Kurt Angle is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time who tasted success in both WWE and TNA. The Olympic Gold Medalist's career has been littered with many memorable moments best told through these photos.

"I won a gold medal with a broken freakin' neck" is something that Kurt Angle waxes lyrical about all the time. Kurt Angle picked up professional wrestling rapidly, and he translated his skills from an amateur background. Angle's wrestling career has been outstanding, and he has feuded with the very best in the business. He slotted well in the Attitude Era, and he was on another level in the Ruthless Aggression Era.

RELATED: Each Year Of Kurt Angle's Wrestling Career In The 2000s, Ranked Worst To Best

Angle's had his share of injury woes throughout his career, but he's knocked it out of the park in some high-level matches. Angle found success early in WWE, and after his seven-year stint, he moved to TNA. A 13-time World Champion, Angle is a member of both the WWE and TNA Hall of Fame.

12 Debut

Kurt Angle v Shawn Stasiak Survivor Series 1999 Cropped

Kurt Angle finally made his long-awaited in-ring debut at Survivor Series 1999. The Olympic Gold Medalist was up against Shawn Stasiak. This match was purely designed for Angle to get some minutes under his belt, and he was barely troubled in his bout.

Debuting at Survivor Series has proven to be a good omen as The Undertaker debuted in 1990, and The Rock did in 1996. Angle garnered heel heat right from the get-go as he told fans not to boo him during the match. Nevertheless, Angle opened up his account with a win that kick-started his two-month unbeaten run.

11 Early Success

Kurt Angle Intercontinental & European Champion Cropped

2000 proved to be a successful year for Kurt Angle, and he wasted no time in adding some gold to his collection. Angle defeated Val Venis for the European Championship on an episode of SmackDown, and weeks later, he ended Chris Jericho's Intercontinental Championship run to become the third man to hold the Intercontinental and European Championships simultaneously.

Angle was a double champion for just a little over a month until he dropped both titles at WrestleMania 16. Nonetheless, Angle found more success in the summer of 2000 as he won the King of the Ring tournament after he beat Rikishi in the final.

10 First WWE Championship Reign

Kurt Angle WWF Champion Cropped

Just 11 months into his WWE career, Kurt Angle climbed the pinnacle as he defeated The Rock for the WWE Championship at No Mercy 2000. Angle capped off an exceptional debut year by emerging victorious in the first six-man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon.

RELATED: 10 Attitude Era WWE Champions, Ranked By In-Ring Skills

Angle proved to be a fighting champion, and he registered a win over Triple H at the 2001 Royal Rumble to remain WWE Champion. However, he was unable to headline WrestleMania 17 as he dropped the WWE Championship back to The Rock at No Way Out 2001, but for a first-time WWE Championship reign, it was good.

9 Feud With Steve Austin

Stone Cold v Kurt Angle SummerSlam 2001 Cropped

Kurt Angle became one of the top babyfaces in the summer of 2001 when he turned face after Steve Austin betrayed him and joined The Alliance. Angle and Austin's rivalry was magnificent and their feud over the WWE Championship was competitive.

Angle was unfortunate not to beat Austin for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam as Austin got disqualified. However, in front of his hometown fans in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Angle dethroned Austin to become a two-time WWE Champion. The scenes were emotional, and Angle cemented his spot as a certified main-eventer.

8 Team Angle

Team Angle Cropped

Toward the end of 2002, Kurt Angle became a Paul Heyman Guy, and Team Angle was born. Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin came on board, and the trio was a formidable group on SmackDown. Angle was in the midst of his third WWE Championship reign, and Haas and Benjamin added the WWE Tag Team Championship to the group.

Unquestionably, the group parted ways far too soon but Haas and Benjamin working alongside Angle did wonders for the pair. Angle had a broken neck in 2003, but he still managed to compete at a high level, which is a testament to his greatness.

