Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle

[9.0] "Amazing. They told a great story heading into this one, with both men's over-aggressiveness and need to prove superiority ultimately costing them throughout the match, leading to some beautiful counters. Benoit and Angle's chemistry is perfect here, as both are completely in sync. Their trademark spot-for-spot sequences are present, but it actually works this time, since neither man does much lasting damage--the story doesn't call for it. The ending is fantastic, once again playing into the narrative: both men, exhausted, try to steal a win, with Angle attempting to cheat by using his foot on the ropes, only to be caught and rolled up by Benoit, who also uses the ropes to secure the victory. Angle vs. Benoit is a feud I've found slightly overrated over time, as many of their matches devolve into finisher fests and spot-for-spot showcases. But this match completely delivers: a simple, effective story combined with crisp action. Easily the best match they ever had together, and a true classic. (****3/4)"

[10.0] "This was fantastic. This was the first singles match between Angle and Benoit in over a year and neither of them missed a beat. Both of these guys are so evenly matched, which is demonstrated when each one continues to one up the other. The wrestling and counter wrestling is done to perfection with neither man finding a clear advantage. The match is so good that it doesn't need high spots to feel like a big deal. The finish is complained about, but I think it's great. Benoit wins with the assistance from the ropes right after Angle tries a similar tactic. To me, it shows that the hatred is enough to win at any cost necessary on either side, which also sets up their upcoming storyline as a tag team that hates one another. I love this match."

[10.0] "What a match! Today it's common for crowds to chant "this is wrestling" even when the match itself looks more like a gymnastics exhibition. But THIS is wrestling. You'll see shades of both freestyle and mat wrestling techniques coupled with classic pro wrestling power moves and submissions, all performed flawlessly and whole telling a story of one-upsmanship and a rivalry driven by pride. The finish fits logically with the story of the match, with Benoit needing to adopt Angle's win at any cost attitude to pull off the win, such is how evenly matched these two are. Watch out for the silky smooth reversal into the ankle lock from Kurt while he's held in the cross face. Just brilliant!"

[9.0] "These two always had such great chemistry and this match was no different. Amazingly, this probably wasn't even the best match between these two (Royal Rumble 2003) and that's simply a testament to these two men's greatness in the ring. My only minor gripe with this match is that it probably could've been a tad longer but it does its job as a semi main event. Spectacular match."

[8.0] "Really good match and I respect it, but just not generally my preferred style. I think both guys had insanely good chemistry and basically perfected this kind of match style, however. I can definitely appreciate what they did."

[9.0] "Now this! this is THE match between these two men until Royal Rumble 2003, better than even the cagematch between the two (****1/2)"

[5.0] "Pretty straightforward action for these two, but the unique blend of near-flawless mat wrestling and power moves at an impressive pace creates solid drama throughout, making for a compelling match despite the almost nonexistent stakes."

[8.0] "Pretty damn good. This is the 4th match between these two. I honestly didn't see the first three so I can't compare. Angle and Benoit's styles were very similar and that's exactly what makes this so good. In chess both players have the exact same pieces in exactly the same positions at the start. One needs to outsmart the other to get the victory. That's basically what this match was and the winner outsmarted the loser by cheating in this case."

[8.0] "Classic contest between these two, loses a point for the botched/screwy finish. Very well paced and full of chain wrestling, mat wrestling, and suplexes."

[9.0] "What a chemistry these two had. I loved most of their previous matches, but this one definitely was the best one yet. It's easy to call it just pure wrestling without any story, but it wouldn't work that well if both Angle and Benoit didn't have already established interesting personalities. They were as smooth as you can get, their mat wrestling was phenomenal and they knew exactly when to speed things up and slow them down. The crowd was incredibly invested in this, especially when they started trading the submissions and countering each other, plus the whole spot with German Suplexes was the masterpiece itself. A fantastic bout between two guys with a history."

[9.0] "It's a pity that somewhere in the middle of the match, the pace decreased for a few minutes and rose back up. If it had the incredible pace it had in the beginning and in the closing minutes, I would be more than happy to give it 10. But damn, how much chemistry they have? Great stuff"

[8.0] "One of the best pure wrestling matches of 2002. Doesn't need a story, just two guys who don't like each other and think they are better than the other. I didn't love the finish but the submission reversals all match were legit some of the best I've seen"

[9.0] "Excellent technical wrestling match here, with both men showing what they could do on the mat. The submission reversal sequences stand out, but it was all great. The crowd couldn't care less, unfortuantely."

