#1.) Competing at WrestleMania XIX – 2003
Kurt Angle was in no physical state to perform at the WrestleMania XIX main event. But he did it anyway. Already having a history of neck injuries, it wasn’t just the neck that he had problems with. He had issues with nerve and spinal damage, calcium buildup, bone spurs, and intervertebral disc problems.
Despite all of this, he pushed through and had a high-level WrestleMania main event, rightfully dropping the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar. Even in the finish, Lesnar botched a shooting star press, concussing himself and nearly paralyzing himself as well in the process. He pushed through and won the match as well.
Credit must be given to both performers, and Angle finally got a neck surgery to deal with these problems after WrestleMania. But with health issues of that magnitude, the fact that he was able to push through and deliver defines who he was as a performer. That night, he truly lived up to the three words he lives by – Intensity, Integrity and Intelligence.
