Chris Benoit vs Kurt Angle: WWE Championship match, Royal Rumble 2003

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. There have been only a handful of such ‘magicians’ in professional wrestling, who could captivate even those who weren’t/aren’t interested in something which is considered ‘fake’. Similar to a soothing music with nonchalant grace and impeccable flow, technical wrestling is a treat to watch. The Dynamite Kids, Bret Harts from the WWF, and the Misawas, Tsurutas and the likes from Japan are the very few who were blessed with such abilities. But there were two other guys who were blessed with the same abilities; one was gaining popularity in the mid 90s, travelling all around the world and putting on classics, while the other was a part of the United States Olympic team for wrestling, and eventually won a gold medal. The first being Chris Benoit and the latter, Kurt Angle.

“I am the greatest technical wrestler in the history of the WWF!” – Chris Benoit

Kurt Angle turned professional when he joined the WWF, while Chris Benoit wrestled under various monickers for a decade before joining the WWF. Benoit honed his craft, following in the footsteps of his idol, the Dynamite Kid. Ever since Chris Benoit joined the WWF along with the Radicalz, there was one question in the minds of the fans and the management alike: Who was the better wrestler – Chris Benoit or Kurt Angle? They met several times before, putting on 5 star classics, and while Kurt Angle held the WWF championship, Benoit had to work his way up, until they met once again in 2003, during the Royal Rumble.

“Benoit: I’m ten times better than you.

Angle: Well… well, I’m eleven times better than you!”

Background:

During the end of 2002, Kurt Angle was the WWE champion, and he had acquired the services of Paul Heyman and Team Angle to make sure he remains the WWE Champion. But the new number 1 contender and Kurt Angle’s old rival, Chris Benoit had other plans. Benoit was one of the most feared and respected competitors in the WWE at that point, and although he was unsuccessful in his previous attempts to win the WWE title, going into Royal Rumble, Chris Benoit guaranteed that by the end of the night, he would make a lasting impression. Weeks leading to the event, Angle had attacked Benoit, using his henchmen to take down the Rabid Wolverine, but Chris Benoit, being the most tenacious and fierce competitor that he was, did not back down from the challenge.

The match:

At the Royal Rumble, Kurt Angle made his way out to the ring in front of a sold out crowd in the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts with Team Angle followed by Chris Benoit, and Team Angle was ejected from the ring before the match began! This leveled the playing field as Benoit and Angle locked up, as two of the greatest technical wrestlers stood toe to toe in the center of the ring. What followed was traditional chain wrestling to start things off, as Angle and Benoit sized each other up. Angle took control early on to control the pace and the flow of the match, as the technical genius of both the competitors started to show. Both of them traded holds, as Kurt Angle worked on the injured neck of Chris Benoit for the first half of the match.

Chris Benoit made a brief come back as both men traded blows, and midway, both of them were knocked off their feet. Afterwards, Benoit took over the control with stiff chops and German suplexes, Although Kurt tried to make a comeback, Benoit trapped Angle in the crossface, but Angle reached the bottom rope, and then Benoit trapped Angle in his own submission, the ankle lock! The crowd witnessed some classic reversals as each man tried to lock his submission move on the opponent as the crowd went wild. Kurt Angle delivered the Angle slam, but Benoit kicked out at 2! As a frustrated Angle tried to seize the initiative, Benoit halted his momentum, and what followed was an exchange of German suplexes as Benoit turned Angle over with a flipping release German! A loud ‘Let’s Go Benoit’ chant started as Benoit went for the Swan dive headbutt, and covered 80% of the ring to deliver the headbutt on the other side!

The match reached its final stages when Angle reversed Benoit’s attempt for a cross face and delivered a huge Angle slam, but Benoit trapped Angle in the crossface as the crowd went nuts! Angle reversed it into another ankle lock as Benoit tried to escape, but Angle locked in the submission once more as Benoit tried to hang on for over 90 seconds, but finally tapped out! An outstanding classic ending with Team Angle coming down to help the champion up. But true to his word, Benoit proved his point. As Benoit slowly made his way to his feet, the packed crowd stood up and gave Benoit a standing ovation, something every professional wrestler dreams of. Benoit and Angle left everything in the ring, and the crowd showed their love and appreciation to both the performers. A truly incredible match that defined what professional wrestling was all about.

Aftermath:

The events that followed included Angle losing the title to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, as Kurt took time off to undergo a neck surgery. Benoit on the other hand proved that he was main event material, and the next year, went on to win the Royal Rumble, and fulfilled his 2 decade dream of being the World champion, as he won the World title at WrestleMania 20! The fairy tale ride of Chris Benoit showed how dedication and hard work always pays in the end, and this match went down as one of the greatest wrestling matches in the history of professional wrestling.