Kurt Angle

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Later in mid-April Angle entered a tournament to determine the number-one contender for the WWE Championship, defeating Eddie Guerrero and starting a feud with fellow tournament entrant Booker T. Over the following weeks, in a controversial storyline Angle began sexually harassing Booker’s wife, Sharmell. Booker defeated Angle at Judgment Day, but Angle won a mixed handicap against Booker and Sharmell match on SmackDown! before losing the feud in a final singles match on June 9. A few days later, Angle also appeared at ECW One Night Stand on June 12 as an anti-ECW “crusader” and was involved in a brawl with ECW alumni led by Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Following the 2005 WWE draft in June, Angle was moved to the Raw brand and resumed his feud with Michaels, losing to him at Vengeance.2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts. "Wrestling's historical cards" (p. 118) In July he began a brief rivalry with Eugene, who won Angle’s Olympic medal after Angle was unable to make him submit in a match within three minutes. Angle regained the medal at SummerSlam. Angle then entered a feud with WWE Champion John Cena, facing him at Unforgiven, Taboo Tuesday, and Survivor Series, each time failing to win the title. He continued the rivalry into 2006, defeating Cena in a non-title first blood match on Raw, but again failed to capture the championship at New Year’s Revolution in the annual Elimination Chamber match.

Angle returned to the SmackDown! brand on January 13, 2006, winning a 20-man battle royal as a surprise entrant to claim the vacant World Heavyweight Championship, becoming a face in the process. He retained the title against Mark Henry at the Royal Rumble, after which The Undertaker challenged him. At No Way Out Angle defeated The Undertaker in a critically acclaimed title match. A rematch on the March 3 episode of SmackDown! ended in disqualification, allowing Angle to retain the title heading into WrestleMania 22 .2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts. "Wrestling's historical cards" (p. 119). However, at WrestleMania Angle lost the title to Rey Mysterio in a triple threat match, which also involved Randy Orton.2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts. "Wrestling's historical cards" (pp. 119–120). In the 2006 brand draft Angle was moved to the new ECW brand, adopting the nickname "The Wrestling Machine," wearing a mouth guard and quickly Squash match opponents.

Angle made sporadic appearances through mid-2006, inlucluding unsuccessfully challenging Rob Van Dam for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship on June 27. On August 25, WWE granted his release due to health concerns. In the Kurt Angle: Champion documentary DVD, Angle stated he had been working through serious injuries and needed time off. His final WWE match was at an ECW house show on August 14, where he defeated Danny Doring.

Angle and Joe fought again at Final Resolution on January 14, 2007, with Angle winning once more and earning a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. He faced the champion, Christian Cage, at Against All Odds, but lost due to interference from Travis Tomko and Scott Steiner. This led to a brief feud with Steiner, whom Angle defeated at Destination X. Angle then captained a team against Cage's in a Lethal Lockdown match at Lockdown, where the man who gained the winning pinfall would earn a title shot for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Angle's team emerged victorious, with Sting being awarded the title shot. However, on the day of the Sacrifice PPV, where Angle, Sting and Cage would face each other for the championship, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) severed ties with TNA and stripped its champions of their titles. Despite this, the triple threat match between Angle, Sting, and Cage still took place, with Angle declared the unofficial winner of the new "World Heavyweight Champion" after making Sting submit whilst Sting simultaneously pinned Cage.

In the aftermath, Angle unveiled the newly created TNA World Heavyweight Championship, though the title was later vacated later that night due to the controversial finish at Sacrifice. A tournament for the championship culminated at Slammiversary 2007, where Angle won the King of the Mountain match match, officially becoming the inaugural TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He soon entered into a heated program with Samoa Joe once again, this time playing the role of heel. At Hard Justice, the two faced off in a tag team match where all championships the two held were on the line at the time; Angle held the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Heavyweight Championship, while Joe held the X Division and Tag Team titles. With help from his then-wife Karen Angle, Angle won the bout, becoming TNA’s second Triple Crown champion, as well as the first to hold all eligible titles simultaneously. A month later Angle dropped both the X Division and Tag Team Championships to Jay Lethal and Team Pacman respectively, at No Surrender on September 9.

