Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker

[10.0] "[10/10/A+] No matter how many times I watch this match, it never fails to amaze me just how incredible it is. Those final 10 or so minutes might very well be the greatest closing stretch I've ever seen in a match. The huge near falls and the way Angle turns all of Undertaker's signature moves into the Ankle Lock are so damn brilliant."

[7.0] "It's nice to see that I still think this is a really good match all these years on. This had isolated parts that were reminiscent of the cheesiness or sloppiness I don't enjoy with WWE across its various era, but for the most part the work here was really good and it felt like every portion of the match was well-executed. We got a nice early period as Taker aggressively pursued Angle and did well grinding and beating him down, with Angle doing well to sell his pain as well as just his general anxiety about facing Taker. I especially thought Taker's arm-targeting was really good, with it playing well as set-ups for or transitions into Taker's various mid-level signature moves. Angle was enjoyably aggressive in his comebacks, and I liked the story of him being able to evade Taker's more risky attacks and then pounce at the opportune moments. As much of a meme as it's become in some circles, I genuinely do think Taker is a good pro-wrestling striker, and that was paired well with Angle's energetic bumping here. Angle played a fun bully once finally in control as he began working Taker's leg over in a bunch of underhanded and aggressive ways. It was a shame that Angle's arm-selling had been long forgotten in all of this, but at least Taker did well with his leg-selling for the rest of the match. Angle managing to weaken the leg enough that he could quickly cut off any of Taker's mounting momentum was always a really cool idea, as that always made Angle's comebacks convincing when trying to justify how someone as otherwise dominant as Taker could possibly have any reason to struggle. The various ways Angle adjusted so he could keep tearing at and digging into Taker's leg were nice extra touches to put over just how well-rounded his leg-targeting was and to thus further show how intelligent he was. Angle getting prideful enough to refuse the easy count-out win and instead choosing to try beat Taker more cleanly, only to lead to him getting his overeagerness used against him and allowing Taker to get back into the match, was a another nice idea that added to the overarching story of the match, even if technically it's stupid that a referee would refuse to enforce the rules just because one of the wrestlers requested so. Taker continued sell his leg effectively as he attempted to stage those comebacks in the final 1/4th, ensuring that all of Angle's work had not been forgotten, and that's really what holds this match together so well. I also really enjoyed the various transitions both guys had as Taker went for the triangle and Angle obviously for the ankle lock, since they were quite creative ideas and then also executed with impressively slick chemistry, especially for guys who aren't exactly known for that particular type of athleticism. The finisher trades came out at the end as was expected, but they thankfully didn't go too overkill on them and mostly made sure that the guy on the receiving end sold the effects for a decent enough period before they recovered back to their feet or even took control for themselves, and there were actually more teases of finishers that instead led into transition spots or counters instead of pure finishers being hit back and forth. Despite my saying that, we did get some true nonsense at the end as Taker managed to immediately recover from, I think at least a third or even forth total Angle Slam, and lock in his triangle, and that was after his leg had been targeted all-match long as well as immediately prior with an ankle lock. Despite that stupidity and frankly amateurishness, we at least got a really classic finish, as the babyface had a seemingly guaranteed submission locked in only for the heel to fairly counter-pin him for the win, with there being questions as to whether the heel actually tapped out in the process but that being mirky enough that you still believed that the heel earned the win, especially with how impressive Angle's bridging pin was. Really good work all around from both guys. ***1/2"

[9.0] "Two of the greatest. Delightfully fun and rugged in its technicality and physicality. Taker applying americanas and triangle chokes and heavy headlocks: cool as shit. Angle was a fucking monster. Not the biggest fan of the pacing and direction of some of the middle portion of this, but while slow as shit, it's logical and still kind-of good. [8.75] [Also, I need to rewatch this]"

[9.0] "Brock is a better seller with Angle than Taker was. While I absolutely love this match the spots could've been so much better and more believable if Taker utilized his foot better. there would be several times where Taker would use his foot then realize it's supposed to be hurt so he randomly starts limping after moving like a truck. The submission spots were what I was expecting from the Angle and Benoit first rivalry. They were incredible in the ring, but seeing Taker give Angle three or so chockeslams while not acting at all takes it down a point."

