Post by twissie on Nov 27, 2005 18:14:44 GMT
On August 29th of 1985, a typical American man was hard at work on a
construction site in rural Pennsylvania, perched high in the air like a
bird. It was a typical summer afternoon, and with autumn drawing near he was
looking forward to the relief those months would bring.
Unfortunately, for some people, the autumn never comes.
In life, a fraction of a second can ripple for eternity. He knew that he had
lost balance, but he didn't have time to think about it. He was crashing to
the ground. His head hit concrete first. Both of his shoulders broke
instantly. His skull was cracked in three places. Lesser things would have
killed any other man, but not him. He picked his broken body off the ground
and began the longest walk of his life. When he arrived, he checked himself
into the hospital.
No one could ever tell him that he wasn't tough. And no one could ever tell
him that he wasn't determined.
On August 31st, two days later, the man was pronounced dead in the same
hospital.
David Angle was 55 years old, and he couldn't take his pride with him.
Twenty-four hours later, his son Kurt wasn't listening to those who were
telling him not to play in the varsity football game that afternoon. Kurt
thrived to overcome all things, even his father's death. Sixteen solo
tackles, two touchdowns and one interception later, Kurt walked off the
field after the best football game that he would ever play, feeling proud.
Little did Kurt know that he would some day be carrying his own broken body
to the hospital, and positioning himself to follow in his father's footsteps
of living proud, and regretfully probably dying young.
"I just wanted to talk a little bit about him, and what he meant to me. When
he was on, he was the best wrestler in the business. He may have even been
the best ever. He showed me a lot of things, and said a lot of things that
not only helped me professionally, but personally. He cared about everybody,
he loved everybody. I love you, and I'll miss you".
Kurt Angle made these comments, fighting back tears, in the wake of Eddie
Guerrero's tragic death. Sadly, these comments aren't that different than
those that could made about Angle himself one emotional Monday evening if he
doesn't make make a drastic change immediately.
Less than eight hours after Vince McMahon and Chavo Guerrero addressed the
media at a press conference in Minneapolis in regards to Guerrero's death, a
broken down Kurt Angle landed on his head after taking one of the most
dangerous offensive maneuvers of his career from the top rope. Like his
father, Angle is tough, determined and proud. Like his former mentor and
fellow Olympic medallist David Schultz, Angle is tough, determined and
proud. At 36 years old, there is a good chance Kurt Angle can outlive his
mentor Schultz, who was murdered in 1996 at the age of 37. At the rate Kurt
Angle is going, outliving his father may be his toughest battle to date.
His checklist reads like an almanac of worst case scenarios. Nerve damage to
his face. Six knee surgeries. A broken neck. Torn muscles. Bone chips
removed from his upper spine. Destroyed ligaments. Dislocated shoulders.
Several years ago, Angle said to the press with pride, "Look at my face. It
looks like I have aged fifteen years in the last five." Angle can no longer
hear out of his left ear. It has been drained 80 times.
When training for the Olympics, Kurt Angle pushed his body to the point of
insanity. "I'd train so ferociously some days that I would make myself
sick". That training makes getting out of bed today even difficult according
to Angle, as he broke his body down at a very young age.
Five months before the 1996 Olympics, Kurt Angle cracked two vertebrae and
pulled four muscles in his back, causing two herniated discs to stab into
his spinal cord. The pain was intense. Doctors told him that he risked
paralysis competing, but Kurt was proud. Mepivacaine was the painkiller that
Kurt Angle chose, and for the next half of a year he took it constantly to
make training, and eventually winning a gold medal possible. Hunched over in
tears, Angle had defied paralysis and proved himself as the best amateur
wrestler in the world. He wished his father would have been there to see it.
