(Almost) 5-Star Match Reviews: A Collection of KURT ANGLE Matches

To say that Kurt Angle is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time would be an understatement. He’s an exceptional, one-in-a-billion athlete the likes of which pro wrestling isn’t likely to see anytime soon. Though there have been Olympians to enter pro wrestling none have possessed Angle’s pedigree or have transitioned to the pro game as quickly and effectively. He wasn’t just a wrestling machine either; he had amazing acting chops and was comfortable making a fool of himself on the mic because he knew he could tie his opponents in knots effortlessly and he’d have audiences fully convinced he could break them in half if he wanted to.

Angle’s wrestling career is filled with some of the greatest matches you’ll ever see. His matches with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21 and The Undertaker at No Way Out 2006 are top-tier classics. He put on one of the greatest opening matches ever with Rey Mysterio at SummerSlam 2002. His matches with Chris Benoit through 2002 and 2003 still hold up well, as does his trilogy of 2003 singles matches opposite Brock Lesnar. He also had a hidden gem with Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania XX and one of the greatest cage matches ever with Mr. Anderson at TNA Lockdown 2010. But there’s still quite a lot more to his incredible career, as we’ll see with these next five matches.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match: Lashley [c] vs. Kurt Angle – IMPACT, January 31, 2015

The Story: This was a veritable dream match between two of the most “legit” athletes around at the time. Angle was repeating history, serving as an on-screen authority figure while recovering from a recent surgery while Lashley was on a tear as TNA’s top champion. Unlike in WWE, however, this time Angle was a fairer and made the villainous Lashley defend his title more often than the champ and his manager MVP desired. With time MVP and his Beat Down Clan stable turned on Lashley which caused the champ to find an uneasy ally in the recently-returning-to-active-wrestling Angle. They took care of MVP’s stable in a Lethal Lockdown match and then teased a singles encounter for Lashley’s coveted prize.

The Match: This is for Lashley’s TNA World Heavyweight Championship. An early amateur exchange ends with a big shoulderblock. Lashley ends the next exchange with a clothesline. Angle ends the third one with a belly-to-belly and triple German Suplexes. Angle drop toeholds Lashley into an Ankle Lock but Lashley gets an easy ropebreak. They start fighting ringside but Lashley hotshots Angle onto the steel barricade. Lashley drives Angle into the side of the ring and hits stiff elbows to the head for two. Lashley lands a suplex for two and applies a double-arm stretch. A clothesline gets him two so he works the right arm. Angle escapes a corner charge with a second-rope shoulderblock. Angle lands three more Germans and goes for the Angle Slam but Lashley counters with a spinebuster for two. Angle answers with five more Germans and reapplies the Ankle Lock. Lashley powers out and hits a British Bulldog running powerslam for two. Angle dodges a corner charge and schoolboys Lashley into another Ankle Lock. Lashley powers out again but Angle counters back with an Angle Slam. Lashley regains control with clotheslines. He lands a delayed vertical suplex and hits a spear for two. Lashley resists Angle’s trademark avalanche suplex but misses his follow-up dive. Angle dives with a crossbody. Lashley rolls through into his own Ankle Lock. Angle gets a ropebreak and lands another Slam for another near-fall. Lashley floats over into a Cross Armbreaker. Angle counters with an Ankle Lock and grapevines the leg. Lashley taps! Angle wins!

Winner and NEW TNA World Heavyweight Champion after 20:18: Kurt Angle

You can watch the full match here.

Review: That was better than I expected. Lashley had long been dismissed as a generic power wrestler without much personality while Angle’s age was catching up to him quickly and significantly. Here, however, they worked very well together. Lashley was way nimbler and explosive while Angle, while slower, still gave his all in the ring. Since Angle was getting increasingly limited with time Lashley had to carry more than his fair share to push this match forward and he did. He balanced power, speed, agility, and smooth technique very well and served as a solid challenge for Angle to overcome. While Angle was considerably slower in his movements and his techniques lacked the same snap and power compared to before, he still played the hits incredibly well and gave a passionate performance. That said, it was more robotic and mechanical with Lashley showing little variety in facials and body language while Angle simply hit repeated moves without really letting anything breathe. It was very much about technique for its own sake which, while not the worst thing in the world, is a bit of a step down for someone as venerated as Kurt Angle.

