5 WWE Royal Rumble PPV matches that were better than the Rumble itself

#1 Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (WWE Royal Rumble 2003)

Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit

WWE Royal Rumble 2003 was the night when Brock Lesnar became the future of the company. Yes, he had defeated The Rock at SummerSlam 2002, but winning the Rumble ensured he would go on to main event WrestleMania 19 and walk out as the winner at The Grandest Stage Of Them All. From a historical context, it's one of the most vital Rumble matches of all time.

However, Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit for the WWE Championship on the same show was the best match of the night. Wait, it wasn't just the best match of the night, but the best of the year, and probably of the whole decade. Two of the finest in-ring performers going out at each other for almost 20 minutes was bound to produce greatness.

15 years ago yesterday was Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle from 2003 #RoyalRumbleThat match was the match where I remember saying to myself how much I love wrestling and how I will never stop watching it.15 years later, here we are....... pic.twitter.com/ZRJHitz7tF

— LK (@LKWrestling) January 20, 2018

There were no outside shenanigans or interferences to hamper the action in the ring. Just two wrestling gods trying to prove why they are better than each other. The ending saw Angle coming on top and retaining his title, but it was Benoit who, with his performance, laid the seeds for his triumph at WrestleMania 20 in the following year.

Kurt Angle had said in an interview that this was the finest match of his career and that Chris Benoit is the best in-ring performer of all time. No one can deny both these facts after watching this masterpiece from WWE Royal Rumble 2003.