WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle is arguably the greatest in-ring technician to grace a WWE ring. Angle is an exceptional heel and a comedic babyface, but The Wrestling Machine had memorable matches in both roles.
Angle is renowned by his peers for being one of the best in-ring performers. Angle lived by his three I's, Intensity, Integrity, and Intelligence, and he certainly had all of those in his repertoire. The Olympic Gold Medalist had the ability to flip between a face and a heel with ease, he was a relevant presence in both roles by putting on stellar bouts on the biggest stages.
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Moreover, Angle started his WWE career as a cocky heel, which naturally made fans hate him. But in later years, fans began to respect Angle as they understood how special he was in the ring. Nevertheless, whether in a title bout or not, the Olympic gold medal winner wanted to steal the show and was fortunate to mix it up with the very best in the business.
10 Babyface: Kurt Angle Vs. Randy Orton (ECW One Night Stand 2006)
WWE's revival of ECW in 2006 miserably failed, but Kurt Angle was the biggest acquisition to the ECW brand at the time. However, Angle does not look back on his time in ECW too fondly as he did not want to get drafted there, and he was soon gone from WWE to join TNA for a lighter schedule with his grueling neck injuries flaring up.
Before Angle departed WWE, he went one-on-one with Randy Orton at the second iteration of ECW One Night Stand. Orton received a hostile reception from the Hammerstein Ballroom audience, who were cheering Angle on. This is an underrated match between the two which encapsulates how great both men are in the ring. Ultimately, Angle prevailed much to the delight of the fans.
9 Heel: Kurt Angle Vs. Shane McMahon (King Of The Ring 2001)
Angle was on top of his game in 2001 and was easily head and shoulders above the rest of the field that year. King of the Ring was a busy night for Angle, as he was aiming to become the first man to win the King of the Ring tournament in back-to-back years.
Concurrently, Angle was embroiled in a feud with WCW Owner Shane McMahon. Angle had wrestled two matches as he lost to Christian in the semifinals and he failed to back up his success of 2000 with Edge defeating him, all thanks to Shane. Moreover, Angle's third match of the night was his best. A 26-minute Street Fight was right up Shane's alley, who managed to hang with Angle. Sadly, Angle broke his tailbone in this match and Shane was a bloody mess after going headfirst into some glass. Nonetheless, The Olympic Gold Medalist prevailed in a violent affair.
8 Babyface: Kurt Angle Vs. John Cena (No Mercy 2003)
One of John Cena's greatest rivals is Kurt Angle. Before the two tore it down in 2005 over the WWE Championship, they clashed when Cena was still learning his trade at No Mercy 2003. Angle reverted to a face in the summer, but the former WWE Champion was having another superb year.
Cena held his own with Angle in this forgotten battle between the two, and he even kicked out of Angle's Angle Slam. Nonetheless, it was an entertaining clash that showed that big things were to come for Cena despite ending up on the losing end.
7 Heel: Kurt Angle Vs. Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania XX)
Kurt Angle earned the right to face the reigning WWE Champion at WrestleMania XX by overcoming John Cena and Big Show in a number one contender's triple threat match at No Way Out 2004. Either Eddie Guerrero or Brock Lesnar would be his opponent. Guerrero did the unthinkable by upsetting Lesnar to capture the WWE Championship in one of the most emotional title changes in history.
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Two of SmackDown's finest put on an instant clinic in front of the Madison Square Garden crowd. Angle kicked out of Eddie's Frog Splash, and he had the upper hand in the dying embers of the contest. However, Guerrero removed his boot when Angle cinched in the Angle Lock. Unfortunately, for Angle, he failed to regain the WWE Title in an outstanding encounter with a perplexed Angle getting rolled up after holding Eddie's boot.
6 Babyface: Kurt Angle Vs. Steve Austin (SummerSlam 2001)
Kurt Angle showed a comedic side to his character in 2001 when he engaged in hilarious backstage skits with Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon. However, that all changed at Invasion when Austin turned his back on the WWE to join the Alliance.
At SummerSlam, Angle challenged Austin for the WWE Championship and they had their best match together. The Olympic Gold Medalist was a machine and he kicked out of repeated Stone Cold Stunners. Unfortunately, Austin got himself intentionally disqualified which denied Angle the WWE Title, although he won the title by submission at Unforgiven in front of his hometown fans.
5 Heel: Kurt Angle Vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania XIX)
This dream match between Angle and Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XIX almost failed to materialize. Angle legitimately broke his neck, but he was determined to wrestle through the pain barrier as he acknowledged it may be his only WrestleMania main event.
Both men staked legitimate claims to be the Superstar of the year in 2003, that's how good both were. Angle showed his mettle by kicking out of two F5s. However, Lesnar had a scary moment when he botched a Shooting Star Press by landing on his head. Alas, a third F5 kept Angle down with Lesnar regaining the WWE Championship in arguably the greatest match in his career.
4 Babyface: Kurt Angle Vs. The Undertaker (No Way Out 2006)
Kurt Angle moved back home to SmackDown in January 2006 after a brief stint on Raw, but he captured the World Heavyweight Championship after Batista vacated the title due to injury. Nevertheless, Angle's biggest rival during his three-month reign as World Heavyweight Champion was The Undertaker.
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The two legendary figures collided at No Way Out 2006 with Undertaker making his intentions known at the Royal Rumble by gesturing to his waist. An absolute classic epitomized the greatness of both men with Angle winning this war of attrition with drama of the highest order.
3 Heel: Kurt Angle Vs. Chris Benoit (Royal Rumble 2003)
Shortly after capturing his third WWE Championship, Kurt Angle turned heel once again and reignited a physical rivalry with Chris Benoit. The two always had exciting encounters as they utilized submission holds and mat-based wrestling to grind down their opponents.
At the 2003 Royal Rumble, Angle defended his WWE Title against Benoit in another memorable encounter. Benoit had yet to capture a World Championship in WWE and many thought that this match would finally be his moment. Moreover, The Rabid Wolverine pushed Angle to his absolute limit, but Angle showed his champion's quality by forcing Benoit to submit to the Angle Lock.
2 Babyface: Kurt Angle Vs. Brock Lesnar (SmackDown; September 18, 2003)
Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar's feud dominated the majority of SmackDown in 2003 which was always an exciting prospect. Lesnar turned heel by turning his back on Angle as he was hellbent on reclaiming the WWE Championship he lost to Angle at Vengeance.
Nonetheless, the two settled the score in a rare 60-minute Iron Man match on free television. It happened on the September 18, 2003, edition of SmackDown for Angle's WWE Title. Neither man pulled any punches which always made their matches very watchable. In the closing seconds, Angle locked Lesnar in the Angle Lock to level the score but Lesnar held on until the time expired to kickstart his third WWE Championship reign.
1 Heel: Kurt Angle Vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 21)
The beauty of Interbrand PPVs does not stop the prospect of dream matches from happening. At WrestleMania 21, Kurt Angle representing SmackDown took on Mr. WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels, who was on Raw in one of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history.
This match was not about titles, it was about pride and who was the better man. Arguably, Angle had the best WrestleMania match for the third year in succession which is a testament to his quality. A match that had several near falls, Angle prevailed with Michaels tapping out to the Angle Lock.
NEXT: Shawn Michaels: 5 Best Matches As A Heel (& 5 Best As A Babyface)
