Kurt Angle's 'hard' man aura did admittedly take a little bit of a pounding following one incident on an episode of Smackdown in November, 2004. A contestant on the Tough Enough program, Daniel Puder decided to deviate from the loose script of an in-ring segment, taking down Angle for real during a worked-shoot scuffle. Bouncing back to his feet, Angle visibly asked the young man if he was stupid, before ordering him to to get out of the ring. The idea of the segment was to show Angle's prowess as an authentic fighter, but such shoot angles rarely go well when booked on wrestling programs. Nonetheless, it can't be denied that Angle is someone who most people would struggle to beat in a real one-on-one fight scenario. Winning the gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, Angle would later take to pro wrestling like a duck to water, and even though he's often been painted as a goofball during his pro career, the guy is very much respected for how much he gives - physically - to the industry. Who else would have the guts to take down Vince McMahon on a plane, not batting an eyelid when The Undertaker became disturbed by the incident?
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