Final Rating: ***3/4

Kurt Angle vs. Abyss – TNA Turning Point 2008

The Story: This came about as an unintended result of Angle’s blinding rage towards Jeff Jarrett. Angle lost to Jarrett at Bound For Glory IV but demanded a rematch, only to be refused. As a result, Angle lashed out at anyone he could find, including Abyss. Determined to make Angle pay for his blind rage, he was put booked in a Falls Count Anywhere match against TNA’s resident monster.

The Match: We start with a game of cat-and-mouse that goes on until Abyss corners Angle and fires away with punches. Angle lands a cheap-shot but Abyss clotheslines him. Angle attacks a knee but Abyss overpowers him again and lands Shock Treatment early for two. Angle bails and they start brawling into the stands. Abyss nearly throws Angle over a fence to the entranceway below. Angle rakes the eyes and attacks with a chair. He walks up the entrance ramp as Abyss crawls off to the side. Then we get one of the most iconic moments of TN-Angle’s career as he flip sentons off the stage onto Abyss below. One, two, Abyss kicks out.

They brawl some more until Abyss attempts a Chokeslam but Angle kicks his groin and drives him through a portion of wall on the entrance stage. They disappear for a minute and reappear by breaking through the other side of the stage. Back in the ring Angle attacks the knee multiple times until Abyss lands another clothesline. A side slam gets Abyss two so he tries another Shock Treatment but Angle counters with an Angle Slam for two. Angle tries another chair attack but Abyss punches it into Angle’s face. Angle sets the chair up in a corner, attacks the leg, and avoids getting sent into his own weapon…but only once. Abyss Chokeslams Angle for two and attempts a chair-assisted splash but Angle dodges and lands a chair-assisted diving Moonsault for two. Abyss catches Angle on a dive and gets him in the Tombstone position but Angle counters with an Ankle Lock. Abyss fights free and nails the Black Hole Slam for two. Angle bails and climbs up a platform near the Spanish broadcast table. Abyss teases a press slam. Angle escapes and uppercuts Abyss to send him off and through the table instead. Angle crawls over for an easy cover and gets the three-count.

Winner after 17:00: Kurt Angle

You can watch the full match here.

Review: While not as batshit crazy as Angle’s famous Street Fight with Shane McMahon at KOTR 2001 this is still a similar sort of wild ride. Depending on your viewpoint Angle was either the ballsiest man on the planet or the most tragic hero this side of Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, such was his commitment to showing everything he had for his craft. While the stipulation suited Abyss, Angle more than held his end of the bargain as he brought the fight to the monster and combined cowardice with clever strategy. He teased going for the legs but instead brought hardcore mayhem, high-spots, and raw craziness that left everyone, including Abyss, questioning Angle’s sanity. The crash-through-the-wall spots were cool but not as violent or sickening as what he did seven years earlier. As for the finish, it was inventive but a bit underwhelming as it didn’t look or sound all that impactful. I think the match peaked in the ring and that direction was undertaken as a means of protecting both men while still giving Angle a clean pin. Still, both men brought their working boots on this night and gave the fans more than what they paid for.

Final Rating: ****

Kurt Angle vs. Edge – WWF Backlash 2002

The Story: Edge & Angle used to be friends but that ended after Edge mocked Angle for his complaining which transformed into the “You Suck” chants aligned with Angle’s entrance theme. This pissed Angle off to no end so he vowed revenge at Backlash.

The Match: A standard headlock/drop-down sequence opens the match. Angle blocks a corner charge but runs into a dropkick. Edge lands a flapjack and Angle gets shitcanned to ringside. Angle stomps back but eats a wheel kick. Angle retaliates with a German suplex and stomps the crap out of Edge. An overhead belly-to-belly stops a turnaround. A snap suplex gets him a near-fall as he maintains pressure on Edge. Edge fights out of a grounded chinlock but eats another German. He blocks a second one and suplexes Angle with a belly-to-belly. Edge makes his comeback and lands an Edgecution DDT for two. Edge avoids a back suplex and hits a Half-Nelson Facebuster for a near-fall. He ascends the turnbuckle but Angle catches him and throws him off with an avalanche belly-to-belly. Edge escapes an Ankle Lock but can’t escape Angle’s triple Germans. Two-count. Edge escapes an Angle Slam and lands a German of his own but his is a bit awkward and Angle appears to land badly. Edge ducks a charge to send Angle to the floor and then dives from the top rope. A missile dropkick gets Edge another near-fall. A counter sequence ends with an Angle Slam and another close call. Ankle Lock applied. Edge counters with a victory roll for two. Angle grabs a chair, swings it, misses Edge, and hits the ropes causing the chair to hit him instead. Edge-O-Matic for two. Edge chares for a spear. Angle answers with a kneelift. That leaves Edge loopy long enough for another Angle Slam to connect. One, two, three! Angle wins!

