5 WWE Dream Matches for Kurt Angle Had He Never Left

Had Kurt Angle never left WWE, odds are he’d have put on even more spectacular matches against the cream of the crop.

On Monday, January 16th, it was made official: Kurt Angle will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2017. This will be yet another well-deserved achievement for arguably the greatest technical wrestler in a generation, and one of the best pure athletes WWE has ever had.

Kurt Angle’s WWE career was relatively short, lasting from 1999 to 2006. But during that period, Angle transitioned from amateur wrestling to professional wrestling more quickly than arguably anyone else before or since. His outstanding grappling abilities were balanced by excellent promo abilities and surprisingly good comedy skills. Angle has this uncanny ability to go from smug Olympic hero to serious ass-kicking machine in the snap of a finger. Because of all this, he was one of the most complete performers WWE ever had.

Sadly, Angle’ tendency to work like a true wrestling machine caught up with him eventually. By 2006, he was working at such an intense level that Vince McMahon had to let him go. Not because he had done anything wrong, but because he was putting such a severe toll on his body that Vince was genuinely concerned Angle would die in the ring.

As a result, Angle left WWE in 2006 and spent the following decade in TNA. While there, he had some truly great matches against many opponents, and became something of a real legend in that promotion. But many people still consider WWE to be Kurt Angle’s true home, which is why his HOF announcement was met with so much joy.

Now, with an announcement of his HOF induction comes discussion on possible opponents for one more match. Some think that Angle should wrestle one last great match and call it a career. They want to see Angle deliver the goods on one final occasion before hanging up his wrestling boots for good. Looking back at his WWE career, one cannot help but wonder how differently it could’ve gone if Angle never left WWE.

If Angle stayed in WWE, there’s a chance that he would’ve had plenty more great matches with many different opponents. By 2006, he had already had stellar matches against the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, just to name a few. But there were others waiting in the wings against whom Angle could’ve had truly memorable matches. Here are the 5 best dream opponents for Kurt Angle had never left WWE…

Jan 2, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Former WWE star Phil CM Punk Brooks is the featured guest for the UFC 182 Q&A session Friday evening before the start of the weigh-ins at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

5. Kurt Angle vs. CM Punk

When Angle left WWE in 2006, CM Punk was still a rookie making his way up the WWE ladder. He didn’t fit WWE’s desired mold for a wrestler; he was skinny, covered in tattoos, and was adept at technical wrestling. He wasn’t a WWE entertainer by any stretch of the imagination; he was a wrestler, which would’ve made him a perfect opponent for Kurt Angle.

It would’ve been very easy for WWE to book a rivalry between these two men. The patriotic, virtuous and all-American Kurt Angle against the countercultural, contrarian, straight-edge CM Punk. It wouldn’t have mattered who was the good guy and who was the bad guy in this feud. Punk and Angle would’ve torn the house down each night with spectacular promos and out-of-this-world wrestling.

Considering Kurt Angle was drafted to the ECW brand shortly before his 2006 departure, there was actually a possibility he’d be facing Punk on the brand. Had that feud been set in motion, it would’ve brought some much-needed viewers to the fledgling WWECW program at the time.

WWE.com

4. Kurt Angle vs. Seth Rollins

For the majority of 2015, there was no better wrestler in WWE than Seth Rollins. He was a complete performer and all around top star. He was so good, in fact, that he’d wrestle two matches on the televised card, and sometimes even a 3rd on in dark main events. The point here, is that Rollins could have a good-to-great match with pretty much anyone on the roster.

So, what would’ve happened if Rollins faced Kurt Angle? Why, you’d get a series of outstanding matches, of course.

If Angle were still around in 2015, there’s a pretty good chance he would’ve been one of Rollins’ challengers for the WWE Championship. Angle would play the aging veteran looking for one final shot at the big one, much like Sting did in 2015.

Despite being quite older and not in his prime, Angle would still be able to deliver a minimum 4-star performance out of Rollins. If it were a shot at the title, you can guarantee that he’d put in extra effort to make the match feel even more special.

