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[2003-10-19-WWE-No Mercy] Kurt Angle vs John Cena


Superstar Sleeze

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Kurt Angle vs John Cena - No Mercy 2003

Some things never change like people kicking out of the FU. :) I forgot how foul-mouthed Cena's promos were at this time. He is like the reverse Bob Saget. Total random note, but I watched the opening video package to this PPV and the Vinny Mac & Steph storyline was some fucking dark shit.

Really strong fundamentals-based match for the vast majority of this match. It is nothing that really pops, but it is just solid, entertaining. Some Kurt-isms pop up late in the match where he just starts suplexing Cena as his hope spots, but there are no real transitions to the Germans or out of the Germans to get back to Cena on offense. I forgot how crucial the kick to the midsection was in every match from like 1997-2005 in setting up your most lethal move. I think they could have done more with the street fighter vs Olympic wrestler if they wanted to have a classic, but as a meat and potatoes match this was fine. Angle outwrestled Cena early and then got pissed, flipped him off and took fight to him, which I thought would lead to more of a battle of fisticuffs. Angle eats the post (not my favorite transition as it does not put heat on the heel). Cena wrestled a fine heat segment. His clothesline has not changed nor how he sells punches. He was moving around great. It was weird there were no shoulder tackles. Cena went for his leg drop and Angle dropkicked the knee, which seemed like a sound strategy. He did get the ankellock, but they ended up on the apron and Angle took his DDT/apron bump that is needlessly nasty.

 

Spot of the match was Cena finally hitting that legdrop in a way that does not make me roll my eyes. Angle was trying to get back in the ring, head-first and BANG! nailed the leg drop. Perfectly organic. Angle of course snapped off a suplex right after this. :( It was a fun finish stretch. They kicked out of each other's finishes. I loved Cena going for the chain, the ref takes it away, but he has stolen the gold medals! I did not even see that. Cena, you sly fox! He nails him and that should have been the finish, except Cena was turning face I believe. Angle kicks out nice pop and victory roll into AngleLock gets the win.

It was just a very good match. Cena looked fine and had all his mannerisms down. He definitely worked big. Since Cena was not a workrate guy, I think that helped reign Angle in, which was a boon for this match. ***1/2

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  • 1 year later...

Edited from my blog - just saw this for the first time...

 

John Cena taking on Kurt Angle. The lead-up to this match looks like it was fun (at one point Kurt Angle dressed as Cena and let loose with a rap on SmackDown). In the ring, though, things are all business from the bell, the rivals locking up with the Olympic Gold Medalist outwrestling Cena early. There is an audible "Let's Go Cena" chant (noted by the commentators). Angle continues to control as the match devolves into brawling until Cena escapes a corner and Kurt runs full speed into the post. I usually dislike that spot based on how often its used, but at least in this match Angle had used it successfully minutes earlier (which explains why he'd use it again). Cena takes over and drops Angle with a reverse neckbreaker and, over the next few minutes, a variety of moves - some dropped over the years, some still very much a part of his game. An even louder dueling chant breaks out before Cena lands a big spinebuster. Angle is bleeding profusely out of his mouth, though I'm not necessarily sure from what. Cena attempts his legdrop from the top rope, but Angle shuts him down with a dropkick straight to the shin. Its a risky cut-off that I'm not sure I've seen too many times since (if ever) - a wise choice by Cena because its also a spot that is more risk than reward. Angle hits a Russian Leg Sweep and then uses Cena's momentum against him to lock in an Ankle Lock. Cena grabs the ropes and heads to the outside, but Angle follows him out with a baseball slide that shoves Cena into the announce table. Angle teases a German Suplex off the apron through an announce table, a spot that woud've been absolutely sick, but Cena escapes and basically DDTs Angle into the apron instead. Cena hits the guillotine leg drop as Angle tries to get back in the ring for a close two count. Angle somehow gets up and hits a German Suplex, but Cena cuts him off again with a dropkick to the leg and then "The Throwback" (a rolling neckbreaker). Moments later, Angle busts out the hat trick of german suplexes for another 2 count - the type of sequence that Angle's critics love to note makes so little sense in this point of a match where he should be, ostensibly, running on fumes and selling more. Cena busts out a buckle bomb! Damn, didn't know that was in his arsenal back then. Cena sets him up for the F-U and connects...but Angle kicks out at two! Hmm...maybe its not a new phenomenon that a single F-U never gets the job done. Angle is back on his feet and this time its his turn to finish his ineffective finisher, Cena taking the Angle Slam but kicking out at two. Cena makes his way to the corner and grabs his trademark chain, but Jimmy Korderas takes it away. Cena has him outsmarted, though, because he's got the gold medals in his hands! Cena levels Angle with a big right, but again, only gets 2! Angle with a backslide for 2! Angle with a victory roll into the Ankle Lock and Cena's in trouble! Cena nears the ropes but Angle pulls him back and grapevines to force the submission!