Winner after 13:24: Kurt Angle

You can watch the full match here.

Review: That was a fun sub-fifteen-minute match with a hot crowd and lots of fast-paced action. For a midcard match this was excellent and better than expected since these guys worked so well together. Edge was clearly more over but Angle was the more dynamic performer. While Angle had the technical advantage Edge had a reach advantage and had the crowd behind him, which messed with Angle’s confidence and forced him to take drastic measures as time went on. With each near-fall both men were forced to rely on heavier weaponry and eventually a foreign object. Though not the most cerebral of matches they still packed plenty of action into such a short timeframe and created enough of a dubious ending to justify a rematch.

Final Rating: ****

Kurt Angle vs. Desmond Wolfe – TNA Turning point 2009

The Story: One month earlier Desmond Wolfe, a.k.a. ROH mainstay Nigel McGuinness, debuted for TNA and attacked Angle. This was a huge get: McGuinness had an extensive catalogue of exciting and memorable matches in ROH against the likes of Bryan Danielson, Austin Aries, Tyler Black, and others. In storyline (and probably in real life, too) Wolfe respected and looked up to Angle but felt disrespected when Angle failed to show him similar request when they first met. So Wolfe attacked and brutalized Angle and hoped to take his spot as TNA’s top dog.

The Match: Wolfe looks a bit weird (and to be honest, smaller and less menacing) without the spiky hair he sported in ROH. We get some chain grappling and armwork to start things off. Angle answers with armdrags but Wolfe counters into more arm holds. We get a forced ropebreak but Wolfe kicks the rope into Angle’s hand. After more armwork Angle hits back with a snap suplex for two. Angle follows with a rib breaker and some shoulders to the gut. Angle misses a corner charge and hits the post with his shoulder which Wolfe capitalizes on with more arm attacks. Tazz on commentary does a great job of pointing out the numbness Angle’s likely feeling at this point from those targeted attacks to his arm.

Wolfe counters a sunset flip with an arm slam and then wrestles into his double-arm stretch from his ROH days. Angle attempts to counter into a heel hook but Wolfe breaks free. Wolfe hits one corner uppercut but when attempting a second Angle cuts him off with a belly-to-belly. Angle follows with clotheslines and forearms for two. Then Angle hits not three but six German Suplexes, bringing the crowd to their feet. Wolfe escapes an Angle Slam and hits a lariat for two. Angle blocks the Tower of London and connects with the Angle Slam for a near-fall of his own. Wolfe takes Angle down by the arm before he can capitalize and applies an overhead Keylock. Angle counters with the Ankle Lock. Wolfe reverses into a Figure-Four Wristlock. Another reversal into the Ankle Lock. Wolfe gets a ropebreak and then counters an Angle Slam with a DDT. Tower of London connects. Two-count. Wolfe teases a lariat. Angle hits first with his own and attempts a diving Moonsault. Wolfe dodges and reapplies the Keylock. Angle scoots backwards to get a ropebreak. Angle resists another ToL but Wolfe hits a cross chop to the throat. Angle blocks a Superplex and hits a frog splash for two. We get a Tombstone reversal spot and then Angle goes back to the Ankle Lock. Wolfe attempts another reversal but this time Angle counters with a Cross Armbreaker. Wolfe resists that so Angle switches to a sideways Triangle Choke. Wolfe taps instantly. Angle wins!

Winner after 16:15: Kurt Angle

You can watch the full match here.

