The most-decorated amateur wrestler to enter the world of pro wrestling is entering the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame.
Kurt Angle, who won the gold medal in the 100-kg freestyle at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, was on Monday announced as the first inductee into WWE’s 2017 class.
“I was shocked. I’ve been out of WWE for a long time and out of touch with them, so I didn’t really expect this,” Angle said in an interview with ESPN.
Angle joined the WWE in 1998, winning a bevy of championships over his eight years there, including the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW Championship and the WWE Championship. His fourth and final reign with the WWE Championship belt was won on the “Vengeance” pay-per-view on July 27, 2003 in Denver.
“Kurt Angle’s accomplishments both in the Olympics and WWE were extraordinary,” WWE executive vice president Paul Levesque said in a news release. “He was one of the most gifted athletes to ever enter the ring, and we are honored to welcome him into the WWE Hall of Fame.”
After his departure from the WWE, he would go on to wrestle with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he became a six-time world heavyweight champion and a member of the company’s 2013 hall of fame class. His final match there was on March 8, 2016 against Bobby Lashley.
The WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on April 1 in Orlando, Fla., the night before “WrestleMania 33” takes place.
