The Big K Morning Show
A Conversation With Kurt Angle
(upbeat music) Dear Autumn Leaves, you won't be covering roads alone this season. Toyota's lineup of cool, colorful vehicles is ready to ride by your side. Take on fall in a trail tackling Tacoma, or go for the powerful Tundra. Head to Toyota.com for more info, or visit your local Toyota dealership today. Toyota, let's go places. (upbeat music) The seasons may be changing, but the deals of the sharpest rides are unbeatable as ever. Hey, what's going on, it's your girl, Tasha McKia. And I need you to join the sharpest rides for their fall into savings event, where they're offering incredible prices on their massive inventory. That's right, everything is on sale now. Shot from sleek sedans to rugged SUVs and sporty convertibles. The sharpest rides has the perfect ride to match your fall adventures. Plus, with their exclusive financing options, getting behind the wheel of your dream car has never been easier. Log on and shop online to the sharpest rides.com, right from the palm of your hands. Or check other massive inventory in person at the sharpest rides, located 2250 South Sea Home Street in Inglewood. Either way, you will fall into savings. Don't miss out, head on over to the sharpest rides.com today and explore the deals that make every season better. And tell them that your girl, Tasha McKia sent you, the sharpest rides, affordable, sexy, sharp. Hey NFL fans, you can start the season with a big return on FanDul, America's number one sports book. So when you get a hunch in the middle of the game, you can check out the latest stats, view live play-by-play, and so much more on the same page where you place your bets. You'll get started with $200 in bonus bets, guaranteed when you place your first $5 bet. That's fandul.com/sportsfan. Never waste a hunch and make every moment more with FanDul, an official sports book partner of the NFL. Must be 21 plus and present in Colorado, first online real money weights are only $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued is now a throwable bonus bets that expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fandul.com. Gambling problem, call 1-800-522-4700. Here he comes in studio Olympic gold medalists, Pittsburgh zone, Kurt Engel. - Hey Larry, glad to be on your show, man. - And a proud graduate of Clarion University. - Yep, Clarion University alum of 92. - We loved the fact that you went to Clarion. And for those that don't know, for being a smaller school, division one, wrestling. - Yeah, a really good wrestling team, yeah. - Proud, proud tradition. And then of course, when you, I remember where I was, I didn't get to see it in real time, but I remember we were listening and Kurt Engel got the gold. Never knowing the backstory or it someday we'd get to meet, but so proud of you and that achievement. For your country, I can't imagine the moment and the secret in the moment was, you did that with a broken neck. - Yes, yes, it was the proudest moment of my life when the gold medal. I wanted to achieve that goal since I was seven years old. And it was a bumpy road. I mean, at one point in time, six months before the Olympics, my Olympic coach was shot and killed, John D. Pont. Or not John D. Pont, David Schultz. And Dave was my Olympic coach. - Oh God, yes. - He was the wrestler and the coach for Foxcatcher, the movie inside. - I actually saw that movie. - Yeah, so I, you know, he was my coach and I didn't have a coach last six months of my career. But Dave taught me enough to know what I had to do from here on in. So I trained myself the rest of the way. And on the way there, a couple months later, I was at the U.S. Open, the first round of the Olympic trials and I got thrown on my head and I broke my neck and I didn't know it at the time. So I kept on wrestling. My neck was an excruciating pain. My arms went completely numb. And I barely wanted to send my finals and I went on to the finals later on that day and wrestled with my neck in the same condition. And I barely won the finals. So I went home the next day and I went to my doctor. He took an MRI of my neck and he said, "Listen, you have four broken vertebrae in your neck. "You have two discs sticking directly to your spinal cord. "And you have a badly bruised spinal cord." He said, "You can't rest one anymore. "You're done, you're finished." And I was devastated by me being a stubborn person I am and a person would never give up. I went to another doctor to get a second opinion. And this doctor said the same thing, but he also said, "When is the next round he left with trials?" I said, "Six weeks." He said, "You know what? "I might be able to get you ready by then." I said, "Well, what's your plan?" He said, "Well, you're not gonna be able "to train much up until then. "You're gonna have to let your neck rest and heal. "It won't be entirely healed by then, "but it'll be healed enough that you can still go. "But what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna have a doctor "travel with you and the doctor's gonna stick you "with 10 different shots of Novocaine all throughout your neck. "Therefore, you won't feel the pain. "You'll forget your neck is broken "and you'll rest some more freely." But he said, "I'm warning you, "an hour after your matches are over, "you're gonna be an excruciating pain "from the abuse your neck takes during those matches "once a Novocaine wears off." And you know what? I actually re-broke my neck in the trials 'cause of the abuse I took on my neck. So I had to let it rest and heal after that to get ready for the Olympics. But