[2006-02-19-WWE-No Way Out] Kurt Angle vs The Undertaker

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Superstar Sleeze]

World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle vs Undertaker - WWE No Way Out 2006

 

If you are like me and couldn't remember how Angle ended up back on Smackdown, well it is simple when Batista got injured, he simply entered a Battle Royale and won the World's Heavyweight Championship. Undertaker and Angle are a really good pairing as they had a really good TV match back in 2003. Taker clearly is an MMA mark and loves rolling with guys like Angle and Brock. I think the style benefits Angle a lot. This is one of the last high touted matches of the era that I have yet to watch at least once. I thought Undertaker was awesome in this and looked to really be in high gear. I feel like 2004 and 2005 were down years for the Deadman but coming back to challenge for Angle's title here until the present day he more often than not looks good in his matches.

 

Loved his urgency right out of the gate. He was the aggressor at the beginning. Taking the fight to the champion and looking to win the championship. Angle powdered early but Taker did not lose focus. Loved Taker's posture and body language in this. Everything was about moving forward. Grabbed a headlock and did a great job converting from that base hold into working on the arm. Thought the arm work was great, focused and intense. Angle sold well, tried to break, but kept being overwhelmed so good struggle. Couple good Angle hope spots based around Undertaker missing charges. In both cases, they were fleeting with Undertaker not being denied and making quick comebacks against Angle. It really looked like Undertaker was going to run away with this early. He was hitting his spots and turning back everything Angle threw at him. So when he went for the chokeslam that's when the complexion of the match changed. Desperate, Angle kicked at Undertaker's knee, creating enough separation to clip the knee from behind. At the beginning, I thought the knee work was great. Using the post, loved the Bret Hart figure-4 around the post and Undertaker's selling was great. Undertaker looked like he was going to turn the tide again with a legdrop on apron, but caught into the Anglelock was great. Undertaker was able to take an Angle leg lace and counter into a Triangle choke, which was a good hope spot. Taker tried turning this into a brawl, which makes sense and leveraging his striking ability. Angle got a pop-up Angleslam through an announce table. Up until this point, I thought they were wrestling an absolute classic. The transitions were crisp, great urgency on Undertaker's part, lots of struggle and they were telling the story of Undertaker's strong desire to prove he is the better wrestler and how much he wanted to win this match whereas Angle had become desperate.

 

They lost it after the Angleslam and it became too much of a post-modern Angle match. The first misfire was Undertaker going to the top rope after the Angleslam through the table clearly just to set up Angle's run up the ropes Belly to Belly spot, which is lame. Then Taker hits a big boot anyway. Then comes the 8 million Anglelocks counters and reversals. I wouldn't mind it so much if he did not have the hold on for soooooooooo long before the counter. If it was constantly quick, like people could kinda feel it coming and before he can get set they countered that's one thing, it is this stupid is he going to tap or not and then roll through bullshit that's so lame. Way too easy getting in and out of the Anglelock and triangle. I am really bumming at this point because the first 2/3s was so damn good. Really dug the tombstone reversal spots into the Anglelock though that was neat-o, I will admit. The tenacity of wanting to put on the Anglelock is awesome. It is the sitting in the hold that sucks and kills the move. Loved the finish Angle gets a jackknife pin on a Triangle (again really didn't need the false drama of the arm raise).

 

The first 2/3rds was awesome. Undertaker killed it and was such an aggressive challenger. I thought Angle kept Undertaker honest made him earn it and worked leg well. They just fell into the trap of way too many Anglelocks and sitting in them. Good finish though keeps everyone strong. Interesting match that Undertaker's shine felt more like a heat segment that was building and building to a finish. Then Angle took over likewise. I thought the highspots were just right in terms of giving the oomph to the story. Just wished they didn't fall into the Kurt Angle match trap, which is hard when the match involves Kurt Angle. Coulda been somebody. ****1/4

[BigVanCrush]

My only real gripe with this is that the finish feels flat, but everything else was great. Angle's chokeslam counter into the ankle lock and the apron leg drop counter into the ankle lock in particular stood out as two really cool, innovative counters especially for 2006. I liked that the match was well paced, especially given the two participants and the length of the match (just shy of 30:00). It felt like more of a big main event epic than anything else WWE produced that year and I think I like this one more than the Shawn match from WM 21 in terms of the 'big' Kurt Angle matches from this time period. Everything clicked until the match was over. It's a shame they didn't get a chance to run this back with a better finish but as it stands, this is a tremendous match. ****3/4

[Kadaveri]

I thought this match was a potential classic for the most part. The arm work in the opening segment is interesting, violent looking and makes Taker seem like he has a strategy to win the match by taking away Angle's ability to lift. It pretty drastically goes downhill towards the end when Undertaker goes to the top rope so Angle can do his belly to belly off the top rope spot, when Taker never went for a top rope move outside this match. That Get My Shit In stuff that really takes away from a match more than enhances it.

 

****

[CYF]

Is this one of the most underrated matches in WWE history? When people talk about it they obviously praise it, but it's not brought up that much. It didn't make the Kurt Angle DVD that came out last year and any of the Undertaker DVDs. All the stuff before the angle slam on the announce table is one of Undertaker's best performances. Everything he does is with purpose and he is trying to hurt Kurt. This leads to Undertaker being open because he is going full force and this leads to Kurt finding openings for example all the times Kurt reversed Undertaker's patent moves with the angle lock. Undertaker's plan is to go full force and Kurt is thinking of ways to counteract it. After the table spot it slows down and the finish is lackluster, but I understand the decision because you want them to both look strong heading into Mania. ****3/4

[cactus]

Undertaker working with Angle causes Undertaker to really pull his finger out and deliver a career-great performance. He's an underappreciated seller and he shows this as Angle targets his knee and ankle in an attempt to soften it up for the ankle lock. He limps all over the place and never makes his hurt leg feel like an afterthought. I have a few gripes with this match though. The finish feels flat as the crowd isn't fully buying Undertaker's triangle choke as a threat yet and they just look confused when Angle counters the choke into the deciding pinfall. You could tell they were scrambling to find a finish that made both guys look strong.   ★★★★¼