Kurt Angle won an Olympic Gold Medal with a broken freakin' neck in the summer of 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia. Three years later, Angle made his WWE debut at Survivor Series 1999 and he transitioned into an exceptional wrestler with ease. Angle had a brilliant full debut year in 2000 as he won the European, Intercontinental Championships, became King of the Ring and closed out the year as the reigning WWE Champion.
Angle has a high threshold of pain, and he has picked up several injuries throughout his WWE career. Nevertheless, the former six-time WWE World Champion featured in many memorable matches on WWE PPVs, especially in one-on-one matches. Picking up a victory over Angle isn't easy, and it is a huge achievement to get the better of him.
17 Tazz
Kurt Angle boasted a two-month unbeaten record when he headed into the 2000 Royal Rumble event held in Madison Square Garden. The Olympic Gold Medalist collided with Tazz, who was unveiled as his surprise opponent and he made his WWE debut.
This was arguably the highlight of Tazz's in-ring WWE career as it went downhill after this besides his stint on commentary. Tazz's hometown crowd was firmly behind him, and Tazz shattered Angle's unbeaten run with the Tazzmission.
16 The Undertaker
Kurt Angle and The Undertaker had some brilliant battles over the World Heavyweight Championship in 2006, but the duo clashed at Fully Loaded 2000 in one of the triple main event matches scheduled. Undertaker was in a bad mood as Angle troubled Undertaker's motorcycle earlier on in the show.
Undertaker overpowered Angle with ease, and the Olympic Gold Medalist barely had any answers. Undertaker executed the Chokeslam, and he followed it up with the Last Ride to put Angle out of his misery.
15 Triple H
The rivalry between Kurt Angle and Triple H was fantastic as they were involved in a love triangle involving Triple H's wife Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. The two rivals were pitted against one another at Unforgiven 2000 with Mick Foley overseeing proceedings as the special guest referee.
Angle had the advantage heading into the bout as Triple H's ribs were taped. Their match was competitive with neither man wanting to lose. Ultimately, Triple H was triumphant after he executed the Pedigree on Angle.
14 The Rock
Kurt Angle defeated The Rock for the WWE Championship at No Mercy 2000, and four months later, the Great One was looking to regain the gold from Angle at No Way Out 2001. Angle and Rock's series of matches are underrated, and this match knocked it out of the park.
Big Show made his presence felt and he laid out both men with his trademark Chokeslam. Angle wasn't going down as he kicked out of the Rock Bottom. He was unable to kick out of another with Rock becoming a six-time WWE Champion.
13 Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho defended his WCW Championship against Kurt Angle across the pond at Rebellion 2001. Angle was looking to become a double champion as he was the reigning WCW United States Champion.
Jericho and Angle's battle went back and forth with both enjoying spells of dominance. However, Angle failed to bring the WCW Championship back to the Alliance with Jericho retaining the Big Gold Belt.
12 Steve Austin
Kurt Angle and Steve Austin were involved in the four-man tournament to crown the first-ever Undisputed WWE Champion at Vengeance 2001. Angle and Austin clashed over the WWE Championship, and Angle was seeking his third PPV win over Austin in a few months.
It's no surprise that Austin and Angle continued their good run of matches against each other. Both were desperate to advance to the final, but the Texas Rattlesnake saw off Angle in a successful WWE Title defense.
11 Edge
Kurt Angle was aiming to become a back-to-back winner of the King of the Ring tournament in 2001, but he ran into his former buddy Edge in the final. Angle and Edge had an intriguing match, and Edge became the new King of the Ring.
The pair feuded once again in 2002 with Angle beating Edge at Backlash, but the stakes were higher at Judgment Day in a hair versus hair match. Edge was victorious, and Angle was humiliated with Edge shaving his head bald.
10 Brock Lesnar
Kurt Angle was in an insurmountable amount of pain as he defended the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 19 against Brock Lesnar. Angle's neck was broken, and this was a remarkable wrestling match between the pair.