anyway, I won the Olympic trials. I ended up going to the Olympics and the rest was history. I did the same thing at the Olympics. The doctor shot me on the neck 10 to 12 different times with Novocaine five minutes before each one of my matches at the Olympics. It worked extremely well, but it wasn't an easy road. I can't imagine then, after winning, you standing there with that gold medal around your neck with the Star Spangled Banner plan. What was that moment like for you? - Standing on the podium with the National Anthem plan for me, my family and the crowds are very proud of me and the gold medal wrapped around my neck, it was the proudest moment of my life. It really was. It's something that I set out to do as a kid and going through the obstacles I had to go through that final year, it was a very emotional time for me. I broke down and I cried because I didn't know if I was gonna be able to go to the Olympics. I thought, you know, my neck and the injury was gonna reframe me from being able to go. But I hung in there and I had a no quit attitude and I stayed on course and I didn't disappoint myself or anybody else. - No, you didn't. We're very proud of that accomplishment. You know, when a Pittsburgher does anything, we claim something. - Hey, I know. - But, well, you guys gave me a parade the next day. I mean, you had 24 hours to set it up and, you know, I had a parade downtown. A couple hundred thousand people came, it was incredible. - It was, I remember that, I was there. We're with Kurt Angle and Kurt, you have this arc of that you're after the Olympic gold. It was a wild though, physiologically, though you had these challenges, but then you got into the other wrestling games. - The pro wrestling. - And, for those who don't realize how physical it is, it is still unbelievably challenging. And I have the late Bruno San Martino talk once about football players play a game once a week for a period of time. You guys were go, go, go night after night. - Every day, especially when Bruno wrestled, back then when they had territories, they wrestled seven times, seven days a week and twice on the weekends. So they wrestled nine matches in one week. By the time I got to the WWE, we were wrestling about five to six a week. So it wasn't nearly as bad, but we still were wrestling 300 days a year. And I'm not gonna lie to you. I mean, when you get slammed on that-- - It still hurts. - It's plywood. It's plywood. I mean, it's like, it's like getting hit from behind, going 60 in an accident. You know, your neck whiplashes and your back, your back's in excruciating pain. And when you're running in the ring, that their plywoods and the boards are bouncing, your knees become like shock absorbers, and then your knees start to go. And it was the most brutal form of sport I've ever been involved in. I was in football my whole life, wrestling my whole life, but pro wrestling was the hardest, most physically demanding sport I've ever done, even though there's a predetermined winner. Everybody knows that, you know, that-- - Right, but it's still fake to a certain degree, yes. - It's still physical. - It's still really physically demanding. - Beyond belief. Well, we wanna talk about your, by the way, WWE Hall of Famer. - Thank you. - And, but you've had your challenges, that's part of why you're here, is to encourage other people that you can overcome those challenges. There is hope, there are ways to change your life, because you hit some hard times. - You know what, the second time I broke my neck, I broke my neck four times into WWE, and I broke my neck before the Olympics. But the second time I broke my neck, which was the first time in WWE, a doctor introduced me to painkillers. And the first pill I took, it was like, I had this euphoric feeling, and I was like, I really like these. And it hit the pain, it masked the pain from my neck and everywhere else. And the painkillers are dangerous, and I'll tell you all, they're addictive, and they can kill you, and I'll explain why. I was taken one every four to six hours, and after a while, your body builds a tolerance. One doesn't work anymore. Then you have to take two. Then two led to four, four led to eight. Before I knew it, I was taking 65 extra strength biking in a day. - A day. - I was deeply addicted. Not only that, but I was getting injured quite a bit, which didn't help with the painkiller problem. - Well, I wanna know how you were able to save your life, change your life. When we come back, we'll have more with Kurt Angle. Really appreciate you being here, because this is a situation that so many families, almost every family, has either a family member of friends. (upbeat music) - Dear Autumn Leaves, you won't be covering roads alone this season. Toyota's lineup of cool, colorful vehicles is ready to ride by your side. Take on fall in a trail tackling Tacoma, or go for the powerful Tundra. Head to Toyota.com for more info, or visit your local Toyota dealership today. Toyota, let's go places. (upbeat music) - The seasons may be changing, but the deals of the sharpest rides are unbeatable as ever. Hey, what's going on? It's your girl, Tasha McKia, and I need you to join the sharpest rides for their fall into savings event, where they're offering incredible prices on their massive inventory. That's right, everything is on sale now. Shot from sleek sedans, to rugged SUVs and sporty convertibles. The sharpest rides has the perfect ride to match your fall adventures, plus with their exclusive financing options, getting behind the wheel of your dream car has never been easier. Log