WWE SummerSlam 2002 Review: Brock Lesnar vs. The Rock

Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio

Result: Kurt Angle defeats Rey Mysterio by submission via the Ankle Lock.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The masked luchadore had only recently joined the company, and going after an established veteran like Angle was the ideal way for him to get noticed as more than just your average cruiserweight. From the outset the speed the two competitors worked at was electric, Mysterio flying all around the Olympic Gold Medalist with headscissors and monkey flips. He was a great deal more agile at this point than he was in his later years with WWE, but Angle showed his own rapid speed in bursts throughout the contest.

The distance Angle would get with a suplex or throw on Mysterio was amazing, especially an awesome spot where he transitioned a wheelbarrow hold into an emphatic German suplex.

Angle would methodically slow the pace to his mat-based style, whilst Mysterio would cling on and counter with mind-boggling hurricanranas and dodges. He flew over the top rope at one point, flipping through the air onto Angle, sending the crowd into hysterics.

Angle only barely survived the West Coast Pop, kicking out at the last second, before pulling out one of his typically amazing reversals to avoid a top rope hurricanrana and apply his dreaded Ankle Lock. Mysterio in the end has no choice to submit, but certainly left an impression on one of the greatest wrestlers the world has ever seen.

Callum’s Take: Unquestionably, this match was the perfect way to start SummerSlam, with an unbelievable pace set by both Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio. It set a marker that the rest of the card would be nervous of following.