Watch: Kurt Angle details incredible story behind iconic Olympic victory
Kurt Angle won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling in 1996 with a broken freaking neck. Angle recently shared an incredibly detailed story on how he was able to triumph in Atlanta despite the injury.
The WWE Hall of Famer broke his neck during the Olympic trials but still managed to get selected for the freestyle heavyweight category. He defeated Iran's Abbas Jadidi in the final to win the gold medal.
In an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Angle told the story of how he won Olympic gold even though he was dealing with a broken neck. He suffered the injury in the first round of the trials but still moved into the second round.
Angle was injected with 12 shots of novocaine to the neck five minutes before his match. He earned his slot on the Olympic team and went into the tournament doing the same thing.
Kurt Angle broke his neck four more times during his pro wrestling career and underwent several surgeries. He remains in pain due to the injury, with Joe Rogan advising him to research disc replacement surgery rather than get a neck fusion procedure.
Kurt Angle still under WWE contract
Kurt Angle returned to WWE in 2017 when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Angle went on to become a general manager and wrestled on occasion. He was released in 2020 as part of the company's COVID-19 budget cuts.
However, Angle made several appearances for the company over the next few years. He remains under contract and was only released as a backstage agent. He explained on The Bubba Army podcast late last year that he's signed to a nostalgia deal.
That means that he receives royalties from his WWE merchandise and is paid per appearance. He's also allowed to make appearances on other shows and attend conventions across the United States.
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