25 Greatest WWE SummerSlam Matches EVER

17. Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs Kurt Angle (SummerSlam 2001)

CM Punk Brock Lesnar
WWE.com

A blistering 2001 brawl between Kurt Angle and Stone Cold Steve Austin spoke to their electric chemistry as friends and rivals in perhaps the most bizarre year of the 'Rattlesnake's career.

Only a finish short of hitting five stars, this bloody WWE Championship clash fell to pieces because of the contest's screwy conclusion (Angle was destined to win the title at a later date), but surpassed every expectation considering Angle's inexperience as a babyface and Austin's indifferent form as a heel up to that point.

It proved to be the feud that cemented both in their new roles. 'The Rattlesnake' was a terrific coward in the face of Angle's actual in-ring skill, whilst the Olympian found his fire defending Team WWE against Austin's evil Alliance.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett