10 Great SmackDown Matches From WWE's Original Brand Split
4. Kurt Angle Vs. The Undertaker (3 March 2006)
One of the most acclaimed WWE matches of the past 15 years came at No Way Out 2006. At that show, The Undertaker - who had made his return the previous month at the Royal Rumble by collapsing the ring in which Kurt Angle stood - challenged World Heavyweight Champion Angle for the title. After nearly half an hour of action, Angle reversed Undertaker's triangle choke into a jackknife pin for the three count.
Just two weeks later, Undertaker and Angle clashed in a rematch that's not as well remembered, but was every bit as excellent. Undertaker started out strong with strikes, but Angle - playing a serious babyface in a WWE rarity - fought back with dominant technical wrestling. With the crowd split, both men opened their arsenals - Angle reversed a chokeslam attempt into an Ankle Lock, then followed up with an Angle Slam for two.
A desperate Angle reapplied the Ankle Lock, but Undertaker rolled through and chokeslammed him. He nearly choked Angle out with a triangle, and when the World Heavyweight Champion tried another jackknife pin, Undertaker kicked out. Angle locked in the Ankle Lock once more, then went for a moonsault when 'Taker escaped, but The Phenom avoided it. He retaliated with a Tombstone and seemed to have the bout won, but Mark Henry interfered for the DQ, then splashed Undertaker through a table.
The bout may have had a disappointing ending, but the match went down as one of the most phenomenal in SmackDown history.