A golden opportunity

Invasion V was more than just a fundraiser.

It was about more than the spectacle of professional wrestling.

It offered an opportunity for local athletes to learn from a man who reached the pinnacle of their sport.

Jay County Wrestling Club athletes spent about 40 minutes Saturday afternoon learning from Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle, who went on to have a career in professional wrestling and was the featured attraction for the evening’s Delaware County Championship Wrestling Invasion V event at Jay Community Center.

“It's fascinating,” said Jay County High School senior Lina Lingo, a state medalist a year ago. “You get to meet someone who’s so passionate about the sport that you love so much. It’s inspiring.”

Angle, 55, a native of Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, won the freestyle wrestling gold medal in the heavyweight division at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He defeated Abbas Jadidi of Iran by referee’s decision in overtime in the gold medal match. (The match was tied 1-1 after regulation and a scoreless three-minute overtime period.)

He was a two-time NCAA Division I heavyweight champion at Clarion University of Pennsylvania and earned gold at the 1995 world championships.

“This is what I love to do,” said Angle, referencing his opportunity to spend time with the youth athletes. “I spoke the wrestlers backstage and I gave them a good message about being persistent and never giving up and all the obstacles that I had to overcome to be a champion. I just want them to know that things don’t come easily. You have to work for it.”

He told them about knee injuries he suffered prior to NCAA tournaments and breaking two of his cervical vertebrae during the 1996 Olympic Trials.

Aubree Fulk, 9, Greenfield, cheers Saturday night during the Delaware County Championship Wrestling Invasion V event at Jay Community Center. The fundraiser for Jay County Wrestling Club featured retired professional wrestler Kurt Angle. (The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney)

 

“Sometimes in life, your back’s going to be up against the wall,” he said. “And there’s going to be a small chance of you being able to succeed. But if you’re persistent and you believe in yourself and you can overcome that adversity. That makes you even stronger. …

“It’s not always about being the best. It’s about taking part and doing it, and finishing what you started.”

Angle, who started wrestling at age 7, was named the greatest shoot wrestler of all time by USA Wrestling in 2006. He was also voted one of the top 15 college wrestlers.

He was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

Angle’s message about perseverance resonated with JCHS senior Mallory Winner, a three-time state champion.

“I took away that even somebody that’s won a gold medal … there’s always going to be adversity, no matter what,” she said. “You’re not going to always win. You’ve just got to keep pushing through it and find a way to find the positive get better from it.”

JCHS senior A.J. Myers said Angle’s comments about his motivation stood out.

His father David died in a construction accident when Angle was 16 and his coach David Schultz was murdered in 1996 just months before the Olympics.

“You get to hear his side of the story,” said Myers. “Everybody does it for a different reason.”

Following his amateur career, Angle became a professional wrestler with the World Wrestling Federation (it has since been renamed World Wrestling Entertainment) and later Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling. He was a four-time WWE champion, one time world heavyweight champion and one-time WCW champion in WWE and six-time TNA world heavyweight champion. 

He headlined WWE’s WrestleMania in 2003 against fellow former amateur wrestler Brock Lesnar at Safeco Field in Seattle.

Angle continues to make two or three appearances at independent wrestling shows each month.

“It's basically to pay homage to my fans,” he said. “They’ve been so loyal to me. I haven’t wrestled in seven years and when I go to these events they always show up. …

“I have such a strong fan base. I’ll continue to do that until the end of time.”