Mumbai: Olympic gold medallist and former world heavyweight champion Kurt Angle, who has the record of beating the best of professional wrestlers, said he was "not born to be a wrestler but an entertainer".
The US amateur wrestler, who entered the entertainment arena in 1998 after signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment), won the world championship title in just 10 months -- the fastest to achieve this feat.
"I started my career in pro-wrestling with WWE and 10 months later I was the world champion. It went very quick. I didn't know I was born to be a pro-wrestler, I will admit that. I wouldn't say I was born to be an Olympic medalist even though I hold that high above anything I have ever done. I just feel like I was born to entertain people," Angle told PTI in an interview here.
Though it was much more important for him to win a gold medal for America, he admitted enjoying professional wrestling more.
"It was much more important for me to win a gold medal for my country but I believe I was up here to entertain fans. I enjoy that. That is why I have been a professional wrestler for the last 14 years. I could retire but I won't because I love it too much," he said.
Angle, who made his WWE debut at the 1999 Survivor Series has won the King of the Ring Tournament, the Intercontinental Title and the European Title.
Throughout his tenure with WWE, Angle was six-time world champion (four-time WWF/E Champion, World Heavyweight Champion and WCW Champion). He also held the US Championship, Intercontinental Championship, European Championship, Hardcore Championship and WWE Tag Team Championship once each.
After suffering several injuries in the bid to become the champion, the 45-year old, who is currently with Total Nonstop Action (TNA), does not want his seven-year old son Kody to become a pro-wrestler.
