100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)
38. Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit (Royal Rumble 2003)
In many respects, both Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit were like throwbacks to the days of Bret Hart, Curt Hennig, Shawn Michaels and other super-workers expected to deliver superiority between the ropes. There was no guarantee that they'd mesh well as opponents though. Nobody knows if a combo will work for sure until the bell rings.
Thankfully, Angle and Benoit got plenty of practice throughout 2000, 2001 and 2002. They were a duo that WWF/WWE top brass kept coming back to time and time again. Admittedly, the results varied. For example, a '2 Out Of 3 Falls' scrap at Judgment Day 2001 worked, but a stuffy 'Ultimate Submission' affair at Backlash one month beforehand fell flat.
WWE's decision makers were willing to bank on the combination coming through for the top prize at the 2003 Royal Rumble anyway. That proved to be a shrewd bit of booking. Kurt's proteges Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas were ejected from ringside right before the bell sounded, which let both technicians get on with the good stuff without distractions.
They worked 20 gruelling minutes of stiff, uncompromising and delicious wrestling. There were oodles of nimble reversals and holds throughout, and Kurt's super Angle Slam off the ropes looked thunderous. Angle might've retained his WWE Title and chilled out with an ice cold glass of milk to watch the Rumble take place afterwards, but Benoit received a standing ovation from an appreciative live crowd in Boston.
Everyone knew they'd witnessed something special, and they were grateful to these guys for removing the stench of Triple H's unflattering World Title defence vs. Scott Steiner from the air too.