10 Best Wrestling Matches That Went Over 45 Minutes

Lesnar and Angle, sensibly, followed Triple H and The Rock's lead by opting for a fall-heavy Iron Man match - except they perhaps went about it in a more measured and believable way.

You didn't have to question why moves that usually only brought a three count after 30 minutes suddenly became instantly effective after just five, basically, because the Next Big Thing deliberately gave his opponent the lead - and himself the advantage - by using a steel chair in the early goings.

With his unorthodox approach, Lesnar at last truly embodied the cowardly heel character he had become since embracing the support of Vince McMahon in the summer; the perfect foil to Angle's All-American hero, who was determined to overcome the odds without sinking to the same lowly depths.

The ending - which saw Angle tugging at Brock's ankle in the dying seconds, only for the clock to run out just as he was about to force a submission - is arguably among the most dramatic and nail-biting in WWE history. And it capped off what was by far 2003's best feud.