Pro-Wrestler, Actor and 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, had done and held it all in the world of Professional Wrestling. The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion lays it all out in this exclusive interview with RUMBLE Magazine.

RUMBLE: What are your thoughts on your recent TNA Lockdown fight against Jeff Jarrett?
Kurt: I feel it was, without a doubt, one of the best matches I’ve ever had. If it weren’t for Karen getting involved, I would have had many opportunities to win. I hate to give credit to Karen, but she’s Jeff’s secret weapon. If he didn’t have Karen, Jeff Jarrett wouldn’t have beaten Kurt Angle period.a

RUMBLE: So what’s next for Kurt Angle?
Kurt: Getting revenge on Karen. Not to put the heat on her, but her causing the situation with Jeff and I, because of our history, because I was married to her and she’s now married to Jeff. I put a lot of the blame on Jeff, but now I have to look at Karen and see that really the one I should have been mad at was her. That’s where I’m heading right now, getting revenge on Karen. Not using any kind of physical force, at least not from me!

RUMBLE: Let’s go back a little; you’re an Olympic Gold medalist, what does that feel like winning Gold at the Olympics?
Kurt: Going to the Olympics was a lifelong dream itself. To win it was something I can’t explain. There aren’t very many gold medalists in the world, but what any of them will tell you is that it’s a hard thing to explain. You train your whole life to do that, that’s all you’ve focused on. You’ve trained every day, you’ve worked hard every day, you put your mind, soul and body into it. When you finally accomplish it, sure you’re overwhelmed with happiness, but I think that more than anything, a true champion when they win feels a sense of relief. It’s over, I finally did it, I won. I have to say, it was the first time in my life I put my guard down and could finally relax.

RUMBLE: You won Gold despite suffering a severe neck injury; that must have been a difficult choice to continue, especially with the thought of causing further damage?
Kurt: I could not get a doctor to pass me. Neck and back doctors to other doctors to surgeons to family doctors to any doctor! I had 4 broken vertebrae and 3 disks in my neck that were sticking directly into my spinal cord that could possibly cause paralysis. I finally found a doctor that was either brave enough or stupid enough to pass me. His idea was don’t practice. He said to do whatever you can off the mat, but drill very lightly. When you needed to practice, come to my office and I’ll stick you in the neck with 12 shots of novocaine. We weren’t allowed to use cortisone because it’s a steroid and that’s illegal in the Olympics. Every time I wanted to train, maybe once or twice a week, I would go to the doctor’s office and he would give me the 12 shots of novocaine. I would hurry up and train for about an hour and then I’d be in excruciating pain. So the doctor had his co-doctor travel with me to the Olympic trials and then to the Olympics. Thank God I raised funds for him to be able to travel with me. Before every match he would stick me 12 times in the neck so I couldn’t feel it. My neck was still broken and the disks were still sticking into my spinal cord. The only thing that was keeping me going was my faith in God and my desire to win a gold medal. How I did it, I have no idea! I had some very difficult matches in the Olympics. I remember in the Olympic trials, rumor got around that my neck was broken. I remember the first guy I wrestled in the trials went right after my neck and tried to further injure me. We ended up getting in a fist fight and the referee almost ended up disqualifying both of us. I was very protective, but I knew that I had to not think about my neck when I was wrestling because if I did it would affect my wrestling. So I had to turn the switch off in my head about the stress and worrying about my neck and just be Kurt Angle the wrestler. That’s what I did and thank God I won the gold medal with my neck broken.

RUMBLE: You also had a very successful college wrestling career, tell us a little about that?
Kurt: I had many injuries in college. I have a bittersweet memory of college wrestling. I won 2 national titles but was expected to win 3. I won my sophomore year. I was undefeated. My junior year I injured my knee 5 weeks out from nationals. I had to have surgery but put it off until after nationals. I wrestled my best and did whatever I could and made it to the finals, but I lost 6-4. I’m not taking the win away from the other wrestler, but it was a shaky win because I did have a take down. I know I was injured, but I can’t use that as an excuse. My senior year I was undefeated again and was one of the best wrestlers. I was named one of the top 15 best collegiate wrestlers of all time in the past 75 years. That affects me because I wanted to be a 3 time national champion. I think that loss taught me a lot about adversity. Before I went into that match I had it in my mind that I was going to lose. I was happy with second and that’s what happened. When I wrestled, I wrestled for second place. I believe that helped me for the Olympics because I knew that was what I was not going to do. I was not going to wrestle for second place; I was going to wrestle for the gold.

