We are witnessing the end of the career for one of the greatest wrestlers of all time — Kurt Angle. He’s given us countless hours of entertainment, and at WrestleMania, he will face Baron Corbin in his farewell match. Yet, the decision to pick the Constable as his final opponent was met with a mixed reception by the WWE universe, and we can see why.
While Corbin is a fine opponent for any wrestler, we think Angle deserves a little more of a bang for a sendoff. With a career spanning two decades, it’s easy to pick and choose a number of names both past and present that would give the Wrestling Machine the perfect retirement match, so we’ve compiled a list of 10 we would have loved.
10 AJ Styles
Since we ended up getting this match on the “Farewell Tour” we can’t rank it too high, but Angle vs Styles is a great matchup spanning back from the Olympian’s days in TNA. The two have fantastic energy, and when they step in the ring, something magic happens. Considering their history, it would be a WWE dream match and a fitting end to a fantastic career.
Still, even without that, Styles is WWE’s most trusted hand and would be the perfect name to carry Angle through his final match.
9 Samoa Joe
Much like Styles, we ended up getting Joe vs Angle, but much like Styles, we think this could be another great end to a great career. WWE might not want to relive it, but the Samoan Submission Machine was the first person Angle interacted with in TNA, so the seeds of a great story could already be planted.
In truth, there’s no way these two would be able to recreate the magic they had down in the Impact Zone, but Joe is good enough to carry the aging Olympian. The two work well together, and their styles compliment each other really well. Plus, ending Angle’s career would do wonders for Joe.
8 Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin made a name for himself as one part of Team Angle alongside Charlie Haas, and while it may be hard to believe for some of our younger readers, Benjamin was one of the most exciting up and coming names in the WWE.
In a way, the pair's names will always be intertwined, so it could make for a great story, but WWE would have a lot of work to do in rehabbing the former Intercontinental and US Champion before he gives Angle a proper goodbye. We don’t know what a match between those two will be like at this point in both their careers, but we could get behind it.
7 Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens can pull a good match out of anyone, and for that reason, he’s the perfect opponent for Angle.
Owens has returned as a babyface, but we all know he can play the perfect obsessed heel who wants nothing more than to end the career of one of the most decorated wrestlers of all time while Angle could play the role of the old warhorse going into one final battle. He knows there’s no way he could, but he’s going to fight anyway. It could be the perfect story.
6 Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan is one of the greatest technical wrestlers currently working for WWE, and Kurt Angle is one of the greatest submission artists of all time. This match really should have happened a while ago, but that could have been the perfect excuse to just pull the trigger.
With that in mind, the former Yes Man is now caught up in a feud with Kofi Kingston, and if we had to choose between the two, we know we’d pick that match. Still, this could have been something great.
5 Andrade Almas
Up until now, we’ve dealt exclusively with established names in WWE, but it looks like the company is more interested in using this as a platform to make a star. So, with that in mind, Almas is the name that should get this opportunity.
He has all the intangibles — a great look, a good mouthpiece, and insane ability between the ropes. He’s put on fantastic matches in both the WWE and NXT, yet he’s somehow slipped under the radar. This could have been the match that cemented Almas as a main eventer for years to come. Hopefully, he gets the spotlight eventually, even without this.
4 Cesaro
This entry is just for us. Cesaro is a fantastic wrestler who has been stuck in the tag team division for a long time. Sure, we love The Bar as much as the next fan, but Cesaro as a singles star is still a possibility.
This would have been a better match five years ago, but we don’t have the luxury of a time machine right now. Still, the Swiss Cyborg is good enough to go up against anyone in the locker room and put on a classic while he’s at it. Angle would be no different. Oh, what could have been.
3 Roman Reigns
We can’t think of a better way for WWE to say “Roman is back” than beating another Attitude Era legend at WrestleMania. Not only that, but there could be a built-in story dating back to TLC 2017 where Angle filled in for The Big Dog in the Shield. The fans went crazy for it, while Reigns had some issues garnering a positive reaction before his return.
Even if they didn’t take this route, Reigns is one of the few big-time names WWE has right now, and with Seth Rollins tied up with Brock Lesnar, we’d still get that big fight feel Angle’s last match deserves.
2 Brock Lesnar
Speaking of Brock Lesnar, he and Angle made magic at WrestleMania before, so there’s no reason to believe they couldn’t do it again. OK, there’s a lot of reasons to believe they couldn’t repeat that fantastic match, and booking it would be a logistics nightmare with The Beast’s schedule and the fact that he holds the Universal Title. Still, this is a fantasy list, and we’re not bookers, so we’re operating under the assumption that it could be done.
To be frank, we’d be a little worried for Angle’s well being here too, but considering the two’s history, Lesnar would be sure to be extra careful. These two defined an era of wrestling, and while neither of them is what they were before, fans could expect some pure wrestling that would be nothing short of heart-stopping.
1 John Cena
John Cena debuted against Kurt Angle, so it would be extremely poetic for him to be Angle’s final opponent. Sure, The Face that Runs The Place has gone Hollywood, but we all know that WWE still has a place in his heart. So, if there’s a reason to bring him back, it would be for this. We all know Cena has the ability to put on a good match, but in this context, he wouldn’t have to.
This is the match we wanted, and sadly, it doesn’t look like it’s in the cards. It’s a shame too because we don’t think Corbin would be able to bring the gravitas to this moment like Cena could.