Kurt Angle Interview – Hulk Hogan, His Kids, Dealing with the Paparazzi, More

Source: TNAWrestling.com
Twilight Star Booboo Stewart recently interviewed Kurt Angle for his “15 Minutes with Booboo” feature on TNAWrestling.com. The interview was pretty straight with some interesting comments later on in the discussion. The items in bold below are Booboo’s questions. The regular text represents Kurt Angle’s responses. Enjoy!
Welcome back for another installment of 15 Minutes, this time, featuring Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle. Right now at TNA it is a very exciting time, as TNA is moving to Monday Nights starting this coming Monday, March 8 and Kurt was in a very excited mood. Check it out!
Boo: Hi Kurt, great to meet you. I have to say it’s an honor to meet an Olympian and to make it even better, you won the GOLD! That’s so incredible!!
Kurt: Thanks Booboo. I am glad you chose me to interview for your column here on TNAWrestling.com.
Boo: I wanted to start by asking you a few easy questions…What’s your favorite type of music?
Kurt: I enjoy all l kinds of music. From country to R&B, but mainly rock, especially old rock like The Rolling Stones and Van Halen. I am more of the classical Rock N’ Roll type, but I also enjoy all the hot rock bands such as Godsmack, Metallica, etc.
Boo: Ok cool. What would be your perfect dinner?
Kurt: A 50oz. filet mignon with a plain sweet potato and a salad. Well done. That’s what I would love to eat every night. Its real, it’s damn real. Haha.
Boo: Sounds yummy. I see you have a son, Kody. Are you going to train him for wrestling or steer him in that direction?
Kurt: I believe he will wrestle. The hardest part is having him live up to my name in both Olympic and professional wrestling and I’ll do all I can to help him. As a kid, I was pushed hard and know what its like. I don’t want to be like that with him, so, I’m going to be less prone to pushing him. I would rather let him do it on his own, but I would like him to give 120%, but it will be up to him (he is only 3 years old.)
Boo: Speaking about your kids, you also have a daughter. There are a lot of females in the business now and my dad always says it’s harder of them. Would you want your daughter to be involved?
Kurt: I really wouldn’t, but again there’s nothing I can do about what kind of dreams and aspirations she may have as she grows up. She loves pro wrestling, so that doesn’t help me. She is my daughter and I’ll support her. I honestly don’t want her to get banged up. On a side note, back in 2007, my daughter actually appeared on TNA iMPACT! a few times and she loved it. I always thought she would want to be an actress and sing but she’s starting to get more intrigued by pro wrestling.
Boo: What do you think of females being in the ring in general?
Kurt: I think it’s great for the sport, especially here in TNA. They have proven it is not just a man’s sport. I watch the knockouts and they really are a corner stone of the TNA product. I hear that on many of our shows the girls are the highest rated segments and that’s a sign of how far they have come. I am all for it. Fans have really taken then seriously instead of the “divas” that slap each other and pull hair that they were used to.
Boo: Do you think of yourself as a role model?
Kurt: I try to be. Have I made mistakes in past, yes and everyone has, but I always try to be a role model in a way that they can learn from. I won’t necessarily suggest that everyone follows all the paths I went through, but I consider myself a role model in the way that I treat people; from fans to coworkers and everyone I meet. As God says, “treat people the way you want to be treated.” In that aspect, I think I can be a great role model.
Boo: Have you had any run-ins with the paparazzi?
Kurt: Yes. It actually happened this past January. I was out in LA finishing up a movie called, “Dead of Night”, before I went overseas on the TNA tour of England and they were waiting for me at baggage claim. They asked me if I thought TNA was ready for the Monday night wars. This was only about 2 weeks after TNA did the live show on January 4. I said, yes we are. They wanted to know if it was coming and I said I believe it is. Little did they know or did I know that we would be moving iMPACT! to Mondays starting March 8, just 2 short months later. I then answered some more questions about that and they asked about some personal stuff as well as my movie career. This was the only time I was really surprised by paparazzi. It was TMZ trying to get a story, not wrestling fans which I originally thought they were.
Boo: Cool. I’m only 16 and I am starting to get used to them. Living in Los Angeles, they are everywhere! Speaking of role models and paparazzi, we do a thing called “Five with Fivel” where my sister throws 5 random topics at you and see what your thoughts are. I know she has a few good ones–so here we go.
“Five with Fivel”
Tiger Woods – Respectful. He is a guy that has been under the microscope for so long and carries himself so well. I don’t think its fair for anyone to judge him on his personal life. I think that he has done a better job than anyone I know (other than a pastor or religious figure), better than any other athlete. The epitome of what I would love for my kids to be.
UFC – It is the hottest thing going right now. I love Dana White and I love what the UFC has done to make it the fastest growing professional sport right now. Dana White is a genius and someday I would love to get in that octagon once or twice and see how I fair.
Rap Music – Mixed feelings. A lot of the time it’s based on violence and women and sometimes its inspirational so it all depends on the artist and the song. I have seen guys that do it well and some that go in the gutter. Ironically, my TNA entrance music is a rap song by a guy named Trademarc that says, “I hit more men than Jenna Jameson,” haha. Go figure.
Jonas Brothers – I love them. Those guys have done so much, so fast. They compare to The Beatles and that’s hard to do if you even can. They have a certain aura. They won’t just be teeny boppers, they are here to stay. They have their own TV show and whoever manages them does an awesome job. I wish them the best. I’m a big fan.