RUMBLE: How did you find pro-wrestling compared to amateur wrestling?
Kurt: I’ve had a lot more injuries in pro wrestling. It’s just a whole different ball game. It’s about psychology, it’s about technique, it’s about storytelling. It’s about having charisma, it’s about having some acting ability. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make the transition. Within about 6 months I was on tv. I became one of the top wrestlers in the other company. I enjoyed it. I wrestled Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, John Cena, Undertaker and beat them all and became a 6 time World Champion. Then I came to TNA and my career became even better.

I was named the best wrestler in wrestling when I was in WWE and I came here and got better. I had watched TNA and there were a lot of wrestlers here I wanted to wrestle. I would see Samoa Joe and AJ Styles and think; man I wish I could wrestle those guys just once. Thank God I’ve had the opportunity to wrestle them 50 times! That was part of my dream. People would say why would you want to go from a monster company to a smaller company and wrestle these guys that hardly anybody knew at the time. I feel like I serve a bigger purpose in TNA. This company is growing quicker than any other company period and I feel like I am a big part of that. That makes me feel good.

RUMBLE: You’ve also done some acting, is this something you’d like to pursue more in the future?
Kurt: Yes that is my goal. I have done 6 movies. 3 independent movies that went straight to DVD and I have 3 movies in 2011 that will be in theaters. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night comes out April 29. Warrior comes out September 7th. Beyond the Mat comes out in December. They’re 3 completelydifferent rolls. In Dylan Dog I was the head of a werewolf family and I got to turn into a werewolf, which was incredible. I had a very good part in that movie. In Warrior, I had a crucial part where I was the MMA world champion from Russia. I had to learn how to speak Russian! The movie that really came close to home for me was Beyond the Mat because I was a high school wrestling coach. That’s what I plan on doing after movies when I get older and retire, but for now I want to do as many movies as I can. I also have a food company, Angle Foods, that I own. It has very healthy foods that are very high in protein and very high in fibre.

RUMBLE: You star in upcoming movie, ‘Warrior’, how was it doing the movie?
Kurt: Warrior was very difficult because I had to train 2 ½ months for 10 hours every day like an MMA fighter. The hard part was balancing wrestling and training. TNA gave me some time off so I could train for the movie. I had to lose 30 pounds so I could be in the right weight class. I went from 230 to 200. They wanted me in the 185 pound weight class, but wanted me to be bigger than everybody else so that I looked like the dominate fighter. During the movie we had 12 hour days where I was in the ring fighting for 12 hours. I did an ESPN type interview where I had to speak strictly Russian for 15 straight minutes. That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I did it and I think I did fairly well! I hope the fans really enjoy the movie and I’m looking forward to doing more movies.

RUMBLE: You are in phenomenal shape, what is a training day look like in the world of Kurt Angle?
Kurt: I train an hour a day and try not to take a day off. I do my whole body in one day when I lift weights. I read an article in Muscle and Body Magazine (GNC’s magazine) that after 40 your body’s growth hormone starts to dwindle and you get a better pump and better results by training your body in one full day. So I train my full body lifting one day and one hour of hard cardio, running or walking up a treadmill at level 10 at 4mph, the next day. I keep doing that back and forth and whenever I feel run down I take a day off. I try to stay active, it keeps me young! If I don’t do it, my doctors told me this in college after my knee injuries, if I stop training my knees will go and I won’t be able to walk normal. The same thing with my neck. If I stay active I’ll stay young. If I don’t stay active then I’ll get old and shrivel up and fall apart!

RUMBLE: Obviously your diet and nutrition would play a huge part in the way you look, can you give us an idea of what that looks like?
Kurt: I’m very high on fibre. A lot of people aren’t very educated on dieting. They think that high protein is enough. Having high protein, moderate fats and low carbohydrates is great, but high fibre is an integral part of your diet. At least 30 grams in your diet a day. My fibre at Angle Foods, which is Ultra Fiber DX™, helps you lose fat fast. I started taking it and I lost 10 pounds of fat, and I don’t have that much fat on my body! I’m actually more ripped than I was. I lost it mainly in my midsection. I believe in high fibre. People that want to get it can go to my website www.KurtAngleFoods.com or go to GNC stores. You have to supplement your diet with high fibre if you want to lose weight.

