Kurt Angle is an athlete.
The IWGP Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling heavyweight championship used by the Inoki Genome Federation ( IGF ) promotion . Kurt Steven Angle ( born December 9 , 1968 ) is an American professional wrestler , actor , and retired amateur wrestler . Angle made his first appearance at a professional wrestling event in 1996 , with his in-ring debut in 1999 . Shoot wrestling ( also known as Shoot style or Strong style ) is a combat sport that has its origins in Japan 's professional wrestling circuit of the 1970s . Wrestling is a combat sport involving grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting , throws and takedowns , joint locks , pins and other grappling holds .