Nine years later, Kurt was in his fourth as a WWE wrestler. In an eerily
similar scenario, Kurt Angle's neck was destroyed in early 2003, and he was
advised not to compete in the main event of Wrestlemania 19. Maybe it was
the backflip that he attempted from the top of a steel cage, fifteen feet in
the air on January 14th of that year. It was a move that could end a career
if the slightest thing went wrong, but in the all-or-nothing fashion typical
to Angle, he went big. The result was the most graceful moonsault
imaginable, and as Kurt hung upside down in the air high above the arena,
time seemed to stand still for just an instant before his knees hit the mat
in a landing that could not have been any more perfect. Angle had wagered
his body for glory, and come out on top yet again.
But how long could he keep getting lucky? He was willing to roll the dice
one more time at Wrestlemania of that year, deciding to step into the ring
and face Brock Lesnar in a match that would solidify his legacy, or paralyze
him for life. Angle not only stared down death, but taunted it, taking
dangerous drops on his neck and shoulders before passing the World
Championship to Brock Lesnar. The 54,097 fans in attendance roared in
approval of Kurt flying around the ring. Kurt's wife Karen and newborn
daughter Kyra probably had different reactions.
For 240 days a year, Kurt Angle wakes up in a bed that doesn't belong to
him. In hotel rooms all over America, Canada, Japan and Europe. His
Coraopolis, Pennsylvania home, his BMW and his family are things he seldom
has the time to see. Several years ago he stated in an interview that the
only way he could continue to wrestle was through the heavy use of
painkillers. In 2005, Kurt Angle is going harder than ever.
In an interview with Kurt Angle and his wife Karen several years ago, Angle
stated that the only time he ever physically felt 100% was right before a
match when his adrenaline took over. Kurt continued "But after that, I'm
right back down to the bottom again. It sucks, because if I want to play
with Kyra... (Kurt looks to his daughter playing in the next
room)...sometimes I just can't do it".
Karen Angle spoke: "If he gets to the point where he really can't play with
her, that will be it. No matter what you have in your house, no matter how
good your life is, you can't give that up. If that's what happens, that's
when I'll put my foot down and make him stop."
At that moment, Kurt Angle smiled, "I'll never stop" he finished.
Kurt Angle's marriage ended several months ago, devastating him personally.
He is a proud man, and wrestling is something that he is dedicated to, and
excellence is his obsession. Tired of wondering if he would be in a
wheelchair in a few years, as Karen Angle has publicly wondered, she opted
to separate from Kurt over the summer, and their marriage never made it to
the autumn.
Kurt Angle has made it clear in the past that he will settle for nothing
less than being remembered as the best of all time. But is that distinction
worth his life? To Kurt, a proud man like his father, it might very well be.
Kurt's physical changes over the past half-decade are shocking. His head has
increased in size dramatically, which may or may not point to use of Human
Growth Hormone. Angle has suffered concussions, and has major nerve damage
as a result of his neck problems. His triceps appear to be on the verge of
atrophy, and one of Angle's biceps is noticeably larger than the other. Kurt
Angle has a history of heart disease in his family. He has a glassy look in
his eyes, and is a self-admitted user of painkillers. And he shows no signs
of slowing down. As a training partner once said of Kurt Angle, "He doesn't
have an off switch".
Estranged from his family, Kurt Angle is said to be more focused on being
the best in wrestling than he ever has been. But how many times can Kurt
Angle keep rolling the dice before his luck runs out? I don't know if World
Wrestling Entertainment can continue to allow him to try.
Kurt Angle doesn't need wrestling. He has made millions and has nothing left
to prove, at least not to his fans. He could stay another few years, maybe
end up with permanent damage to 10% of his brain like his idol Bret Hart. Or
he could move on with is life, make a new career out of motivational
speaking, acting. Maybe amatuer wrestling seminars.
Kurt Angle has proven in the past that pride is more important to him than
anything however. It has cost him his health, it has cost him his family,
and at the rate he is going, sooner rather than later, he too may find
himself dragging his dying body to the hospital when doctors can no longer
help, and his pride may cost him his life. Sadly, it may already have. And
Kurt won't be able to take his pride with him either.
The person most qualified to speak, Kurt's long time wife Karen, spoke best
when she said, "I don't think what he's doing to himself is worth it".
