Daveportivo's Cultural Evaluation Facility

So now that my new feature is fully underway I'm going as promised to the top 5 as aposed to top 10 that was just a one of for HBK. Anyway this is not rated on purely match quality, it will take into account importance, infulence and situational factors. So before we get down to business here are a few Honourable Mentions: Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe 30 Minute Iron Man Match, Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero (Wrestlemania XX), Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar Iron Man Match and Kurt Angle vs. Yuji Nagata (NJPW 2008)


5. Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker
(WWE World Title - No Way Out 2006)

I remember when this match started I was thinking damn there taking this at a leisurely Undertaker pace, and while the match was methodical it built and built and built with tremendous drama. This was a match of amazing counters, Angle countered a Last Ride into an Ankle lock, A tombstone into a ankle lock and even a big boot on the ring apron into an Ankle lock in a remarkable moment. Taker also brought his A game countering ankle locks, and Angle slams into Triangle chokes. One of my favorite sequences was where Angle countered a tombstone into one of his own, Taker kicked his legs and countered back and Angle then countered that into an Ankle Lock, taking the crowd by suprise. This match had some brilliant story teling moments thrown in too, Angle Olympic Slammed Taker through a table with the count reaching nine Angle refused to take the count out victory and stopped the referees count. However ultimately this was a match of counters and the match was ended with a fantastic counter, if you haven't seen the match look at the picture above, Angle was stuck in the Triangle choke he was struggling and fading Angle gave it one last gasp effort and flipped into an awesome pin that was reminiscant of Bret Hart's famous million dollar dream counter on Steve Austin. The finish was doubly clever as the announcers played up that neither man had ever tapped out in a wrestling match and this finish was a incredibly logical satisfying way to end with both men refusing to submit. Methodical but epic match up. (****)


4. Kurt Angle vs. Steve Austin
(WWE World Title - Summerslam 2001)

Now some may be wondering if I had to pick one Austin-Angle match why it was this one, why not Backlash, after all that had the clean finish and the big happy ending. However while this match may have had the screwiest of screwy finished it was also one of the most dramatic matches I've ever seen live. The Unforgiven match was great but it was built on the back of this match, you knew what you were going to get, but nothing can match the drama of the first time around. This match was brutal and bloody, Austin beat Angle from pillar to post, especially post, Angle must have gone head first into the ring post about ten times. Angle did a monster blade job and the story of the match was superb with Austin kicking the holy hell out of Angle but without being able to put him away. Angle kicked out of stunner after stunner and hit Austin with seven german suplexes in response. My favorite moment was very early on with Austin stunning Angle getting a two count and then immediately hitting another stunner which Angle sold like a leaping salmon crashing out of the ring to frustrate Austin, it still remains my favorite sell of a stunner.

Frustration was the key word with this match, Austin was frustrated that no matter what trick he pulled out he couldn't win, and we the fans were equally frustrated taken on an emotional roller coaster as Austin killed a series of referees stopping Angle getting the victory he deserved. The finish with evil Nick Patrick running in and DQing Austin rather than counting the three was one of those finishes that had you punching the table in frustration. Luckily in the good way because everyone was begging to see Angle win the title and next month we got our wish. If there are any positives to come from the horrible invasion its the Jericho-Rock feud and the Austin-Angle Feud. (****1/4)


3. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
(WWE World Title - Royal Rumble 2003)

Bizzarely I couldn't actually find a picture of this match at all and I couldn't be arsed to do a screen shot anyway that's besides the point. I think most people would argue that this is Kurt Angle's most fondly remembered match, or erh...it used to be. While many consider it's Kurt's best ever match, I can't agree, the opening of the match was extremely methodical for no apparent reason as it really didn't play into the second half of the match at all. However this is a minor quibble that holds this match back from being Kurt's best ever but cannot stop this match being one of his greatest. After the aforementioned slow start these two really kicked into overdrive and the final two thirds of this match were simply off the hook, the crowd were going absolutely barmy for each and every counter and reversal. This was one of those matches that by the time it reached the final few minutes you were just wishing it didn't have to end. When Benoit tapped the how crowd erupted they didn't care that the heel had just one because they had seen one of the great matches. Had Benoit not died this match would be the cherry on top of one of wrestling's great rivalries. (****1/4)


2. Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe
(TNA World Title - Lockdown 2008)

This was a very brave match, two of the best wrestlers in the world who could have easily wrestled a straight wrestling match and flown on autopilot to a four star plus classic but they weren't going to settle for that, they were going to do something, go in a different dirrection, push the envelope. Joe and Angle attempt a MMA style wrestling match, it was risky it could have looked hooky and lame but it didn't it was absolutely brilliant. The mat wrestling was brutal and realistic, even the punches had purpose, everything seemed to fit together perfectly. What made this match so great was it's very toned down nature, by being so intense and realistic when they did pull out a wrestling spot like a big power bomb or muscle buster from Joe it seem amazing and had so much more impact than it ever could in the context of a regular match. Frank Trigg was superb on commentary giving an MMA perspective and helping to explain to the fans why each wrestler was doing what he was doing. I loved the subtle touches, leg kicks are realistic, look good and are easy to incorperate into wrestling matches, everyone should do them, seriously!

Furthermore not only was this a fanstic match up but it marked the end of a journey for Samoa Joe who went from busting his arse in ROH putting on a series of MOTY candidates before rolling through TNA and getting tripped up along the way by Jeff Jarrett to finally getting his title win against one of the all time greats. The culmination of this journey and the mano a mano, no interference, no bullshit nature of the match made it so great, it's just sad to see how Joe has fallen. But as far as this match is concerned as Kurt Angle would say "It's Real! It's damn Real"!!! Well or as real as Pro Wrestling will ever get. (****1/2)





















1. Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit vs. Edge & Rey Mysterio
(Smackdown Tag Title Tournement Final - No Mercy 2002)

This match was the culmination of the Smackdown Tag Team Title tournement and marks the high point of the tag team wrestling the WWE. Within a year the belts would be pretty much buried and forgoten but for a brief while the tag division was the hottest division in all of wrestling. This match was also the high point of the Paul Heyman era of booking Smackdown, this was four of the infamous Smackdown Six coming together to tear the house down. You can't believe how hot of a show Smackdown was back in 2002, it's having a resurgence now but it will likely never touch these heady heights again.

The match itself was incredibly athletic and innovative, before ROH and the X division had had a chance to change the shape of wrestling, this was the original pinnacle. Four guys pulling out all the spots, crazy double team moves and flashiness from Rey and Edge against the brutal intense and crisp offence of Benoit and Angle. This match was given over twenty minutes and it blew everyones expectations with pretty much non stop action from begining to end. While Kurt was only one of four in the match he still managed to shine executing everything he did to absolute perfection and there's no doubt that while Edge and Rey more than played their part Benoit and Angle carried the match. It's hard to talking about Benoit in glowing terms but this was one of the all time great moments when the two long term enemies and two of the best wrestlers of all time were forced to work together and tore the house down. Classic, innovative and in some ways ahead of its time. (****3/4)

So there we have it! Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle down practically everyone else in history still to go! I have to say I think I made relatively contentious choices for the number one spot for both men but that's the way I like it.

Anyway if anyone wants to suggest who gets my next top five career review go ahead, suggestions welcome, EVEN TEST!!!