Defining the Moment: Kurt Angle

[LSN80]

So Kurt Angle has been working for TNA since 2006, but there's no denying the impact that he made when he was in WWE. The only thing about the moment here is that it has to be one regarding Angle's time in WWE, as there's a similar thread in the TNA section regarding Kurt's time in TNA.

So here's the deal with a career defining moment. It's that time in a wrestler's career that made you take notice of them more than any other. It's the special moment in said wrestler's career that made you look at them differently, as more then the average wrestler. It's not to be confused with the moment you took them seriously as a main eventer. This is the moment you believe the wrestler will be remembered for when all is said and done so far in their career. It's not necessarily confined to a match either, as it can be a promo, segment, a series of events in a row that lead to an amazing climax, or an incredible match. There's no set criteria for this, just your personal opinion. Whether we like the wrestler is immaterial, and this isn't a "first" list. It has everything to do with what really will stick out as the crowing moment of said wrestler's career(to this date) when it's all said and done.

The reason I love this thread series so much is because it always brings to my attention things that slipped my mind, or helps me recall fond moments. It's exciting to me to see people's varying opinions on the same person, and their reason behind it. Im certainly looking for, and expecting, the same thing with Kurt Angle.

For me, the defining time of Kurt Angle's career was his feud with Chris Benoit. Whether it be him defeating Benoit at WM 17, losing to him in Backlash in sudden death of an Ultimate Submission match, and defeating Benoit in a 2 out of 3 falls match at Judgement Day, with Benoit defeating Angle with his own finisher, the Angle Slam, in a pinfalls only match, defeating him in the second fall with the ankle lock, and winning the stellar ladder match.

All of those moments were great ones for me, but the greatest moment of the feud came over a year after the 2001 Judgment Day match. Angle had won the WWE championship in between and had been involved in the Angle alliance, but he returned to Benoit once more at No Mercy 2002. The catch? The two were partners, rather then opponents, facing Edge and Rey Mysterio for the newly created WWE Tag Team Championships.

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Though reluctant opponents, the two showed they could make magic just as well together as they could opposing one another. In doing so, they created my personal favorite tag team match of all time, and perhaps my favorite match of each's career. So to me, through the Chris Benoit feud, his match teaming with Benoit vs Edge and Rey Mysterio, a perfect match in my eyes, is the defining moment of the career of Kurt Angle in WWE.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

For me, It was his feud with Cena in late 2005 - early 2006. That is when I realized that Kurt Angle is nothing but an egoistical asshole that is better off not being a part of a company with the audience the WWE has.

That was suppose to be Cena's big break out feud. Cena would no longer be the white rapper but rather the new Mr. WWE. So, they paired him with a respected, credible veteran to make him seem like that much bigger of a deal. What did said respected, credible veteran do? He did everything he could to bury Cena. From completely sandbagging in their matches to flat out saying the guy sucks and the crowd knows it in promos. All because he wanted to be WWE Champion, something that Cena was trying to established himself as.

I am not saying everyone would be lining up to lick Cena's balls or tickle his ass if it wasn't for the Angle feud. However, I think most of the the Cena Boo Birds were born during this time frame. To be fair, it helped Cena work the crowd a lot faster, but what the fuck Angle?

 

[Sleep Time]

A defining moment for me was when Kurt Angle fought Chris Benoit in 2003 Royal Rumble. There is something about these two wrestlers, that have great in-ring chemistry. They have made a lot of great matches before, but never a perfect match. The 2003 royal rumble was indeed Kurt's greatest match ever. These two guys are the greatest mat wrestlers in the world and their will be no one better. The best post Attitude Era match, surpassed his wrestlemania main event with Brock Lesnar.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

I really started taking notice of Kurt Angle back when he was on-again, off-again feuding with future UFC star Brock Lesnar. At this point in his career, Lesnar was dominating every single superstar that came across his path. Hogan, Rock, Big Show, etc were all jobbing to The Next Big Thing. But along came Kurt Angle, and for the first time I saw somebody kick out of the F-5. It was a stunning moment that made me realize Kurt wasn't all "you suck" after all. He took it to Lesnar, even with the botch of a finish at that year's Wrestlemania, I believe they made up for it at Vengeance.

