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Showing results for tags 'Royal Rumble'.
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WWE Champion Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit - Royal Rumble 2003 Before the Benoit murders/suicide, this wasn't just my favorite Benoit match this was my favorite match period. I just rewatched the match for the first time and it just doesn't hold up nor did I expect it too. This match and the Jericho/Michaels match are definitely harbingers of the current pro wrestling style in the WWE. The strong emphasis on moves and the total de-emphasis on in-ring character and the story of the match being motivated by the characters and storyline surrounding it. Whether the standing ovation after the match was a work or not, it was clear my fellow Bostonians were searching for a chant to describe the "awesomeness" of this finish run. They tried "Holy Shit", but that did not really fit. They were not really cheering for Benoit or Angle. They were just excited for all the neat spots. The chant needed would a few years down the road in the form of "This Is Awesome". The finish run of this match is the ultimate "This Is Awesome" string of moves. In deference to this philosophy, this was a damn hot home stretch and an entertaining one. This was clearly way better than Michaels/Jericho, but this in my opinion no longer belongs among the greatest matches of all time. It is not even the greatest WWE match of 2003. The match was basically wrestled face vs face. Angle is an entertaining heel on the stick, but as never been much of one in the ring. There is no bumping, no stooging. There is no real emotion. He just wrestles as a poor man's Benoit and is totally exposed. Benoit is Benoit. He always moves forward and is always bringing the fight to you. I love this style unabashedly. If he has no one to play off whether it is a Finlay going toe to toe or an Eddie bumping and running scared of him, it can be a pretty dry performance. The beginning of the match reminded me a lot of a toned down version of Benoit/Malenko from Hog Wild. I was like why the hell did I like this thing. Benoit did have the decency to at least attempt and then apply a Sharpshooter since Angle had a bad knee. The transitions in this match were pretty lame and did feel your turn/my turn. Angle was awful at heat segments especially around this time (fuck the chinlock/bodyscissors). The first half was boring once they did the double clothesline spot, the match kicked into overdrive and it was enough of a great finish run for me to call this a great match. Benoit blows an absolutely massive snot rocket and is always the first thing pops into my mind about this match. I am glad that held up. I liked the pop up top rope belly 2 belly. I actually liked the submission reversals in this a lot. I think Benoit pugnaciously applying the Crippler Crossface at every turn was awesome and the Crossface counter out of an AngleLock was sick. The Angle Slam counter to the Crossface was even better. Angle out-pugnaciousing the pugnacious Benoit by pugnaciously holding onto the AngleLock was bitchin. Was it overkill? Probably. Was it fun as all get out? Fuck yeah! In 2003, Scott Keith wrote this after giving the above match ****3/4 "But I bet that according to HHH, neither of these guys know how to work". Well what's funny Scott, is that Angle doesn't know how to work and Benoit left to his own devices could be a self-indulgent bore. The finish stretch clearly saves the match. Benoit was fine to great throughout the match. I thought Angle was badly exposed until the finish run. Give it the NJPW Juniors treatment and this is world-class as is it is merely great. ***3/4 -
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Shane McMahon comes out and offers the chance for Sable to forfeit the match after she suffered a beating by Luna on Heat earlier in the night. Sable limps to the ring as she sells her back injury. She's very hammy and her delivery of her only line was rather poor. The match starts and not a whole lot happens. Luna works the back. They do that spot that's in every strap match where one wrestler taps the corners whilst dragging the other along with them, allowing the second wrestler to tap the corners as well, unbeknown to the first wrestler. Shane tries to interfere when Sable and Luna are tied 3-3, only for the then unknown Tori to rush through the crowd and plant Luna, allowing Sable to touch the the 4th corner and retain the title. This could of been awful, but the very short match time allows you to sit through it without too much discomfort. ★
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[1991-01-19-WWF-Royal Rumble] Sgt. Slaughter vs Ultimate Warrior
Loss posted a topic in January 1991
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