WWE History Vol. 4: The Olympians

Kurt Angle, so far the only Olympic gold medalist in amateur wrestling to work in WWE.

#8 Kurt Angle

For many years, the world of amateur wrestling scoffed at pro wrestling. The mere existence of sports entertainment was thought to be an insult to Greco Roman and catch wrestling because pro wrestling is not a 'legitimate' competition, but a performance.

However, as the years passed and pro wrestling went mainstream due to the Rock N Wrestling Connection, the number of fans grew to include amateur wrestlers who not only wanted to compete in the Olympics, but they wanted to wrestle for WWE as well.

Kurt Angle won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics and was victorious in his final match despite having suffered a 'broken freaking neck.'

Angle made the switch to WWE, where he went on an undefeated streak that ended at the hands of Tazz. That would be the last time Tazz did better in WWE than Angle, however.

Angle has held every title available in WWE except the Cruiserweight Championship, which was created after his time as an active wrestler ended. Angle is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame and will be remembered for being one of the best in-ring performers in history. To this day his moonsault is a thing of beauty.

Edited by Israel Lutete