Weight: 220 lbs.
Finishing Move: The Ankle Lock
Manager/valet(s): Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, Trish Stratus, Paul Heyman
Titles Held: 4x WWE Champ, 2x WCW/World Champ, 1x WWE European Champ, 1x WWE Intercontinental Champ, 1x WCW United States Champ, 1x WWE Tag Team Champ, 1x WWE Hardcore Champ, 2000 King of the Ring.
Kurt Angle made his WWF debut in the summer of '99 on Sunday Night Heat, and had a small feud with Tiger Ali Singh before the angle (no pun intended) was scrapped.
In the fall, he announced his re-debut with several vignettes proclaiming himself the only real athlete in the WWF, because he won Gold medals in amateur wrestling in the 1996 Olympics. In his wrestling debut against Shawn Stasiak at the Survivor Series, he asked how anyone could boo an Olympic gold medalist. Over the next few weeks, he built up an undefeated streak, including a win over Steve Blackman at Armageddon. He met his match at the Royal Rumble against the debuting Tazz, who made Angle submit to a chokehold variation. Angle claimed the hold was illegal and kept his streak via technicality. However, he was pinned by The Rock just weeks later. Angle moved on, and challenged European Champ Val Venis to a match, which Angle won, and became the European Champion. He used the belt to point out all the flaws of American society but still claimed to be their Olympic hero. He went up against IC Champ Chris Jericho at No Way Out and won the IC belt, proclaiming himself the "Eurocontinental Champion." When Chris Benoit became involved, a two fall Triple Threat match was made for WrestleMania 2000. Angle lost both of his belts, but was involved in neither pinfall. He lost a little momentum, losing to The Big Show at Backlash, and teaming with Edge & Christian to lose to Rikishi and Too Cool at Judgment Day. He rebounded by qualifying for the King of the Ring over Bradshaw and Buh Buh Ray Dudley. At KOTR, he beat Jericho, Crash Holly, and Rikishi to become the King. He lost to The Undertaker at Fully Loaded. After that, he got into it with Triple H, who felt that Angle and his wife, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, were getting a little too close.
After he and HHH lost a Triple Threat Match to The Rock at SummerSlam, Stephanie ended up unconscious and was carried out by Kurt. He lost to HHH at Unforgiven, but was granted a title shot at The Rock at No Mercy. Thanks to Rikishi, Angle became the WWF Champion. He defended successfully against the Undertaker at Survivor Series, using his big brother Eric as a body double to confuse his opponent. He retained the title at Armageddon in a six man Hell in a Cell match against UT, Steve Austin, The Rock, HHH, and Rikishi.
Triple H was granted a match with Angle for the title at the Royal Rumble. Kurt retained thanks to interference from Austin. Angle finally lost the belt at No Way Out to the Rock. Over the next few weeks, he teamed with William Regal and Chris Benoit to go after Rock and Austin. Bitter at not being in the main event of WrestleMania, he took it out on Benoit, who soon turned on him and challenged him to a match at the PPV. Angle accepted and was able to win. Commissioner Regal signed a 30 Minute Ultimate Submission Match for Backlash, where the winner would be the one to score the most submissions in a half an hour. With the score tied, Benoit tapped to Angle's anklelock after the final bell. Overtime was granted, and Benoit managed to get Angle in the Crippler Crossface and force him to tap out. An irate Angle confronted Benoit the next night. Chris dumped Angle on his head and then stole his gold medals. Angle tried unsuccessfully to take them back, and challenged Benoit to another match at Judgment Day. If he won, he would get his medals back. Benoit accepted, but only if it would be a two out of three falls match, with the first fall being pinfall only, the second fall being submission only, and the third being a ladder match. Angle was able to win the match with the help of Edge & Christian. In honor of regaining his medals, he held a reenactment of his Olympic medal ceremony. Shane McMahon interrupted, and began to talk about WCW. Angle was furious when Shane called him a wussie and attacked him. He challenged Shane for King of the Ring and also qualified in the tournament itself, determined to repeat as King. He won in the semi-finals against Christian, but lost the finals to Edge thanks to Shane. They fought in a streetfight later on, with both sustaining injuries. Angle finally won after an Olympic Slam from the top rope. He joined up with Austin, Undertaker, Kane and Jericho at Invasion to go against WCW/ECW's Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, the Dudley Boyz and Rhyno. The WWF lost when Austin betrayed them, stunning Angle and leaving him for the pin. Angle set out to get revenge, and ended up briefly winning the WCW Title from Booker T before losing it back to him six days later. He got a shot at Austin's WWF Title at SummerSlam, and won by DQ when Alliance ref Nick Patrick screwed Angle out of a sure win by disqualifying Austin for hitting the other officials. Angle got his rematch at Unforgiven and won the WWF Title. He kept it only for two weeks, losing it back to Austin. He took on Rob Van Dam and Austin in a Triple Threat Match for the title at No Mercy, but came up short. He was once again on the WWF team for the winner-take-all elimination match at Survivor Series, but betrayed the WWF to go to the Alliance's side. Rock, Jericho, Undertaker, Kane and the Big Show took on Austin, Angle, Booker, Shane McMahon and Rob Van Dam. Angle turned out to be working undercover, as he hit Austin with the belt when it was down to him and Rock, allowing the WWF to win. Since the WWF still had the WCW title, they held a unification tournament for Vengeance, with Angle taking on Austin for the WWF Title and Rock vs. Jericho for the WCW Title, with the winners meeting at the end for the unification match. Angle lost to Austin, however, putting him out of the title picture.