I haven't really watched a wrestling match that had two competitors both have an actual wrestling background; Lesnar being an NCAA champion and Angle, of course being a gold medalist in wrestling. Gotta say through that feud it made me really take a look at the Greco-Roman aspects that are getting rare to find in WWE.

 

[ssvegita77]

Kurt's debut was done brilliantly. Being labeled as "the first real wrestler" in the WWF was such a deliberate slap in the face to everyone. Mostly because you couldn't tell if they were trying to be insulting or not, until he actually cut his first live promo after winning his 1st match. I knew from the get go that he was being booked properly character wise. On top of that the man was just tremendous in the ring and hilarious on the mic. He was just such a damned natural. The man never looked green....EVER!

Back on topic the moment that defined him for me was Wrestlemania 2000. Angle vs. Benoit vs. Y2J for Kurt's prestigious Euro-Continental championship. Being able to hang w/ two of the best in the world really spoke volumes to me. I knew Jericho and Benoit would both have they're days at the top and on that day I knew that Kurt would have his too (What do you know? Months later he won his first world title.) I predicted the finish, that Kurt would lose both belts w/out ever being pinned and it was great. This is one of the 10 if not 5 best matches that I've ever seen at Mania, and that was the moment that defined Kurt Angle.

 

[dylandude316]

For me i always hated him in TNA and WWE, i felt he was meant to be a jerk and when he was a "good guy" he looked awful IMO. However, when i really began to watch him as a fan more was when in January of 2006 he returned to the WWE after Batista was forced to vacate the WHC. There was a 20 man battle royal for the title that night. to everyone's surprise the one and only Kurt Angle came out, won the match, made an impact, and proved he belonged with the WWE. i personally believe he was a much better wrestler in and out of the ring with the WWE. Thank you.

 

[silrock316]

Omg at the idiot that said Angle did nothing but hurt Cena. Go youtube cenas debut match with angle, if I wasn't on a phone I'd do it for you. Angle made the green ass Cena look like Benoit. Matter of fact that is my signature moment for Angle/WWE. That and his first title win against the Rock. The crowd was glued to that match.

 

[The Brain]

Kurt's debut was done brilliantly. Being labeled as "the first real wrestler" in the WWF was such a deliberate slap in the face to everyone. Mostly because you couldn't tell if they were trying to be insulting or not, until he actually cut his first live promo after winning his 1st match. I knew from the get go that he was being booked properly character wise. On top of that the man was just tremendous in the ring and hilarious on the mic. He was just such a damned natural. The man never looked green....EVER!

100% agree. I don’t want to pat myself on the back but I absolutely knew Kurt Angle would be a star while watching his debut match. Obviously I’m not the only one. When his first vignette aired it seemed that Angle was just a new goody goody baby face. With each passing week he got subtly more cocky and I remember during the second or third vignette it just clicked with me that this guy was a heel. I suddenly became very intrigued with him. He debuted at Survivor Series 1999 against Shawn Stasiak. I immediately liked him. It may sound insignificant but I liked his red white and blue ring attire after seeing so many guys in the attitude era wearing black. He also brought back a mat based wrestling style that was sorely missing during that era. I remember being pissed off that the fans were chanting “boring” during his match. Angle made the best of it though when he rolled out of the ring during the match and addressed the crowd. “You do not boo an Olympic gold medalist. I came here for you. You do not boo me.” He officially won me over right there. That is the exact moment I knew Angle would be a star. I knew the fans would continue to boo him but they would no longer give him the “boring” chant. Kurt Angle was a true natural. From his ring skills, to his mic skills, to the way he interacted with the fans, Angle had it all right from the start.

Side note; no one had impressed me so quickly as much as Angle did until this past summer. When I saw Alberto Del Rio finally debut on Smackdown I immediately thought this is the best new guy since Kurt Angle.

 

[RJJ]

To me, kurt's defining moment was, in unforgiven 2001 when he beat austin in front of his hometown(kurt's), and ended his 6 months wwe title reign, not only that, but he did it with fashion when he made austin tap out(Even though austin was grabbing the apron). The celebration after the match was amazing, his family was there, every single wwf superstar came out to congratulate kurt, and show their appreaciation. It was without a doubt one of the greatest moment in wwe history.