7 WrestleMania Main-Eventer

Kurt Angle v Brock Lesnar WrestleMania 19 Cropped

Surprisingly, Kurt Angle has main-evented WrestleMania just once and that happened on a jam-packed WrestleMania 19 card. Angle defended the WWE Championship against Brock Lesnar, who he feuded with for the majority of 2003.

RELATED: Every Wrestler That Beat Kurt Angle For A World Championship, Ranked From Worst To Best

This is the youngest WrestleMania main event in history, and both tore the house down in their maiden WrestleMania main event appearances. Unfortunately, Angle's neck was broken, and Lesnar botched a shooting star press. It was an admirable performance from Angle to fight through the pain, and Lesnar managed to regain the WWE Championship.

6 The Wrestling Machine

Kurt Angle v Shawn Michaels WrestleMania 21 Cropped

In 2004, Kurt Angle broke his neck again, and he had a stint as the General Manager of SmackDown to keep him on TV with a leg injury. Once he was medically cleared, Angle beat Eddie Guerrero at SummerSlam 2004. Angle failed to recapture the WWE Championship, but he had a dream match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21.

Angle began to put on instant clinics consistently, and his battle with HBK is one of the greatest matches in the history of WrestleMania. Angle picked up a monumental win, and he moved over to Raw in the 2005 draft lottery.

5 Final Run Before WWE Departure

Kurt Angle World Heavyweight Champion Cropped

Once again, Kurt Angle was back on SmackDown as Batista was injured, and he filled the void by winning a Battle Royal to become World Heavyweight Champion for the first time. Angle's injury problems mounted up in 2006, which led to him asking for his release in August.

Before Angle was granted his release, he had a couple of instant classics with The Undertaker over the World Heavyweight Championship. Angle still had a lot to offer, and he moved to the revamped ECW brand. He defeated Randy Orton at ECW One Night Stand, but lost to him at Vengeance. Angle's seven-year stint with WWE had come to an end, and he wouldn't return for 11 years.

4 TNA

Kurt Angle TNA World Champion

Arguably the best stretch of Kurt Angle's in-ring career was his time in TNA. Angle joined TNA in October 2006 and feuded with Samoa Joe. Angle's career got off to a blistering start with TNA as he ended Samoa Joe's unbeaten streak.

RELATED: Every Kurt Angle Match At TNA Bound For Glory, Ranked Worst To Best

Angle had some legendary feuds with Samoa Joe and AJ Styles, and Angle won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship six times. Angle's seven-year run with TNA ended in March 2016 as one of the greatest wrestlers to walk through the doors of that company.

3 The Main Event Mafia

The Main Event Mafia Cropped

The Main Event Mafia is one of the greatest factions not just in the history of TNA, but in the history of professional wrestling. The group was comprised of Kurt Angle, Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner. Sting joined the faction, and they boasted former World Champions.

All factions members held gold at the same time, which boosted their dominance. Angle was the Godfather of the Main Event Mafia, and Angle's successful track record of being in stables continued.

2 Return To WWE

Kurt Angle Raw April 3, 2017 Cropped

Kurt Angle's seven-year absence from WWE finally ended, and he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017 as the headline act. Angle stuck around for the next couple of years, and on the Raw after WrestleMania 33, he was appointed by Mr. McMahon as the General Manager of Raw.

Angle would wrestle occasionally, and the best match of his second stint with WWE was alongside Ronda Rousey in a mixed tag team match against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34. Angle had several physical injuries, and it showed during the match.

1 Retirement

Kurt Angle v Baron Corbin WrestleMania 35 Cropped

All good things must come to an end, and WrestleMania 35 was time for Kurt Angle to hang up his wrestling boots. The Olympic Gold Medalist collided with Baron Corbin, and no disrespect to Corbin, Angle deserved a marquee match to cap off a wonderful wrestling career.

The match was underwhelming, and being positioned after Triple H and Batista's No Holds Barred match didn't help matters either. Angle lost the bout, but he was given an emotional send-off after the match, and he transitioned into a backstage producer role.