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WWE: Ranking The Top 10 Kurt Angle Matches

By Joe Anthony Myrick

31 Jul 1996: Kurt Angle of the United States holds the American flag at the free-style wrestling competition during the Summer Olympics at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
31 Jul 1996: Kurt Angle of the United States holds the American flag at the free-style wrestling competition during the Summer Olympics at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. /
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4. VS Chris Benoit – Royal Rumble 2003

Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle always had some special encounters with each other. Ever since their first encounter at WrestleMania X-7, it was as if they always produced magic whenever they stared each other down in the middle of the ring. That match was preceded by an Ultimate Submission match and a Two Out of Three Falls Match with each being better than the last. Benoit and Angle always managed to bring the best out of each other and they especially did so at Royal Rumble with the WWE Championship on the line.

What came after the bell rang was a technical masterclass if there ever was one. Two of the very best pure mat-based technicians to ever lace up a pair of boots going at it and demanding the crowd’s undivided attention. For the majority of the match, the crowd is on their feet and when it’s all over, they give both men a standing ovation.

It’s hard not to get invested in this one. Even when you go into it knowing full well who wins, it’s hard not to re-live it as if you’re watching this in the year 2003 for the first time. There comes a point where after the second Angle Slam kick out, it feels like an uncertainty that the Olympic Hero could retain. Hell, there was a point after a dangerously close near fall from a Flying Headbutt that I couldn’t help myself but rewind to make sure that wasn’t a three count.

For obvious reasons, I would understand if you can’t stomach watching this match in light of the real life crimes of Angle’s opponent. That’s perfectly fine if that’s the case. However, if you are someone who finds it possible to separate the artist from their art (in other words, recognize that Benoit was a true P.O.S. who happened to have great matches under his belt), then you’ll find something truly special.

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