 

[sislater69]

Back on topic the moment that defined him for me was Wrestlemania 2000. Angle vs. Benoit vs. Y2J for Kurt's prestigious Euro-Continental championship. Being able to hang w/ two of the best in the world really spoke volumes to me. I knew Jericho and Benoit would both have they're days at the top and on that day I knew that Kurt would have his too (What do you know? Months later he won his first world title.) I predicted the finish, that Kurt would lose both belts w/out ever being pinned and it was great. This is one of the 10 if not 5 best matches that I've ever seen at Mania, and that was the moment that defined Kurt Angle.

That was the moment I was going to go with. This really made me stand up and take notice of Angle. The aftermath of losing both titles without ever being pinned, the whole 'poor me, it' s unfair' routine showed me that Angle not only had the in ring ability but the skills on the mic and can be excellent in a comedy routine.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

In my opinion Angle's greatest moments in the WWE are:

1. Winning the WWE title at Unforgiven 2001: Making Steve Austin tap out in his prime is a great moment regardless of the circumstances. But in this case it is the circmstances that make this event so special. This victory was achieved by Kurt on the backdrop of the 9/11 attacks. An American hero like Kurt winning the title created a nice feel good moment for the fans. This was Kurt's peak as a babyface.

What I also liked was the fact that WWF did not resort to some cheap tactic, like having a Muslim heel go up against Kurt. Often in the past and even after that WWE have done similar things and have drawn muh flak from the media. But this was a good way to handle the issue by letting a very dependable perormer like Austin play the role of a heel. It did create a feel good moment and WWF came out of the debacle looking classy.

2. Main Eventing WM 19: Like the previous case main eventing Mania itself should be a special moment in anyone's career regardless of the circumstances but again it is the circumstances that make it more special. Angle had sustained a career threatening neck injury and was not supposed to make it to Mania. In fact a title match was set up a few weeks before Mania between Angle and Lesnar and we all thought that Angle would drop the title to Lesnar. But instead it turned out to be an elaborate hoax as Angle retained the title with help from his brother Eric Angle and the match was on.

In terms of quality of in ring action, it is one of the best Mania main events of all time. The match that looked impossible a few weeks ago materilized in stunning fashion with Lesnar winning the title after 20 minutes of exhilirating action.

 

[MrAdam87]

From reading all the comments it becomes easy to see that Angle really was something special in his prime. I was a fan of what Angle could bring to the ring whether it be a match or a promo, he really did know how to work the crowd and when need be, react to the crowds moods and chants.
With that said the moment that always stands out to me is the weeks leading into the first INVASION PPV, 'The Rattlesnake' was back and ready to brawl and in the background was Anlge. During the main event team tag match Angle stood out and was laying a beating on all comers and got the biggest pop he had ever got (*previous to this night*), then came Austin's turn and the Victory to the WCW/ECW which as a young teenager at the time I didn't really see it coming.
For the rest of the INVASION storyline Kurt shone and became a strong Face.
I think it was this particular period over several months that Angle garnered real respect from me which would make for him to be a better face/heel then he ever was before it.
Everything that came after this where some of his greatest moments, Feuds, Matches, Titles ect; which is why my reasoning is this was the defining moment because it started his 'real' rise to the top.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think the defining moment for Angle in the WWE was the milk-spraying incident where he drenched Stone Cold and The Alliance in cold milk. I know, I know, people are going to be thinking "Why not choose a wrestling match? Why choose something as silly as that?"

Well, this was the moment that I believed Kurt Angle really made it to the absolute top in the WWE. Wrestling was still in its biggest boom period at this time, and WWE was on a HUGE roll. To have Angle mimic the actions of Stone Cold (who used the beer truck), who was the biggest star of his generation, by driving a truck down to the ring and spraying the heels with milk, showed the immense confidence WWE had in Kurt, trusting him to get it over. Which he did, very well.

The milk fitted Angle's "All-American" good 2-shoes image, and it was an extremely memorable moment. The fans loved it, Kurt himself looked like he was having a great time, and to me it made Kurt Angle look like a star, silly as it was.

Plus it gave us a great couple of lines from JR..."Milk-O-Mania is running wild!" (which is obviously a play of Hulkamania, again placing Kurt on the same level as the legendary Hulk Hogan), and "The Billion Dollar Princess has just become...the Dairy Queen!" (referring to Stephanie McMahon getting soaked by the milk.