Hulk Hogan – Simply put, he is the greatest of all time. Hulk Hogan is my inspiration in pro wrestling. We have a mutual respect and to get respect from Hogan means the world to me. I didn’t think I would say that, but the guy has great intentions and I think he will carry TNA to where we need to go. He is learning on the job but learning fast. His coming to TNA was the right move and I love him to death.
Boo: Thanks for those. Good stuff. Now, I know that you have been doing some acting lately, so, what’s your favorite movie?
Kurt: My favorite movie would have to be Rocky. I remember watching it as a kid and haven’t missed any of them. Sylvester Stallone created a guy with a dream out of nowhere and its become a legendary movie. What an incredible concept that really shows what Americas all about. Given the chance, what can you do in your life? Everybody is going to get an opportunity, but it’s what you do with those. That movie defines what the USA is all about.
Boo: If you could pick any actor to work with, who would it be?
Kurt: Interesting enough or ironically enough, I would love to work with Dwayne Johnson. Haha. We have talked about it and he and I are such good friends and stay in close contact. He is helping me with my Angle Foods line coming out soon. We have talked about it many times, but I won’t rest until we do it. Talk only goes so far, we gotta walk the walk. Kurt Angle and Dwayne Johnson headlining the box offices sometime soon!
Boo: That would be awesome. You mentioned an Angle Foods line. What is that?
Kurt: Well, I believe in healthy eating and taking care of your body and with the type of schedule I have endured the last 10 plus years, I wanted to give people something to help them eat right and stay healthy so Angle Foods was born. More information will soon be available at http://www.foodiesfoodclub.com/.
Boo: That’s great. My mom is a professional fitness trainer so I know all about eating right and staying healthy. Do you have any other comments you care to make about your acting career?
Kurt: Actually, yes. The great thing about being a pro wrestler and breaking into Hollywood and acting is that we have such an incredible fan base already; it’s a win-win situation. Our fans will go see wrestlers act in the movies. Being in wrestling is a good thing. Being a wrestler and actor is a good thing. They’ll go watch Kurt Angle act in the movie and support me. Look at The Rock (Dwayne Johnson). I also have 2 movies which I recently completed, “Warrior” and “Dead of Night” so stay tuned for those later this year.
Boo: Nice. How or why did you first start wrestling?
Kurt: I was pushed into it by my 4 brothers who were all wrestlers and my sister, who was an athlete as well. They all really pushed me into it because personally, I liked team sports. But, having to be an “Angle” meant you had to be a wrestler. Basketball, baseball and football were my best sports. I would have been a pro football player if I hadn’t taken the wrestling route. College is when I chose the direction. Freshman year I beat the NCAA runner up in only my 2nd match, he was a senior. That is when I really decided to stop football and go for it all with wrestling.
Boo: I train doing a mix of stand up fighting and ground fighting including collegiate style wrestling. My dad says that wrestling is the best thing to have in my training. Do you agree?
Kurt: Without a doubt. Wrestling is corner stone of the martial arts. Stand up fighting is very important. Need to cover all corners. Wrestling is the best base. Ju-jitsu is important as well.
Boo: Now, I have to ask this. How did it feel to win the OLYMPIC GOLD?
Kurt: Well, I never thought about doing anything else before that. I prayed a lot to get there and dreamed of being on the podium. It is what I dreamt of since I was 5 years old. When I won, I was overjoyed and the happiest I had ever been, but more than anything, I was relieved. That accomplishment took up so much time and effort and there was a lot of pressure, but when I finally won, I felt like I could breathe again. I had won the world championships the year before and its extremely hard to win back to back and let me tell you, it was awesome. The next morning when I woke up, I didn’t know what I was going to do with the rest of my life. I had gotten a college education, but in reality, I never thought about life after the Olympics. The long and short of it was it was the most exciting time of my life, and next day was the most depressing because I didn’t know what was next.
Boo: Well, obviously you figured it out and went on to have an incredible career in pro wrestling so far since you are one of the best. Besides yourself, who do you think is the best wrestler out there today?
Kurt: In pure talent, AJ Styles. The kid is truly phenomenal. In experience, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Then, if you want to say of all time, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
Boo: What would be your dream match? Have you already had it?
Kurt: I have been very happy with the matches I have had thus far. Some of my favorites include AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, Sting, Ric Flair, The Rock, Steve Austin, Eddie Guerrero, Undertaker, Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels, and the list can go on and on. Thankfully, I have worked with everyone I want to except one, Bret Hart and that sucks because we just missed each other. We have a mutual respect and want to do it.
Boo: That would be a match I would love to see. The Sharpshooter vs. The Ankle Lock. I have heard that you run a yearly teen event called the “Kurt Angle Ultimate Teen Challenge”. Can you explain a little bit about that?
Kurt: Yes. Its like a Metrex World’s Strongest Man type competition. We come up with creative scenarios like jug carrying and wheel barrel. We are teaching the kids and trying to raise money in support of high school athletics and sporting programs, to help keep them alive. The goal is to get kids off their butts and keep them active. They will have a much healthier life if they are active. I am always one that is all about helping out kids charity or teaching them business.
Boo: Lastly, do you have anything else you want to say to your fans?
Kurt: I love our fans. I think without them there would not be a TNA. They have made me want to perform even harder for them because of their appreciation for what we do. My appreciation for them supporting me and TNA is enormous. Without them, I wouldn’t have a job. My job is to do the best I can to entertain them. I can’t thank them enough. God bless them.
Boo: Well, thank you Kurt. It has truly been an honor to speak with you
The best way to keep up with me is to follow me on twitter at twitter.com/mammarazzi1.
Stay tuned for my next interview coming soon and be sure to watch TNA iMPACT! Live! this Monday night, March 8th at 9 PM ET/PT. I know I will be!