Review: Despite being older and more broken down, Angle was once again a machine here while McGuinness brought his ROH excellence with him to TNA. This was fantastic, one of the less heralded highlights of both men’s careers. They wrestled extremely well in a classic veteran-versus-rising-star dynamic that pitted experience versus youth. It’s definitely on the dry side as far as heat and personality go, with most of the story coming from Wolfe’s focused attacks and his targeting of various body parts. That sort of storytelling works in some cases but it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, especially if you prefer more overt character work in your wrestling. But given this more action-focused narrative what they did in the ring made sense. Wolfe wanted to prove himself the superior technical marvel and seemed to have Angle’s number more than once. Angle, meanwhile, largely played the hits yet he had something special up his sleeve once he caught onto Wolfe’s strategy. The finish was out of nowhere yet still in keeping with the overall theme and story. This could’ve been a true standout classics with five more minutes and a bit more flair from Wolfe, but as it stands this is another classic from Angle’s TNA career.

Final Rating: ****1/4

WWE Championship Match: Kurt Angle [c] vs. The Undertaker – SmackDown, September 4, 2003

The Story: Undertaker earned a shot at Angle’s WWE Championship in a triple threat match involving Brock Lesnar and The Big Show. However, Undertaker left that match with battle scars in the form of what was described as a dislocated left wrist. Angle was likewise far from 100% as his surgically-repaired neck remained a constant target and vulnerability that he expected to either be targeted by his opponents, limit his own capabilities, or both.

The Match: This is for Angle’s WWE Championship. ‘Taker shoves Angle and powers out of the champ’s initial holds. They trade armlocks until ‘Taker lands a hiptoss and reattacks the left arm. Angle answers with quick takedowns and one-counts. ‘Taker uses his strength advantage again and succeeds in landing Old School. Angle blocks a charge, hits two German suplexes, and a jackknife cover for two. ‘Taker answers with punches and his combo setting up the apron leg drop. He drives Angle’s spine into a ringpost but soon after Angle counters with a sleeper hold. ‘Taker escapes and attempts a Dragon Sleeper. Angle counters with a fireman’s carry and a belly-to-belly for two. ‘Taker answers with corner clotheslines and his Snake Eyes/big boot combo for two. Why is it that ‘Taker figured out that he can hit his big boot without slapping his thigh and it still looks good but an entire generation of later wrestlers seem hellbent on creating phony, immersion-breaking noise without putting any effort into hiding it? Anyway, Angle tries completing the combo with a leg drop but Angle counters with an Ankle Lock. ‘Taker rolls out but Angle catches him with the Angle Slam for two. ‘Taker counters another one with a Chokeslam for two. Angle counters a Last Ride into another Ankle Lock. ‘Taker counters that into a Fujiwara Armbar. Angle counters that with a cradle for two and another Ankle Lock. That’s countered into a triangle choke. Angle’s arm drops twice but he gets his foot on the ropes. ‘Taker attempts a big boot but gets caught on the top rope which allows Angle to apply yet another Ankle Lock. ‘Taker hits back with a hotshot on the top rope which cuts Angle’s cheek. They trade punches until another big boot drops Angle. Another Chokeslam is countered into another Ankle Lock. ‘Taker counters yet again and connects with his follow-up Chokeslam. The Last Ride connects. But here comes Brock Lesnar, chair in hand, to attack both men and end the match without a clear winner.

STILL WWE Champion due to a No Contest after 20:41: Kurt Angle

You can watch the full match here.

Review: This was a PPV-quality match given away on taped TV and it’s a reminder of the greatness that used to be showcased during SmackDown’s halcyon days. There were glimpses of the greatness they’d showcase three years later at NOW 2006 with all the counters, reversals, and last-second surprises. Angle and Undertaker had amazing chemistry even back then and created a match both men could and should be proud of. It had plenty of close calls, refreshing twists, and drama that left the match hard to predict. Both men briefly left their respective comfort zones with Angle throwing hands with WWE’s most venerated striker and Angle entering the lion’s den with mat and submission wrestling. Either man could’ve won, sadly a clean finish wasn’t in the cards with Lesnar attacking both men to reinforce his mean streak. I understand that interference furthered the story and prevented Undertaker from tapping out, but to me clean finishes are usually more satisfying and it’s not like Undertaker would’ve been hurt by a loss. Nitpicking aside, this is a hidden gem and a clear reminder of SmackDown’s early greatness.

Final Rating: ****1/4

As always, thanks for reading.