Kurt Angle's life has been an epic journey. Growing up in a large family in Pennsylvania, Angle followed in the footsteps of his four older brothers when he decided to pursue wrestling. His discipline and hard work were soon rewarded: He won the Junior National Freestyle Championship and went on to become the Wrestler of the Year at Clarion College. In 1996, with many prestigious wrestling honors to his credit, Angle set his sights on a new goal: an Olympic gold medal. Months of grueling training paid off in the most spectacular way when Angle returned from Atlanta with a gold medal around his neck and renewed determination in his heart. He was just getting started. Angle soon joined the ranks of the World Wrestling Federation and quickly became a main event performer, taunting the crowds with his trademark "three I's": Integrity, Intelligence, and Intensity. These are all qualities that he really possesses, but his character does not always display them in the ring. Through his high-profile matches with some of the biggest names in the business, Angle is now one of the most infamous "heels" in the World Wrestling Federation -- and he loves every minute of it. He has won -- and lost -- the Intercontinental belt and the World title, and he continues to rile crowds and accelerate heart rates every time he steps into the ring. Kurt Angle is living proof that with hard work and determination anyone can fulfill their dreams. Kurt Angle's life has been an epic journey. Growing up in a large family in Pennsylvania, Angle followed in the footsteps of his four older brothers when he decided to pursue wrestling. His discipline and hard work were soon rewarded: He won the Junior National Freestyle Championship and went on to become the Wrestler of the Year at Clarion College. In 1996, with many prestigious wrestling honors to his credit, Angle set his sights on a new goal: an Olympic gold medal. Months of grueling training paid off in the most spectacular way when Angle returned from Atlanta with a gold medal around his neck and renewed determination in his heart. He was just getting started. Angle soon joined the ranks of the World Wrestling Federation and quickly became a main event performer, taunting the crowds with his trademark "three I's": Integrity, Intelligence, and Intensity. These are all qualities that he really possesses, but his character does not always display them in the ring. Through his high-profile matches with some of the biggest names in the business, Angle is now one of the most infamous "heels" in the World Wrestling Federation -- and he loves every minute of it. He has won -- and lost -- the Intercontinental belt and the World title, and he continues to rile crowds and accelerate heart rates every time he steps into the ring. Kurt Angle is living proof that with hard work and determination anyone can fulfill their dreams. Kurt Angle is a World Wrestling Federation Superstar and an Olympic gold medalist. He has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Conan O'Brien Show, and MTV. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife. It's True! It's True! By Kurt Angle ReganBooks Copyright © 2001 Kurt Angle All right reserved. ISBN: 9780060393274 Chapter One From Hero to Heel The silence was killing me. That's what I remember most about standing alone in the middle of the Olympic wrestling mat five years ago, waiting for a decision that would change my life dramatically in one way or another. Was the gold medal mine or not? I didn't know. Nobody knew. But I couldn't believe that 7,000 people in the Georgia World Congress Center could be so quiet, because the place had been absolutely crazy only a few minutes earlier during my match. Most of the noise was for me. I was the crowd favorite, the blue-collar kid from Pittsburgh trying to win the gold at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Somebody decided to play the Rocky theme every time I entered the arena for a match, and it was fitting because I looked like the underdog in the 220-pound weight class. I only weighed about 210 pounds, and physically I was nowhere near as imposing as some of the fearsome-looking characters from the Eastern European countries. Yet time and again I had dazzled the fans during the two days of competition, winning match after match in dramatic fashion, with last-minute comebacks or overtime thrillers. Matter of fact, I was such an inspirational figure at the time, overcoming serious injury and personal tragedy to make the Olympic team, that I never could have dreamed I'd become famous in the World Wrestling Federation a few years later as the red-white-and-blue-covered antihero the fans would love to hate. Me, a bad guy? A heel? I was always the golden boy. The kid who stayed out of trouble. The guy that fathers wanted their daughters to date. I had dedicated my life to winning a gold medal in memory of my dad, who died when I was sixteen. Hell, I wrestled in the Olympic trials with two cracked vertebr