on and shop online at the sharpestrides.com, right from the palm of your hands, or check other massive inventory in person at the sharpest rides, located 2250 South Sea Home Street in Inglewood. Either way, you will fall into savings. Don't miss out, head on over to the sharpestrides.com today and explore the deals that make every season better. And tell them that your girl, Tasha McKia sent you, the sharpest rides, affordable, sexy, sharp. Hey NFL fans, you can start the season with a big return on FanDul, America's number one sports book. So when you get a hunch in the middle of the game, you can check out the latest stats, view live play-by-play, and so much more on the same page where you place your bets. You'll get started with $200 in bonus bets, guaranteed when you place your first $5 bet. That's FanDul.com/sportsfan. Never waste a hunch and make every moment more with FanDul, an official sports book partner of the NFL. Must be 21 plus and present in Colorado. First online real money weights are only $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued is now a throwable bonus bets that expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanDul.com. Gambling problem, call 1-800-522-4700. - And dealing with these issues. - And most of them didn't go out to use drugs or to become addicted in this way. So we'll have more with Kurt Angle. The two, it's Marty Griffin. We'll check in with Marty in just a moment, and we continue our conversation with Olympic gold medalist, wrestling champion, and Pittsburgher Kurt Angle. Good to have you back in the break. For those that don't know, you live here. - Yes, I live out near the airport. I have to live near the airport 'cause I'm always traveling. - You do travel still quite a bit. - Still, probably three or four days a month. - So you're retired from active performing and wrestling, right? - Yes, I'm not entirely retired. - No, but you're still out there doing a lot. In fact, the reason you're here is a mission to help other people by utilizing. Now, before the break, we talked about how it happened with your pain and broken neck that you found these, and we've come all too familiar with the opioids, the painkillers, and you said at one point, you were taking-- - 65 extra strength like in a day. I was out of control. Thing is, your body builds a tolerance to them, so I just got myself so deep into it that there was no way out. - I'm just guessing, Kurt, like the passion and drive you have, which is so unique, that everything you do, you do with full gusto. - Yeah, and that was one of them, my addiction, and I'm not gonna lie to you, I absolutely love my addiction. It was first priority in my life. Even though it ruined my life at the time, that's the one thing that I prioritized. And at one point in time, I was also drinking lots of alcohol, I was mixing both of them, and I ended up getting four DUIs in five years. My life spun out of control. I lost my reputation, everything I worked for. I was at the lowest point in my life, and I remember calling my wife from jail after my fourth DUI, and she said, "I can't do this anymore." You either go to rehab or I'm taking the kids and I'm leaving. And I didn't want to lose my wife and my kids, so I figured I'd go to rehab, make her happy, and after rehab, I might go back to the pills, yeah. But when I got into rehab, I was scared to death. I was like, "I'm gonna mess up when I leave here." And I took it very seriously, and I kept calling my wife every night and talking to her, and we were both struggling with what was gonna happen after I got out. And I just remember picking my wife and my kids over my addiction, and it wasn't easy. But I absolutely love my addiction, just about as much or more than anything else. But I chose my wife and my kids over my addiction. My love for my wife and kids was stronger than my love for my addiction, so I quit. - How did you do that? There's people listening right now, Kurt, that are praying for their brother, sister relatives to find a way for hope. - Well, first off, you have to go get help. You can't beat it on your own. You gotta go get help, especially go to a rehab center. You're gonna get educated in there, they're gonna teach you the tools you're gonna have to have that's necessary for staying clean when you get out, and you just have to follow the rules. Follow the, they have the 12 steps, and make sure you follow the 12 steps, and go to AA, go to AA as much as you want, as much as you have to. But eventually it's easier, okay? It's difficult when you get out of rehab, and it gets easier and easier. Every year that you stay clean, you start forgetting about the drugs and you, and then eventually you don't have any desire to use them anymore. To this day, I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm injured. I mean, I got my knees replaced, back surgery, four neck surgeries, I have to have two shorter replacements. I'm always in pain, but I've learned how to control that pain, and I do like core training and anti-gravity and traction and stretching and yoga to take care of my body so I don't have to take the painkillers. Don't get me wrong, I would love to take some painkillers, but I just can't. I know that's not an option for me. How long have you been sober from painkillers now? Almost 14 years. Is it been that long? God bless you, man. 