Best Title Reign - Kurt Angle

[Cookie14]

Part three of this thread series. You should be getting the hang of this by now, but this one could be a bit harder than previous instalments, because this time we review the championship reigns of Kurt Angle.

Kurt's first title reign started at No Mercy when he defeated The Rock. Angle would hold the title for four months, defeating the Undertaker at Survivor Series then again at Armageddon in a 6-man Hell in a Cell match. He finally lost the title back to The Rock at No Way Out.

Angle won his second title at Unforgiven from Stone Cold Steve Austin, however, he lost the title back to Austin two weeks later.

Angle's next title was the WCW title (the first person to win the WCW title on WWE programming) then he defeated Booker T. This reign lasted only six days before, as seems to be the Angle way, he dropped it back to the person he had won it from.

At Armageddon, Angle defeated Big Show to win his fourth title. He held on to the title until WrestleMania where he was defeated by Royal Rumble winner, Brock Lesnar.

Reign number five started at Vengence, where he overcame Lesnar and Big Show in a Triple Threat match. He then retained at Summer Slam against Lesnar, but Lesnar would win the title from Angle a few weeks later in an Iron Man Match.

Angle's sixth, and final, WWE title run came when he won a 20-man Battle Royal after the title had been vacated. Angle retained at Royal Rumble against Mark Henry, then against Undertaker at No Way Out. This reign would end at WM22 as Rey Mysterio came out on top in a Triple Threat also involving Randy Orton.

So, there you have it.
Which is your favourite, and why??

 

[M. Winters]

For me it's the 4th title run. I was a huge Kurt Angle fan at that point and I think everyone was starting to like Brock Lesnar at that point. The match at Wrestlemania is memorable for different reasons as well but I have to say most of my favorite Angle moments are non-title related so this was a tough one for me.

 

[kcordloh]

His fourth easily for me. The Brock Lesnar feud was the meat and potatoes of it and if you didn't like Brock then the 4th would be hard to stomach. But it also had the Chris Benoit RR 2003 match, the creation of Team Angle, and that little gem of Lesnar & Benoit -vs- Team Angle at No Way Out.

His sixth reign was tempting, but I feel his fourth was much more impressive then just two matches, as he helped give Lesnar his WM moment.

 

[Kaneanite]

For me it's the 6th. I loved the Undertaker match at No Way Out 2006 and Mark Henry surprisingly played a great heel in his feud with Angle. I really enjoyed that title run. Plus, it helps that I love Angle. lol.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

His fourth title reign for sure. At that time Kurt Angle was really hateable as a heel, he had Heyman in his pocket and also had Haas and Benjamin watching his back. Him and Lesnar were easily the focal point of Smackdown at that point.

He had some great promo's that gave him tremendous heat, and not only that he was having some stellar matches with wrestlers, his match against Benoit at RR that year was one of my favorite matches, and he also tore the house down in the main event at WM19 as I thought that was a great match as well. With his matches and his ability to draw heat (especially 2 weeks before Mania when he had that title match with Lesnar and used his brother as a decoy to steal the win, that was great stuff) his fourth reign for me was certainly his most memorable.

 

[CyDeez]

For me it's his final title run, simply because of his gimmick alone! I loved the "Snapped Out" Kurt Angle running through the competition. The Wrestling Machine. It was awesome!

It wasn't his longest run but to me it was his best. And for sure, it was MY favorite!! Sucks he lost it to Rey. But, at least he wasn't pinned by him.

 

[pepentorresHHH]

his first obviously......this guy did it All.....he won the title at the end of his rookie year..... he pinned the rock...then the Undertaker... then retained in the first and only 6 man hell in a cell, then defeated hhh at the royal rumble and ended up losing the title to the rock .... this reign was incredible !

 

[Checkmate]

I'd have to say Angle's first REIGN was the best, as it boosted him to the main event level and really boosted his character. He went over Austin, Triple H, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Rikishi (both separately and at the same time) in one of the better heel title reigns that I can remember. His win over the Rock was the start of the Angle storyline as well as a juncture of the Rikishi/Rock storyline, and his loss to the Rock at No Way Out was absolutely necessary to have Austin/Rock at Wrestlemania. Great reign overall.

However, as great as the first reign was, the actual title WIN from reign #2 was the best of all. I've addressed it before and I will again, but this win over Austin came right after 9/11/01. Angle was locked in his feud with a heel Austin and was THE American hero at this point. People who were watching the WWE at the time needed some relief from the disasters, politics, and national chaos. When Angle made Austin tap out in his own hometown, along with the victory celebration in the ring with his family, everyone watching got some much needed therapy.

I know that reign #2 was incredibly short, but that one moment was more that worth it. Actually, I'd go as far to say that it may have been the greatest moment I can see in any of these reigns overall. So, it would have to be between reigns #1 and #2 for me.

 

[Layorz]

This reign would end at WM22 as Rey Mysterio came out on top in a Triple Threat also involving Randy Orton.

Oh Rey, you so crazy

Angles first reign is the only one I saw, and as a kid I just hated him. He beat the Rock and the Undertaker? Hell, way to kill a kids dreams. So in hindsight, I have to say his first reign was the best, because it showcased his wrestling ability and believability. On top of that, he did a great job making me hate him and watching week in week out hoping he'd get Tombstoned or Rock Bottomed.

