Wrestling: A real American hero

The WWE's Kurt Angle is an inspiration to thousands of fans and to any aspiring wrestler.

While wrestling in the 1996 Olympics and achieving a dream of wanting to become an Olympic Gold Medallist, he wrestled while suffering from a broken neck. Rather than going for surgery to combat the injury, he felt that this would be his only time to win a Gold Medal, so he pushed the pain he was suffering to the back of his mind and wrestled for his country. He went on to win and became an Olympic Gold Medallist.

Four years later Angle joined the WWE. Within his first year, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame after he became the first wrestler to become 2000 King of the Ring winner, European Champion, Intercontinental Champion and WWE Champion. A record that still has yet to be broken.

During the run up to Wrestlemania 19, Angle was again suffering from the injury that had plagued him for many years -- a neck injury. He was in the middle of a feud with Brock Lesnar and felt that the story up to the run of Wrestlemania was going great.

During the run-up to the event, he was feeling his left arm going numb while wrestling for a Smackdown show. Rather than tell anyone he kept it quiet because he did not want to let the fans down, the company down, or himself. Angle is a fighter and an inspiration. To be able to put others in front of himself, to help the people who come and see him put their troubles behind them for about three hours, to be able to entertain and put on a show, while in an abundance of pain, is remarkable.

Before Wrestlemania 19, the company went to South Africa for a small tour. Angle talked to fellow wrestler Edge about his similar neck injury. It was after he talked to Edge that he knew he had to get surgery.

He discussed his options with the doctor and with WWE CEO Vince McMahon. The decision he had to make -- wrestle or get surgery.

It was when someone pointed to an advertisement in a magazine for the upcoming pay-per-view Wrestlemania that Angle thought he would be letting thousands of fans down. Fans that had ordered and paid for the PPV event, some even doing it just to watch their Olympic hero.

Angle called McMahon and told him what he was going to do.

Many fans would not have known what Angle was going through. Rather than letting his fans down, he did what he thought was the only thing that he could do -- wrestle.

Not only is Kurt an amazing athlete, he has such drive and will. Wrestling is in his blood and in his heart, and once you have a passion and a drive for something that you live for everyday, you don't want to let anyone down.

After Wrestlemania 19, Angle got the much needed surgery and it was a success. Within a matter of months, he was back in the ring -- the one place, outside of his family, that he loves the most.

This year history and lightening were about to strike twice. Wrestlemania 20 is one of the biggest PPV's of the WWE calendar. This year was even more special. It was 20 the 20th anniversary of the event and as the advertisements state -- back to where it was all about began.

Angle was scheduled to wrestle WWE Champion, Eddie Gurrero, for the WWE Championship. Like last year, he was beginning to feel a numbness in his arm, and once again, he didn't tell anyone until after Wrestlmania had finished.

Currently Kurt has been taken off WWE programming and WWE shows, waiting for a MRI scan to see what the damaged is. Hopefully, whatever the damaged is, it can be fixed by surgery.

There are fans and critics out there who do have a tendency to be the first to write in their web pages or rant and rave that a wrestler isn't up to a standard that they believe is high!

There are many wrestlers in the business that are just as committed as Angle, someone who would do anything for the fans. However, sometimes for fans, that just isn't enough.

Kurt Angle is an inspiration and a true American hero.