'Cause I remember when you were going through that, say it was like a cycle. You were as high as you could be legally, and then you went the other way with this addiction, and you have bounced back. And I've seen your wife and kid, you have a beautiful family, certainly worth the sacrifice to be here. Yes it is, yes it was. And certainly worth encouraging other people to find and seek help. Oh yeah, you have to go get help. Nobody can be it on their own. I tried to do it, didn't work. I literally, like at home, I tried to go cold turkey off the drugs, and five days into it, I was in heavy withdrawal. And I just, I felt like I was gonna die. And my doctor's like, you need to go to rehab. You know, you're not gonna be able to kick it on your own. You're gonna have to need assistance. And he was absolutely right. Well, we're proud of you and happy for you. And, before you go, what are you working on next? I mean, there's gonna be, I have a real life movie coming out about my Olympic story that I'm really excited to bring to the table. Ian and Eshem Nelms, they're gonna be the directors. They directed movies like Mel Gibson's "Fat Man" and "Red Right Hand" starring Orlando Bloom. They've done a lot of great movies. There were former wrestlers in college and high school. So they understand my sport. But I'm really excited to show the world. This could be a really cool. I'm gonna work with them on the set to make sure the movie comes across the way I want it to. But I also wanted to mention, I am an ambassador for USA Wrestling. And I wanted to tell you guys this. You know, many countries like Russia and China, and many other countries, their governments pay their athletes to train and compete full time. So they don't have to get jobs. All they have to do is train and compete and they're taken care of. We don't have that luxury here in the United States. So our athletes, for the most part, have to get jobs. They have to work for a living and train around their work schedule, which doesn't work very well. You're not gonna win an Olympic medal. - And then compete against full-time paid athletes. - Yes, and so I'm here to raise money for USA Wrestling. So go to curdangle.org. That's curdangle.org. Tap that link, donate whenever money you can. I promise it will come to good use. I mean, our athletes, they just got down with the 2024 Olympics and they're already training for the 2020-8 Olympics. - And you know around this region, the wrestling practice. - Oh, it's hot here. Yeah. - It is. - And the athletes that are, this Olympics coming up will be the first Olympics. They started training as well. So I'm here early on to make sure these athletes don't have to get jobs that they can get, they can train and compete full time and not have to worry about having jobs. So I'm raising money for these athletes so that they have the opportunity to win a medal at the Olympics. - We'll support USA Wrestling Curtangle.org and also appreciate your supportive tower, tunnel to Towers Foundation too. - Yes, great organization. - Curt Angle, thanks. So great to see you brother. - Thanks for having me on. (upbeat music) - Dear Autumn Leaves, you won't be covering roads alone this season. Toyota's lineup of cool, colorful vehicles is ready to ride by your side. Take on fall in a trail tackling Tacoma or go for the powerful Tundra. Head to toyota.com for more info or visit your local Toyota dealership today. Toyota, let's go places. (upbeat music) - The seasons may be changing, but the deals of the sharpest rides are unbeatable as ever. Hey, what's going on? It's your girl, Tasha McKia. And I need you to join the sharpest rides with their fall into savings event where they're offering incredible prices on their massive inventory. That's right, everything is on sale now. Shop from sleek sedans to rugged SUVs and sporty convertibles. The sharpest rides has the perfect ride to match your fall adventures. Plus with their exclusive financing options, getting behind the wheel of your dream car has never been easier. Log on and shop online at the sharpestrides.com right from the palm of your hands. Or check other massive inventory in person at the sharpest rides located 2250 South Sea Home Street in Inglewood. Either way, you will fall into savings. Don't miss out. Head on over to the sharpestrides.com today and explore the deals that make every season better. And tell them that your girl, Tasha McKia sent you the sharpest rides, affordable, sexy, sharp. - Hey NFL fans, you can start the season with a big return on Fandall, America's number one sports book. So when you get a hunch in the middle of the game, you can check out the latest stats, view live play by play and so much more on the same page where you place your bets. You'll get started with $200 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place your first $5 bet. That's Fandall.com/sportsfan. Never waste a hunch and make every moment more with Fandall, an official sports book partner of the NFL. - Must be 21 plus in present in Colorado. First online real money weights are only $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued is now a throwable bonus bet that expires seven days after receipt, restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fandall.com, gambling problem, call 1-800-522-4700. - Getting help for mental health shouldn't be as hard as it is. Mindful therapy group is here to make your mental health journey as painless as possible. Mindful partners with thousands of licensed clinicians to find the perfect fit for you. And also, accept insurance. Visit mindfultherapygroup.com. - Presented by T-Mobile, the official wireless partner of Odyssey Sports. With an awesome network and great savings, there's never been a better time to join T-Mobile. Visit your neighborhood store to make the switch today.