 

[Whatsinaname696]

#5 he overcame two of the most physically imposing wrestlers in a triple threat match, held on to it for a nice bit, and dropped it in an iron man match which few wrestlers even do

 

[The Brain]

I’m a little surprised to see all the different opinions. When I saw the title I thought to myself it’s easily his first reign. Kurt was just a rookie when he won the title, but it was obvious he was already a worthy champion. He was a natural. He beat The Rock at the height of Rock’s popularity. He then went on to successfully defend against Taker at Taker’s 10th anniversary event. He survived the six man hell in a cell against some of the biggest names in WWE history. He successfully defended against Triple H at the rumble, and if I’m not mistaken he beat Austin on RAW. Not many of his wins were clean, but here we had a rookie who stepped right in with some all time greats and was able to fit right in. This was a fun reign and it was actually pretty entertaining to see what Angle what Angle would come up with to escape with the title. The finish from Survivor Series was classic. At the time I felt Angle should have gone into WM17 with the title and drop it to Austin. His first reign really put Angle on the map.

 

[LongLiveTheStreak]

Kurt's first title reign was his greatest. Although I hated it when I was 17 , looking back now it was a great reign as WWE Champion. Holding the belt from NO Mercy to No Way Out while defeating Undertaker, HHH, and winning the Armageddon HIAC match was impressive for a WWE rookie. Defeating The Rock at No Mercy completed the greatest rookie year in WWE history; Kurt Angle became a triple-crown champion in his first year in WWE.
Your Olympic Hero! ITS TRUE ITS TRUE

 

[Smartie]

Definitely 4th one.

Although happening in the same time with Rock/Austin III , HBK/Y2J and Hogan/Vince , Lesnar/Angle was the rivalry.They had an amazing match and that was the best ending to an Angle reign.

His first one can also be argued but in that reign Angle was booked in a way similar to way Sheamus is being booked right now , so it wasn't that awesome.

 

[RJJ]

His 1st. Kurt at that time, have always found a way to win against guys like taker, hhh, rock, austin. And let's not forget the infamous 6 man HIAC.

His 2nd reign was emprassive as well. His match with austin at Unforgiven is one of greatest matches he's ever been in.



NOTE:
Opps my bad. I've already posted this.

 

[RIPRKO1005]

No doubt a tie between his 4th and 5th title runs. Why? One reason . . . . . . . . . Lesnar VS Angle feuded during both of those title runs. Whenver both those guys were in the ring i was always excited and impressed with there matches.

 

[Dum Dum Dudley]

As amazing as the feud with Lesnar was, my personal opinion is the first reign for a number of reasons. Firstly, i believe he was solidly built up as a main event guy as opposed to the pushes that Sheamus and Swagger have recieved lately. He won the title hot on the heels of a terrific feud with HHH over the summer of '00 includiing a very entertaining triple threat including The Rock over the WWF title. To receive a rub off two top guys like that really showed he was going places and i think the mic work that HHH and The Rock possess helped Kurt gain confidence on the mic and become the perfect package.

Secondly, he went over an established face who was extremely over in The Rock. It really was a well built run; let HHH build him up into a credible heel and then let Kurt win by interference to gain some heat. It was genius as the HHH feud helped build Kurt up to the extent that even though he 'cheated' to beat The Rock he didn't look totally weak ala Sheamus; instead it just added to his heel heat because The Rock was so over.

Thirdly, he really created this character of a cunning, cocky no-it-all. Look at the finish to the Taker match at Survivior Series. The swap involving his twin brother was a nice little turn and i thought it was hilarious. Again, this may seem like i'm ragging on Sheamus so please, 'Defenders of the Realm of Sheamus'; put your swords down and just let me explain myself. This finish made it seem as if Angle was prepared and had a game plan against such a threatening foe. Sheamus' DQ finishes just appear to be the result of desperation which makes him look weaker. Yes, Angle looked weak in doing this but he also looked cunning which is something i don't believe Sheamus has shown apart from picking Zack Ryder as is number 1 contender a few weeks ago.

Finally, look at the guys he went over. Taker. Rock. Austin. HHH. Its remarkable to think he went over this guys in a 4 month period. No disrespect to the other reigns (especially the 4th reign which is a huge favourite judging by the posts) but Lesnar and Show at the time were nowhere near as over as those guys were. This feud helped build Kurt and really helped push him to the top. Look at how the feud finished. He dropped down to the midcard and had a solid, technical feud with Benoit that showcased his talents before jumping straight back up to the main-event scene for the Invasion angle.

 

[Vincent Michaels]

I would have to go with his fourth reign.

Angle was freaking AWESOME at this time and could have a good if not great match with almost anybody. The first reason was that he won The Title from Big Show and ended his reign of terror, and by that I mean he was HORRIBLE around this time. Then he went on to have an absolute classic with Benoit at The Rumble. Then as far as putting over Brock at Mania, well.....just watch this.

[YOUTUBE]OSwNVDmluRk[/YOUTUBE]

THAT takes dedication considering what was supposed to go down originally.

 

[WHAT?]

This is a hard one because I honestly enjoyed all of Kurt's WWE title reigns.
I will have to go with his sixth reign as WHC. I was 16, sitting home watching SD, thinking Mark Henry was going to win the battle royal (keep in mind I didn't read the dirt sheets or spoilers at this time) and BAM Kurt Angle comes out and wins! I marked out like a SOB.
Anyways...
I think it was his best because Kurt had this raw energy about him at that time. He was what a world champion was. As pointed out previously he put on one hell of a match with Undertaker at No Way Out as well. Plus it was his last championship in WWE so that means something.