Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle

[10.0] "An undisputed 10/10 masterclass in technical psychology, character work, and big-match storytelling. Stepping into Madison Square Garden as WWE Champion for the first time at WrestleMania, Eddie Guerrero worked with fierce babyface grit against a ruthless, calculating Kurt Angle. The mat wrestling and chain counters from the opening bell were razor-sharp, with both men targeting specific body parts--Angle relentlessly punishing Eddie's ribs and midsection with overhead suplexes and body scissors, while Eddie attacked Angle's knee to chop down the Olympic gold medalist's base. The pacing escalated naturally into dramatic near-falls off the Frog Splash and Angle Slam before delivering the smartest finish in WrestleMania history: trapped dead-to-rights in the Ankle Lock, Eddie quietly unlaced his left boot, slipped out of it as Angle went for a takedown, and rolled up a bewildered Angle in a cradle for the clean pinfall. Pure "Lie, Cheat, and Steal" genius executed inside a flawless 21-minute technical masterpiece."

[6.0] "Well, it was quite underwhelming for a Wrestlemania match. The structure of the match was quite simple. It began with both man trying to get the upper hand until Eddie made a mistake and landed onto the barricade. Kurt capitalized on the mistake and targeted the mid-section for the 2nd part of the match. It was quite uninspiring and it basically led to nothing. It didn't really have a continuing and Eddie didn't sell it quite good. The finishing stretch wasn't exciting, the crowd wasn't really into it and we got what we got. Don't go into the match with the big excitement."

[5.0] "First half of technical wrestling failed to engage me whatsoever compared to Benoit/Angle matches. Second half ramps things up that leads to a clever finish, which I really like, but overall the match is disappointing."

[10.0] "A WrestleMania classic. Unable to dominate Eddie through grappling alone, Angle adopts a far more calculated strategy by attacking Eddie's midsection, and once Eddie crashes into the guardrail, he relentlessly intensifies the assault. His goal is simple: neutralize the Frog Splash - or at the very least, force Eddie to destroy himself attempting it. When that fails, Angle shifts his focus to Eddie's leg, looking to finish him with the Ankle Lock, only for Eddie's razor-sharp intelligence to take over. Eddie deliberately turns his own leg into bait to outsmart Angle and steal the victory. Excellent grappling, structure, momentum shifts and the greatest Eddie finish ever. ****1/2"

[7.0] "This was a pretty good title defense against Kurt Angle for Eddie, outsmarting Angle for the win and gets to keep his title."

[9.0] "A great wrestling match between these two. The finish for this match is one of my all time favourites."

[9.0] "The bar setup for those guys were pretty high in terms of in ring quality and they somehow got everything we expected them to do. Like, most people on the internet spend years and years talking about why they don't consider a technical wrestler, but I want to give my flowers to that discussion. He, for me, is a technical wrestler, and I will use the same explanation I use to consider the UFC figher Dricus Du Plessis an technical wrestler as well. Technical is the aka we gave for the wrestler/fighter who knows what he is doing, he have a plan in his head and he dive straight with that plan in his mind. If you consider that an technical wrestler, Kurt angle is for sure an technical wrestler. Besides his wrestlings skills, everything he does is messy, confusing, nothing is horrendous but don't come close to be that god, so what is the point around him? Pressure. Constant pressure, non stop, going always to exaust his opponent while he support himself on his great cardio. I do think some of his offensive setting is pretty repetitive, looked like the German Suplex momentum took ten minutes or so, but we can't deny that a fucking world champ is an mastermind technical wrestler. Shame on him, he was facing an guy much better and much more technical than him. Eddie Guerrero was the key important to make that match so awesome like it was. Cheer for a guy like him is fucking awesome, and the ending when the cheated and stole the victory was amazing, Kurt angle played an huge role with his facial expressions here."

