Bobby Lashley Recalls Kurt Angle Helping Him Break Into Pro Wrestling

Bobby Lashley posted a photo on Instagram recently noting that WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle helped him break into the world of professional wrestling.

Lashley first debuted on WWE programming in late 2005, but before that he was an accomplished amateur wrestler in college and the military. He won the NAIA three years in a row in 1996, '97 and '98 in the 177 pound division for Missouri Valley College.

Lashley was training for the 2004 Olympic Games when Angle arrived at the training center for a practice. Angle, who was released from WWE earlier this week, famously won the gold medal in 1996 after suffering two bulged and herniated disks, two cracked vertebrae and four pulled muscles in his neck at the semifinals of the national trials.

Lashley posted a picture of Angle posing with the Olympic hopefuls at the time on Instagram and revealed Angle was the one that convinced him to give wrestling a try.

"#tbt This picture was from the Olympic Training Center," Lashley wrote. "I was training there and @therealkurtangle came in that day to do some filming for the @wwe. I had followed Kurt's career since his college days to so I was already a huge fan. After practice Kurt pulled me aside and told me he wanted to bring me into the world of professional wrestling. Flushed Face emoji After a series of events I found myself at @ovwwrestling contracted by @WWE! It's crazy how we are all just one decision away from a completely different life. Thank you @therealkurtangle Left-Facing Fist emoji"

The connections between Lashley and Angle don't end there, as they both went on to what was then known as TNA Wrestling after a falling out with WWE at the end of their first runs. They both won the promotion's top championship on multiple occasions. Lashley returned to WWE the night after WrestleMania 34, while Angle made his debut a year prior the night after WrestleMania 33.

Lashley lost to Aleister Black on night two of WrestleMania 36 and WWE is teasing a break-up between Lashley and his on-screen wife Lana.

You can see the instagram post below:

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#tbt This picture was from the Olympic Training Center. I was training there and @therealkurtangle came in that day to do some filming for the @wwe. I had followed Kurt's career since his college days to so I was already a huge fan. After practice Kurt pulled me aside and told me he wanted to bring me into the world of professional wrestling.?? After a series of events I found myself at @ovwwrestling contracted by @WWE! It's crazy how we are all just one decision away from a completely different life. Thank you @therealkurtangle ????

A post shared by Bobby Lashley (@bobbylashley) on Apr 9, 2020 at 9:01pm PDT