[8.0] "[4, 25 Stars] There's some good action, but it's really slow at times, so honestly, I wouldn't go see it again."

[10.0] "One of the greatest wrestling matches I've seen in my entire life. I'm sad we didn't get this at WrestleMania. Woul've been more talked about."

[10.0] "How this is not a 5 star match is beyond me. I couldn't help but be in total awe at how this man was able to turn anything taker threw at him into an ankle lock. It was so back and forth and these two wrestlers entered into a flow state for this match. Excellent."

[7.0] "A solid match but for me it was a bit too long. Technical supremacy by Taker and Angle. Love the constant attempt to Angle Lock which makes Taker go for his Hell's Gate. The final pin was so good but of course the camera does not capture the double win. Could have been a really cool visual if they had captured it. Solid technical match that was not expected out of Taker."

[9.0] "That's Taker working a big intense match and that's great. Like many matches of that era, good start but whole match takes his time to finally escalate into something exciting. At a certain point, just like in Japan actually, people are hyped up and the ending is just brilliant. Angle work and revearsals to use the Ankle Lock is fantastic."

[10.0] "Kurt spends most of the match working over Taker's leg for the ankle lock and Taker as usual is fantastic at selling and telling the story of the match. Loved the epic moment when Taker went for his apron legdrop only to be caught into the ankle lock on the outside. Angle had to get even more vicious to keep control of Taker. I also liked that Angle didn't want to win via count out and wanted to beat Taker in the ring, it suited his character. The final 5 minutes were superb with some great submission transitions and big kickouts. They did a great job making this feel like such a big fight. World class matchup."

[9.0] "One of the rare Undertaker matches from this era that I really love. Taker is a big enough name that you believe he could still win and Angle is just such a monster in the ring. Shame to know he was in so much pain during this time, but he puts on a killer performance here. It did drag just a touch in the middle, however. Cut 5 mins off and this is an all time classic"

[10.0] "This was a WrestleMania Worthy match up. I can't believe it didn't happen at mania. This was so freaking good. I highly recommend to watch this masterpiece."

[10.0] "If this match took place at Wrestlemania it would be considered an all time classic. Both Taker and Angle gave it their all here and showed why they're two of the greatest. The clash of styles is so much fun to watch that it makes me a bit sad that they didn't get to have many matches against each other or any kind of prolonged feud. These guys just went at it for thirty minutes and had a banger."

"[10.0] exellent match better than first time when kurt was facing undertaker " Amarican badass" , the end of the match was amazing when taker get roll up count"

"Kurt and Undertaker is in my top 10 matches of all time Kurt reversing every single thing into the ankle lock, Undertaker refusing to tap out This is arguably the best match of 2006, this was a tweener vs tweener match and it was flawless Easily - 5 star match , I can't stress that enough"

[8.0] "For me, this is a slightly overrated match. But just slightly. It is still a phenomenal one. The storytelling and professionalism is why the match is so good. This has to be one of the first uses of the Hell's Gate by Taker in a high profile match. It might have even been this match that inspired him to make it a bigger part of his arsenal. The match is high impact, fast paced, and intense the whole way. It starts slow with Undertaker's basic stuff, but even that is fine and establishes a basis for the match. Taker is selling his leg excellently, and Kurt is showing his 'machine' character well while also showing respect to the Undertaker's fortitude. And the professionalism? As an example. Angle is hanging Taker's leg on the rope, and they're clearly supposed to do the old spot where Taker kicks Angle as he jumps to send him over the top rope. But they mistime it and it doesn't work. What happens? Angle doesn't just awkwardly go with it and make it look silly. He doesn't miss a beat. He stomps on Taker's knee a few more times, uppercuts him, and then lets Taker use his momentum to toss him out. That, folks, is the mark of professionals. They turn a botch into a seamless transition and make it feel like a fight. Not choreography. The ending sequence really has the crowd on the edge of their feet, too. It feels like anyone could truly win. All of this being said...I reserve my 9 and 10 point matches for matches that absolutely just take my breath away. This is not quite there. It had me glued to the screen. I didn't zone out for a second. It had me invested. But never did it leave me in absolute awe. The bout is beyond great. A classic for sure. Worth showing others and talking about. But it's not a "Mt. Rushmore" match. It's incredible but not quite legendary."

[7.0] "First half of so of this was doing basically nothing for me. Im not big into The Undertaker in general, but starting when Angle puts Taker through the table with the angle slam, this really picks up mostly due to Angles insane sicko energy and that amazing ending sequence of counters."

[9.0] "First half is very good but not entirely for me, but once Taker goes through the table this is just pure hoops for the entire rest of the match. Elite graps."

[7.0] "I loved this match, and I'll give the finish some credit for creativity but I'd much rather have had a legit finish. I get that they want both guys to continue looking strong, but you could've done some sort of ref stoppage finish where say Kurt was caught in the Hell's Gate but refused to tap. Mid 2000's Undertaker was his best era in my opinion. He brought back the Deadman character well after the death of kayfabe and committed to it so hard that all the fans bought in."

[9.0] "A great world title match. Starts a little slow but once it gets going these two tear each other apart. Great selling by Taker in this one. Truly some of the best. Didn't love the finish but Angle gets the win and both men are protected. 4.5 stars."

[7.0] "Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker was a really solid match, with great chemistry between two legends. Angle's technical wrestling mixed with Taker's power made for a fun clash of styles, and there were some awesome counters and near falls. The pacing was strong, and both guys delivered, but it didn't quite reach "classic" status. Maybe needed a bit more intensity or a hotter finish. Still, a very good match and a well-earned 7/10!"

[10.0] "This is easily Undertakers best match not to the phrases WrestleMania or Hell In A Cell involved, this was just an absolutely phenomenal match match between both him and Angle with masterclass and technical in ring action and their psychology was just as phenomenal as well."

[9.0] "Extremely intensive bout for the world title. A lot of action outside the ring, but general emotional element of the match sorrounded by multiple attempts to make Taker tap elevated excitment on the another level. Many counters, but eventually Angle retains."

[10.0] "This match was worthy of a WrestleMania main event spot. I think it didn't have any issue. Perfection. Taker selling was perfect, Angle's technique was perfect, Tombstone reversals were perfect, the ending was absolutely a masterpiece."

[10.0] "It's either Undertaker's best match or his second best match. Think it depends on your preference - Taker/HBK at Mania 25 is a better drama match, this is a better hold for hold wrestling match. Kurt is so good here - the counters between triangle choke and ankle lock are absolutely cooking, and I'm normally fairly critical of Taker in ring but he put his working boots on for this one, his high motor offense early is awesome and his selling in the back half is top notch. This is definitely not a Kurt Angle carry job, it's a high level performance from both dudes. I'll give it the full *****. Wish they had properly followed up on this one, they only got a far less good TV match after this. Kurt/Taker at Mania woulda slapped."

[10.0] "I was expecting something so different from this match and I was so enthralled by how technical this match was and the time they took to tell a story here and the constant back & fourth with Angle working Taker's leg for the angle lock and wanting him to tap out so bad to Taker get the advantage over Angle from the beginning of the match. Also, the finish had me surprised yet in a good way and didn't feel deflated and worked well with the story told!"

[10.0] "I love some good technical wrestling, and then the match ramps up and has a insane finish, just like hbk vs kurt at mania."

[10.0] "5.25 stars this is the best undertaker match that isn't hell in a cell nor wrestlemania this is also undertakers best technical wrestling match ever aswell & no other than kurt angle could carry taker in a match legendary match through and through especially the that last 5 minutes."

[10.0] "This match is Kurt Angle's favorite that he ever worked, and I can see why. These two went at it for a half hour at as close to peak condition from both as you could expect. Kurt's technical mat-wrestling was wonderful, and Taker plays off him extremely well, this is one of Taker's best and most underrated matches next to the CM Punk match from WrestleMania 29. *****"

"(9.0) A fantastic match with one giant flaw, Taker getting his shitnin. It feels like in the final leg of the match he just doesn't sell anything at all. Even doing the Hell's Gate is a stretch too far. Angle is unreal here. Just peak shit from him. Just wish Taker was a bit more aware of what he was doing."

[8.0] "It was slow, took place mostly outside of the ring and didn't have a clear babyface - and I absolutely loved it. A very different Undertaker match with him being more technical and Angle focusing on working on Taker's leg. Like I said they were moving slowly, but because of that every single big move got a big pop, plus allowed Deadman to sell his hurt leg. They had some very nice spots planned, Ankle Lock outside of the ring came out of nowhere and they used it nicely to work on Taker's leg some more and the finish was executed perfectly, plus it got Angle over without jobbing Taker to him. Really good match, a great example of slowing things down but keeping them exciting."

[10.0] "probably Angle's last classic until Desmond Wolfe, amazing wrestling from both guys, taker's selling is underrated as always and angle is firing on all cylinders, so is Taker and this match is where I think taker's ring prime starts."

[10.0] "This was half an hour of real Graps between two all timers in the primes of their respective careers. Angle works on Undertakers leg with the Ankle Lock and Undertaker always found a way to counter. Undertaker put Angle in a Triangle Choke and Angle reversed that into a pin."

[10.0] "The final ten minutes of this match are insane. The story of this match being that neither man had ever tapped, Kurt worked Taker's leg for 20 minutes and Taker just wouldn't tap out. The counter from the Triangle Choke to the pin for an Angle win was the perfect ending."

[9.0] "Awesome match. Arguably WWE's MOTY for 2006. I know some people are still salty that this didn't happen at WrestleMania but I understand why that was the case. Sometimes it's not a bad thing to give your B-shows a classic and this certainly was. The psychology and counters in this match were off the charts. Kurt Angle worked Taker's left leg all night and countered literally all of his big moves (chokeslam, last ride, tombstone) into an ankle lock at one point. Taker kept fighting out, occasionally countering into a triangle choke. Apart from the great wrestling, this was just a fight. Taker goes through the announce table with an Angle Slam. Angle's throat bounces off the table cover which always makes me wince. Great, surprise finish too. In another timeline, maybe this happens at WrestleMania and it's viewed on the same tier as both guy's WrestleMania matches with Shawn Michaels."

[9.0] "As much as it really pains me to admit, this match is not as great as I remembered it. Its an absolutely fantastic match dont get me wrong, but there are some points where it gets really slow, especially the beginning. Theres still a lot to love here, especially the parts where Undertaker is in the ankle lock and you genuinely cant tell if hes going to tap out or not. They really played up that neither man had tapped and it makes the match super intense every time a submission is applied. When it comes to submission based matches, this is probably the best. The two best wrestlers in the ruthless aggression era just tearing the house down for 30 minutes, and the ending benefited both men as Angle got the win but Undertaker looked strong in defeat. Its just a massive shame these two never had that mania match they both wanted."

[6.0] "Kurt and Taker put on a good performance here. Still, I felt like Kurt could have done way more with Taker and was felt a little underwhelmeing in the first 10 minutes or so. Still, the last minutes of the match really turned things up and I wasn't sure if Taker or Kurt were going to tap out which makes the finish, in my opinion, so great and shocking."

[9.0] "9.5/10 I really liked this match, two great wrestlers in some of the best shapes of their lives so you know it was gonna be good pretty much no matter what and it was. so much has been said about this match already that I wont sound like a broken record repeating something someone else has already said. does it deserve 5 stars like many say? I mean sure, if thats how you feel, however the finish leaves something for me to be desired so I can't give this a 5 star, however I will give it ****.75"

[6.0] "It was ok. Kurt does a lot to help it and most of his leg work is pretty good. The biggest problem with it is taker, who refuses to sell his leg. I dont think taker sells his leg at all except when he is walking 50% of the time and when he is in an ankle lock. He is flipping into tombstones and doing powerbombs like its nothing while Kurt has been working over his legs all match. The finish is also really bad. Taker pretty much no sells Kurts angle slam and goes straight into a triangle, then Kurt after almost being knocked out just pops up into a roll up. It isnt awful but it really isnt that good either. 3/5"