[9.0] "Excellent match entre kurt angle et eddie l'alchimie entre les 2 est juste folle Kurt angle est le meilleur catcheur de l'histoire passé par la wwe"

[8.0] "These two fighting for the WWE title at WrestleMania certainly is something special. And while the match itself is not quite as special, it's still pretty damn good. It's methodically paced, the work on the mat is neat, the action overall is silky smooth, Angle does some solid work on Eddie's mid-section, Eddie's selling is excellent, that finishing stretch is great, and Eddie tricking his way out with the iconic boot hack is pretty awesome. ****"

[9.0] "Excellent professional wrestling match. Everything connects in such a smooth way. They make it seem easy."

[8.0] "The first five minutes of the match were pretty slow, I must say. Things picked up the moment Guerrero went rib first into the railing in a Randy Savage style bump. I liked that. It would have been nice to see Guerrero go on offense a bit more than what he did because it really came off like Guerrero wasn't doing much. His selling was great, though, so it's not a big gripe. It also made sense that the Frog Splash only got two since Angle wasn't hurt that much. The finish was fun and creative. Angle was relentless in going for the Ankle Lock, Eddie sensed that so he ended up using that to his advantage by outsmarting Angle at the end leading to the boot trick and cradle for the win. This wasn't a match full of highspots or anything like that, but it was full of good straight up wrestling from two of the best. As good as it was, I thought it had the potential to be a five star match if it was worked a different too. Far too many rest holds for that to happen, though. Believe me I'm not complaining that much. I'm just saying I had high hopes for guys the caliber of these two. Maybe those high hopes were unrealistic on my part, but I know what they were capable of."

[6.0] "While this was certainly a good match that isn't unworthy of being a Wrestlemania world title match, it definitely underdelivered for me. In my opinion, this match kind of parallel's Eddie. A great wrestler? No doubt. One of the GREATEST? I'll have to pass on that one. This match is the same. Great? Definitely. One of the greatest? Not even close. Please don't misunderstand me, because I'm still quite a big Eddie fan, but for me, it comes from his character work and charisma, not his in-ring work. The match just marches at one methodical pace the whole time, and it kind of gets dull. From mat work to submissions to slams, the contest stays at one pace. And Angle controls a shocking amount of the match. Eddie generally only gets small bursts of offense here before Angle is able to cut him off. It's not exactly a performance you want at Wrestlemania from a brand new champion. Honestly, I think they were still trying to tell an underdog story for Eddie like they did when he beat Brock, but both the pace and the commentary team didn't help move that along. The finish, as almost everyone mentions, is absolutely brilliant. It adds to Eddie's character. It's what people (myself included) LOVE about him. Him finding creative and cheeky ways to win big matches. The win keeps Angle strong with rematch potential while Eddie looks like a strategical genius! If the rest of the match used this kind of psychology, it would have been better. Still a very good match, but didn't live up to the potential it had. This goes doubly so considering the OTHER world title match of the night makes this match look paltry."

[9.0] "Both of these guys are in my top 5 favorites and I love it when they have a chance to square off against one another. I've always felt this match was a bit underrated because of the triple threat main event, but this was an awesome match as well. Angle keeps Eddie a bit more grounded in this one, but Guerrero can mat wrestle with the best of them, so that's not a problem for me. For others however, this match might seem a bit too slow. I personally love the back and forth chess game between these two veterans. I will say that I thought the crowd kinda sucked for this match until the last couple minutes. I mean, it's Eddie and Angle! What more could you want? ! ? Anyway, I thought the finish was brilliant and protected Angle while showing how smart and crafty Guerrero was. Excellent match."

[8.0] "Probably unfair to do so, but the only complaint I have against this match is that given the talent involved it feels like they could have done better. Still a great match, just feels like they take a while to put it in second gear and by the time they do the match is almost over, I liked the match and the finish was great but they were capable of more."

[9.0] "An absolutely superb technically sound wrestling match. Watching 2 masters at work, both with tonnes of charisma, character and a great story all adding to it. So much fun, great moments including Angle's last ditch kickout and Eddie's hope spots. The ending was the icing on the cake, perfect finish to a lovely match."