Neither do I.
construction site in rural Pennsylvania, perched high in the air like a
bird. It was a typical summer afternoon, and with autumn drawing near he was
looking forward to the relief those months would bring.
Unfortunately, for some people, the autumn never comes.
In life, a fraction of a second can ripple for eternity. He knew that he had
lost balance, but he didn't have time to think about it. He was crashing to
the ground. His head hit concrete first. Both of his shoulders broke
instantly. His skull was cracked in three places. Lesser things would have
killed any other man, but not him. He picked his broken body off the ground
and began the longest walk of his life. When he arrived, he checked himself
into the hospital.
No one could ever tell him that he wasn't tough. And no one could ever tell
him that he wasn't determined.
On August 31st, two days later, the man was pronounced dead in the same
hospital.
David Angle was 55 years old, and he couldn't take his pride with him.
Twenty-four hours later, his son Kurt wasn't listening to those who were
telling him not to play in the varsity football game that afternoon. Kurt
thrived to overcome all things, even his father's death. Sixteen solo
tackles, two touchdowns and one interception later, Kurt walked off the
field after the best football game that he would ever play, feeling proud.
Little did Kurt know that he would some day be carrying his own broken body
to the hospital, and positioning himself to follow in his father's footsteps
of living proud, and regretfully probably dying young.
"I just wanted to talk a little bit about him, and what he meant to me. When
he was on, he was the best wrestler in the business. He may have even been
the best ever. He showed me a lot of things, and said a lot of things that
not only helped me professionally, but personally. He cared about everybody,
he loved everybody. I love you, and I'll miss you".
Kurt Angle made these comments, fighting back tears, in the wake of Eddie
Guerrero's tragic death. Sadly, these comments aren't that different than
those that could made about Angle himself one emotional Monday evening if he
doesn't make make a drastic change immediately.
Less than eight hours after Vince McMahon and Chavo Guerrero addressed the
media at a press conference in Minneapolis in regards to Guerrero's death, a
broken down Kurt Angle landed on his head after taking one of the most
dangerous offensive maneuvers of his career from the top rope. Like his
father, Angle is tough, determined and proud. Like his former mentor and
fellow Olympic medallist David Schultz, Angle is tough, determined and
proud. At 36 years old, there is a good chance Kurt Angle can outlive his
mentor Schultz, who was murdered in 1996 at the age of 37. At the rate Kurt
Angle is going, outliving his father may be his toughest battle to date.
His checklist reads like an almanac of worst case scenarios. Nerve damage to
his face. Six knee surgeries. A broken neck. Torn muscles. Bone chips
removed from his upper spine. Destroyed ligaments. Dislocated shoulders.
Several years ago, Angle said to the press with pride, "Look at my face. It
looks like I have aged fifteen years in the last five." Angle can no longer
hear out of his left ear. It has been drained 80 times.
When training for the Olympics, Kurt Angle pushed his body to the point of
insanity. "I'd train so ferociously some days that I would make myself
sick". That training makes getting out of bed today even difficult according
to Angle, as he broke his body down at a very young age.
Five months before the 1996 Olympics, Kurt Angle cracked two vertebrae and
pulled four muscles in his back, causing two herniated discs to stab into
his spinal cord. The pain was intense. Doctors told him that he risked
paralysis competing, but Kurt was proud. Mepivacaine was the painkiller that
Kurt Angle chose, and for the next half of a year he took it constantly to
make training, and eventually winning a gold medal possible. Hunched over in
tears, Angle had defied paralysis and proved himself as the best amateur
wrestler in the world. He wished his father would have been there to see it.