[9.0] "Another fiercely contested match between Angle and Benoit that is full of intense grappling and physical suplexes. Benoit's ferocious wrestling style brings out the most aggressive and competitive side of Angle, and as always the two have very complementary movesets that make for a lot of fun counter sequences. My main gripe with this match is that I really dislike the finish and feel like it undermines all the great wrestling that preceded it. It also pulled the rug out from under the two just as they really had the fans immersed in the action. Still, the rest of the match is a joy to watch, and really stands out as something different compared to everything else that was happening in the WWE at the time."

[4.0] "Angle and Benoit are a pairing that I've yet to connect with. This is the 4th match I've seen from their rivalry and I've yet to rate them above 4/10. One of the reasons for that is because I don't feel like their styles compliment one another. They're two similar. Both men are great bases for other wrestlers to work with, but put them together and it doesn't always click. Their technical wrestling is awesome because of the urgency. It's a realistic scramble for holds, but then Angle takes control and he's dull on top. The suplex and big move trading feels soulless. There's no flow in between the big moves and kickouts. This is their best match together up until this point (Royal Rumble '03 is next) and it's mostly well worked, but little of it grabbed me. **1/4"

[9.0] "Fuck yes this match rules Came in with high expectations and they lived up to them for sure. Fantastic technical wrestling with great submission reversals especially the one late in the match where Benoit gets the ankle lock into a Cross face that was awesome. While the finish was a bit surprising and slightly disappointing it doesnt take away much from the match 4.5/5"

[10.0] "I remember really anticipating this match because of their outstanding matches the previous year, and this just does not disappoint. It's just an unrelenting mat clinic between to of the best of all time and it absolutely flew by. In fact I'd say its even more fluid than any of their previous encounters. The transitions, the counters, the unrelenting pace of the match, everything just looked so smooth and perfect to watch with a nice callback to their Wrestlemania classic for the finish. This match is damn near perfection!"

[7.0] "By far the best match of the night, both wrestlers are some of the best there is in WWE at this point. They gave everything they had and put on a great performance. I loved the moment in the match where there were german suplexes from both sides and also where they were constantly countering each other's submissions. The only thing i criticize about this match is the ending because a match of this quality, deserved a clean ending."

[9.0] "This was a brilliant technical wrestling match. Everything Kurt and Benoit did was smooth and there was a lot of intensity. I loved the trading of german suplexes. I thought the finish was great. ****1/2"

[9.0] "Finally, they just let these two go out there and wrestle with no interferences or stipulations involved. They start off with some nice technical wrestling that looks as smooth as always been the two but you can see a clear struggle as they are trying to do it. They kept a nice pace in this one besides some points where Angle would go to the outside after an exchange. Them trading the german suplexes was a spot that I really liked. The countering of each other finishing maneuvers towards the end was great here seeing that they had built up towards it. Benoit getting his foot on the rope was to win after Angle put his foot on the rope to avoid letting him get the rope break was a good ending.****1/2"

[7.0] "These two were finally allowed to go out and just have a plain old wrestling match, which to absolutely no surprise was very exciting. Angle (plus WWE/F at large) in this period was bogged down with a lot of messy brawlfests and finisher-spam matches, which often meant that his actual wrestling skills were totally obscured for the sake of cheap pops and soap opera drama. Here, he got to just go out there and show off his in-ring work, and it was vastly superior to anything else he'd done in the company up until this point (apart from his equally exciting match with Mysterio only a month prior). Benoit was Benoit, so or course he was the perfect partner for Angle to show off his true potential. The entire match was just physical, vicious, and most of all compelling. There was a great sense of competitive intensity here, with both guys intent on proving they were the better all-around wrestler. Their technical-wrestling exchanges were all very realistic and smooth, and executed with great physicality to put over their struggle. I also found their brawling to be appropriately aggressive without going overboard like most WWE matches at the time would. There were good teases of both men hitting their finishing holds quite early on, building up the story of both men being evenly matched due to both being submission specialists. Their selling and bumping were likewise at a very high level, with both men doing their best to make the other's offence look immensely painful and disabling. Their various signature suplexes took a while to come out but were very explosive once they finally did, and they made for a nice change of pace from their previous technical exchanges and brawling. Their series of German suplexes were very good, and Benoit's flipping German suplex was just outstanding. It then felt fresh once both men again returned to trading quick submission-finisher attempts. Angle surviving both the Diving Headbutt AND the Crossface to then transition into his Ankle Lock was pretty absurd because of the outright no-selling involved, but I liked the creativity of how they physically executed the spot, and it created great drama as they then both went back-and-forth countering each other's finishing holds. The finish was pretty cool, with Angle illegally using the ropes to prevent Benoit getting the rope break, only for Benoit to then use the ropes himself for an illegal elevated pin (even though it's pretty dumb that the ref couldn't see that right in front of him). I'm glad we finally got a very good match between these two, since they were two of the few guys in WWE whose strong character work was matched by their equally impressive in-ring abilities. ***3/4"