[7.0] "Great match between two great technicians. They managed to tell a story from the very beginning with Eddie mot being able to handle Kurt Angle's grappling, til the very end where Eddie ultimately outsmarted Kurt Angle to get the win. Great match and a great finish. 4*"

[9.0] "I was only 3 and a half years old when Eddie Guerrero passed away, and I'm often a bit lost when fans a bit older than me are nostalgic about Eddie. I have to watch some of his greatest matches, and this one against Kurt Angle was freaking excellent. It was like a chess game, with every move, every shot, having an impact and a meaning. The sequences of grappling throughout the bout were pretty sweet, and, as a result, some counters and transitions were really smooth as well. Angle certainly targeted the legs of Guerrero, while the latter tried to get Angle tired. Eddie was sassy as hell, and that surely angered Angle at some moments. The chess game was also about the mental, and Guerrero was the winner of that very game. The fight has a slightly muddled place in that card, and the fans seemed to be a bit tired of the show. Nonetheless, they cheered at the right moment. Despite everything, ZSJ is right : "Putting on a great technical match for an American audience is like reading Shakespeare to a dog"."

[9.0] "Technical masterpiece ended with creative finish. Truly a Wrestlemania-worth spectacle. Kudos for both guys."

[8.0] "A wonderful match that unfortunately suffered from crowd fatigue but still managed to be great despite that element working against it, although they still garnered some encouraging reactions throughout, especially during its closing run, where the crowd erupted around three times. It was a very well put-together match in its layout, with all three acts unfolding in a seamless and organic fashion. Act I was a really good technical struggle, with both attempting to assert dominance as they exchanged holds and grappled with one another while also having a few teases of upping the physicality. As Act I came to an end, Angle began to work on Eddie's midsection, and it was a fantastic segue as they transitioned towards Act II, where Angle continues to work on Eddie's midsection for its entire run through, with Eddie getting around three hope spots. ACT III sported 50/50 dueling action, with Eddie pushing the pace, creating more excitement, and ending with a classic finish. A great match that overcame a weary crowd. ****"

[8.0] "They never slowed it but however managed to maintain an incredible level through all the length of the match. Excellent wrestling, their technique is not breaking news. The ending was pure genius, the pin by Eddie was perfect with his feet on the ropes. Knowing them, they could have done better but this was however a classic"

[8.0] "Such a 10/10 ending that it made up for a very slow start. Thank god for this match, because it means Wrestlemania 20 is allowed to exist in the WWE history books. One half of the most bittersweet PPV ending in WWE history."

[9.0] "It's consistent storytelling throughout the whole match, two wrestlers always trying to outsmart each other making this feel like a chess match, awesome commentary, and a fantastically characteristic ending make this very enjoyable."

[8.0] "I could watch Angle and Eddie wrestle all day. I don't think this is a perfect match, but I feel like these two have unbelievable chemistry and the way they flow from move to move is so satisfying. The ending with Eddie slipping out of the boot was so cool and the small package Eddie does is honestly one of the cleanest I've ever seen. But I do think that these two are capable of a bit more than this."

[7.0] "This left a lot to be desired but that's mostly because this is a WrestleMania WWE championship match between two of the best wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots. It's still a great match but with these two it should be an instant 5 star classic and unfortunately that's just not the case. It starts out strong even before they lock up, Eddie Guerrero has this brilliant cautious look on his face that sets him up as the underdog but Kurt Angle is completely stone faced and doesn't take his eyes of Eddie for a second, showing that Angle taking Guerrero very seriously. Great mat based wrestling from both men here to showcase that Eddie can hang with the Olympic gold medalist. After that Kurt delivers some flawless germans and belly to bellys and then takes over the match and as much as I hate to admit it, this is where the match slows down. We get some good hope spots here and there but they're not the most effective in keeping the crowd engaged. Not to mention Eddie's jump to the outside had zero psychology, it was very clear he was going to hit the barricade and no suspension of disbelief can change that. Climax of the match was great though. Huge pop for Angle kicking out of the Frog Splash and Eddie's outsmarting of Angle for the win was perfectly communicated, although I feel like for a WrestleMania match this is one of the few times you want Eddie to win clean but at least it was successfully pulled off. Good match, I just know these two are capable of so much more"