Nine years later, Kurt was in his fourth as a WWE wrestler. In an eerily
similar scenario, Kurt Angle's neck was destroyed in early 2003, and he was
advised not to compete in the main event of Wrestlemania 19. Maybe it was
the backflip that he attempted from the top of a steel cage, fifteen feet in
the air on January 14th of that year. It was a move that could end a career
if the slightest thing went wrong, but in the all-or-nothing fashion typical
to Angle, he went big. The result was the most graceful moonsault
imaginable, and as Kurt hung upside down in the air high above the arena,
time seemed to stand still for just an instant before his knees hit the mat
in a landing that could not have been any more perfect. Angle had wagered
his body for glory, and come out on top yet again.
But how long could he keep getting lucky? He was willing to roll the dice
one more time at Wrestlemania of that year, deciding to step into the ring
and face Brock Lesnar in a match that would solidify his legacy, or paralyze
him for life. Angle not only stared down death, but taunted it, taking
dangerous drops on his neck and shoulders before passing the World
Championship to Brock Lesnar. The 54,097 fans in attendance roared in
approval of Kurt flying around the ring. Kurt's wife Karen and newborn
daughter Kyra probably had different reactions.
For 240 days a year, Kurt Angle wakes up in a bed that doesn't belong to
him. In hotel rooms all over America, Canada, Japan and Europe. His
Coraopolis, Pennsylvania home, his BMW and his family are things he seldom
has the time to see. Several years ago he stated in an interview that the
only way he could continue to wrestle was through the heavy use of
painkillers. In 2005, Kurt Angle is going harder than ever.
In an interview with Kurt Angle and his wife Karen several years ago, Angle
stated that the only time he ever physically felt 100% was right before a
match when his adrenaline took over. Kurt continued "But after that, I'm
right back down to the bottom again. It sucks, because if I want to play
with Kyra... (Kurt looks to his daughter playing in the next
room)...sometimes I just can't do it".
Karen Angle spoke: "If he gets to the point where he really can't play with
her, that will be it. No matter what you have in your house, no matter how
good your life is, you can't give that up. If that's what happens, that's
when I'll put my foot down and make him stop."
At that moment, Kurt Angle smiled, "I'll never stop" he finished.
Kurt Angle's marriage ended several months ago, devastating him personally.
He is a proud man, and wrestling is something that he is dedicated to, and
excellence is his obsession. Tired of wondering if he would be in a
wheelchair in a few years, as Karen Angle has publicly wondered, she opted
to separate from Kurt over the summer, and their marriage never made it to
the autumn.
Kurt Angle has made it clear in the past that he will settle for nothing
less than being remembered as the best of all time. But is that distinction
worth his life? To Kurt, a proud man like his father, it might very well be.
Kurt's physical changes over the past half-decade are shocking. His head has
increased in size dramatically, which may or may not point to use of Human
Growth Hormone. Angle has suffered concussions, and has major nerve damage
as a result of his neck problems. His triceps appear to be on the verge of
atrophy, and one of Angle's biceps is noticeably larger than the other. Kurt
Angle has a history of heart disease in his family. He has a glassy look in
his eyes, and is a self-admitted user of painkillers. And he shows no signs
of slowing down. As a training partner once said of Kurt Angle, "He doesn't
have an off switch".
Estranged from his family, Kurt Angle is said to be more focused on being
the best in wrestling than he ever has been. But how many times can Kurt
Angle keep rolling the dice before his luck runs out? I don't know if World
Wrestling Entertainment can continue to allow him to try.
Kurt Angle doesn't need wrestling. He has made millions and has nothing left
to prove, at least not to his fans. He could stay another few years, maybe
end up with permanent damage to 10% of his brain like his idol Bret Hart. Or
he could move on with is life, make a new career out of motivational
speaking, acting. Maybe amatuer wrestling seminars.
Kurt Angle has proven in the past that pride is more important to him than
anything however. It has cost him his health, it has cost him his family,
and at the rate he is going, sooner rather than later, he too may find
himself dragging his dying body to the hospital when doctors can no longer
help, and his pride may cost him his life. Sadly, it may already have. And
Kurt won't be able to take his pride with him either.
The person most qualified to speak, Kurt's long time wife Karen, spoke best
when she said, "I don't think what he's doing to himself is worth it".
Neither do I.
