WWE Hall of Famer and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle recently shared a detailed and sobering update on his current physical condition, a result of a long and grueling career in both amateur and professional wrestling. The legendary performer, who famously won an Olympic gold medal with a broken neck, has been retired from in-ring competition for over six years, but the cumulative damage from his career continues to affect his daily life. Speaking as a guest on the “Six Feet Under with The Undertaker and Michelle McCool” podcast, Angle explained that while he feels good overall, he deals with significant and permanent issues stemming from his neck injuries. The update provides a stark reminder of the physical sacrifices made by professional wrestlers.
Angle revealed the extent of the damage to his neck, which has now fused on its own, leaving no discs between the vertebrae. He also described the impact this has on his motor skills.
“I feel pretty good. The only thing that bothers me now is that I have motor skill problems. My hands shake because of my neck, and there’s nothing I can do about it. My neck naturally fused together. I think I already told you that. I don’t have any more discs between my vertebrae. It’s just all fused together. It’s all bone. I went to have a disc replacement surgery, and the doctor took an MRI. He said, ‘You don’t have any discs. You’re done.’ He said, ‘It’s all fused together. It’s all bone.’ So, I have a hard time. I get pain going down my arms, and I can’t feel either one of my pinkies. They’re gone. So I just have a lot of functional problems. You know, it just sucks that there’s nothing I can do. I tried stem cell, I tried disc replacement. There’s just nothing I have to deal with it.”
His candid comments shed light on the long-term consequences that many wrestlers face long after their careers have ended, even for one of the most decorated and respected athletes in the history of the sport.
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