Triple Threat Theatre - Kurt Angle
For anyone who has watched the recent WWE Untold documentary about the classic match between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels, you may recall Angle calling it the greatest match he ever had. And with the recent introduction of our Triple Threat Theatre, it got me thinking, what are the three greatest matches in the career of one of the greatest in-ring competitors in the history of the business? So without further ado, welcome to Triple Threat Theatre for your Olympic hero and mine, Kurt Angle!
3) SmackDown! September 18, 2003 – Iron Man Match – Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle
Back in 2003, the SmackDown brand revolved around arguably two of the greatest amateur wrestlers in WWE history, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle. They main evented WrestleMania XIX and also had a spotlight match at SummerSlam that year. While at the beginning of the year Angle was the heel and Lesnar was the babyface, the roles would be reversed by the middle point of the year. When WWE decided to present the first Iron Man match in their history, not on Pay Per View, it was obvious that Lesnar and Angle would be the two to do it. The entire second half of SmackDown on September 18th consisted of only one match, and what a match it was. Easily the best match of Brock Lesnar’s career and one of the best of Angle’s, this match is an absolute must-watch for any true wrestling fan.
"Brock is the greatest athlete I've ever gotten in the ring with," Angle said. "He can be the best at whatever he wants to be. He was an NCAA champion, a UFC champion and he was one cut away from making an NFL team and without ever playing a game in his life.”
2) Royal Rumble 2003 – Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle
An absolute classic, and one of my favourite matches of all-time. Given the history of Chris Benoit, this match has seemingly been forgotten, which is a shame as it is a bell-to-bell classic. The match was so good that even though he lost the bout, Benoit would receive a standing ovation following the match, and was very likely the catalyst that would finally convince Vince McMahon to give him his moment in the sun at the following year’s WrestleMania. Anytime that Benoit and Angle stepped in the ring together it was magic, and this may have been their masterpiece.
Kurt Angle reflected on this match nearly two decades later in a social media post:
“16 years ago I had the privilege of defending my WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. This is how the match was explained verbally to those who haven't watched it. 'Professional wrestling in its purest form is as beautiful as ballet, as elegant as a ballroom dance and as captivating as a theater. By purest form I mean technical wrestling, which in today's world is almost non-existent. The fiery chain wrestling, involving great chemistry, in-ring psychology and dream like story telling is something that happens when all the stars align. This match was one of my best performances of my career. If you haven't seen it, give it a look.”
1) WrestleMania 21 – Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle
Well, there was no disputing this, as already mentioned Angle himself said it was the greatest match he ever had. There is really nothing more I can add here, other than to recommend you seek out the WWE Untold documentary and then watch the match, as it is one of the best matches you will ever see.
Kurt had the following to say about their relaxed approach:
“We didn’t really prepare for it like the others. Usually, for WrestleMania, the wrestlers get together to go over their match all week long. Shawn and I preferred to sit down and talk to get to know each other personally. Sure, we planned some spots for the match, but we were very relaxed about the match.”