 

 

This match has plenty of flaws - in fact, if you're not a fan of his and were looking for a match that maybe exemplified everything wrong with Kurt Angle's in-ring style, you could base your entirely argument on a match like this. Angle sells only sporadically and there's little to no psychology in his attack. All the drama comes from finishers getting kicked out. The "Wrestler vs. Street Fighter" backstory is dropped almost instantly. Still, if you're like me and can actually just sit back and almost enjoy Angle for his absurd use of high spots, this is a pretty riveting watch. For starters, the crowd is absolutely hot - not just for Angle, but for Cena, giving this match an interesting twist as a 2017 viewing. Second, yeah there are a ton of false finishes, and yes that's a kind of cheap way to build suspense, but it works. Third, the storytelling and pacing may be flawed in a traditional sense, but Angle's "go-go-go" style prevents this match from ever slipping into tedium. Watching 6 matches in a row where this is the speed and style is very difficult and all too common in 2017 - but on this card, this match follows an "attraction" bout (Vince vs. Steph), some tag team shenanigans (APA vs. Bashams), the (hate to say it) "spectacle" of Zach Gowen vs. Matt Hardy, a big vs. little match in Benoit vs. Albert, and is followed by Eddie Guerrero vs. Big Show. Context maybe helps explain how this match could stand out as particularly entertaining when you think of what else the live and PPV audience had seen and would see that night.

 

I'd say this is a fun watch that is worth checking out if you're a fan of either guy and haven't seen it before, which is what pushes it from a 3-and-a-half rating up to a 4.

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  • GSR changed the title to [2003-10-19-WWE-No Mercy] Kurt Angle vs John Cena
  • 10 months later...

Good match. You could see from this match that Cena was becoming a good wrestler and big prospect. Angle was okay, he was breaking down and it was at this point where he was beginning just to be there for his matches. The good performance was Cena, Angle was just along for the ride imo. ***1/4

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  • 3 years later...

Fun little match.  It's fun watching a random Kurt Angle match and seeing classic Angle spots like the running shoulder into the post and the attempted German off the apron.  They tried to sell the "rookie street fighter" vs. "veteran wrestler" story a bit, which played into the ending as Cena was getting frustrated trying to put Angle away.  They began to reverse each other's big moves before Angle used a Victory Roll into the Ankle Lock to get the win.  Cena looked good here, you can see a superstar in the making.

 

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  • 1 month later...

The buildup to this match was juvenile, but the match itself isn't bad. They drag things out a bit and burn out the crowd, but that's largely because Cena isn't very good at working on top. Things pick up again when they kick out of each other's finishers, and deliver a decisive finish that protects Angle while making Cena look strong (imagine that.) Smartly worked match that played to Cena's strengths. It was nice to see Angle working a different style of match, and also nice to see the WWE produce a successful midcard bout. It would have been interesting to see these guys square off after Cena took off. 

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