Angle was more successful on holding on to the World Championship. While he briefly lost the title to Sting at Bound for Glory in October, he won it back on the October 25 episode of Impact!. He then formed an alliance with AJ Styles and Tomko, known as Angle Alliance, and entered another feud with Christian Cage. He successfully defended the title against Cage at Final Resolution and Against All Odds in early 2008 with help from his Alliance. However at Lockdown on April 13, despite interference from the Alliance Angle lost the championship to Samoa Joe.

In 2009, Angle lost control of the Main Event Mafia to Sting after a match at Sacrifice, but regained leadership after winning the TNA World Heavyweight Championship for a fourth time at Slammiversary via assistance from Samoa Joe. On the following episode of Impact!, Angle and the rest of the Mafia attacked Sting while introducing Joe as their newest member. Angle held the title until No Surrender, losing the belt to A.J. Styles captured the belt in a five-way match. Angle turned face a month later, praising TNA’s younger talent and leaving the Mafia on the October 22 episode of Impact!.

Angle would not get the opportunity to rise any higher in the ranks. In August the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was vacated, with an eight-man tournament created to crown anew champion. While Angle was victorious in his first-round match, at No Surrender Angle faced Jeff Hardy in the semi-finals. The match first ended in a time-limit draw and later, after the match was restarted, a no-contest due to Angle accidentally blading his forehead too deeply. Both men were added to the finals at Bound for Glory, where Angle was pinned by Hardy after interference from Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan, who turned heel and formed Immortal with Hardy, Jarrett, and Abyss. at Slammiversary IX]]

Following the loss, on the next episode of Impact! Angle teased making good on his vow and retiring, but was attacked by Jarett and TNA's security officers Phill Shatter and Mikael Judas, with Jarett revealing he was involved with ensuring Angle lost at Bound for Glory. Throughout the spring of 2011 the two would bitterly feud over a series of personal and intense matches, which often featured Jarret's wife (and Angle's ex-wife) Karen, playing upon the real-life tension between the trio. Eventually, the feud ended with Angle defeating Jarrett in a loser-leaves Parking Lot Brawl on the June 16 episode of Impact Wrestling, forcing Jarett to leave TNA.

The month prior, Angle signed a new three-year contract with TNA, stating he was "here for the long haul."

Angle later revealed he opposed Sting’s plan to return control of TNA to Dixie Carter, claiming Carter had lied to him about her knowledge of the Jarretts’ relationship. He aligned with Hulk Hogan and Immortal, vowing to dismantle TNA’s younger talent, starting with attacking Crimson that night. Angle successfully defended the title against Sting, Mr. Anderson, and Bobby Roode in the following months. However, on October 20, he lost the championship to James Storm.

Angle returned in November, attacking Storm and revealing himself as the person who had cost him a title match the previous week. Their feud continued through the end of 2011, with both men trading wins and Storm ultimately coming out on top. In early 2012, Angle returned to begin a rivalry with Jeff Hardy, defeating him at Victory Road but losing a steel cage rematch at Lockdown. Angle then feuded with A.J. Styles and defeated him at Sacrifice, turning face by saving Styles from an attack by Daniels and Kazarian. At Slammiversary, Angle and Styles defeated the duo to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship, although they lost the titles back to them weeks later. Angle participated in the 2012 Bound for Glory Series but was eliminated by Jeff Hardy. He and Styles unsuccessfully challenged for the tag titles at No Surrender and Bound for Glory.

On May 13 at Sacrifice, Angle defeated Styles in a rematch, following another interference from Daniels and Kazarian. After the match, Angle made the save for Styles, chasing Daniels and Kazarian out of the ring. This turned Angle face once again.On June 10 at Slammiversary, Angle and Styles defeated Daniels and Kazarian to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship.On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle entered the 2012 Bound for Glory Series, taking part in the opening gauntlet match, from which he was eliminated by Daniels. Two weeks later, Angle and Styles lost the TNA World Tag Team Championship back to Daniels and Kazarian. Angle wrestled his final match in the 2012 Bound for Glory Series on the August 30 episode of Impact Wrestling, losing to Jeff Hardy, which resulted in him being eliminated from the tournament. On September 9 at No Surrender and Bound for Glory On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Angle defeated Daniels and Styles in a three-way match to become one of four wrestlers in consideration for a shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

By May, Angle had entered a feud with A.J. Styles, who had refused to answer whether was associated with Aces & Eights on the May 9, 2013, episode of Impact Wrestling. This resulted in a match at Slammiversary XI, where Angle won. That same night, he was announced as the second inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame. Shortly after, Angle began a storyline with the debuting Quinton Jackson and later joined Sting in reforming the Main Event Mafia. The new faction would soon recruit Samoa Joe, Magnus, and Jackson. Angle's association with the storyline would be cut short, following when in August he went on hiatus after entering rehab for drug and alcohol use.

