry , Gunner and Murphy . The match ended with Jarrett pinning Angle for the win . Afterwards , Angle was saved from another beatdown by the returning Scott Steiner . The following week Fortune turned on Immortal and aligned themselves with Angle , Crimson and Steiner . On February 13 at Against All Odds Jarrett defeated Angle in a singles match and as a result Angle was forced to walk Karen down the aisle , when she and Jarrett renewed their wedding vows on the March 3 edition of Impact ! . After the match Angle hinted at a possible retirement by leaving his wrestling boots in the ring . On March 3 Angle proceeded to destroy the wedding set with an axe and forced wedding guest , New York Jet Bart Scott to tap out with the ankle lock . On April 17 at Lockdown , Jarrett defeated Angle in an " Ultra Male Rules " Two out of Three Falls steel cage match , with help from Karen . On the May 12 edition of Impact ! , Angle revealed Chyna as his backup in taking care of the Jarretts . At Sacrifice , Angle and Chyna defeated the Jarretts in a mixed tag team match . Later that same month , Angle signed a new three - year contract with TNA . With Karen out of the picture , Angle defeated Jarrett on June 12 at Slammiversary IX in what was billed as the " final battle " between the two to retain his Olympic gold medal and become the number one contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship . However , on the following edition of Impact Wrestling , Jarrett challenged Angle to a Parking Lot Brawl and agreed to sign a contract that would force him to move to Mexico without Angle ' s children , should he lose the match . Angle ended up winning the fight after choking Jarrett with a shirt , forcing him to say " adiós " . Regaining championships ( 2011 – 2012 ) . With his feud with Jarrett behind him , Angle aligned himself with Sting to feud with the rest of Immortal , including the group ' s newest member , TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mr . Anderson . On the July 14 edition of " Impact Wrestling " , Angle helped Sting regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Anderson . On August 7 at Hardcore Justice , Angle defeated Sting , after hitting him with a chair he snatched away from Hulk Hogan , to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for the record - breaking fifth time . On the following edition of " Impact Wrestling " , Angle explained that he did not agree with Sting , who , using the TNA World Heavyweight Championship , wanted to hand the promotion back to Dixie Carter , as he had found out that she had lied to him about not knowing of the relationship between Karen and Jeff Jarrett . When Sting confronted Angle , he was attacked by Hogan , which led to Angle revealing that Hogan had been the one who had exposed Carter ' s lie to him . Angle also revealed that his goal was now to ruin Carter ' s youth movement in TNA by eliminating the younger wrestlers one - by - one and started by attacking Bound for Glory Series leader Crimson after the main event . Angle made his first televised title defense on the September 1 edition of " Impact Wrestling " , defeating Sting in a rematch , following interference from special enforcer Hulk Hogan and the rest of Immortal . The following week , Angle ' s title match with Mr . Anderson ended in a disqualification , following interference from Immortal , which led to a three - way match between Angle , Anderson and Sting on September 11 at No Surrender , where Angle managed to retain the title , following interference from Hogan . On October 16 at Bound for Glory , Angle successfully defended the title against Bobby Roode . On the following edition of " Impact Wrestling " , Angle lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Roode ' s tag team partner , James Storm . Angle returned on the November 17 edition of " Impact Wrestling " , attacking James Storm and revealing himself as the man who had attacked and bloodied him also the previous week , costing him his match with Bobby Roode for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship . On December 11 at Final Resolutio n , Angle was defeated by Storm in a singles match . After weeks of not appearing , Angle returned to TV to attack James Storm , who was now in a feud with Robbert Roode . After a feud with AJ Styles , Angle teamed up with Styles to feud with Christopher Daniels & Kazarian . On June 10 at Slammiversary , Angle and Styles defeated Daniels & Kazarian for the World Tag Team Championships . This cemented another face turn . On the following episode of Impact Wrestling , Angle entered the 2012 Bound for Glory Series , taking part in the opening gauntlet match , from which he was eliminated by Daniels . Two weeks later , Angle and Styles lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship back to Daniels and Kazarian . Angle wrestled his final match in the 2012 Bound for Glory Series on the August 30 episode of Impact