[8.0] "Even in front of a tired Garden crowd, this can't help but rock. They have some time here and so, are able to take it slow, setting the stage with extended grappling before settling into some heat on Guerrero's ribs. Angle is never my favourite in control but he's noticeably focused here and Eddie keeps him focused with a main event pace, plugging in hope spots throughout. Following Guerrero's comeback, they go into a pretty restrained finishing run for the setting, allowing the big frog splash near fall to pack a considerable punch. Thankfully, their actual finish follows that act, producing a moment that'd live long in the memory. Beautiful match that in a different setting, could've climbed even higher. ****"

[10.0] "Such a brilliant match between both men, both Kurt and Eddie are masterclass at technical wrestling and it was such a joy to watch. Definitely the best defence for Eddie Guerrero as WWE World Champion."

[8.0] "Starts off with a good intense tie up and some good mat wrestling. Theyre doing a great job of treating it like an athletic contest. Theres a headlock spot that probably goes on for 15 seconds too long but produces one of the first big spots of the match. Its a lot of very good technical chain wrestling, but not a whole ton in terms of spots or big moves yet. Kurt then gets Eddie in an abdominal stretch, reversed into both guys going for their supple trios, and getting cut off after the first one. Theres a really pretty spot where Kurt tries to suplex Eddie but hes able to land on the outside on the apron. Angle then goes to the outside and Eddie does a dropkick from angle to the outside. Eddie climbs the ropes and goes for something to the barricade, but Angle moves out of the way. Angle sends Eddie back in for the cover, but Eddie kicks out. Backbreaker from Angle and another cover, then shoulders to the stomach in the corner, and then another rest hold with Kurt stretching Eddies face? Kurt puts Eddie in a headlock. This isnt a bad match by any means so far, but it hasnt produced many memorable moments yet. Eddie gets lifted up and lands his sternum on the top rope, Angle hits him with a belly to belly, and then taunts Eddie, hits another belly to belly, and a kick out at two. Another rest hold, Eddie gouges Kurts eyes, and then gets hit with another Belly to Belly. Angles selling his intense frustration, despite not having hit a single move on Eddie other than a belly to belly suplex. Eddie and Kurt work at the top rope and Eddie goes for a frog splash and misses. Theyre telling the story that Kurt is out dueling Eddie, and now just giving him some punches to taunt him. Eddie powers up by telling him to give him some more, has a comeback with some clotheslines, a suplex, covers angle who kicks out at two. Eddie goes for the three amigos but its reversed into Angles trio of germans, but the second one is reversed by Eddie into a schoolboy. Kurt clotheslines Eddie to put him down. Angle goes for an angle slam thats reversed into a really nice arm drag by Eddie, then Eddie goes for the three amigos, and this time gets two of them before Angle locks in the Ankle lock. Eddie pushes him off. Eddie starts limping to sell the ankle, but goes up to the top rope. This time Angle is able to get up to the top rope and suplex/toss Eddie to the mat from the top rope, Eddie kicks out at 2. Kurt locks in the ankle lock again, countered into a pin, Angle kicks out and German suplexes Eddie. Eddies able to reverse Kurts Angle Slam into a great DDT. Eddie goes to the top rope for the frog splash, and we get the first false finish with Angle kicking out at 2.9. Angle plays possum and gets Eddie back into the Ankle lock for the 3rd time. Eddie sells the hell out of it while Kurt cranks on his ankle over and over. Eddies able to reverse it to send Kurt out of the ring head first. Eddie unties his boot, as if to alleviate pressure. Angle goes back into the ring to crank his ankle, but Eddies loosened boot comes off, and Eddies able to use that distraction to roll up Kurt Angle and use the ropes to tie up Angle for the three count. Look there werent that many big spots, though the ending of the match was definitely money. Its a good match, and a darn good PPV match. Not exactly this incredible spectacle, but a very good match with two guys who would have a tough time having a bad match together, but not something that necessarily exceeded high expectations."