In early 2014, Angle began a feud with Ethan Carter III (EC3), who injured his knee during an attack. Angle officially accepted his Hall of Fame induction on February 27, but the ceremony was interrupted by EC3. At Sacrifice, Angle teamed with Jeff Hardy to defeat EC3 and Drake Maverick. In May, Angle underwent ACL surgery and was sidelined.

While still not medically cleared to wrestle, on June 20, 2014, Angle was appointed (kayfabe) Executive Director of Wrestling Operations by TNA's board. During this time, he reinstated Bobby Roode, who had been indefinitely suspended by MVP, and officially retired the inactive TNA Television Championship. On October 29 (taped September 18), he served as special referee for the TNA World Championship match between Roode and Lashley.

Around the expiration of his TNA contract in September 2014, Angle reached out to WWE about a return, but was reportedly turned down. He later re-signed with TNA on a part-time deal, before being offered and signing a full-time contract.

At Bound for Glory on October 4, Angle defeated Eric Young. The following month, he announced his departure from TNA after the upcoming UK tour in early 2016. Angle’s "Farewell Tour" included matches against TNA 's top stars. He defeated Drew McIntyre on January 12, 2016, but lost to Matt Hardy in a title match on February 2 and to Galloway in a rematch on February 9. After defeating Bobby Roode on March 1, Angle wrestled his final TNA match on March 8, 2016, losing to Lashley.

Angle was booked to face Brock Lesnar in a champion-versus-champion match for the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) on June 29, 2007, and defeated him by submission to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Angle then challenged Lesnar to an MMA fight. On December 19, 2007, Angle defended the IWGP title successfully against Kendo Kashin.

On January 4, 2008, Angle made his third successful IWGP Heavyweight Championship defense when he defeated Yuji Nagata at the NJPW supershow Wrestle Kingdom II in Tokyo Dome by forcing Nagata to submit to the ankle lock. On February 17, 2008, Angle lost the IWGP title to the NJPW-recognized champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a unification match. He returned in August during the G1 Climax, in two special tag matches with A.J. Styles as his main opponent. In those matches Shinsuke Nakamura and Masahiro Chono became Angle's partners while Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinjiro Otani became Styles' partners. Angle's team won both matches.

He returned on January 4, 2009, at Wrestle Kingdom III in Tokyo Dome in a special eight-man tag match, where he, Kevin Nash, Chono, and Riki Choshu faced Great Bash Heel (Giant Bernard, Karl Anderson, Takayuki Iizuka, and Tomohiro Ishii), with Angle getting the win for his team. Angle then went on to defeat Bernard in a singles match at New Japan's ISM tour on February 15. After Hiroshi Tanahashi retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Nakamura in the main event, Angle challenged him for the title, which Tanahashi accepted. Tanahashi defeated Angle on April 5 at New Japan's NJPW Resolution to retain the title.

On March 3, 2017, Angle appeared for Northeast Wrestling in Connecticut, where he was defeated by Cody Rhodes in a steel cage match. This was his last match on the independent circuit.

At , Angle has his first match with WWE in 11 years when he teamed with The Shield (Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins) to defeat the team of Braun Strowman, Kane, The Miz, Sheamus, and Cesaro in a TLC match. On the October 30 episode of Raw, while addressing the fans, commissioner Stephanie McMahon confronted Angle, announcing that Angle would be the team captain of Team Raw at Survivor Series, adding that if Team Raw would lose, Angle would be fired. At the event, Angle's teammate Triple H attacked him, leading to his elimination by Shane McMahon; however, Team Raw still went on to win the match. At the Elimination Chamber, Angle, along with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, was present when Ronda Rousey signed her Raw contract, where Angle brought up the confrontation that Stephanie McMahon and Triple H had with Rousey and Dwayne Johnson at WrestleMania 31 and that they both want to manipulate her. This caused Rousey to put Triple H through a table and be slapped by Stephanie McMahon before signing her contract. The following night on Raw, Angle claimed the allegations he made were false, to keep his job, before being attacked by Triple H. As a result, the following week, Angle scheduled himself to team with Rousey against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a mixed tag team match at WrestleMania 34, which Angle and Rousey won. Angle participated in the 50-man Royal Rumble match at the Greatest Royal Rumble event later that month. He entered at number 16 and eliminated Bo Dallas, Primo Colón, and Dolph Ziggler before being eliminated by Elias. Following WrestleMania, Angle found himself in a power struggle over control of Raw, when the McMahon family appointed Baron Corbin as the constable of Monday Nights on the June 4 episode of Raw. This continued until the August 20 episode, when Stephanie McMahon sent Angle on "vacation" before announcing that Corbin would be acting general manager in Angle's absence.