Wrestling , losing to Jeff Hardy , which caused him to get eliminated from the tournament . On September 9 at No Surrender , Angle and Styles unsuccessfully challenged Daniels and Kazarian for the TNA World Tag Team Championship . [ Angle and Styles received another title shot against Daniels and Kazarian on October 14 at Bound for Glory , in a three - way match , which was won by Chavo Guerrero , Jr . and Hernandez . On the following episode of Impact Wrestling , Angle defeated Daniels and Styles in a three - way match to become one of four wrestlers in consideration for a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship . New Main Event Mafia ( 2012 – 2013 ) . The following week , Angle was chosen as the number one contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship , but was defeated by Jeff Hardy in his title match . Afterwards , Angle was attacked by Aces & Eights . At Turning Point , Angle defeated Aces & Eights member Devon via submission , despite the rest of Aces & Eights trying to interfere . Angle would continue his feud with Aces & Eights on the December 6 episode of Impact Wrestling , defeating DOC via disqualification after the rest of Aces & Eights interfered . Three days later at Final Resolution , Angle teamed with Garrett Bischoff , Samoa Joe , and Wes Brisco to defeat Devon , DOC , and two masked members of Aces & Eights in an eight - man tag team match . Angle unsuccessfully challenged Devon for the TNA Television Championship on the December 20 edition of Impact Wrestling , after interference from Aces & Eights , Garett Bischoff , Samoa Joe , and Wes Brisco . On the January 3 , 2013 , episode of Impact Wrestling , Angle and Samoa Joe defeated Devon and a masked member of Aces & Eights in a steel cage tag team match . Afterwards , the returning Sting saved Angle and Joe from a beatdown from Aces & Eights before revealing the mystery member as the debuting Mike Knox . The following week , Angle was sidelined with a storyline injury after Knox hit him in the neck with a ball - peen hammer . Angle returned to in - ring action on the January 31 Impact Wrestling , defeating Aces & Eights member Mr . Anderson in a steel cage match . Afterwards , Angle ' s two allies Garret Bischoff and Wes Brisco revealed themselves as members of Aces & Eights and attacked him . Angle infiltrated the Aces & Eights hideout on the February 28 Impactand managed to unmask their Vice President , but was beat down by the other members before he could reveal his identity to the cameras . Angle revealed the Vice President as D ' lo Brown on the following episode of Impact . At Lockdown , Angle was defeated by Wes Brisco in a steel cage match , following interference from Brown . Angle was defeated by Jeff Hardy in a four - way number one contenders match for the World Heavyweight Championship , which also included Magnus and Samoa Joe on the March 21 Impact Wrestling . In the following weeks , Angle would continue to face Bischoff and Brisco in multiple tag team and handicap matches , that all ended with the two getting the advantage over Angle . Angle then began feuding with A . J . Styles , after Styles refused to answer Angle ' s question on whether he is with TNA or the Aces & Eights which led to a brawl between the two on the May 9 episode of Impact Wrestling . On June 2 at Slammiversary , Angle was announced as the second inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame . Later that night , Angle defeated Styles in a singles match . On the following Impact Wrestling , Angle got into a verbal confrontation with the debuting Rampage Jackson who claimed he had to beat the best to be the best . The following week , Angle was defeated by Styles in a rematch to earn the final spot in the 2013 Bound for Glory Series . Afterwards , Angle would be assaulted by Aces & Eights until Jackson came out and made the save . On June 20 Angle attacked TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray at the end of the Impact episode , and revealed himself as the first member of Sting ' s New Main Event Mafia . In the following weeks , Angle and Sting would recruit Samoa Joe , Magnus , and Rampage Jackson as members of the New Main Event Mafia . Beginning on August 2 , Angle took a hiatus from TNA after being admitted to rehab for drug and alcohol use . Feuding with Roode and Ethan Carter III ( 2013 – 2014 ) . Angle returned on the October 10th edition of Impact attacking EGO and challenged Bobby Roode to a match at Bound for Glory . The following week , Angle stated his discontentment with Roode mocking his Hall of Fame induction and told Roode he would make him tap out . Roode responded by attacking Angle with help from his faction , EGO , forcing Angle to submit to the crossface hold in a precursory act prior to their match . At the PPV Angle was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame but he refused to accept the offer as he felt he had let himself , TNA and the