When Triple H returned in January, he became a target for Angle, who vowed to win the Royal Rumble. He came close, but the Game threw him out to win the match and the WrestleMania X-8 title shot. Angle took on Triple H at No Way Out, with HHH's title shot on the line and Angle won, only to lose a cage match to Triple H the next night to regain his title shot. Angry, Angle decided to pick a fight with Kane, and beat him at WrestleMania X-8. A roster split occurred after WrestleMania, and Angle was the second draft pick for Vince McMahon's Smackdown brand. Angle became involved with his old friend Edge, and beat him at Backlash. Edge challeneged him to a rematch at Judgment Day, in a match where the loser would be shaved bald. Edge beat Angle this time, and Kurt was shaved. Throughout the next few weeks, Angle wore amateur wrestling headgear and a wig, claiming that his hair had miraculously grown back. Hulk Hogan exposed Angle's head during a tag team match, and Angle vowed revenge. They met at King of the Ring and Angle made Hogan tap out. The Rock made his return a couple of weeks later, and was looking for a title shot against the Undertaker. Angle insisted that he should get a title shot, and got one against Undertaker. As he went for the Last Ride, Angle locked in a headscissors and dropped to the mat. Undertaker pinned him at the same time he tapped out and the match was declared void. Angle raised some hell and got put into the Rock vs. Taker match at Vengeance for the title. Rock pinned Angle in the match, and Angle then forged an alliance with Raw jumpers Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero to get back at the Rock. However, when they took on Edge, John Cena and Rey Mysterio, Mysterio actually pinned Angle. Angle commented that he just got pinned by a twelve year old, and Mysterio challenged him to a match at SummerSlam. Angle won the match, and the rematch a couple of weeks later. His alliance with Benoit and Guerrero dissolved, and Angle lost to Benoit at Unforgiven. However, they were made teammates by Stephanie McMahon when she created tag team titles for Smackdown, and stated if either man struck the other during a match, that man would be suspended for a year without pay. Angle and Benoit argued constantly, but managed to beat Billy Kidman and John Cena, Eddie and Chavo Guerrero, and then Edge and Rey Mysterio for the titles at No Mercy. They dropped them back to Mysterio and Edge a few weeks later, and lost a Triple Threat Tag match at Survivor Series to Edge and Mysterio and the Guerreros. Angle started getting more cheers and seemed to be in the fans' good graces when he beat Edge, Benoit and Eddie Guerrero for a WWE title shot at Armageddon. He asked champion Big Show's rival Brock Lesnar to be in his corner, and managed to convince Stephanie to lift Brock's supsension. Brock helped Angle win the title, and Angle told Brock he'd get the first title shot. However, it turned out to be a ruse as he alligned himself with Brock's former agent Paul Heyman, which also enraged the Big Show. Heyman convinced Show that as long as one of them had the title, they had the power. Show agreed to be civil and the Paul Heyman Family was created. Heyman also presented Angle with two fellow collegiate wrestlers to watch his back. He named them Team Angle, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas.
Angle's old tag team partner, Benoit, won a match against the Big Show for a shot at Angle's WWE Title at the Royal Rumble. Angle won in a memorable match, but Brock Lesnar won the Royal Rumble match itself. Benoit, Edge and Lesnar were set to meet Team Angle at No Way Out, but Team Angle attacked Edge before the match, badly injuring his neck. Benoit and Lesnar went in by themselves, and beat the trio. A couple of weeks later, Angle sustained a serious neck injury, but decided to give it one last go against Lesnar at WrestleMania. Angle lost the WWE Title, but thanks to revolutionary neck surgery, was back in action after about two months. He beat Charlie Haas in his return match, and was set to face Brock in a rematch at Vengeance, until the Big Show intervened. They made it a Triple Threat Match, but Angle still pinned Brock to win back the title. He beat Brock by making him tap out at SummerSlam, which enraged Brock. He got one more rematch, this time in an Ironman Match on Smackdown a few weeks later. With the help of a chair early on, Brock dominated the match and managed to win back the WWE Title. Angle was then challenged by John Cena for a match that happened at No Mercy, which Angle won. New Smackdown GM Paul Heyman made a traditional Survivor Series match for the next PPV, pitting Brock Lesnar's team against Kurt Angle's team. Angle chose Chris Benoit as his first partner, and then picked a returning Hardcore Holly. The APA rounded out the team, but an injury to Faarooq from Brock's team prevented him from competing. Angle approached Cena, who reluctantly joined the team. Angle was impressive in the match, eliminating both members of the big team of Matt Morgan and Nathan Jones, but was then eliminated by Brock. He then took some more time off for minor neck surgery.