10 Underrated Kurt Angle WWE Classic Matches

It's March 7, 2021 and that means it's 22 years to the day since Kurt Angle made his WWE TV debut.

Oh it's true, it's true. I'm not getting my dates wrong and misremembering the 1999 Survivor Series (which is where Angle had his first televised WWE match, a victory over Shawn Stasiak). Because the Olympic gold medalist actually first showed up on our screens on the March 7, 1999 episode of Heat, which took place in Kurt's hometown of Pittsburgh.

The fresh-faced Angle - who was in the middle of his training in WWE's developmental system at the time - was called into the ring by Tiger Ali Singh and defended the honour of Americans nationwide with a couple of nifty throws.

USA! USA! USA! USA!

I'm from Newcastle Upon Tyne, alright, but it's still a fun thing to chant...

Anyway, that Angle fella did alright for himself after that, winning every title, tournament and match type over the course of a lengthy and legendary career before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017 and retiring two years later.

To celebrate this milestone, I've went back and looked at Angle's WWE career and picked out some of the underrated classics that the wrestling machine put on over the years.

As you can imagine, considering the absurdly high standard of his work, I was spoiled for choice...

10. Vs. Ric Flair - Raw (June 27, 2005)

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Two of the best of all-time squared off with one another on the June 27, 2005 episode of Raw, when Ric Flair met Kurt Angle in something of an intergenerational dream match.

The match was, naturally, built up with a 'Woo'-off and, while The Nature Boy was obviously not in his 1980s prime, the prospect of the two greats wrestling for the first time ever was an intriguing one to savour.

Flair could still put in a performance when needed and Angle was game to help carry his more experienced but less mobile opponent, the two putting on a long, entertaining and rather stiff bout.

Slic Ric tried every shortcut imaginable so as not to fall prey to Kurt's superior amateur skills, relying on eye rakes, fish hooking and low blows whenever he wasn't taking the skin off Angle's chest with those brutal chops of his.

It was a great story and proved that Flair could still hang at a top level, and fans even bought that he might get the job done with the Figure-Four Leglock at one point.

Alas, it was not to be, as the Olympic Hero rallied and trapped Flair in the Ankle Lock for the submission victory. Which was the right decision, of course, but credit to Angle for doing everything he could to make this as compelling as possible and building 'Naitch up before putting him away.

What a shame it didn't lead to more matches between the two, really.

9. Vs. Edge - Steel Cage Match, Smackdown (May 30, 2002)

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One of the immediate highlights following the 2002 WWE draft split was the rivalry between Edge and Kurt Angle.

Edge had been floundering after his split from Christian and dud of an Intercontinental Title run and needed a hot programme to bounce back. Putting him with wrestling machine Kurt Angle was a masterstroke, as it allowed Edge to step up his game and show the world what he was truly capable of as a singles star.

The pair had blinding matches at Backlash and Judgment Day (the latter of which was Hair versus Hair rules and ended up with Kurt getting the Kojak treatment). Both of those matches are rightly heralded.

The match that for all intents and purposes ended the feud, however, was another stunner and doesn't quite get the love that it should. The freshly-bald Angle took on the Canadian in the Cage Match main event of the May 30, 2002 edition of SmackDown.

This was markedly different from their other outings and they used their surroundings well, as the steel came into play time and time again. There were also the requisite big moves, false finishes and finisher reversals that had come to define their matches together.

The match had a lot of heat, too, as it was in Canada and so the Canuck was the firm favourite. They reacted well to Edge's win, which came when he nailed a charging Angle with a diving top-rope Spear (though it looked more like a shoulderblock in execution).

Could have done without the post-match Hogan scene-stealing, of course, but as a match this is top-notch and a fitting end to a great series.

8. Vs. Rob Van Dam - ECW (June 27, 2006)

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The ECW brand was supposed to be (in part) built around Kurt Angle when it relaunched in the summer of 2006.

The Olympian was leaner and meaner and had changed up his look and style, adding an intimidating mouth guard and relying more on amateur and shoot-style techniques, preferring to keep matches grounded and embedded in realism.

Sadly, Angle's mounting injuries and personal issues would see him exit the company before long, but he still managed to put in some excellent performances and produce some great matches during his short time in his new surroundings.

He had a couple of belters with Randy Orton and a surprisingly good styles clash with Sabu, but the highlight of his brief ECW tenure was probably his match with ECW/WWE Champion Rob Van Dam on the June 27, 2006 episode of ECW on Sci Fi.