fans down and didn ' t deserve a Hall of Fame induction ceremony . He also said he would accept the offer when he feels he has earned it and he still has great things to do in TNA . Later in that night , Angle was defeated by Roode , after he landed awkwardly from a running belly - to - belly suplex . On October 31 episode of Impact , Angle lied about gaining medical clearance Angle suffered ( kayfabe ) convulsions during the match against Bobby Roode after a bad landing from the same move again , which resulted in referee Brian Hebner rewarding a knock out / count - out victory to Roode . After the match , he also showed signs of post - concussive amnesia . On November 5 , Angle was reported to had tested negative for concussion , but his recurring knee injuries still required monitoring . The following week , Angle saw the New Main Event Mafia being disbanded , then he was attacked by Roode after he accused him to use his injuries to get out of the match . On November 14 , Angle won a submission match against Austin Aries in the World Title Tournament , but by using Roode ' s finisher : Arm trap crossface , with Roode watching on at the ramp . However , Angle lost his next match against Magnus due to an interference from Roode . At Final Resolution , Angle was defeated by Roode in a 2 - out - of 3 falls match but Angle beat Roode in a Steel Cage match at Genesis to end the feud . On February 27 episode of Impact , Angle attacked Ethan Carter III , on the next week , Angle was attacked by Ethan Carter III and severely damaged his knees , thus losing his chance to fight at Lockdown . Angle made his return on April 17 , and vowing revenge . In May , Angle underwent ACL repair surgery and would be out of action up to four months . Executive Director of Wrestling Operations ( 2014 ) . On June 20 , 2014 ( aired June 26 ) Angle was named Executive Director of Wrestling Operations of TNA by TNA ' s Board of Directors . He would announce a TNA World Heavyweight Championship rematch for the July 3 edition of Impact Wrestling between Lashley and Eric Young , and reinstate Bobby Roode , who had been indefinitely suspended by MVP . Angle would also retire the TNA Television Championship , which had not been seen or defended since Abyss won it at Slammiversary 2013 . On September 21 , 2014 , Angle ' s contract with TNA expired , ending his eight - year tenure with the company . Angle teased a return to WWE , however , he was offered a full - time contract , so Angle decided to stay with TNA . On the November 19 , 2014 episode of Impact Wrestling , MVP attacked Kurt backstage , after that Kurt has caused MVP into the ring and started the fight . Final storylines ( 2015 – 2016 ) . Angle returned to in - ring action on TNA ' s debut on Destination America on January 7 , 2015 when he stopped a brawl , but started a street fight with MVP . On January 31 , 2015 ( aired March 20 ) , Kurt Angle defeated Bobby Lashley for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for a record sixth time . He lost the title to Eric Young on May 1 , 2015 , after defending the title against Lashley once and then again against both Lashley and Eric Young . At Destination X Angle defeated Rockstar Spud , who gave up the TNA X - Division Championship in order to challenge for the title . Later that night , Angle again successfully defended his title , this time against Austin Aries , who cashed in his Feast or Fired contract to allow him a title match . On October 4 , 2015 at Bound for Glory , Angle defeated Young by an ankle lock submission . Angle announced his " Farewell Tour " which took place on TNA ' s tour of the UK . Kurt Angle teamed with Drew Galloway in a three - way tag team match against Eli Drake and Jessie Godderz and The Wolves for their TNA World Tag Team Championship at TNA One Night Only : Live , in a losing effort . Angle ' s final match was against Lashley on March 8 , 2016 which ended up in a losing effort . Personal life . Angle attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania , graduating with a degree in education in 1993 . In his later life , Angle got a Clarion University Golden Eagle , wearing a singlet , tattooed on his upper back . Kurt Angle is a Republican who supported George Bush in both 2000 and 2004 , along with John McCain in 2008 . Angle has four older brothers ( one of whom , Eric , is also a wrestler ) and a sister , Le ' Anne , who died of a drug overdose . His father was killed in a construction accident when Angle was sixteen , and Angle dedicated both his career and his autobiography " It ' s True , It ' s True " to him as a result . Angle claimed in an interview that , following the death of his father , he regarded his wrestling coach , David Schultz , as a paternal figure . While training Angle , Schultz was murdered in January 1996 by John Eleuthère du Pont , the sponsor of Schultz ' s team of Olympic prospectives . He married Karen Angle on December 19 , 1998 , and the couple have a daughter , Kyra , who was born on December 2 , 2002 . They also have a son , Kody , who was born on October 26 , 2006 . In August 2007 , Karen debuted in TNA as Angle ' s regular valet . In September 2008 , it was reported that Karen had filed for divorce from Kurt . In 2009 , It was reported that TNA Co - founder Jeff Jarrett was romantically linked to Karen Angle , beginning while Karen and Angle were separated . This resulted in TNA president Dixie Carter , placing Jeff Jarret on leave of absence . The situation was revealed in July 2009 when a caller claiming to be a former TNA employee called in on " The Bubba the Love Sponge Show " . Dixie Carter commented on the situation on Impact , stating " a personal situation that affected the company and it put all of us in a very difficult position . " She said Jeff was placed " on leave as both a talent and in his capacity with the company and I ' d like to leave it at that . " In December 2009 , Jarrett returned to TNA . He would marry Karen on August 21 , 2010 . Angle is also featured on the cover artwork and TV ad footage of Emmure ' s " The Respect Issue " , a Deathcore album released May 13 , 2008 by Victory Records . Substance abuse allegations . Wellness Policy violation . On March 6 , 2007 , " Sports Illustrated " reported that Angle ' s name was found in the client database of a Florida wellness center suspected of being a front for distributing performance - enhancing drugs . The magazine alleged Angle had received prescriptions for trenbolone ( which is not approved for human use by the FDA ) and nandrolone , both anabolic steroids . Angle responded on his official website : " I did not improperly receive prescriptions . It is well documented that in my career I have broken vertebrae in my neck on five occasions and each time the course of treatment was under the care and supervision of my doctors . Any attempt to link me to the athletes in the current news accounts who may have improperly sought performance - enhancing drugs is without foundation . " Approximately two weeks later on March 19 , 2007 , " Sports Illustrated " posted on its website another article in its continuing series investigating a steroid and HGH ring used by a number of professional athletes in several sports . That article mentioned that 10 other professional wrestlers were implicated to have received performance - enhancing drugs from the same drug ring including four WWE wrestlers and Eddie Guerrero . Kurt never failed a drug test for pain pills . He did , however , fail a steroid test under WWE ' s Wellness Policy because his prescription for Deca - Durabolin had expired . Driving under the influence charges . Angle was arrested at his home by Moon Township , Pennsylvania police on September 28 , 2007 on a charge of driving under the influence after being reported by a woman who claimed that he almost hit her while leaving a local restaurant . Officials said Angle failed a field sobriety test but refused a blood test . Angle was charged with driving under the influence and careless driving , On September 9 , 2008 , Angle was cleared of all charges pertaining to his DUI arrest . 2009 arrest . On August 15 , 2009 , Pittsburgh - based NBC affiliate WPXI reported that Angle had been arrested . His girlfriend stated that she had filed a protection from abuse ( PFA ) order and that he was stalking her in the Robinson Township area . Angle was charged with " driving while operating privilege is suspended , prohibited acts - possession , harassment and prohibited acts " . Hygetropin , a human growth hormone , was found in his car ; Angle maintained that he had a prescription for the drug . On September 15 a District Court Judge dropped the harassment , suspended license , and drug charges against Angle . On November 9 , 2009 the PFA charges were dropped after he and former girlfriend Trenesha Biggers reached an agreement to avoid contact with each other . Acting career . In regards to his future , Angle has expressed interest on several occasions in pursuing an acting career after retirement from professional wrestling . In the spring of 2008 , Angle made his film debut in the short film " Chains " . He played a racist prison deputy , credited as The Deputy . In the fall of 2008 , Angle played the role of maniacal serial killer Brad Mayfield in the movie " End Game " . In addition , on an episode of " Pros vs . Joes " season three , he was teamed up with Jimmy Smith and Kendall Gill against the Joes . Angle also made an appearance on " Criss Angel Mindfreak " , during the segment " Car Wreck Vanish . " He will also make an appearance in the upcoming 2010 film " Warrior " as the Russian mixed - martial arts champion , Koba . Kurt stars alongside Kevin Nash , Sam Nicotero , Bill Laing , Mary Rutledge , and Bill Hinzman in the movie " River of Darkness , " directed by Bruce Koehler . In the movie , he portrayed the town sheriff , Will Logan .