10 Awesome Wrestling Matches That Saved Careers
4. Kurt Angle Vs. Samoa Joe (TNA Genesis 2006)
Kurt Angle left WWE in 2006, to the surprise of everyone. His in ring game hadn’t slowed down but he was struggling with substance abuse and injuries, leading to him parting ways with WWE following SummerSlam 2006.
Instead of focusing on his health and a potential return to WWE, Angle went straight to TNA in one of the biggest moments in that promotion’s history before getting booked in a dream match with Samoa Joe. Their main event of Genesis felt massive with “This Is Awesome” chants starting before anything even happened. Thankfully, they delivered a masterpiece.
Angle bled all over the place and got his cut torn open by the fingernails of the Samoan heavyweight, whilst Joe took significant damage from Angle’s suplexes and mat wrestling before both men started hitting each other really hard. Every second was wrestled with desperation; these two wanted to make the other submit as quickly and decisively as possible.
A major submission sequence, transitioning from the Ankle Lock to the Coquina Clutch back to the Ankle Lock without either men letting go is staggering to witness, and the finish is an all time great wrestling moment. It proved that Angle’s career still had a lot more brilliance to offer.