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Kurt Angle Homecoming: A Touching Story About An Olympic Hero
WWE Network finally released the WWE 24 special involving Kurt Angle. I was unable to tune in last night so I watched it this afternoon, and there was no disappointment here. Goosebumps popped up on my arms and tears ran down my eyes. It was a whirlwind of emotion about the career of one of the greatest to ever lace a pair of boots. Life has came full circle for out Olympic Hero.
While watching the program, the memorable moments Kurt gave us over the years ran through my head. You all remember the milk truck correct? Or how about the Sexy Kurt song? Heck, even the miniature cowboy hat was hysterical. He was pure gold during his segments and his matches. However, Kurt’s career wasn’t all sunshine and roses.
Television has a way of portraying a normal individual as a superhero, but reality steps in and shows how destructive they really are. WWE 24 did a fabulous job of describing the demons Kurt faced throughout most of his adult life. Some of you may remember that Kurt broke his neck just weeks before Wrestlemania XIX. It was the second time he broke his neck, but the first time inside the WWE. Painkillers helped Angle battle some of the pain, but they took control of his life. He became addicted to them just like many others do. There was even an instance where Angle took around twenty-five at once and hoping he wouldn’t wake up. Angle would then go on explaining how he broke his neck again at Wrestlemania XX and eventually asking for his release just a couple of years later.
This is when the next chapter in Angle’s illustrious career takes a different path, one to the Impact Zone. Here is where Angle would put on some phenomenal matches against guys like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. Even though Angle was in TNA, he kept hoping a certain McMahon over at WWE would see his work and realize that he was still a great wrestler. His time in TNA was longer than his time in WWE, but he always wanted to come back to his home.
Angle still battled his addiction with painkillers, and added alcohol to that addiction as well. It became so bad that his wife, Giovanna, was close to leaving him and taking the children with her. Sometimes all it takes to straighten you up is a caring woman. Angle would enter rehab and stayed thirty days before leaving and being clean. He’s been clean ever since, and you can tell it too by the way he looks and acts.
Now that Angle was clean and was a changed man, he knew the next stop in his redemption tour was the WWE.
Things started happening fast. Kurt became inducted into the Hall of Fame and now he is the Raw General Manager. Sure Angle burnt some bridges, but they always say that everyone can make their way back to the WWE. Angle is proof of that. The man made mistakes, but overcame them and is now doing much better. Will we ever see Angle compete inside a WWE ring again? Only time will tell, but rest assured that Angle is content with the role he is playing now. He has a loving wife, five beautiful children, and a job working for a man who was always like a father to him.
Life is great for Kurt Angle these days, and he has plenty more great days ahead of him.
Leaked Audio Reveals Alberto El Patron Was Assaulted By Paige
TMZ has leaked audio from the incident at the Orlando airport that involved Alberto El Patron and Paige.
The audio starts off with El Patron telling Paige to “call the cops.”
“Call the cops,” El Patron said. “Let’s do it. Get the cops.”
Paige starts crying before she yells, “Just stay out of my life. Leave me the f-ck alone. I’m trying to get away from you!”
El Patron would then tell her that he’s pressing charges against Paige and told a witness nearby to call the police because Paige assaulted him and needs to be arrested.
This isn’t necessarily adding up to what Paige posted on Twitter. Paige tried to play it off as if the two weren’t fighting and that they were going to call a police on someone that threw a drink at El Patron.
Judging by the audio released, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Conversation with the Big Guy Recap – Sexuality in Wrestling, Daniel Bryan’s Return to the Ring, Is Scott Steiner A Hall of Famer? More!
Ryback is joined on today’s show by his co-host Pat Buck.
Ryback and Buck open today’s show by sending their best wishes to Matt Cappotelli, who has just been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Buck remembers looking up to Cappotelli during their time working together in OVW, WWE’s former developmental territory, and he’s very saddened by the news that Cappotelli has to deal with this for the second time in his life.
Ryback says that Cappotelli is one of the strongest guys he’s ever met, and if there’s anyone who can beat this disease twice it’s Cappotelli. He clearly finds a way to take the positives out of negative situations, and Ryback is confident that Cappotelli will come through this yet again.
Ryback gives his thoughts on Netflix’s new show ‘GLOW’. He says that he doesn’t watch much television, but Buck urged him to watch it and he’s really glad he did. He was instantly hooked to the show after watching the first couple of episodes, and he thoroughly enjoyed the show as a whole.
