10 Things We Learned From Kurt Angle On Vince Russo's Podcast

8. It Is Possible To Learn How To Win

Kurt Angle 2002
© Giansanti-Langevin-Orban/Sygma/Corbis

Russo asks Angle a question that many will want to ask any fighter, whether or not they are scared when they go into battle. Angle answers in the positive, saying that every time you fight there is an element of fear, for it is one on one, there's no team to back you up.

It is an important point to make and one that Angle is very serious about, but the mindset of an individual going into any challenge can say a lot about how things are going to go. Angle recalls one instance in the NCAA Championships, where he finished runner up to a guy he was expected to cream. Angle went in with a slight knee injury which left him doubting himself, and needless to say he picked up the first loser prize.

The opposite of this comes from the 1995 World Championships. Kurt was in the final against the 1994 champion, a guy who had defeated him pretty easily on two prior occasions. Angle realised that he wouldn't win a straight up wrestling match with the guy, but if he was able to take the Rocky Balboa route and tire him out, there was a chance.

The strategy was correct and Kurt took home the title. He learned how to win, in spite of the talent gulf between the two.

Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.