Last Monday evening, we bore witness to breaking news, that one of the greatest in-ring performers in the history of this country and WWE’s only Olympic gold medalist, Kurt Angle, would be inducted into the 2017 WWE Hall of Fame. Angle last appeared for WWE in 2006, but those 10 and a half years he spent from WWE didn’t take away the memories of how entertaining his character was, and how even more incredible his matches were. I think we are all in agreement that we would love to see Kurt return for at least one last match, and even if he doesn’t, he has left us with a plethora of matches to remember him by. So with that said, here is, in my opinion, Kurt Angle’s top ten matches of his WWE career, with links for all of the matches for your viewing pleasure.
10. Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon – King of the Ring 2001
Kurt Angle had just been through two other matches on this night and missed out on an opportunity to become a two-time King of the Ring winner, courtesy of Shane McMahon, so these two settled out their differences in a street fight. Both men would feel the effects of this match after the night was over, but this was just straight up brutal. The memories of Kurt Angle consistently giving Shane a belly to belly suplex through the door before it finally broke through is etched into my mind, as well as his Angle Slam from a table onto the pavement. It also showed what a tough SOB Shane was. While Shane McMahon was mostly a stuntman for his WWE career, he certainly was up to the task for a big match when they needed it, and I think this match is highly overlooked. Angle was tough as nails here, and it showed the gritty side of the Olympic gold medalist that I dug a lot.
9. Kurt Angle vs. Edge – Hair vs. Hair: Judgement Day 2002
Looking at Kurt Angle now, you wouldn’t have known that he once actually had hair. From his debut in 1999 until 2002, Kurt Angle had a head of hair, but then he started to feud with Edge, who started to begin his singles career, and they beefed so hard that they put something very important on the line. No title shots, no championships on the line, but something even deeper for both of them. Their hair. Now, for one, I can’t imagine if Edge were to go bald, so of course, we all knew Kurt was losing this match. That didn’t take away from how awesome it was. Edge was one of Kurt Angle’s best opponents by far. If you need any more assurance of that, take a look at their series of matches during Smackdown’s golden days of 2002. The match showcased the chemistry that these two have when they went all out, and there were at least three occasions where you could have called the match. While the “You’re Bald” chants didn’t resonate as much as “You Suck”, it definitely was an entertaining watch.
8. Kurt Angle (C) vs. The Undertaker vs. The Rock vs. Triple H vs. Rikishi vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin – Six Man Hell In A Cell Match (WWF Championship): Armageddon 2000
While this isn’t the best Hell In A Cell match of all time because of the sporadic action that took place (a lot of it outside the cell), it was certainly the biggest Hell In A Cell match on a name basis. Look at the names in there. The Rock. The Undertaker. Triple H. Stone Cold. These were pillars of the Attitude Era, and they were all put together inside a Cell where a bunch of feuds came to a head as they combined all of the tension in one glorious brawl. This is arguably the biggest win of Kurt’s career, because not only did he defeat all of those big names at once, but it validated WWE’s trust in the Olympic Gold medalist that he was ready for the big time. While he spent the majority of the match getting the business from The Undertaker, taking chair shots and having to make sure that no one else stole a pinfall in the ring, Kurt was able to outlast five Hall of Fame talents (if you want to include Rikishi), and capped off one of the greatest first years for a talent in WWE history with as big a win you can have.
7. Kurt Angle w/Stephanie McMahon vs. The Rock (C) – WWF Championship (No Disqualification): No Mercy 2000
Kurt Angle had one of the best first years in WWF history as seen from the last match, but his feud with The Rock in late 2000 was what started to put Kurt Angle on the map in the main event scene. This feud loomed from a triple threat feud involving the two and Triple H at Summerslam, and then Triple H moved on to Chris Benoit, while Kurt Angle moved into a singles feud with The Rock. The match was made into a No Disqualification match the night of this match, making the action all the more gruesome. This wasn’t a match so much it was a fight, but the two knew how to work the crowd and make a great match out of each other, and the two did precisely just that here. In this match, Kurt would prevail after interference from Rikishi and would go on to win his first WWE Championship, shedding tears of joy at the entrance ramp at his crowning achievement, defeating The Brahma Bull.