RUMBLE: We’ve seen some pro-wrestlers make the transition to MMA, being an Olympic wrestler, was that ever a consideration for you?
Kurt: Yes it was. I signed with TNA and the same week I flew out Las Vegas to meet with Dana White. Dana White offered me a contract that blew my mind. The contract they offered me was amazing, but my loyalty was to TNA. My life started to change after I left WWE. I have nothing bad to say about WWE, I had a great time there, but I needed a different pace in my life. TNA was that different company that I knew would take care of me and make me the integral part and top man in the company, and I didn’t want to give that up. Dana White believes that you can only fight, you can’t do anything else but fight, and I respect him for that. After a couple years and after the situation with Karen and Jeff, I went back to Dana White. I took the UFC physical and passed it and I was getting ready again to fight, and we just couldn’t agree on a date to start. That was just a difference between when I thought I would be ready and Dana thought I would be ready. I respect Dana White, he’s a great friend and I wish him the best, but I don’t think I’ll be fighting. I’m 42 now and I’m signing a long term deal with TNA and I’m going to stay here.

RUMBLE: If you could have a dream MMA match with any MMA fighter, who would you choose and why?
Kurt: Randy Couture. He was my teammate at the Olympics in 1996. I have a lot of respect for him. We are very good friends and we keep in touch. Although we’re good friends, I would love to be able to fight him. He is what MMA is all about. He is the name and face. He is a guy you can depend on and not frown upon. He’s going to represent your company with dignity, pride and respect. Another guy is Brock Lesnar. I also have a lot of respect for him. These guys are 2 guys I’d love to fight, but also have a lot of respect for. It’s hard to fight your friends, but when you’re fighting for money and you’re going to double it by winning, then you’re going to fight!

RUMBLE: You elected to go down the pro-wrestling road, why was that choice made?
Kurt: I wanted to get into acting and I knew that pro-wrestling was a good avenue because you have to act, you’re a character. You have to be able to talk, you have to show emotion, you have to be charismatic, just like an actor. Wrestlers are athletes, that are actors. I thought that if I started wrestling I could spin off into movies and I have. TNA has given me that opportunity. That’s part of the reason I came here. They gave me the avenue to go off and take time away from wrestling and do movies. They gave me time where I could just focus on the movies and getting better.

RUMBLE: If you go take on any celebrity in a pro-wrestling match, who would it be?
Kurt: There’s 2 people. One is Vin Diesel. He’s a guy that I admire. A guy that has come so far. He’s a good actor and he has the look and the charisma for it. It would be a good dream match. He’s a stud; he appears that way when he’s on the big screen. Another one is already here in TNA and that’s Hulk Hogan. I would love to have one more match with him. I had the privilege of wrestling him in WWE. I was the only man to ever make Hulk Hogan tap out and I want to make him tap out one more time.

RUMBLE: When you started pro-wrestling, did you ever think you would reach this status?
Kurt: No. I always thought that if I got into pro-wrestling I’d be a mid-carder and make good money. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d be a top guy in both companies, but it happened. I give Vince McMahon a lot of credit. I give Dixie Carter a lot of credit. I also give credit to Vince Russo, as well as a gentleman named Brian Gewirtz in WWE. Him and Vince Russo are the best writers in the business and they’ve always been very creative with me and they’ve treated me right. I give a lot of credit to the writers, but Vince McMahon and Dixie Carter were the 2 people that really gave me the opportunity.

RUMBLE: In pro-wrestling we see a lot of moves that look like they really hurt, how real is the pain when you are fighting?
Kurt: Pro-wrestling is somewhat scripted. We do put on a performance, a show, for the fans but it’s very dangerous. That’s why there are safety issues in professional wrestling. If there weren’t, there would not be any wrestling superstars because they’d be injured and not on tv. You need your wrestlers to be on tv every week, so there is a safety factor because it is so dangerous. You’re wrestling on plywood. When you bump on plywood it’s like being hit from behind going 60 miles an hour. When I first started taking bumps, I didn’t think I could do it. I stuck with it and was able to work through the pain, but it’s taken a toll on my body. I’ve been in pro-wrestling 12 years and I wrestled amateur for 20 years and I’ve had a lot more injuries in pro-wrestling than I ever did in amateur wrestling. Olympic wrestling is the most injury prone sport, so that tells you how injury prone professional wrestling is!

RUMBLE: Having so many fans screaming for you; how does that feel?
Kurt: I guess what happened for me was I came to a level in my career that’s elite status. Not a lot of people get there. I was very blessed to reach that status and when you do, you get this certain respect from the fans. They always cheer for you. The greatest thing is having an incredible match and the fans cheer for you, not for respect but because you performed very well. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best wrestler and have the best matches all the time. It’s my job, that is what I do. Every PPV, if I don’t have the best match on the card I am very hard on myself.