[6.0] "I don't know why but i wasn't a fan of this match as the cagematch rating suggests i mean it was ok but nothing special, i suppose it was a bit slow during parts of the match but in the end the right man win but i think it definetly underdelivered as a wwe title match at wrestlemania"

[8.0] "A very solid match with a creative finish that left Angle looking strong. I find it funny that Molly is getting her head shaved on the stage as Kurt makes his entrance, and in hindsight it's also pretty comical that Perc Angle is telling us that he is more fit to be champion because Eddie has been a drug addict in the past. My personal favorite spot was the Arm Drag counter Eddie had for the Olympic Slam. 4 stars."

[8.0] "Great match! They weren't rushing anything, took their time with holds and letting the crowd chant and then started speeding things up. Guerrero once again was a fantastic babyface with his selling and facial expressions, while Angle was at his peak perc era and he looked like the most dangerous person in the world. They were fluid with their work, knew when to slow down and let things breathe and they got the crowd involved from start to finish, which by the way was very original and well executed, plus Eddie's "oh shit" when he saw angry Angle getting into the ring got a pop out of me."

[6.0] "Fun little match between this two, was a bit slow at moments but gave a fun encounter, Eddie was surprisingly not doing many cruiserweights movements but going more technical with Kurt, and the ending is the usual Eddie cheating, which had to happen at mania"

[6.0] "I dont find that match something special like most people do. It is really slow, kinda AJPW main event style but without that intensity and agression. Still good technical encounter with a lot of classing wrestling throws like german and classic suplexes. Match also had clever ending with great Eddie way to cheat and steal win. ***3/4"

[7.0] "A slow burn that took at least to me took way too long to really get going and only hit that next level in the last 5 or so minutes. Before that it was kind of a snooze honestly. Simliar to Angle vs HBK from mania 21 where angle and Eddie grapple around for the first few minutes with angle getting the upper hand and dominating for a while before Eddie fires up and hits his comeback. A great nearfall when angle kicks out of the frog splash really woke the crowd up who before that been making some noise but were pretty quiet. The finish however is one of my favorite endings to a match ever. Eddie stealing a victory when he purposely un ties his boot to allow angle to rip it off and Eddie wins with a roll up fantastic fucking stuff. 3.75/5"

[8.0] "Best macth on the card started of at a great pace with both wrestles chain wrestling making it realistic, then it picked up with all the great moves you would expect from these two, great counters , spectacular moves , brilliant false finishers, Kurt kicking out of the frog splash an Eddie muscling his way out of the angle lock, the ending was great Eddie loosening his boots luring angle in for the angle lock putting him in a small package feet on the rope and cheating to win loved this macth"

[9.0] "This is a great technical wrestling match; no gaga until the end. The majority of it is Eddie going toe to toe with Kurt on the mat; submissions, chain spots, reversals, you name it. Plenty of great suplexes and strikes as well. These guys are just too good."

[7.0] "Not really excited by the pace of the match. There are a few things to remember like the ingenious finish. (3*1/2)"

[7.0] "Kind of similar to the Angle/Benoit match at 2003's Rumble, I just felt like I wasn't getting the best match we could've gotten from these 2. Still a good match with a lot to love, but it just misses the mark for me. The finish is absolutely hilarious, however. Gotta love Eddie's tricks."

