One of WWE’s most lucrative, popular periods ever, the Attitude Era featured wrestlers like Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H coming into prominence as main eventers along with the debut of Kurt Angle, a legitimate Olympic Gold Medalist who ended up showing off some impressive in-ring abilities. While Angle had rivalries with all the above-mentioned men, one of his most crucial was with The Rock.
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Because it wasn’t as prominent as Rock/Austin or Austin/Angle, fans might overlook the Rock/Angle rivalry. Let’s take a look at what fans should know about their kayfabe relationship, including their shared origins.
10 Both Trained Under Tom Prichard
Given that The Rock was the son of a former WWE star and Kurt Angle was an amateur wrestling standout, fans might be surprised to find out that the rivals’ paths into the world of professional wrestling are similar in at least one way — their education. The late 1990s saw WWE begin to set up a developmental system, enlisting tag team specialist and former Bodydonna Dr. Tom Prichard to help train new talent. As a result, Prichard trained both Kurt Angle and The Rock, albeit a couple of years apart.
9 First Wrestled On SmackDown
The Rock made his WWE debut in 1996 and Kurt Angle in 1999, but the two wouldn’t meet in the ring until early 2000. Their first bout happened on the 1/6/2000 episode of SmackDown, with Angle getting a DQ victory after Rock hit Angle with a kendo stick. In the months following, the two would have additional skirmishes on both Raw and SmackDown, including Rocky beating Angle in two separate five-minute bouts — the first of several notable wins for The Rock over Kurt Angle — as well as Angle winning a Triple Threat that also included Tazz.
8 The Rock Won Most Of Their Early Matches
Given that Kurt Angle was a relative newcomer and The Rock was already one of WWE’s most popular stars, it should come as no surprise that the former Rocky Maivia often came out on top in these early encounters with Angle. This includes a #1 Contender three-way with Angle and Triple H, where Rock’s victory meant that neither man could challenge him for the WWE Championship.
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However, Angle did go on to challenge The Rock for the WWE, including in a singles match on a July 2000 SmackDown and another three-way with Triple H at SummerSlam the following month, with The Rock retaining the belt.
7 Angle Won His First WWE Championship From The Rock
October of 2000 brought the pay-per-view No Mercy, which main evented with Kurt Angle challenging The Rock for the WWE Championship yet again — this time in a No Disqualification Match. The bout was full of interference in the early goings thanks to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, but neither one affected the outcome. Rather, it was an interfering Rikishi who changed the course of the match when his meddling on The Rock’s behalf backfired, giving Kurt Angle the advantage to put away his rival and win his first WWE Championship.
6 Angle Successfully Defended The Belt Against The Rock
Following Kurt Angle’s big win at No Mercy, the Olympic Gold Medalist enjoyed a 126-day run with the WWE Title, scoring a number of successful title defenses against the former champion, The Rock. This included not only title defenses on SmackDown in the months that followed, but also a triple threat with Rock and Triple H on Raw the night after No Mercy. Additional dance partners weren’t uncommon in their bouts, including Rikishi and Steve Austin at the UK-exclusive pay-per-viewRebellion in December 2000.
5 Competed In The Armageddon 2000 Six-Man Hell In A Cell Match
Eight days after the Rebellion four-way match came an even bigger multi-man match for the WWE Championship. In the main event of Armageddon 2000, Kurt Angle didn’t just defend the belt against The Rock and four other men — Steve Austin, Rikishi, Triple H, and The Undertaker — but also did so in Hell in a Cell. The 32-minute HIAC match was a standout bout that year, full of pro wrestling drama, crazy spots like Rikishi being thrown off the top of the Cell, and Angle retaining the WWE Championship by pinning The Rock.
4 The Rock Won The Title Back At No Way Out 2001
In February 2001, The Rock worked his way back to the title picture by winning a #1 Contenders match against The Big Show, putting Kurt Angle and the WWE Championship back in his sights. Their title bout main evented the late February pay-per-view No Mercy, in which The Rock won back the WWE Championship in a near 17-minute affair.
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A couple of weeks later, Kurt Angle got a rematch against The Rock for the belt on a mid-March episode of Raw, but the bout ended in a DQ thanks to Angle holding the Ankle Lock too long after Rock had grabbed the ring ropes.
3 On Opposite Sides Of The WWE vs. WCW/ECW Alliance Feud
Mid-2001 brought a huge Invasion storyline, in which incoming wrestlers from WCW and ECW attempted to take over WWE, with many current WWE stars defecting to The Alliance. Among the defectors were Kurt Angle, who was once again at odds with The Rock, who remained loyal to WWE. It all came to a head at Survivor Series 2001, where Team WWE and The Alliance had a rousing match for control of the company. During the bout, Kurt Angle shockingly turned on Alliance teammate Steve Austin, allowing The Rock to take advantage to put away Austin and disband The Alliance for good.
2 Had A Few More Clashes In The World Title Picture
Kurt Angle’s betrayal of The Alliance didn’t patch things up between himself and The Rock by any means, as the latter was annoyed that Angle was secretly a mole and viciously attacking WWE loyalists. The following night on Raw, Angle challenged The Rock for the WWE Title, with the champ retaining. From there, the two continued to clash for the belts, with Chris Jericho getting involved as well. During this phase of their feud, Angle was a candidate to unify the WCW and WWE Championships before the honor ultimately went to Jericho.
1 Last Wrestled In 2002
By early July of 2002, Kurt Angle failed to dethrone the new Undisputed Champion, The Undertaker, when their title bout on SmackDown ended in a draw. At the time, The Rock was already the #1 Contender to ‘Taker’s belt, so the upcoming title match at the Vengeance PPV was booked as a Triple Threat, with the Dead Man defending against both Rock and Angle. The result turned out to be an all-time classic three-way match — one of WWE’s best ever — with The Rock emerging as the new WWE Champion in what also proved to be the final in-ring encounter with Kurt Angle.