Lesnar attempted the Shooting Star Press but he landed flush on his head. Angle and Lesnar hit a home run in the right choice to close out WrestleMania, and Lesnar captured his second WWE Championship win with an F5.
9 Eddie Guerrero
One of the greatest WWE Championship matches took place at WrestleMania 20 with Kurt Angle entering as the challenger as he was aiming to bring the curtain down on Eddie Guerrero's WWE Championship reign. Angle and Eddie stole the show in one of the best matches of the night.
Both men had their working boots on, and Angle had several chances to regain the WWE Championship. As expected, Latino Heat played possum by rolling up Angle to retain the WWE Championship with his boot being taken off.
8 Big Show
Kurt Angle and Big Show are two legends in the professional wrestling business, and their paths crossed over the years. At Backlash 2000, Angle and Show locked horns with Show impersonating Hulk Hogan, and Angle suffered a loss in just under three minutes.
Show was out for revenge at No Mercy 2004 against Angle as the Olympic Gold Medalist, Luther Reigns, and Mark Jindrak shaved his head bald. Their match at No Mercy was miles better than their Backlash contest, but the result remained the same with Show victorious.
7 Booker T
Booker T was looking to gain revenge for his wife Sharmell as Kurt Angle had an obsession with her in the spring of 2005. The two former World Champions went head-to-head at Judgment Day.
The Olympic Gold Medalist was bleeding from the mouth, and whilst Booker was in the ascendency, Angle had some offense of his own. Nevertheless, Angle attempted the Angle Slam but it was to no avail with Booker rolling up Angle for the win.
6 Shawn Michaels
Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels tore the house down at WrestleMania 21, and they had another outstanding affair at Vengeance 2005. This match had everything from near falls to false finishes with both giving it their all.
The Heartbreak Kid rarely loses to the same opponent twice on pay-per-view, and he was ensuring that he'd level the score in their feud. Michaels weathered the storm, and he finished off Angle with his patented Sweet Chin Music.
5 John Cena
Kurt Angle and John Cena's rivalry was underrated in 2005 and they battled when they were both members of SmackDown and Raw. At No Way Out, Cena defeated Angle to become the number one contender for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21.
Months later, Angle and Cena were battling over the WWE Championship. Angle's manager Daivari was the special guest referee at Survivor Series. Daivari was removed from the equation, and Cena took advantage by putting Angle away with the FU in a successful title defense.
4 Mark Henry
Kurt Angle and Mark Henry had an underwhelming affair over the World Heavyweight Championship at the 2006 Royal Rumble, but they made up for it with a better outing at Judgment Day. Angle's ribs were taped up, and he sold the injury throughout.
Their match spilled onto the outside, and the World's Strongest Man showed no mercy by ramming Angle into the ring post. Ultimately, Angle was unable to answer the count of 10, and Henry was triumphant by count out.
3 Randy Orton
The curtain-raiser at Vengeance 2006 was the battle between former World Champions Kurt Angle and Randy Orton. Angle beat Orton at ECW One Night Stand, and the Legend Killer was looking to flip the script.
Angle was relentless with his German Suplexes, but Orton fought back. This was an underrated clash, and Orton pushed Angle into the exposed turnbuckle and he sealed the deal with his patented RKO.
2 Dolph Ziggler
For the first time in 12 years, Kurt Angle competed in a singles WWE pay-per-view match at Crown Jewel 2018. He collided with Dolph Ziggler in the quarterfinals of the World Cup tournament.
The pair of former World Champions had a good match here which is overlooked. The Olympic Gold Medalist attempted to cinch in the Angle Lock but the Showoff fought out of it, and he advanced to the semis with Zig-Zag,
1 Baron Corbin
Fans and Kurt Angle alike were hoping that he had a dream match to close out his remarkable in-ring career. Instead, Angle was pitted against Baron Corbin at WrestleMania 35 and it was an underwhelming contest.
The scheduling of the match on the card didn't help matters either. This was Angle's first match at WrestleMania in 13 years and whilst he managed to execute the Angle Slam and Angle Lock, it wasn't enough with Corbin picking up a huge win over the WWE Hall of Famer.