Pro wrestling legend Kurt Angle shares tips for success ahead of rare visit to Windsor

Kurt Angle, a decorated athlete with Olympic gold, numerous world championships and a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame, will be making a special appearance in Windsor to help Border City Wrestling commemorate its 30th anniversary.

The 54-year-old is considered one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. While suffering from a broken neck, he won a 1996 Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling. He would transition to professional wrestling three years later and become the WWE Champion less than one year after his debut.

Angle spent seven years in WWE and ten years in Impact Wrestling. He rejoined WWE in 2017, in tandem with his induction into the company’s Hall of Fame, before retiring in 2019.

Fans who have purchased VIP tickets to BCW’s 30th anniversary show Saturday will get the unique opportunity to meet Angle during an exclusive autograph signing.

Angle sat down with CTV's Sanjay Maru to share insights on achieving success in the wrestling world, his strong connection with fans, and his experiences taking on legendary figures like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson early in his career.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. A video version of this interview can be viewed at the top of this story.

SANJAY MARU: It's an absolute honour to be chatting with you. You're one of the greatest in the history of professional wrestling. How are you?

KURT ANGLE: I'm doing well. Thank you. I'm so excited to join BCW for such a big event at the St. Clair College SportsPlex. I was there for BCW a little while ago and I refereed a match. The fans are absolutely insane. They're crazy. They love what BCW produces. I'm going to be up there again on October 7th. We have a great lineup with some incredible wrestlers. Alex Shelley and a lot of other former world champions are going to be there, including myself.

SANJAY MARU: In the world of professional wrestling, there is no shortage of stars but there are very few household names. Without a doubt, Kurt, you are on that list. You've portrayed a goofy babyface, a villainous manager and, of course, the no-nonsense wrestling machine which is my favourite version of you from 2006. You resonated with crowds more than most of your peers. Why do you think that was?

KURT ANGLE: I'm not sure but I think it's my work ethic. When I dive into something, I get very obsessive and I fall in love with it. I fell in love with the business from the beginning, just like I did amateur wrestling. The crazy thing is a lot of amateur wrestlers would cross over to pro wrestling and they wouldn't adjust very well. I adjusted very quickly because I forgot everything I ever learned in amateur wrestling. I decided to learn as a pro wrestler. I didn't do anything offensive for the first five months. I had wrestlers attacking me, beating me up, slamming me around so I learned the business from a defensive standpoint. Eventually, I was able to add my amateur wrestling offense in. It worked extremely well for me because I only trained for about seven months before I went on live television. Within 10 months of my rookie year, I beat The Rock for the world championship, A half-year after that, I beat Stone Cold Steve Austin for the world championship. So I became a big star within a year and a half in the business. I attribute that to my work ethic.

SANJAY MARU: Speaking of your rapid rise to the top, we've seen very few superstars get to the main event so quickly. What was that experience like?

KURT ANGLE: I don't know if I was ready. When I started, Vince McMahon told me, "Listen, we're going to run you hard and you're either going to sink or swim." Basically, what he was telling me is that's your choice. I'm giving you an opportunity. You can run with the ball or you could drop it — and I ran with the ball. I guess I'm pretty good under pressure. That's what he did. He put pressure on me and wanted me to give my best.

SANJAY MARU: You host your own podcast, The Kurt Angle Show, which dives into your greatest memories from the past. But are you still keeping up with the product today? If so, what do you think of it?

KURT ANGLE: Oh, yeah. I've been keeping up with the product. I enjoy it. I think wrestling has become more action-driven. There are a lot more stunts and less wrestling. But the business always evolves. It's far from what it was in 1975. By 1998, when I joined, it was far different than it was in 1975. Today, it's a lot different. I think it's more action-packed with a lot more high-flying stunts. The athletes today are incredible. They are the best athletes in pro wrestling of all time. When you're talking about athletes in 1970 compared to athletes in 1990, the athletes in the '90s were a lot more athletic. Today, they've gotten even more athletic. So you're talking about a bunch of world-class athletes in professional wrestling.

SANJAY MARU: And speaking of the stars of the past, it's organizations like Border City Wrestling that showcase the stars of tomorrow. As a Hall of Famer yourself, what's your biggest advice to someone who's entering the business and hoping to attain the level of success that you did?

KURT ANGLE: Soak it in like a sponge. Study everything. Watch everything, especially the main events. Watch how the main events play out and learn from it. The one thing that wrestlers need to understand is that psychology is so important in professional wrestling. You have to get the fans involved. You have to get them to care or to love you or hate you, one way or another. That's the most important thing: psychology. I think a lot of wrestlers just think they need to go in there and do about a bunch of wrestling moves and the match will get over. That's not how it gets over. You have to make sure you have time. You have to make sure you know when the right time is to make a comeback and get the fans involved and get them going crazy for you.