Kurt Angle’s retirement in early 2019 ended one of the most impressive careers in wrestling history. The move from freestyle Olympic wrestling to sports entertainment saw Angle shock the world. No one expected him to pick up the art of wrestling as quickly as he did. Angle won the WWE Championship within his first year on the roster and instantly became one of the best in the world.
WrestleMania has always been the biggest stage for superstars in WWE, and Angle showcased that in his career. The nine matches from Angle in WrestleMania all provided different results. Some were classics that will live in infamy forever. Others unfortunately missed the mark and probably shouldn’t have happened. We will look back to find out just what caused each result. These are all nine Kurt Angle WrestleMania, matches ranked from worst to best.
9 Kurt Angle vs Baron Corbin (WrestleMania 35)
The worst WrestleMania match and (ironically) one of the worst high-profile matches of Kurt Angle’s career was his duel with Baron Corbin. For his retirement match at Wrestlemania 35, the WWE wanted Angle to face a heel. Not a bad idea, but the man management picked left a lot to be desired.
Fans were livid that a better wrestler like John Cena didn’t get the spot for Angle to have a better sendoff. Simply put, the match with Corbin was a huge disappointment. Angle was too banged up to carry the younger star and it resulted in an incredibly lackluster match on the biggest stage.
8 Kurt Angle vs Kane (WrestleMania 18)
Another wasted Kurt Angle match came at WrestleMania 18 when facing off against Kane. Angle was already in a strong position with the reputation as arguably the best wrestler in the world. Kane was a top-level star, but he didn’t have the in-ring excellence to keep up with Angle.
The match got lost in the shuffle and is one that fans forget despite featuring two legends. Angle could have had a better match that night against a name like Steve Austin or Edge with greater importance as well.
7 Kurt Angle vs Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit (WrestleMania 16)
The first WrestleMania match of Kurt Angle ever fought in was at WrestleMania 16, just six months into his main roster run. Angle was already a double champion heading into his match defending both the Intercontinental Championship and European Championship.
Angle's two titles would have two falls in a triple threat match against the two opponents of Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. Angle lost both titles without getting pinned once, as each Chris pinned the other. The match was fun and provided a great start on the biggest stage for Angle.
6 Kurt Angle vs Rey Mysterio vs Randy Orton (WrestleMania 22)
Another triple threat match for Kurt Angle came at WrestleMania 22 with a bigger title on the line. Angle was having a dominant World Championship reign on the Smackdown brand heading into a title match against Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton.
The match was shorter than expected for a main event level match between three top level stars. Mysterio pulled off the upset to win the World Championship for the first time in his career. All three guys used their time well for a highly entertaining match.
5 Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit (WrestleMania 17)
The rivalry between Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit would see them have quite a few classic matches. One of the first standout bouts came at WrestleMania 17. Both men were performing at a high level and delivered an outstanding technical wrestling bout.
Angle scored the victory to earn the advantage ass their feud continued in the following months. WrestleMania 17 is considered arguably the best show in WWE history due to a great card of variety. Angle and Benoit brought the technical style to the card as no one touched them in that area.
4 Kurt Angle & Ronda Rousey vs Triple H & Stephanie McMahon (WrestleMania 34)
Kurt Angle’s first WrestleMania match in 12 years happened to be Ronda Rousey’s first match in WWE. The faces teamed together to face off against the common enemy of Triple H and Stephanie on the biggest stage at WrestleMania 34.
Many fans expected disappointment from a rookie, a non-wrestler and two part-time veterans. All four wrestlers delivered a strong performance and shockingly stole the show. Fans went into the event thinking AJ Styles vs Shinsuke Nakamura would be the top match, but the mixed tag was the classic of the night.
3 Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 19)
WrestleMania 19 was the one WM main event of Kurt Angle in his career. WWE went with the rivalry of Angle and Brock Lesnar as the top match of the night. Both wrestlers had outstanding chemistry together partially thanks to their amateur wrestling backgrounds.
The back and forth bout was quite exciting as fans were on the edge of their seats. It was even more impressive finding out later that Angle was working through a brutal neck injury. Lesnar pulled off the victory despite almost breaking his neck on a botched Shooting Star Press.
2 Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania 20)
Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero were given plenty of time at WrestleMania 20 to put on a technical wrestling classic. At the time, Guerrero was having the hottest run of his career after winning the WWE Championship.
Meanwhile, Angle turned heel to oppose Guerrero, fueling the biggest feud on the Smackdown side. Both men were at their best when getting to perform on the biggest stage. Eddie used his tactics to untie his boots to get out of the Ankle Lock and steal the victory in a legendary match that's considered to be one of the classics.
1 Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 21)
The dream match of all dream matches for technical wrestling fans came at WrestleMania 21. Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle had their first match on the biggest possible stage with a world of hype for them to deliver a classic.
Both men gave it their all and refused to drop the ball. Michaels and Angle created magic on this night with a five-star classic. The Staples Center was rocking with all the false finishes and counters. Angle pulled off the victory via submission in what may be the best overall match of his career.