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[Dwayne_Jason]

I'd say his matches with Brock is when I really started to notice how much of a wrestler he is. He rarely faced competition as a wrestler in his tenure in WWE but with Brock Lesner, in my opinion, was when he was at its ultimate best and it was during then I started to watch WWE.

Their Mania match was phenomenal almost like they actually hated each other and the things leading up to them was absolutely great. Both of them stiffed each other and they both actually made me believe that this was real.

Kurt vs Brock was one of those few times in WWE where the match was so close to being real.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

Let's be honest 2001/02 was a good time for the man, my moment is from there also but it isn't something that he really did himself, more something that happened to him and benefited him massively I believe.

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Your probably thinking that this moment is pretty insignificant compared to some of them, but I think it had a massive impact.

See Kurt Angle ever since his début was always physically a threat, that much was obvious. He won titles with reckless abandon and had easily one of if not the quickest ascension to the highest heights ever witnessed. But he was always somewhat the brunt of the joke, he could beat anybody but people still didn't really take him seriously despite this. He was a certain type of heel, in short what Jack Swagger is now, is what Kurt Angle used to be almost mirrored.

Hair is just part of an image but after this..... he just seemed to be believed. People were still chanting You Suck when he came out, he still got booed but he was different, he was a different more aggressive guy who put everyone on notice. He went from:

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A good heel, but always feeling a little bit inoffensive to:

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Hard as nails (minus the kiss). And I believe the hair was the precedent for the change. And as to why it was significant? It really changed how he was viewed from a wrestling stand-point. You rarely hear people talk about his work first entering the company but after this incident he became known as a guy that could have a good match with anyone, a thorough-bred wrestler. HBK at Wrestlemania, AJ Styles in TNA, Undertaker, Austin, you name it and I think it's down to his change of image.

It's a bit unorthodox and easily disputable but for me it was the most significant thing that's happened to him.

 

[Craig-O-Mac]

For me, I think his night at King of the Ring 2001 deserves a mention. Kurt was embarking on retaining his King of the Ring throne. Kurt came through the brackets to be involved in the tournament semi-finals with his Team RECK cohorts Rhyno, Edge and Christian. He beat Christian in a the semi-final and went on to lose to Edge.

As if this wasnt enough, Kurt was also scheduled to compete in a Street Fight with Shane McMahon. Those who can recall this match will remember it for its brutality. Kurt suplexed Shane O Mac through panes of glass, only after dropping him on his head with a previous failed attempt. Crazy shit. He then finished Shane off with a top rope Angle Slam off a wooden board. It was a mental night from the Olympic Gold Medalist and it deserves recognition.

 

[BTLion1990]

I loved everything about Kurt from his debut to his last match. I'd say the moment I took him seriously was winning the six man Hell In a Cell Match. A match littered with stars such as Stone Cold, The Rock, The Undertaker, HHH...... (Rikishi ) It was great to see him win over so many stars.

The feud with Lesnar was also a platform for him to cement his legacy, as well as defeating Hulk Hogan.

 

[J-sin]

Angle's defining moment/period for me was the WCW/ECW invasion. It was during this time that we saw him really become a star. He had some classic promos with none other than Stone Cold and Mr McMahon. And he was given the one of the most vital roles in the whole invasion storyline when he turned out to be the guarantee that saw Vince win control of the company after we thought Angle's allegencies were with ECWCW he turned on Shane and Stephanie and delivered a chair shot to SCSA to seal the win for WWE and Vince. I think this was a great turning point for Angle's career...... BTW just off the subject I thought it was funny the very next night on RAW when Austin (who had been the biggest heel in the company for nearly the past year) came out to a huge pop and was immediately a huge face again, it's a pity that when he became a face again he stopped saying "What?"

 

[darbare]

I'd have to agree that during the Invasion he was awesome. He could be comedic with the little cowboy hat playing second fiddle to Austin, but then he had that spectacular match with Stone Cold at Unforgive where he got piledriven on the concrete. He always had good matches with Taker, Stone Cold, RVD, and he did it all WITH A BROKEN FREAKIN NECK LOL..seriously though I wish Kurt would come back. Now that I think about it he was only around for like 7 years, and hes been in TNA for almost 5 already. Way to waste time as far as classic matches go.