5 Forgotten WWE Debuts Of Indie Superstars

Another challenger to Angle’s Gold Medal, Roderick Strong also answered the call of the Kurt Angle Invitational; stepping up to the plate on January 13th, 2005.

As far as Kurt Angle Invitationals go, the live audience had a tendency to blow hot and cold on the action at times, down to the very nature of unknown wrestlers generally performing in glorified squash matches against the "Wrestling Machine" that is Kurt Angle.

This bout however was a notable exception as the crowd was instantly hot for this segment from the start; due in no small part to Strong’s role in the opening seconds. In response to Angle’s cocky questioning on the mic, Strong retaliated with a stinging slap to Angle’s face, which immediately pulled the crowd into the match on impact.

Strong quickly bailed, causing Angle to chase his insolent opponent outside before catching up with him in the ring...and it went downhill from there very quickly for the future NXT superstar. An incensed Angle was out for blood and the following two minutes of roughhousing, rag-dolling and general ass whooping proved just that.

The bout would end in typical Invitational fashion with Angle making short work of Strong and making him tap to the Ankle Lock. Nevertheless, the match was a memorable addition to the Invitational series and proved once more that the Angle open-challenge concept was a genuinely entertaining part of Smackdown programming at the time.

Coincidentally, the background security guard holding Angle’s Gold Medal during this segment would also go on to become a WWE Superstar and 2 x US Champ in his own right, making a name for himself as none other than, MVP.