[8.0] "This was a great technical match. The early back-and-forth grappling is good stuff though it feels like it takes a little too long to really get going. The finishing stretch is awesome and the ending with Eddie's boot coming off, allowing him to get the roll-up was fantastic. ****"

[7.0] "As great as they both are individually, it seems that they never had that all-time great match that you would assume they could have. Having watched all of their singles bouts, they're all good wrestling matches that just never get to the level of great. I assumed that, as this is a mania match, this is where they put on an all-time classic. This was sadly not the case, but that's not to say I disliked the match; it features the crisp counter-wrestling that you would expect from this pairing. It has a fair amount of intensity that builds nicely throughout the match, but this sadly gets cut short a few minutes before it really reaches its peak. I felt that if this was in the main spot, it could have been really special. As it is, it's a good match that could have been a great one given more time."

[9.0] "The match started off a bit slow with some technical wrestling but it got so much better as the pace was picked up. Two incredible wrestlers with great chemistry and these guys had an amazing rivalry throughout the year. It was a really engaging match with some great near falls that kept me invested and it was just a fun time overall."

[10.0] "Excellent match and really technically crisp. Angle just looked like a machine here and he's one of the few wrestlers I can think of that can completely smother his opponent like he does here and still make it really good to watch. It's just a great part of his character work how intense he gets in a match and apparently he wrestled the match injured as well. In the early going it does have that feel to it where they are evenly match where the cut off each other's offense before Kurt establishes himself as the superior mat wrestler with Eddie getting the fans behind him in survival mode. The shock where Kurt Angle kicks out of the Frog Splash and then looking like he was going to win with the Ankle Lock was just such a great moment and it played so well to the finish where Eddie plays possum and loosens his boot and then gets the leverage pin. An iconic ending and a fantastic match overall."

[8.0] "It started with an exchange of technical wrestling between the two, each taking turns with their submissions, little by little the match got into gear, but it didn't reach the peak that a world title match at the biggest show of the year deserves, Kurt's kickout was the great highlight of this match and the ending, however fun it is and matches Eddie's character, is not satisfactory for the context of the show (****)"

[6.0] "This wasnt nearly as good as I expected, obviously still a good match between these 2, but neither man felt at the top of their game. The ending while fun didnt feel mania worthy."

[9.0] "The 2nd greatest match of the night which, considering the competition, is really saying something. Kurt is in full wrestling machine mode and takes no shit, while Eddie sells the underdog babyface as good as ever. Not much to say other than it being one of the best matches of ether man's WWE career. Go watch it."

[8.0] "Insanely technical wrestling. Faster one than their match at Summerslam, but worse then their Smackdown match in 2005. Nevertheless, one of the best matches in Eddie and Kurt's careers and very memorable for its ending."

[8.0] "Angle with a smothering heel performance. Eddie as a fiery underdog babyface. It was never going to be bad. Some very good work on Eddie? s midsection and a really cool finish. Felt it could? ve benefited from some longer Guerrero comebacks though because it did drag at times"

[9.0] "This was an incredible display of technical wrestling. Neither guy could get the advantage early on but once Angle got control he went after Eddie's ribs and leg, which Eddie sold wonderfully. The finish with Eddie undoing his boot laces to get the roll-up was a brilliant spot that worked great with Eddie's character."

[8.0] "The grappling early on with neither man able to gain control of one another is pretty fun although it drags a bit towards the end After that we got some good work on Eddie's ribs, and with Eddie selling the damaged ribs being good. Eddie's brief comebacks and counters in cutting off Kurt's offense during this was great. They kind of went towards the forced epic later with the Ankle locks but it was nothing too offensive. The finish with Eddie boot getting loose allowing him to get a roll-up win is iconic, and was done really well.****1/4"

[9.0] "Incredible. Great storytelling with technical wrestling from Kurt and Eddie, very innovative ending, fitting Eddie's gimmick."

[8.0] "They could do better, but this was still a very good match with a fun ending sequence. The start wasn? t great, but one they got to 2nd gear they let the magic flow. Fun counters and transitions, really creative ending. Crowd was dead at the beginning but got into it at the end. Motn so far ***3/4"