5. Kurt Angle Heads To WrestleMania 19 With A Broken Neck
Kurt Angle was the best wrestler in the world as 2003 rolled around. Whether it was in the ring or on the mic, Angle's talent was undeniable, putting him on a firm course for WrestleMania 19's main event. Going in as champion, Angle was expected to have a five star technical match against number one contender Brock Lesnar. This would be Brock's big moment, his chance to become champion and put on one of the best matches in Mania history. The anticipation going in was massive. Just one problem. Angle's neck had started to give him serious problems in late 2002. By February 2003, he'd started to lose feeling in his arms. The diagnosis was grim, Kurt had re-injured his neck, which had first been broken back in 1996 before the Olympic Games. WWE went into panic mode and put provisional plans in place for Brock Lesnar to face The Undertaker instead. Those plans never manifested on television however, because Kurt insisted on working one final match before heading off for surgery. We ended up with a very good match, with almost no sign of Kurt's serious injury. Ironically, Brock Lesnar ended up being the biggest neck worry on the night, when he severely botched a shooting star press and landed on his head. Another irony was that Kurt injured his hamstring early in the action. He might have had a broken neck and hurt hamstring, yet he still put on a hell of a show.