[9.0] "One of my favorite 2002 WWE matches. A spectacular technical match with some glorious mat work. The psychology over the body part was phenomenal. I don't even mind the finish that much since it still makes sense anyway. Highly highly recommended. [****1/2]"

[9.0] "These two were simply incapable of not having a good match together, and this was no exception. This started off with Angle and Benoit waging a technical war, scrambling between holds with amazing fluidity. As the match wore on, the intensity ramped up with both guys just beating the hell out of each other, trading suplexes in an attempt to batter each other into submission. Loved the counter-wrestling here, especially when Angle reversed the crossface into the Ankle Lock. It looks as though Angle is about to make Benoit tap, but at the last moment Chris manages to scramble out and pin Angle using the ropes. Satisfying end to a great match. ****1/4"

[8.0] "Good match as always from these 2. Great technicality with a finish that I wasn? t a fan of. ****1/2"

[7.0] "This was a really good wrestling match, something you were seeing quite a lot of during this, the 'Smackdown Six' era, and for me it was on the level of their Wrestlemania match the year before."

[4.0] "Okay match. The initial scramble for holds and control is awesome. Fast and smooth. But the match gets a bit dull afterwards. Angle takes control and I lost interest. The work was fine but it didn't seem to have much flow in between the big spots and had some really bad selling. **1/4"

[9.0] "Is there a PPV match between Angle and Benoit that is anything less than great? This match starts with two of the best technical wrestlers ever seamlessly getting each other in and out of holds with such quickness and agility, I love these at the start of these kinds of matches. The finishing sequence is great too and a great callback to their WM17 match with the two other desperate to make each other submit with Angle even stealing Benoit's submission to put it over as the superior hold, only for Benoit to get a sneaky pin to get revenge on when Angle did it at WM. Amazing match."

[7.0] "7. 8/10 : Just like tazz said : A purist's dream match. And it was just that. A delicious prelude to their classic at the Rumble 4 months later, these two left every WWE fan salivating for a longer match between the two with this teaser in its shortness which ultimately deprived this match of a higher rating."

[8.0] "An absolutely great wrestling match. Happy this happened then and not now. Now it would get a "This Is Wrestling" chant, which is always dumb. Very very good. Go watch it. ****1/4"

[4.0] "The match started off with some intense mat work, which was fine. Some cool counters throughout the match by both men too. They quickly go into trading suplexes and other big moves, and during this section of the match, Angle's selling was bad. This is probably the best match that Benoit & Angle ever had against each other. **"

[9.0] "A very good match. Some fantastic mat wrestling including amateur takedowns and pro wrestling chain wrestling. A fast pace with only small rests for the wrestlers to sell. The trading of the german suplexs was amazing as was the final one delivered by Benoit. The reversals of submissions was also very impressive. My main issue is that i would love for it to be longer but to be fair that is exactly was we got at the 2003 royal rumble. A very good match, my rating ****1/2."

[10.0] "One of the most underrated matches ever, everything was perfect in this match, the reversals were unbelievable, Angle & Benoit had this magical chemistry; i've always like the Heel vs Heel matches. ****3/4"

[9.0] "Amazing technical wrestling throughout and some nice sequences with the suplexes and Crossface-Anklelock exchanges. Classic match."