6. Kurt Angle (C) vs. The Undertaker – World Heavyweight Championship: No Way Out 2006
There aren’t a lot of people who can say they defeated The Undertaker clean, but if you’re an Olympic Gold medalist, anything is possible. The Undertaker approached World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle after he defended his title against Mark Henry, and he made his intentions known that he wants his World Heavyweight Championship. The Undertaker told Kurt that he doesn’t have a soul, but Angle replied by saying that when he’s in the ring, he doesn’t have a soul either. What I loved about this match was how perfectly it showcased one of Kurt’s greatest strengths, his story-telling. He was able to effectively able to work on the legs and lower extremities of Undertaker throughout the match and made him cry in agony and suffer. While The Undertaker eventually didn’t give in, we saw how it affected his ability to try and execute some of his moves. He also was able to do what little superstars can say, and that’s reverse the Hell Gates submission hold. Angle turned into a pinfall and scored the clean 1-2-3 victory in a tremendous big/small man match.
5. Kurt Angle (C) vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE Championship: WrestleMania 19
Ah yes, who could forget the match where Brock Lesnar nearly killed himself on contact?Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar shared many great, physical battles that pushed each other to their limits. They were also two of the finer athletes that have graced a WWE ring. Back then, Brock Lesnar’s matches weren’t simply about how many suplexes you can hit in a match. It was much more diverse, and that in part was due to Kurt’s presence. Both men left the match extremely hurt, as Brock Lesnar was left in a daze and couldn’t remember what had happened, and Kurt Angle had to miss action with various injuries, especially to his neck, but that just goes to show the capacity of the battle that these two undertook. This was also Kurt Angle’s first time in the main event of WrestleMania, and he and Lesnar delivered on WWE’s biggest stage here.
4. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit vs. Edge and Rey Mysterio – WWE Tag Team Championships: No Mercy 2002
In order to match RAW, Smackdown initiated a tag team tournament that would culminate in a title match at No Mercy in 2002, featuring four of Smackdown’s top six talents. Chris Benoit was arguably Kurt Angle’s best opponent, but he was also Angle’s best tag team partner. I consider this the best tag team match in WWE history, because it featured tremendous story-telling, epic near-falls and tremendous work from all four men involved. This also was perhaps the best match at Smackdown’s apex back in 2002. Definitely worth your time if you have about 25 minutes to spare.
3. Kurt Angle vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (C) – WWF Championship: Summerslam 2001
While many regarded The Alliance storyline in mid to late 2001 as an utter failure, one of the stars and highlights of the feud between the WWF and The Alliance (WCW/ECW) was Kurt Angle. While he fought matches representing both The Alliance and the WWF, the crowning jewel was his feud with Steve Austin, as they feuded with each other over the WWF Championship. These two would engage in a brutal brawl at Summerslam, with a match matching the intensity that only a WWE Championship match can bring. This also saw Stone Cold take out not one, not two, but three referees after he couldn’t put Angle away with consecutive Stunners after each confrontation. This match certainly got Angle over as a very strong talent that could beat anyone, and he would indeed do so as he would reclaim the WWE Championship at Unforgiven the next month.
2. Kurt Angle (C) vs. Chris Benoit – WWE Championship: Royal Rumble 2003
Angle’s best opponent, if you ask me, was Chris Benoit. The two go back with many memories. They first started to have a series of matches with each other in 2001, but then the two would go their separate ways until the brand split was introduced and both were members of the Smackdown roster. Chris Benoit would defeat The Big Show in a number 1 contender’s match and laid claim to the WWE Championship that Kurt Angle held. While the two would have some battles after this, this battle between the two was the unofficial ending of their feud, and they honestly couldn’t have closed it in a better fashion. This was a technical masterpiece pitting who could survive the Ankle Lock or the Crossface more. From great reversals to incredible near-falls and elite storytelling all mixed into one, had Chris Benoit’s legacy not been tainted by you know what, we’d be talking about this as one of the greatest WWE Championship matches in the history of the business.
- Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 21
Surely you weren’t expecting anything else. Not only is this one of the best matches in Kurt and Shawn’s career, this is arguably the best WrestleMania match of all time, and it certainly has a case. Shawn Michaels and WrestleMania go together like white on rice, but this was a statement match for Kurt Angle. Angle had already established himself as an elite superstar and a prolific main eventer, but at WrestleMania, he had yet to have that moment, which Shawn Michaels kept nagging him about, so Kurt needed a near perfect performance here, and boy did he ever deliver. I can’t relay to you the times I thought that the match was going to end. I surely thought that Kurt Angle had it one after the Angle Slam on the top rope. I also thought there were many moments where he would make HBK tap out, before he eventually couldn’t take anymore. These two had incredible chemistry together and on a night that saw Batista and John Cena win their first world titles, these two were the talk of the town after the night, and rightfully so.
Agree with my list? Disagree? Which was your favorite Kurt Angle match? Let me know! Until next time. Oh, it’s true. It’s damn true.
