Kurt Angle Revealed Dave Meltzer to Be “Pickier” Back in the Day, When It Came to Giving His Iconic Five Star Match Ratings

In his almost 10-year illustrious WWE career, Kurt Angle wrestled a plethora of wrestlers ranging from Dwayne Johnson to John Cena and had stand-out matches every time he stepped into the ring. But his feud with two-time Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels will always be his most memorable one.

The legends wrestled each other three times in a span of few months and each time put on a show for the fans.

Dave Meltzer gave a 4.5 star rating for Angle and HBK’s Vengeance match in 2005

It all started at the Royal Rumble with Michaels eliminating Angle. Later Angle quickly returned to the ring to eliminate HBK. This gave rise to their classic 3-match rivalry with both winning one while the last ‘30-Minute Iron Man match’ ended in a 2-2 draw.

But their match in 2005 at Vengeance is what Angle really cherishes. On the recent episode of his podcast The Kurt Angle Show, he and co-host Paul Bromwell talked in detail about his match with HBK. Acclaimed wrestling journalist and sports historian Dave Meltzer called it one of the best matches of that year.

Paul Bromwell stated, “Meltzer said they tried to an offshoot of the Michael’s Benjamin Raw finish but this wasn’t nearly as impressive or well-timed. Still it was among the best matches of the year and he gave it a four and a half star rating. Dude in today’s rating, the way he’s giving out five stars like candy, this would have easily been another five-star. I feel like he gives out a little bit more five-star matches, a little more graciously than he used to.”

Angle agreed with this notion and said, “He was pickier back then.” Indeed, most of the matches Angle put on during his time in WWE could’ve come under consideration for a 5-star rating from Meltzer.

Read more: WWE Hall of Famer Electing “To Do the Job” for Kurt Angle Made Him Realise That He Would “End Up Giving Him Back That Favor”

Although Angle was with the WWE for a long time, he actually spent a major portion of his career with another rival wrestling promotion where he got even more success.

Angle’s 11 straight years with TNA 

When co-host Bromwell asked, “The bulk of your career was TNA man, wasn’t it?”. Angle joyously replied, “Yes it was, 11 years, 11 years straight.” The delight on Angle’s face clearly goes to show that he enjoyed working with the promotion post-WWE.

He made his TNA debut in 2006 immediately after exiting the WWE. During his 11-year stint, he had many major feuds with TNA biggies like Samoa Joe and AJ Styles He not only won the TNA World Heavyweight Championship 6 times but was also inducted into the TNA Hall Of Fame. The only other WWE greats who have achieved this momentous feat have been Sting, Jeff Jarrett, and The Dudley Boyz.

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He eventually retired from professional wrestling in 2017 at WrestleMania 35. Angle was last on RAW in 2023 where he served as the special guest referee in a six-man tag team. But with Gable Steveson making an appearance on NXT, fans are speculating that Angle might make his return as a mentor. Do you guys think this is possible?