10 Wrestling Matches Everybody Gets Wrong

6. Kurt Angle Vs. Baron Corbin - WWE WrestleMania 35

Finn Balor AJ Styles
WWE.com

Baron Corbin was a terrible and almost insulting opponent for Kurt Angle's last ever match. He sucks. He isn't getting over. He can't carry Kurt to an awesome last stand befitting of his legend. This match isn't even happening. A bait-and-switch is imminent. The idea is that awful.

Nobody could carry Angle to an awesome last stand befitting of his legend. Kurt Angle was cooked by 2019, if not several years before, and WWE did experiment - to at best politely "decent" results in a RAW match opposite Chad Gable - with this sort of dream match. Perhaps it might have resonated with more heft on the Grandest Stage, or perhaps everybody would have been too tired after six hours to care.

Corbin was the ideal opponent because it allowed for measured expectations, and he was equipped with the sh*t-eating grin promo material to gloat over the heartbreak of it all. The match wasn't special - again, no match would have been - but it was laid out well enough to just about capture the gravity of the occasion and Angle's willingness to put it over, particularly with one last beautifully-arced moonsault.

Corbin won, got his heat, and no milk was spilled because there wasn't any left.

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!