10 Wrestlers Who Got Over By Losing

7. Kurt Angle

Dustin Rhodes
WWE.com

The Kurt Angle conniption fit was almost Seinfeldian in its brilliance.

Watching people blow a f*cking gasket is funny. It just is. And Angle was phenomenal at it for two key reasons: he was a very, very intense individual, and yet he had no compunction whatsoever about showing himself up. Watching Angle realise he'd made a right t*t of himself and scream "Shut up!" at a taunting crowd was priceless. And he still sold the gravity of those defeats. They pissed him off. He was never a clown; he just had a rather funny way of wanting to win.

And it worked so well because Angle was such a killer in that ring that he could get his heat back just by removing the straps of his gear. Everything he did looked like death. Thinking on it now, there's probably never been a pro wrestler quite as valuable as him.

To prove this, his record in 2000 was pretty spotty. He lost to Tazz at the Royal Rumble. He lost the European and Intercontinental Titles at WrestleMania. He lost to the Big Show at Backlash. He won the King Of The Ring, but it really only enabled him to do more comedy - "Did I summon you?" - before he was mugged off by a defensive and boring Undertaker at Fully Loaded.

And he was still worth the SummerSlam main event, and the WWF Title by October's No Mercy, because he was too entertaining and too over for any record to hold him down.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!