Mark Kerr may have never stepped into the WWE ring, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t competed with WWE stars. A day before the release of his biopic, The Smashing Machine, Kerr made a massive revelation, stating that he had locked horns with Kurt Angle “eight” times.
The 56-year-old also detailed that neither could get the upper hand on the other, as four encounters ended in Kerr’s favor and the remaining four went to Angle. (via CVV CLIPS on YouTube)
“I think, [I wrestled Angle] a total of eight times. It ended up being 4-4.”
Kerr may have kept up with Angle in their friendly rivalry, but he couldn’t perform when it mattered most.
Kurt Angle Defeated Mark Kerr at the 1996 Olympic Qualifiers
Despite being best known as an MMA fighter, Kerr is an accomplished wrestler who competed for a spot on the US national wrestling team for the 1996 Olympics. The 56-year-old may have locked horns with AOlymngle several times, but the two started as training partners.
During his interview with Chris Van Vliet, Kerr revealed how he started training with Angle at the Foxcatcher ranch in Pennsylvania to evolve his game for the 1996 Olympic qualifiers.
However, fate booked Kerr and Angle against each other for the most important contest of their careers: the 1996 Olympic qualifiers. The match stayed a closely contested affair, as both men gave everything they had to secure a victory.
Angle enjoyed the last laugh as he walked away with the W in the end. The 56-year-old also presented an analysis of how he won the match in a four-year-old interview on Brass Ring Media’s YouTube channel.
“The match was really close. It could have gone either way, it really could have. He [Kerr] did an excellent job, and he had a great match, but I did take him down at the end, and I think the officials used that as the [move behind my] win.”
Check out Angle’s comments below:
Most fans already know how Angle made the most of his spot on the US national wrestling team and went on to bag the gold medal for his country. However, that doesn’t take away from Kerr’s wrestling pedigree.
Mark Kerr’s Wrestling Career at a Glance
Kerr had combat sports in his blood as he was born to Thomas Kerr, a former US national champion in boxing. The Smashing Machine finally involved himself in combat sports when he was 12, after his parents sent him to Davenport, Iowa, to live with his eldest brother, Michael.
After a few years of school wrestling, Kerr won the 1986 state wrestling championship (175 lbs) in his junior year. His time at Syracuse University was even more glorious as he became a Division I collegiate champion in 1992 (190 lbs) by beating Randy Couture, another renowned MMA icon. (via Biography)
After winning the Division I championship, Kerr targeted the 1996 Olympics, but his defeat in the qualifiers against Angle shattered his Olympic dreams. MMA fans should be grateful that he didn’t win the match against Angle; otherwise, the MMA community would’ve never gotten one of the most iconic fighters of all time.
Do you want to know more about the other aspects of Kerr’s life? Then The Smashing Machine might just be the movie for you. So, are you looking to book seats for a show of The Smashing Machine? Let us know in the comments below.
