Source: ABC Pittsburgh
CORAOPOLIS, Pa. — Charges were dropped Tuesday against Olympic gold medalist and TNA pro wrestler Kurt Angle in a case that he compared to a “fatal attraction,” and he maintains that he wouldn’t hurt a woman — even though his fellow wrestler and former live-in girlfriend claims otherwise.
“I’ve never hit a woman. Never would,” said Angle, who cried after his hearing on simple assault and harassment charges. “I was brought up by my mother and father not to touch an individual in that manner, and I had to go through this.”
In an exclusive interview before Tuesday’s hearing, 26-year-old Trenesha Biggers told WTAE Channel 4’s Michelle Wright that she was “terrified” by the alleged abuse that she claims she suffered at the 40-year-old Angle’s hands.
“The first few times that it happened, I believed that, ‘Maybe this won’t happen any more.’ But at this point in time, I was like, the next time that this happens, I could die,” Biggers said.
Angle said Biggers made up the story because he had broken off their relationship and wanted her to move out.
“You know, here I am dealing with a woman that’s basically making a lot of trouble for me, and I just wanted her out of my house,” Angle said. “I’d call my manager, I’d call my mother, I’d say, ‘Hey, can you come out here and talk to her, get her out of my house.’ It was constant. She wouldn’t leave. It was like ‘Fatal Attraction’ from the first day I met her.”
But Biggers is sticking by her story and she says the pain she suffered was real.
“I’m still a human being,” Biggers said. “When this happened to me — and that’s another thing people need to understand, I didn’t do this to myself — I was really hurt physically, emotionally, and really ashamed.”
On Monday, Biggers’ protection-from-abuse order against Angle was dropped by an Allegheny County judge after she and Angle agreed on a “no contact” civil order that requires them to stay away from each other for three years.
“Both parties signed an order with an acknowledgement that a physical altercation occurred at Mr. Angle’s home on Aug. 6,” said Biggers’ lawyer, Dana Levine.
Still, all charges were dismissed Tuesday in District Judge Mary Murray’s courtroom and Angle maintains he never struck Biggers or did anything that would cause her to seek protection.
“Well, justice was actually done today. I was presumed innocent. Thank you to my attorneys,” Angle said before choking up and briefly pausing his interview. “It seems like I cry every time I go on TV.”
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Biggers claims Angle attacked her in his Moon Township home. Days later, Biggers went to police and showed them bruises and scratches and got a PFA to have Angle removed from the house.
“There was no evidence of domestic violence, absolutely none,” said Angle’s lawyer, Michelle Santicola.
One point that swayed the judge was how Biggers kept going back to stay at Angle’s house for an additional nine days after the alleged Aug. 6 incident.
Biggers — who worked for TNA under the name “Rhaka Khan” — told Channel 4 Action News that it took her so long to file charges because she knew that if she did, she would lose her wrestling career. She is no longer with TNA and her character’s profile page has been removed from the company’s Web site.
TNA allowed Angle to continue appearing on its weekly television shows and monthly pay-per-view events while his case went through the legal system. He’ll be in a featured match on the company’s “Turning Point” pay-per-view show Sunday night in Orlando, Fla.
Since Biggers and Angle are both pro wrestlers, it’s conceivable that they could run into each other professionally in the future, and their no-contact order includes the understanding that there may be “intermittent contact,” according to Angle’s attorney.
In a separate incident, Angle was arrested in Robinson Township on Aug. 15 for allegedly harassing Biggers and violating her PFA order. District Judge Carla Swearingen found Angle not guilty in that case.
Days after his arrest, Angle told WTAE Channel 4’s Michelle Wright that he had only been driving around looking for a hotel to stay in and Biggers just happened to be at a coffee shop in the same area. He said spending nine hours in jail was the lowest point of his life.
Angle has returned to his home and says he wants to continue his career in wrestling and movies. He also said he will do charity work to raise awareness of domestic violence, both male and female.
“Thank you to my fans for your support — all of you who believed me,” Angle said. “I’ve got a pay-per-view coming up, so I’ve been trying to focus on my work instead of my personal life, but I can tell you this: I’m not looking for a girlfriend any time soon.”
Biggers has moved out of Angle’s home and says she’s now going to school in Tampa, Fla.
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