RUMBLE: You’ve had some great moments in your career, what is that one real stand out moment?
Kurt: A lot of moments stand out. One is winning the TNA title for the first time at Slammiversary. I’d won every title there was up except that one up until that point. It was a great victory for me. I had guys like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Christian Cage on the card. Another one is winning my first WWF title against The Rock. Winning those titles and knowing the company is depending on you as a champion, that’s a great feeling. That’s what you’re always striving for.

RUMBLE: You’ve had many feuds over the years in your career, which is the one that jumps out when you hear the word feud?
Kurt: I did a feud with Stephanie McMahon and Triple H that really sprung my career to main event status. It was my first year wrestling and Triple H was so giving. Stephanie McMahon had just started on tv like me and he carried both of us and made the storyline incredible. Here at TNA there was one guy I’d never gotten to wrestle and it was such a privilege to finally do so and have a feud with him, Sting. He was a WCW wrestler and never went to the WWF or WWE. I think when I won the title from Sting, that was one of the best feelings. He is an icon. When you look at him he has the demeanor of a superstar. He just is the epitome of a superstar.

RUMBLE: Greatest match you’ve ever had in your opinion?
Kurt: You know what, it’s so hard. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21. Chris Benoit at the 2003 Royal Rumble. Jeff Hardy this past year, where we wrestled to a draw. Ken Anderson in a cage match last year. Jeff Jarrett in a cage match this year. Eddie Guerrero at SummerSlam and WrestleMania. I had a match with Undertaker at No Way Out in 2006 that I’ll never forget. I’ve been very blessed. I continue to improve and just when I think I’ve been at my best, I get better. It’s because I get smarter about what I do. You can never stop learning about pro-wrestling. There’s a certain style, a certain psychology, involved and the fans get sucked in. When you get that and you’re able to utilize it, you then have the fans in the palm of your hand. And I’ve been blessed enough to be able to go out there and put on a great match that tells a great story and the fans really love it and get involved in the match. That’s one of the best feelings. I’ve had so many of those moments that I can’t pick even 10 of them. They all mean a lot to me.

RUMBLE: What are some of your hobbies and interests away from pro-wrestling?
Kurt: I love to just play with my kids. I love hanging out with my fiancé Giovanna. I have a new little girl Giuliana that is precious. My real princess, my peanut, is Kyra. She has the same type of personality as me. She is very kind, very giving, very innocent. I love that about her. She’s the opposite of her mommy, which is going to be funny when she’s a teenager! I am also very blessed to have a great son Kody. All we do is wrestle, that’s all he wants to do. I’ve learned now at the age of 42 is I can’t just be friends with my kids. I’ve been their best friend but now I have to be their dad. I’m learning now that I need to lay down the law and have some rules and be a little more strict. I’m learning how to be a good dad and then be their friend.

RUMBLE: How has pro-wrestling evolved over the years?
Kurt: Pro-wrestling has evolved to the point where there isn’t much black and white anymore, there are shades of gray. Before it was always here’s the good guy and here’s the bad guy, but now guys are mixed in between. We need to go back to the old school. They did less back then but it meant more. You have guys doing crazy things just to please the fans. I’m a leader at TNA and people are supposed to be able to look to me, so I have a duty to slow things down and make them mean more. It’s not stealing from the fans. It’s reeducating the fans on storytelling in a match and not just doing a bunch of stunts. I’ve seen wrestlers go out there and do all these crazy stunts, but it doesn’t mean anything if they’re not selling anything and nothing hurts and they don’t stop moving. There’s no time for the crowd to react, no story being told. That’s not wrestling, it’s stunt work. That’s the phase we started getting into, but we’re starting to pull it back. We’re going back to wrestling. TNA is wrestling. We’re getting back to the old school and making wrestling mean something. Yes we are entertainment, but you can’t take wrestling out of pro-wrestling.

RUMBLE: What’s left to accomplish for Kurt Angle in the World of Pro-Wrestling?
Kurt: I’ve been blessed enough to win 11 world titles. I’ve been an Olympic wrestler and gold medalist. That’s 13 world titles in both sports. But it’s not all about winning championships. Ric Flair is the man; he’s won 16 world titles. I’ve never gunned for that. To me, it’s about helping build more superstars. When I go out there I don’t just try to make myself look good. I try to make my opponent look better than he really is. When I structure my matches, I try to make it so that my opponent looks better and try to make him become a bigger superstar than he already was. That’s my goal now. It’s not winning world titles; it’s what we call in the business, making other talent.