4) Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar – Smackdown (September 16th, 2003)
Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar wrestled in the first ever Iron Man match on television. All previous Iron Man matches had been strictly on PPV.
A 60 minute Iron Man match for the WWE Championship to end one of the most back and forth rivalries in WWE history. Lesnar won the first match at Wrestlemania XIX to win the WWE Championship (in a great match). At Summerslam, Angle was able to win the title back from Brock (in another great match). This set up the winner takes all match on Smackdown.
Lesnar would win the match 5 falls to 4. He refused to tap out to the ‘Angle Lock’ as time expired. It was a great back-and-forth match and one of the best in the history of Smackdown. Lesnar won the WWE Championship and this was the final of their 3 big singles matches against one another.
Out of all three of their singles clashes, I rank this one the highest. The story of the previous matches leading into the big Iron Man match is what made it so great for me. Some fans may say their Wrestlemania match was the best, but for me, it was this one.
3) Kurt Angle vs ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin – Summerslam 2001
Kurt Angle and Steve Austin faced off during the WWE’s ‘Invasion’ storyline after WWE had purchased WCW. The storyline has been criticized by WWE fans, but this match was one of the few highlights.
Angle and Austin faced off for the WWF Championship at Summerslam after feuding for several weeks. It turned out to be an absolute war and a very physical match. Plenty of near-falls and great moments.
Hard to make someone look better in a loss than Austin did for Kurt Angle. He hit him with everything but the kitchen sink, including several ‘Stunners’. Angle won the match technically, but only by disqualification. This allowed Austin to keep the WWF Title but the performance made Angle looks like a superstar.
This match could be higher on the list of best Kurt Angle matches but the DQ finish puts it back a few pegs. Still an incredible match.
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