[7.0] "I didn't liked at first but the more it gets through i FN love it. Taker demolished Angle in the first third, with Kurt getting little chances to counter until he finds an opening and start a great leg-work, inflicting damage on Taker from that point on. Some very hard punches and kicks were trowed. Then, the match went into a brawl outside where Angle took the adventage with an Angle Slam on the announce table, but he wasn't going to take the count out victory, bringing back the Deadman. Next, a brutal belly to belly from the top rope almost put the end of the match, on this point any sequence could've just ended the match. The many transitions in the Ankle lock were magistral, Angle really had Taker's number on this night, he counter the leg drop, the chokeslam, a Last Ride and even the Tombstone. The match turn really exciting on the final third, the moment Taker sat up immediately after Angle took off his straps was amazing. Taker was presented as and unbeatable man, Angle had to bring his best game, threw his best moves and endure until last consequences. Kurt won deservingly but Taker wasn't going to take it that easily. ***1/2"

[3.0] "IMO this match is certainly the most overrated match in the career of both of these two. Overly long. A focus on limb work that doesn't matter in the end. Loads of uninteresting brawling and count-out attempts. Not particularly compelling, and not what I would call action-packed. There are some good moments, like the counters from Angle, and a nice slam on the announcers table, but overall, this match just wasn't doing it for me. That sucks to say given who is involved, but what can I say? Also, the finish isn't particularly bad in and of itself, but the way its done is quite weird and feels like it was probably meant to come off as less conclusive than it actually was in execution."

[10.0] "This match kicks so much ass. I loved all of those counters into the Angle Lock, especially the one where Kurt did a spin out of the Hells Gate. Also admired that the roll-up finish did a good job at protecting both wrestlers. Five-star match."

[2.0] "I don't ever want anyone to tell me ever again that Undertaker understood selling and psychology. He spends probably a third of this match's run time in an ankle lock and by the end of it he's hitting chokeslams, the Last Ride, doing flips reversing tombstone piledrivers back and forth with Angle, and doing a triangle choke that requires the strength of his legs to keep on. The pacing here is horrible as well. So many moments where Angle is just sitting around waiting for Undertaker to do a move. The dozen attempts they both make to try and get a count out on each other only add to the pacing issues and bloated run time. The majority of this match's run time is rest holds and count outs. I can't believe this was a PPV main event."

[10.0] "This match is so good and is an instant classic I love this match as it is two of my favorite wrestler working together this match is just so good I kinda wish this match was done at mania but I can't complain because this match is just so good.*****"

[8.0] "Very good despite a problem that bothered me during the first 20 minutes, there were a good dozen Count Outs started. The next 10 were really good. The finish is great but I was bothered by the post-match which wanted to make us doubt the winner while from the camera's point of view we can clearly see that it was Angle who won. It's a shame considering the quality of the fight. (4*1/4)"

[9.0] "Leave it to Kurt to get a great match out of the undertaker. Lots of great mat wrestling, chain, wrestling, good looking stuff on the outside, a classic Kurt Angle banger."

[10.0] "the main reason why this match is a 10 for me because I don't wanna be like Dave Meltzer. HAHA. Anyway great match, prime Kurt prime Taker that what perfect wrestling match should look like. technical brawl, flashy moves, simple but effective and conscious storytelling"

[9.0] "This was an awesome match. Angle's work on Undertaker's leg was fantastic and Taker's selling of it was really great. I loved all the counters into the ankle lock. The finish with Angle countering the triangle choke into a pin was awesome. ****1/2"

[10.0] "Outstanding effort. Undertaker vs. Smaller guy is one of the best genres of pro wrestling, but even within that category, this match is unique. Angle and Taker feel like equals and have great chamistry. I don't get the critisism of Angle celebrating a roll up win after he refused the win by count out. Angle's character wanted to beat Taker at wrestling and roll ups are quintessential mat wrestling. The final stretch is great and Taker's selling is superb as always. Great match."

[7.0] "Pretty good match, but man, was it too long. Nevertheless, Angle carried this match well. Undertaker wouldn't be capable of having a good 30 minute match without a dance partner who is one of the GOATs."