Eric Angle (born August 8, 1967) is an American former
amateur
An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
and
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
,
better known to be the older brother of professional wrestler
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former Collegiate wrestling, ...
with whom he worked in occasional storylines in
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/WWE).
Amateur wrestling
Angle participated in
amateur wrestling
Amateur wrestling is a variant of wrestling practiced in collegiate, school, or other amateur level competitions. There are two international wrestling styles performed in the Olympic Games: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both styles are under the ...
in his high school,
Mt. Lebanon High School
Mt. Lebanon High School is a four-year, comprehensive high school located in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, with an enrollment of 1,801 students in grades 9–12 for the 2020–2021 school year. Its mascot is the Blue Devil.
History
The sc ...
, where he weighed in at 167 pounds in 1985. He wrestled at Waynesburg University after high school.
Professional wrestling
Angle debuted in
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
(WWF) at the
2000 Survivor Series pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
as a heel to help his then-heel brother Kurt retain the
WWF Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown's ...
against
The Undertaker
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...
by wearing the same wrestling tights and switching places.
[ He returned the next night on '']Raw Is War
''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...
'' only to be attacked by The Undertaker. After these two appearances, the WWF signed Angle to a developmental contract and he was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg.
O ...
(OVW) to sharpen his skills. During his time in OVW, he tore a ligament in his arm and went through nine surgeries to help correct his biceps problems. He returned to OVW in October 2002 and wrestled on a few of their television tapings. In November 2002, Angle appeared in a few house shows for WWE. Angle returned to WWE television on an episode of ''SmackDown!
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
'' in March 2003 to aid in a storyline between his brother and then-babyface Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
, leading to a match at WrestleMania XIX
WrestleMania XIX was the 19th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It featured wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brand divisions. The event took pl ...
between Lesnar and Kurt. Angle switched places with Kurt to help him defeat Lesnar and retain his WWE Championship. He then appeared on an episode of ''SmackDown!'' the following week at his brother's side and was attacked by Lesnar. This was the last time Angle was seen in WWE as he was released from his developmental contract in 2003. In August 2003, Angle returned to wrestling in a local Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
independent promotion
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor league for pro wr ...
, International Wrestling Cartel (IWC). He wrestled for the promotion on three occasions. He was injured in his last match for the company and during his rehabilitation, decided to quit wrestling.
Personal life
In March 2019, he was arrested for assault after video surfaced showing him choking and tossing a twelve-year-old boy by the neck at a wrestling tournament. In September 2019, Angle was indicted for distributing anabolic steroids. As a member of the "qu4ntum" drug trafficking organization, Angle sold anabolic steroids and other controlled substances, paid for using cryptocurrency and cash, on the dark web. In 2022, he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
Championships and accomplishments
* ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
''
** Ranked No. 253 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''PWI 500
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...
'' in 2001[
]
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angle, Eric
1967 births
American male professional wrestlers
Living people
Sportspeople from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Professional wrestlers from Pennsylvania
Sportspeople from Pittsburgh
American people convicted of drug offenses