10 Best World Champions Of The WWE Attitude Era
8. Kurt Angle
Much like Big Show before him, the mighty Kurt Angle also ended up lifting his first WWE Championship not too long after officially becoming a member of Vince McMahon's stacked roster.
After making his debut at the same Survivor Series which saw Paul Wight shock the world, Angle eventually bested The Rock to win the big one at the following year's No Mercy.
And while this would actually rank as Angle's longest-ever run with a world championship under the WWE banner (126-days), with Kurt picking up big wins over the likes of The Undertaker, Steve Austin, and Triple H, it's the effortlessly entertaining Olympian's second run with the strap which really helped elevate him as one of WWE's new main event stars.
On the back of the harrowing events of 9/11, Angle pitched winning the title from a heel 'Texas Rattlesnake' at Unforgiven 2001 in a bid to put some smiles on the faces of a country who were hurting. McMahon and Austin both loved the idea and the eventual 'Wrestling Machine' went over in his hometown of Pittsburgh in one of the most uplifting babyface victories of the era.
It wasn't too long before 'Stone Cold' wrestled his baby back from the charismatic force, of course. But by that point, Angle had already established himself as one of the most reliable and entertaining champions to grace the Attitude Era.