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View Full Version : Kurt Angle Reflects On 2003 Match With Chris Benoit



Kemo
12-29-2018, 01:28 AM
WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle has been a part of some tremendous matches in his professional wrestling career. One of the most memorable, however, was his WWE Title bout with Chris Benoit at the 2003 Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Angle, the then-WWE Champion, defended his title against “The Canadian Crippler.”

For the 20 minutes the men shared the ring together, Angle and Benoit, two of the best technical wrestlers of all time, put on one for the ages. With the 2019 Royal Rumble approaching in the next few weeks, Angle took to Instagram to reflect on what was arguably his best match at a Royal Rumble PPV ever:

“Up next….. Royal Rumble in January 2019. 16 years ago I had the privilege of defending my WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. This is how the match was explained verbally to those who haven’t watched it. “Professional wrestling in its purest form is as beautiful as ballet, as elegant as a ballroom dance and as captivating as a theater.

“By purest form I mean technical wrestling, which in today’s world is almost non-existent. The fiery chain wrestling, involving great chemistry, in-ring psychology and dream like story telling is something that happens when all the stars align.”

“This match was one of my best performances of my career. If you haven’t seen it, give it a look.”


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Angle didn’t mention Benoit by name in the post, but his likely reasons for doing so are understandable. Benoit took his own life in 2007 after murdering his wife, Nancy, and seven-year-old son, Daniel, in their Fayetteville, Georgia home. Since the incident, WWE has essentially blacklisted Benoit from WWE memory.

He is not mentioned on WWE programming or in WWE record books. The only evidence of his past matches with the company are on the WWE Network. Looking ahead to the 2019 Royal Rumble, Angle’s role remains unclear, but that’s likely to change in the coming weeks.