It's True: He's a Real American Hero

Wrestling Digest, Feb, 2001 by Thomas Chamberlin

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WD: What did you do between the time you won the gold medal in the summer of 1996 and when you started in the WWF in the fall of 1999?

KA: I did a lot of motivation speaking and personal appearances. For a year I was a sportscaster in Pittsburgh. [The local Fox station] wanted me because I was the gold medalist. They thought it would give them some notoriety. I never caught on. That is a hard job. That experience is why, today, I do every interview and every appearance. Not everyone can do it. That's why I respect our marketing people and our public-relations people. No one really knows the stuff they put up with. I've seen it.

WD: After the Olympics, you did a commercial for a Pittsburgh pizza restaurant that became a cult hit in the area. What was that about?

KA: A local pizza company asked me to do a commercial for them. Having always wanted to get more involved in TV, I took it. The commercial had me portray a customer who opened his pizza box to find the vegetables in a wrestling match. I was rooting loudest for the pepper, who was involved in a four-way tournament on top of the pizza. They wanted to play off the fact that I had won the gold medal, and that it was something that an Olympic gold medalist would watch vegetables go at it and really get into it. I got into the role and became a minor celebrity. The commercials were widely popular. Some people made fun of me, because they thought I was cheapening my gold medal. Whatever. I had a lot of fun doing it, and it was a big hit for that pizza company.

Angel's Accolades

KURT ANGEL'S BACKGROUND SEEMS LIKE THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR PROFESSIONAL wrestling stardom. At Mt. Lebanon (Pa.) High School, he was an all-state linebacker and junior national freestyle wrestling champion. At Clarion (Pa.) University, his success as an amateur wrestler continued with All-American honors and three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles. Here is a list of some Angle's other experiences on his journey to the top of the WWF card:

1990 and 1992: NCAA Division I wrestling champion.

Summer 1995: Failed in a tryout to make the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League.

Summer 1996: Won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling by beating Abbas Jadidi of Iran at the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

1997: Worked as a sportscaster for the FOX station in Pittsburgh.

November 6, 1998: Wrestled his first professional match in Salem, Mass., after a stint in the Funking Dojo, run by former National Wrestling Alliance World Champion Dory Funk Jr.

Early 1999: Trained for the WWF by wrestling in Memphis (Tenn.) Championship Wrestling.

February 1999: Received the Cauliflower Alley Club's "Future Legend Award" at the group's annual banquet in Las Vegas.

November 14, 1999: Made his official debut in the WWF by beating Shawn Stasiak at Survivor Series.

February 10, 2000: Beat Val Venis for the WWF European title.

February 27, 2000: Beat Chris Jericho for the WWF Intercontinental title.

June 25, 2000: Beat Rikishi in the tournament final to become the King of the Ring.

It's True: He's a Real American Hero

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