Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship, from WWE Royal Rumble 2003

I know this might come across as a weak complaint that exhibits a lack of respect towards where storylines were heading, but I’ll risk it: the biggest problem with this match is that the wrong wrestler won. The story of this match is that these two technicians are practically equals, with the most crucial deciding component being who is smart enough to ensure their game of chess proceeds in an advantageous direction, and there is only one proper outcome with that path. It is a testament to the match that precedes it that this scores as well as it does.

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