10 Current WWE GOATs
4. Greatest Amateur Wrestler Turned Pro: Kurt Angle
Making the transition from amateur wrestling to the pro ranks isn't easy. The two disciplines bear only a cursory resemblance, actually, insofar as they are both derived from the Greco-Roman tradition, and generally involve muscly men in spandex hugging each other.
Otherwise, they are totally different - not least of all in the fact that pro-wrestlers are required to be not just accomplished on the mat, but also capable of drumming up interest in their matches via the microphone. It's not enough to merely be able to walk the walk, in other words - you need to be able to talk the talk as well.
To date, no-one has been able to make the transition quite as flawlessly as Kurt Angle, who in 2000 took just one year to win the Intercontinental, European and WWE Championships, as well as being crowned King of the Ring in June.
What sets the Olympic gold medallist apart from everyone else is that he's not only comfortable on the mic, but hilarious and self-effacing too. He has never been too proud to go to the most ridiculous places in the aid of entertaining the crowd, his current storyline with Jason Jordan being the latest in a long line of examples.