Kurt Angle & WWE’s Most Patriotic Wrestlers

WWE has had countless different gimmicks over the years, ranging from the cartoonery of the mid ’90s such as The Repo Man, Mantaur, The Goon, and Damien Demento, to dark, supernatural characters such as The Undertaker, Kane, and The Fiend. The company has also pushed a substantial number of ‘evil foreigner’ gimmicks, often to be shown as menacing heels, with a patriotic hero needed to conquer them.

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Given that WWE is very patriotic as a company, honoring the United States of America whenever the opportunity arises, it’s no surprise that there have been plenty of characters based around patriotism towards the Good Ol’ U S of A.

Kurt Angle

The Olympic Gold Medalist Is A Genuine American Hero

Kurt Angle personified patriotism throughout much of his career, which is why he spent the bulk of his time in the business wrestling in red, white, and blue as he tapped into the love he has for his nation. While he wasn’t always running around talking about it, Angle would showcase his passion with the colors he wore.

On top of that, Angle is one of the few professional wrestlers who has genuinely represented his country. He’s an Olympic Gold medalist, having won in freestyle wrestling at the Atlanta games in 1996 in what was a significant moment in his life, and something that would go on to play a key role in his entire career as he made it part of his gimmick.

Angle always wore the Gold medal around his neck and often promoted the fact that he won it with a broken (freakin’) neck. This helped promote his patriotic nature, and fans always remember him for that.

Hulk Hogan

The Hulkster Was The Poster Boy For Everything Heroic

Hulk Hogan might be a divisive figure in professional wrestling nowadays, but during the peak of his run in WWE, he was among the most patriotic wrestlers. He was the ultimate babyface and that led to him trying to do everything that was right, from eating his vitamins to pushing how much America meant to him.

Hogan would often fly the American flag, and his constant feuding against heels who were pushing anti-American gimmicks helped. Whether it was Nikolai Volkoff, Iron Sheik, or Yokozuna, Hogan became the ultimate hero for many adoring fans.

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During one period of his c​​​​​​​areer, Hogan even worked as Mr. Americ​​​​​​​a, which was a masked gimmick that tapped into his patriotic​​​​​​​ nature. Hogan worked under a mask that was the flag of Americ​​​​​​​a, with his colors going from yellow to red, blue, and white, whic​​​​​​​h showed just how passionate he was about his nation.

Lex Luger

He Was A True American Babyface

WWE attempted to make Lex Luger the next Hulk Hogan in many ways, with his physique being something that WWE felt would make him a natural suc​​​​​​​cessor. That didn’t quite happen, but there’s no denying he was one of the most patriotic wrestlers that WWE had for a long time.

He would carry the flag and try to c​​​​​​​onnect with fans due to his love of America, as he attempted to be the ultimate babyface as a wrestler. It became a big part of his c​​​​​​​haracter, especially when he was pushing the Lex Express, being seen as someone everybody could get behind.

His push didn’t lead to Luger becoming the suc​​​​​​​c​​​​​​​ess story WWE wanted him to be at the main event level, but audienc​​​​​​​es certainly enjoyed and apprec​​​​​​​iated his patriotic​​​​​​​ gimmick.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan

He Would Always Have Fans Chanting, “USA”

Hacksaw Jim Duggan is remembered for various things, from winning the first-ever Royal Rumble to giving everyone a thumbs-up. However, it was his decision to carry around an American flag which he’d wave around to instantly get fans on his side without having to say or do much.

Duggan worked during an era where things were far simpler in terms of gimmicks, and that led to him becoming one of the top babyfac​​​​​​​es in the entire industry. Fans lapped up all the Americ​​​​​​​an goodness they could soak from Duggan, and he played on it himself by encouraging the crowd.

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He might not have been a main event star compared to others, but there’s no doubt that when it came to being patriotic and flying the flag for America in wrestling, few did it better than Duggan.

Sgt. Slaughter

He Even Became Part Of The G.I. Joe Franchise

When it comes to patriotic wrestlers, Sgt. Slaughter is often the first person that people think about, and rightfully so. He represented America proudly, even though he was a heel for large chunks of his career. Slaughter would often be seen with a flag in his hand, pushing the patriotic nature of his character.

His storyline against The Iron Sheik remains one of the most memorable in wrestling history. The two legendary performers pushed each other to their limits. They had great promos and matches, with Slaughter proudly representing the United States of America throughout.

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However, the biggest sign of how well his patriotic character got over was that he became part of the G.I. Joe franchise, which was all about patriotism at its core. He was immortalized as a toy, and that helped to bring even more attention to him afterward.