Kurt Angle to Lead Steelers Towel Twirl for Cancer Awareness Day

Olympic gold medalist and former WWE superstar Kurt Angle announced via Twitter that he will be at the Steelers-Buccaneers game on Sunday to help promote cancer awareness.

“It’s Steelers Cancer Awareness Day and I’ll be helping lead the Terrible Towel Twirl. Come join us. Oh it’s true, it’s damn true! Go Steelers!” Angle said in a video with his WWE entrance song playing in the background.

Hey Pittsburgh!!! I will be at the game this Sunday!!! See you there! Go Steelers!!! #cancerawareness @steelers @physicallyfitnutrition @getkuribl @barndadnutrition pic.twitter.com/8S0dW0dzob

— Kurt Angle (@RealKurtAngle) October 13, 2022

Angle grew up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mount Lebanon and was a standout athlete in both wrestling and football. After winning the 1987 Pennsylvania State Wrestling Championship as a senior at Mount Lebanon High School, Angle attended Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he continued to wrestle. Angle was a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I champion, national runner-up in 1991, and a three-time NCAA Division I All-American.

Angle had a tryout with the Steelers in 1994 as a fullback, but nothing ever materialized from it, as Angle didn’t want to go to NFL Europe to develop. Angle said on a podcast a few months ago that he got the tryout because of Carlton Haselrig, who was drafted by the Steelers in 1989, despite not playing football in college. Haselrig won six NCAA titles in wrestling at Pitt-Johnstown. Angle continued to wrestle following his tryout with the Steelers.

Angle suffered a severe neck injury in the 1996 Olympic Trials, but that didn’t stop him from winning the trials and a gold medal by defeating Iranian Abbas Jadidi. Angle dedicated the victory to his trainer David Schultz, who was murdered by John du Pont in January of 1996.

The World Wrestling Federation offered Angle a 10-year contract following the 1996 Olympics, but Angle initially turned down company chairman Vince McMahon’s offer, as he thought professional wrestling was beneath him. After a change of heart, Angle joined the company in August of 1998.

Angle was with the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment from 1998-2006. Between WWF/WWE, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and TNA, Angle won 21 total championships and overall was a 13-time world champion. Angle was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017.