It's true, it's damn true

Kevin, Kurt and Chad

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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WWE has officially announced the first inductee for the Hall of Fame Class of 2017. It's former WWE Champion Kurt Angle. I had held out hope that he would be going in this year. I'm glad to see that it's going to happen Angle is certainly worthy of being the first ballot pick for the HOF.

Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett

Instead of listing all of Kurt's accomplishments over the last decade and a half, I'll instead share a few of my favorite moments of the Olympic gold medalist. I met Kurt for about 45 seconds after a TNA BaseBrawl event in Marion, Illinois in 2011. I "managed" Velvet Sky that night, but Kurt was who I wanted to walk to the ring. I was encouraged to pick Velvet, though, so I made the most of it.

When the matches were over, Kurt stuck around to do meet-and-greets in the ring with fans. Chad and I split the cost and got the photo opp. We chatted for a moment before posing for the pic. Although the encounter was brief, it was an honor to meet someone so accomplished in not just professional wrestling, but an Olympic champion too. 

Courtesy: WWE

Kurt Angle's first WWE Championship win over The Rock marked a significant point in his career. He was already over with the fans, but that victory made him an even bigger star in my eyes. Sometimes putting the belt on a Superstar too soon, they burn out quickly and fade away. Angle excelled in that spot, especially during the multi-man title defense he had in Hell in a Cell later that year. He helped create other Superstars along the way.

Courtesy: WWE

It would be hard to argue that without his feud with Angle, Edge wouldn't be the Superstar he evolved into. The same could be said for John Cena. I don't think there was ever a bad match involving Angle and he was spot on with his work on the mic too. The milk truck incident and the sing along with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Vince McMahon immediately.

I was recently asked on a My 1-2-3 Cents Podcast what faction would I create with WWE Superstars. My answer was Dolph Ziggler, Charlotte and American Alpha managed by Kurt. I'd love to see him stick around in some capacity after the ceremony. 

Congrats Kurt. I look forward to his induction and am still holding out hope that I might get to see it in person.