12 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2003
8. A “Hidden” Classic Awaits You On 6 February
At their apex, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit could've worked 5-star matches in their sleep. Some wrestlers just have instant chemistry together, and these guys certainly did. It'd be a shocker if they ever had a bad bout, even on non-televised house show cards around the United States. Something magical happened whenever Angle and Benoit entered a WWE ring together.
People who are able to look past the horrendously depressing end to Benoit's life away from wrestling still appreciate the merits of the pair's 2001 feud. Then, their WWE Title match at Royal Rumble 2003 stands proudly as one of the best in history. Binge enough SmackDown from the rest of that year and you'll find something else captivating waiting for you though.
On the 6 February '03 show, Angle and Benoit worked a match that'd last a shade over 10 minutes. On paper, it was just another TV match designed to motor WWE through to the next week. That doesn't tell the full story. Some of the slick exchanges in this one will leave you breathless, and they'll remind you all over again how stunning these guys were once they got going.
For the record, another top clash on the same card was Team Angle beating Los Guerreros to win the tag belts. 2003 isn’t viewed as ’SmackDown Six’ territory the same way 2002 is, but that fun carried on into the new year too. Some seem to have forgotten all about that, which is understandable when the final few months of '02 featured some of the bigger matches the 'Six' had.
Don't sleep on Angle vs. Benoit from 6 Feb 2003 if you're hungry for a Rumble addendum.