At WrestleMania 21, Kurt Angle defeated Shawn Michaels in a fantastic contest that deservedly earned the distinction of 2005 Match of the Year by both Pro Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Despite not being in the World title picture, Angles match was clearly the best match on the card, and Angle deserved to be in the main event scene. Unfortunately, WWE had other plans. Kurt Angle went on a rather long losing streak throughout 2005 that began when he lost to Shawn Michaels in a WrestleMania rematch. While that was another good match between two great athletes, it was also a harbinger of things to come for Kurt Angle. Though Angle defeated Eugene at SummerSlam 2005 in a match for his Olympic Gold Medals in a pointless feud, he couldnt win the WWE Championship from John Cena no matter how hard he tried. Even though Angle was booked in advantageous segments over Cena on RAW throughout late 2005, he still kept losing to Cena when it mattered, which also included a match at Survivor Series. In the end, Angle didnt really gain any positive momentum until 2006, when he won an over-the-top-rope Battle Royal for the World Heavyweight Championship. So while Angle did do his job in helping build Cena into a bigger star throughout 2005, his constant losses throughout that calendar year really damaged his credibility. A year later, he lost at WrestleMania 22, and by summer 2006 he was gone. Many fans hope to see Kurt Angle back in WWE one day, and if he ever does return, hopefully his time there will be more positive than his post-WrestleMania 21 hangover period.