The match was non-title, though that didn't stop either man from going all-out. This had a little bit of everything, from some great mat wrestling and hard strikes to high flying and some awesome counters.

Refreshingly, the champ got the clean win after countering an Angle Slam with a DDT and nailing the Five-Star Frog Splash.

Honestly, you wouldn't know Angle's body was a complete wreck being held together by gaffer tape and good thoughts based on his performance here. He really brought out the best in Van Dam and gave the fledgling ECW show a much-needed epic main event.

7. Vs. John Cena - No Way Out 2005

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Kurt Angle and John Cena will forever be linked together, what with Angle being Cena's first WWE opponent and all.

That trunks-wearing kid who talked about 'ruthless aggression' sure did evolve in the years after that fateful first meeting, and you can almost chart his improvements in his first few years by watching his various bouts with our man Kurt.

Their match at No Mercy 2003 was a bit of a coming-out party for Big Match John, but their effort at No Way Out 2005 was even better. It was the finals of a tournament to declare the number-one contender to the WWE Title at WrestleMania and Cena was going into the match as the reigning United States Champion.

Naturally, Angle dominated early on with his crisp wrestling, while Cena grew into the contest with his power and brute force, until Kurt cut him off with the rarely-seen German Suplex into the turnbuckle.

Again Cena rallied and the finishing stretch with the big moves and false finishes kept fans guessing, Angle kicking out of an FU and Cena somehow surviving an Ankle Lock.

A second FU was enough to send Cena to 'Mania, though Kurt by no means looked bad in defeat, carrying Cena to one of his best bouts ever (to that point) to get him ready for the biggest night of his life.

6. Vs. JBL - Last Man Standing, SmackDown (Jan 27, 2005)

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JBL's WWE Title reign isn't exactly remembered for its classic matches, but the tall Texan had his fair share of corkers, including this match with Angle.

Airing on the go-home show before the 2005 Royal Rumble, Angle and Bradshaw met in a Last Man Standing match, just days before they would also have to face the Big Show in a triple-threat WWE Title match.

This bout was non-title, but that didn't take anything away from it, as both men were intense from the off in a stipulation match that clearly favoured the champ (since he was a brawler and Kurt was a grappler).

This started nice and slowly with some wrestling exchanges, until JBL nailed a fallaway slam and a mean top-rope superplex to gain control, until Angle came back with an Ankle Lock and, in the ensuing melee, both JBL's Cabinet and Kurt's goons Mark Jindrak and Luther Reigns were ejected from ringside.

Now down to one-on-one, the two upped the ante with the submission attempts and big moves, including a gnarly powerbomb that couldn't have been nice for Angle's surgically-repaired neck.

The Clothesline from Hell didn't get it done and, in the end, the match resulted in a draw after both men were counted out following an exchange of chair shots.

Despite being heel versus heel, which is never an easy task, this had real heat and the two men worked the match smartly up until the somewhat disappointing non-finish.

5. Vs. Rey Mysterio - SmackDown (February 10, 2005)

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One of the most underrated combinations ever is Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle, two superlative workers who had very different styles that made for great matches.

The masked man and the Olympian had instant chemistry, as shown in their first televised match together in the opener of SummerSlam 2002.

In the years after they met many more times in singles, tags and multi-man matches, and their exchanges were always of the highest standard. If I had to pick one that perhaps doesn't get talked about enough, I'd choose their main event from the February 10, 2005 SmackDown.

This was the semi-final in the tournament to crown a number one contender to the WWE Title and, since we already covered the finals with Cena earlier, the winner probably isn't going to shock you. Plus, I mean, this all took place over fifteen years ago now, so it's not exactly a secret or anything.

Winners and losers aside, what makes this match so great is the unique setting, as the show was taped in the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, which gave it a different vibe to their other stateside efforts against one another.

They took their time getting into it, feeling each other (and the crowd) out and telling a nice, simple story of speed versus technique. Angle got his mouth busted open early and Rey hit an impressive dive to the outside, before Kurt seized the advantage and began grinding away.

The closing stretch was a thing of beauty as the counters flew thick and fast and Rey got an agonisingly close nearfall with a hurricanrana. After twenty sensational minutes, Kurt hit the Angle Slam and forced the tap with the Ankle Lock.

