WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle Opens Up About Being 'Stubborn,' Wrestling With Broken Neck

Kurt Angle dominated his way through both WWE and TNA during his tenures with those promotions as a main event star, however, his days as a "Wrestling Machine" started in the Olympics. It's a well-known tale that Angle won his Gold Medal with a broken neck, and while appearing at "Steel City Con," he recalled how he achieved the feat. According to Angle, he broke his neck during the 1996 Olympic trials, when he was thrown on it during the semi-finals.

"My neck was in so much pain, and my arms went completely numb, and I barely won the semifinals and I went on to the finals later on that day." Despite not realizing his neck was broken, he knew something was wrong and wanted to back out of his next match. Angle's brothers convinced him to continue, as the loser of his next match would have to go on to compete in a mini-tournament, meaning he'd have to put further strain on his neck. "And they're like 'No, you'll wrestle because you won't have to go in that mini tournament, so if there's something wrong with your neck, you might as well just try to wrestle tonight.'"

After winning the finals, he consulted a doctor who told him that his wrestling career was over. However, in his own words, he was too "stubborn" to accept the diagnosis and got a second opinion. This doctor prescribed shots of Novocain and lots of rest, which ultimately allowed him to continue in the Olympic trials. "It worked! I won the Olympic trials and won the Olympic Gold Medal with a broken freakin' neck."

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