21 WWE Matches That Almost Got 5 Stars

Hope you also like a lavishing of "Kurt Angle is amazing," because he too has put on a smattering of near 5-star classics.

Many fans today look back fondly on the era of SmackDown when Paul Heyman was the head writer, and for good reason. That was the time of the vaunted "SmackDown Six." Consisting of Angle, Benoit, Edge, Rey Mysterio, and Eddie and Chavo Guerrero, the Six would regularly put on great matches week in and week out on SmackDown in both singles and tag team action. The group reached perhaps their in-ring zenith at No Mercy 2002, when Rey and Edge tagged against Benoit and Angle to determine the inaugural WWE Tag Team Championships in a match that won the Wrestling Observer's Match of the Year award. That's right, kids, you could win Match of the Year without going 5 stars or higher back in the day! Crazy stuff.

Naturally, the match is fantastic. All four men had amazing chemistry and showed off what they cold do. A young Edge showed that he was more than just a gimmick wrestler and was a true main-eventer. Add that with a hot crowd that grows hotter with every nearfall, and you have the makings of an instant classic.