Drew McIntyre Says He Can Be The Top Guy
Drew McIntyre recently spoke with The UK Mirror. Here are some highlights from the interview:
WWE Return: It’s been a crazy couple of months. I was basically the busiest independent wrestler in the world, travelling the world back and forth. I was under contract at the time [with IMPACT Wrestling] and I elected not to sign my new contract. I had to make the best decision for my future and my family’s future. I was very, very lucky after so many people believing in me and working my arse off that I was able to take a pick of where I was going to go. But my mind was made up, if I got the opportunity… William Regal is one of my mentors and I had been talking with him the whole time I have been away from WWE. He has been giving me advice, watching my matches, so that’s pretty much where it came up. I had a good conversation with Triple H on the phone and as I say, my mind was made up where I wanted to go. NXT is the top roster in the world as far as I’m concerned, the work ethic and fans. Once I had that conversation my mind was beyond made up. That day when I showed up at the show was one of the wildest days of my life. I had a very busy day! I started at 8am, I had a signing, then a show in the afternoon, then a radio appearance, I had an additional signing, then showed up at the Evolve show at 8pm it started, I was out in the first segment, I believe I left the building at 8.20pm, drove straight to the Amway Center in Orlando, my wife was waiting with a suit at the back door. We ran in the back, I put the suit on, this was about 9pm, Orlando traffic so it took a while to get there, and I was sitting in my seat in front of 15,000 fans, and at not one point did I think to myself ‘I wonder how they’re going to react?’ until I sat in that seat, got my head down and thought ‘oh my God, I hope they remember me and have been following what I’ve been doing!’ When I showed up on camera and I saw and heard that reaction it was one of the best feelings in my life and I knew I had made the right decision.
Competing For The WWE UK Title: Absolutely. An opportunity to wrestle those guys would be a privilege. They are so talented and so young, it’s amazing the difference in the scene now, that people have so much talent to work with and get so advanced, those guys like Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne are just so unbelievably advanced for their age. I just had a match we taped for television just before the TakeOver, I was getting my gear off and watching it on my phone on the Network, and I stopped in my tracks as I was watching the match, sat in my underpants! I could not get changed, I just had to watch the entire match. I was blown away, I tweeted right away, ‘NXT UK TakeOver’ because I was shaking my head like ‘wow, when we first came over, there was nobody, just Sheamus, myself and Wade Barrett, there was nothing like this going on’. To watch the level of talent and that show-stealing performance just made me very proud of the lads and the UK scene in general.
The Rise of Jinder Mahal: I made the loudest noise in the world backstage when he won that title! I think I almost punched the roof I jumped and punched the air so much. Just to watch his turnaround is the biggest thing for me. I remember about a year and a half ago having a conversation with him. The second I was gone from the WWE, as you know, I started to write my mission statement, I just kept going, there was nothing else I was going to do. I had a clear vision and thankfully it just came out. With Jinder he went out, he wasn’t too sure what he wanted to do, and he talked about this on Chris Jericho’s podcast so I’m not speaking out of turn. He got himself out of shape, not wrestling so much. He wasn’t really sure what to do and we had a conversation when he wasn’t too sure about his future and was talking about opening I think it was a Subway franchise he was leaning towards and he’s got a couple of houses and real estate. Wrestling was pretty much off the table. Then one day he made a decision, ‘no, I’m going to get back in shape’. He started taking it seriously again, got back in shape, got the call from WWE, continued his path, worked hard, gave up alcohol, made these positive changes in his life and just started working his arse off. To watch him go from that conversation when he was out of shape to where he is today, the most in-shape guy on the roster and one of the hardest working guys, I’m very proud of my brother for earning that. That was a big moment for him and I couldn’t be prouder of him.
Being The Top Guy: I always have, 100%, I’ve never changed my opinion since I said that. He didn’t say the things he said for his health, he has done a lot with this business because of his eye for it. I wasn’t necessarily the guy he was looking for back then in a few different ways, but he certainly saw that raw talent and potential. I’ve been lucky that I’ve got myself through various opportunities and platforms and people believing in me, my wife helping in a lot of different areas, and growing up a lot, I’ve shown I am ready now to be a top guy, to hold that position for the company and show what it is to represent a giant, publicly traded company like WWE. There is so much more than just what you do in the ring and what you do on the microphone. As a kid I didn’t quite comprehend that, but now that’s something 100% I’m ready for. I’ve represented many people as the face of the company, proudly and I do it with joy and I do it with respect and make sure I elevate everywhere I go. I came to NXT to elevate it and I came back to WWE to fulfill the prophecy.