On the March 11, 2019, episode of Raw, Angle announced he would retire at WrestleMania 35 and chose Baron Corbin as his final opponent at the event. Over the following weeks, Angle embarked on a "Farewell Tour", facing several handpicked opponents, including Apollo Crews, Chad Gable, Samoa Joe, and AJ Styles. At WrestleMania 35, Angle lost to Corbin in his final match. Afterwards, Angle transitioned to a backstage role as a producer. Despite working with Corbin, Angle asked Vince McMahon to wrestle John Cena in his retirement match, but McMahon declined his petition. Angle also pointed that he decided to stay retired after he watched his last matches with WWE and saw his decreasing mobility and athleticism.

On the May 27, 2020, episode of NXT, Angle served as the special guest referee in a steel cage match between Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher. He appeared again two days later on the May 29 episode of SmackDown to announce the arrival of Matt Riddle to the brand. In an interview with CBR.com, Angle revealed that WWE offered him a new deal to come back under the role of Matt Riddle's manager, but he turned it down in order to focus on his health and his nutrition business.

Angle would appear on the August 29, 2022 episode of Raw, which took place in his hometown of Pittsburgh, on the December 9 episode of SmackDown, where he celebrated his 54th birthday, After the show went off the air, Rey Mysterio led the superstars and audience in singing "Happy Birthday" to Angle. or the Raw is XXX on January 23, 2023, in a segment with D-Generation X.

Angle's Olympic gold medal has frequently been incorporated into his professional wrestling persona. His personality varies depending on his alignment as a face or heel. As a face, Angle usually performs as a role model; but as a heel arrogantly uses his achievements to insult other people. He mixes aspects from his amateur wrestling background with his in-ring work, performing various , including the belly-to-back, German, and belly-to-belly, as well as submissions, such as the rear naked choke or the triangle choke. He primarily performs two finishing maneuvers to end his matches: an Olympic slam, dubbed "Angle Slam", and an ankle lock.

During Angle's entrances in WWE, it is common for fans to chant "you suck!" to the tune of his entrance music. The chants originated during Angle's feud with The Rock in February 2001, but gained popularity during his feud with Edge in 2002. The chants have become a trademark of Angle's persona, regardless if he is a face or heel. The theme song was later adopted by UFC fighter Colby Covington.

On the Right After Wrestling program on Sirius Satellite Radio, Angle revealed he would become a part-time wrestler after his contract expired in 2011 to focus on Angle Foods and his acting career. In the 2013 film Pro Wrestlers vs Zombies, he plays himself as both a human and a zombie. Angle also had a small role in the 2014 cult-film and in the 2014 romantic-comedy film Not Cool. He appeared in the film The Last Witch Hunter. He also made a cameo appearance in the movie Pain and Gain, in which he brawls with Dwayne Johnson's character in a prison fight. Angle appeared on an episode of Duck Dynasty in February 2016.

Angle is a longtime fan of MMA, and has occasionally talked about his desire to compete. UFC president Dana White stated that Angle was in talks to appear as a heavyweight contestant on the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter, but did not meet the medical requirements. Angle signed with Bellator MMA on October 28, 2015. He attended a fan convention on November 6, the eve of Bellator 145, then joined the commentary booth the next night, during the Bobby Lashley vs. James Thompson match, where he teased possibly fighting for the promotion himself. "Kurt Angle, yes that Kurt Angle, has revealed that he could end up taking MMA fight", by Darragh Murphy, SportsJoe.ie.

Angle's book, It's True It's True, was released on September 18, 2001.