The truth is, Vince only ever let Angle go because he was putting too much pressure on himself. If Angle were to spend a few years working a less intense style or took some time off like the Undertaker, you can be sure he’d still be around by the time Rollins reached the top of the WWE.

Source: WWE.com

3. Kurt Angle vs. ‘Big Match’ John Cena

Now, some of you are probably wondering why Cena’s name is on this list. After all, Angle wrestled Cena several times before he left. Well, that’s exactly it: Angle wrestled Cena back when Cena was still in the infancy of his main-event career. He hadn’t yet blossomed into the better big match wrestler he has since become. Though he’s still not the same caliber of a wrestler as others on this list, Cena would be a perfect dream opponent for Angle in terms of drawing power.

Cena’s a huge seller in WWE, and his big matches often draw the biggest of crowds. Since most casual fans tune in mostly into the Big Four PPVs, having John Cena take on a universally-acclaimed veteran like Kurt Angle after he has improved as a wrestler would draw major attention.

Casuals would want to see Angle perform in a WWE ring and defeat WWE’s Golden Boy, John Cena. Regular fans, meanwhile, would want to see Cena take on a major challenge, proving that he really has come a long way from his earlier work with Angle in the mid-2000s.

Since WWE gives Cena a lot of leeway in his matches, you could guarantee these guys would get top billing on a card and would be given plenty of time to tell a deep story. That match would go down in history as a true classic, as both guys would give it their all and push each other beyond their limits. The most intense wrestler in WWE vs. the superhuman strength of the Champ. What’s not to love?

WWE.com

2. Kurt Angle vs. A.J. Styles (WWE)

This one’s a bit of a cheat, since Angle and Styles faced each other in TNA multiple times between 2009 and 2013. All of their singles encounters were among the best matches ever seen in a TNA ring. They had instant chemistry together and showcased that through crisp wrestling and masterful storytelling.

So imagine what could’ve happened if they faced each other in a WWE ring, in front of a larger audience, where the stakes are much higher?

It’d be safe to say that, by 2016, Angle would be in the twilight of his wrestling career. He’d be in a similar position as Shawn Michaels or the Undertaker, wrestling on rare occasion and only for the biggest of occasions. Styles would challenge Kurt Angle to prove he’s the better wrestler, while Angle would accept to show he still has a lot left in the tank. If their matches in TNA were any indication of the good matches they could have against one another, a WrestleMania match between Kurt Angle and A.J. Styles would be one of the best in WrestleMania history.

People had been clamoring for Styles to debut in WWE for years, and unfortunately, while he finally managed to do so in 2016, several top opponents for him are no longer possible. Unless, of course, WWE does a monumental swerve in the next few weeks and actually makes this Kurt Angle’s final match ever.

WWE.com

1. Kurt Angle vs. Daniel Bryan

The best technical wrestler in the past decade vs. the Olympic Gold Medalist. There’s your tagline for a true dream match that everyone would be dying to see.

Daniel Bryan debuted on the main roster in 2010 and was main-eventing shows within a year, just like Kurt Angle. Bryan was a technical wrestling master that could tie up his opponents without breaking a sweat, just like Kurt Angle. Finally, he could go from serious to comedy in the blink of an eye, just like Kurt Angle.

These two were as close as you could get to twins, and if put in a match against one another, it would’ve been an instant 5-star classic, without a doubt.

Seeing Angle and Bryan trying to out-wrestle one another and constantly reversing each other’s holds and maneuvers would bring the audience to their feet and keep them there. They could tell a great story of Angle focusing on Bryan’s legs, preventing him from using his patented kicks and diving moves. He’d then be forced to rely mostly on submission wrestling, which has always been Angle’s forte. You’d then get two submission experts trying to get the other to tap out, akin to Angle vs. Benoit from WrestleMania X-Seven.

This would be the ideal opportunity for Angle to pass the torch onto Bryan. Had this match happened in 2012 or 2013, Angle could’ve played the veteran at the top of the mountain that still thinks he’s the best pure wrestler, only for Bryan to challenge him. That way, you’d have a stellar performance between Daniel Bryan and Kurt Angle at WrestleMania, with Angle taking a respectable loss, which would further elevate Bryan up the card in WWE.