Much has been made of Kurt Angles neck issues, not least because they began in the competitive world of Olympic wrestling. During his trials for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Angle managed to fracture two vertebrae, herniate a pair of disks and pull a further four muscles. Even more remarkable though, is the fact that Angle ignored the wishes of seven doctors and proceeded to take part in the Summer Games, ultimately winning the gold medal in the mens 100kg freestyle. Given that he spent five months ahead of the tournament resting and rehabilitating, thats an absolutely heroic effort. However, the troubles were far from over. During the build up to his WrestleMania 19 showdown with Brock Lesnar, Angles neck was in tattershe has since spoke of how he had just 20% strength in his left arm. Unsurprisingly, things didnt get better after the match. Angle couldnt lift his arm above his head and backstage he actually went into shock. The Olympic gold medallist underwent an unconventional surgery which cut his recovery time down from one year to three months, but the damage had already been done; Angle cited these neck troubles as a huge factor in his decision to leave the company back in 2006.