4. Vs. Steve Austin - Raw (October 8, 2001)

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In the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy in 2001, the snap decision was made to take the WWE Title from Steve Austin and put it on Kurt Angle at Unforgiven twelve days later.

It made sense, since Angle was an American hero and the show was happening in his hometown of Pittsburgh. American wrestling fans needed a morale boost and WWE gave it to them with a feel-good win.

Which is all well and dandy, but The Texas Rattlesnake was originally pencilled in for a longer run and needed the title back. So WWE booked the rematch two weeks later on Raw and, despite airing on free TV, it was every bit as good as their pay-per-view outing.

Opting against warming up and building things slowly, this was a hellacious, Attitude Era brawl that had the crowd going bananas from the off.

Really, there's too much happening to give you a simple play-by-play, but what makes this so good is that much of it was clearly called in the ring, rather than being intricately planned beforehand. You can tell both men, masters of their craft, are going by the audience's reaction and feeling it in the moment and it really adds to the match.

Stone Cold got his belt back after a ref bump, Commissioner Regal turning on Angle with a belt shot and a Stunner.

Breathless stuff from start to finish.

3. Vs. Eddie Guerrero - SmackDown (April 14, 2005)

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Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero had one hell of a rivalry in 2004, competing in matches at WrestelMania XX, SummerSlam and on SmackDown under 2/3 Falls and Lumberjack Rules.

Really, Eddie and Kurt helped carry the blue brand that year, but their feud spilled over into 2005, ending on a high point with this bout from the WWE Title Number One Contenders series.

The two men knew each other very well by this point and the work was as smooth as silk, Eddie controlling the early stages before Angle took over.

Since this was Latino Heat's peak as a babyface, there was some attempted lying, cheating and stealing as he tried to frame Angle with a chair following a ref bump, resulting in a close nearfall.

There were a million counters and Eddie escaped the Ankle Lock while Kurt kicked out of the Frog Splash.

Shenanigans came into play at the finish, as the ref was bumped again and Eddie's Tag Team Title partner Rey Mysterio ran out, inadvertently causing Guerrero to lose the match when Angle took advantage of the confusing situation unfolding.

Your tolerance on the finish may vary (it was a little overbooked and contrived), but everything up until then was solid gold. This was another gripping contest between two of the best artists to ever do it and they got plenty of time to paint their picture.

2. Vs. Brock Lesnar - SummerSlam 2003

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The 2003 series of matches between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar are well-documented, but whenever they're discussed the focus is usually on the WrestleMania XIX main event or the Iron Man match from SmackDown.

Those were both barnburners, of course, and stand out for different reasons, but sandwiched in-between them is another pay-per-view clash that is strangely overlooked and underrated.

The Next Big Thing had not long turned heel and aligned himself with Mr. McMahon and was going into the bout looking to reclaim the WWE Title he had lost (in a canny triple threat match with Angle and Big Show) at Vengeance.

There were plenty of suplexes here, as you would imagine, and Brock got to show off his power with high-impact throws and blows. There was a great ebb and flow to the action, but it's the little things that make the difference, such as Lesnar nailing an F5 on one leg while selling the effects of the Ankle Lock.

The Ankle Lock proved decisive, Angle getting Lesnar to tap out in a rare sight. The post-match, with Kurt giving Birthday boy Vince an Angle Slam through a chair, was great banter.

1. Vs. Shawn Michaels - Vengeance 2005

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The first time meeting between Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels stole the show at WrestleMania 21.

Widely regarded as one of the best 'Mania matches ever, the two produced a genuine classic on the first time of asking, living up to the hype and then some.

While the 'Mania match is routinely mentioned in the conversation surrounding both performer's best bouts, their rematches don't get nearly as many props.

Because WWE didn't just leave it at 'one and done' but in fact booked the Olympic Hero and the Heartbreak Kid in several rematches, the first of which took place a the Vengeace pay-per-view. I'm not sure if the two men were feeling the pressure to match or better their bout from the Showcase of the Immortals, but they came damn close here.

Once more they were given plenty of time and were allowed to work the match that they wanted to work, playing off of their previous encounter in some cute sequences and really going for it in the final minutes.

Angle kicked out of the Sweet Chin Music, but was unable to do the same after jumping into one after leaping from the top rope.

Shawn got his win back and levelled things up, but everyone was a winner here, especially fans of quality professional wrestling.