10 Most Patriotic Wrestlers
Angle rocks the stars & stripes, but who else flew their flags well?
Like most people in pro wrestling, I'm smiling from ear to ear at the announcement of Kurt Angle being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Going back and enjoying some of Kurt's back catalogue of matches, it's interesting to see that no matter how his character evolved (from irritating preachy jobsworth, to killer wrestling machine) he always maintained some kind of nod to the stars of stripes of the USA flag in his ring attire.
As an Olympic gold medallist, and with his strong amateur wrestling ties, this look has always fitted the master of the Three I's perfectly.
Pride for one's country has always been a characteristic feature for many competitors over the years, achieving varying degrees of success.
So whilst we anticipate details of Angle's upcoming WWE deal, let's look at ten of the other best patriots of all time in wrestling.
Spoiler: Salvadore Sincere did not make the list...
10. Bret Hart
Whilst his ring attire didn't contain the colours or symbol of his country, the Excellence of Execution's identity is inseparable from being a citizen of his homeland.
Although he always had his national pride front and centre, Bret Hart arguably had his hottest and most memorable run when he elevated his patriotism to new levels in 1997-98.
Impassioned and obsessed, and turning on the American fans after he felt that they weren't loyal to him, he blamed American mentality alongside a lack of 'family values' for his woes. The Hitman then rallied together a new Hart Foundation made up of like minded superstars connected to his Calgary Stampede heritage, and went on a mission to take all the Championship belts away from American hands.
Bret Hart carved out a unique role as a patriot, likely never to be repeated, whereby he was worshiped as a babyface in Canadian, British and other territories, but was the recipient of vitriol in the United States and treated like a dirty heel. Huge heat, huge patriot.