WWE Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle has revealed his favorite match in which he competed against John Cena.
Angle knows Cena as well as anyone inside the squared circle, being Cena’s first opponent for his main roster debut in 2002. The pair then embarked on a lengthy rivalry that helped elevate Cena into Superstar status.
Speaking in an interview with TV Insider recently, Angle was asked about his favorite match that he had with Cena during their feud. Angle named his 2003 No Mercy match against Cena in which he made “The Leader Of The Cenation” tap out.
“I would say probably where I made him tap,” Angle said. “I believe it may have been No Mercy 2003. We had a really good match. John stayed with me and worked really hard, he hit all his moves. The match was magic and one of my favorite matches. All my favorite matches, though, are when I make someone tap out.
“John and I also had a great match in No Way Out 2005 where he beat me. It was right before the WrestleMania before he won the WWE championship for the first time. That match might have been a little better. That was when they were really pushing John to be the champion.”
The latter match Kurt Angle mentioned was their 2005 bout at No Way Out in which Cena defeated “The Olympic Hero” for the first time by either pinfall or submission. Prior, he had only ever beaten Angle via disqualification in 2002.
It was a massive stepping stone in Cena’s journey to become “the guy” as it made him the No. 1-contender for the WWE Title, where he’d go on to defeat JBL at WrestleMania 21 to capture the World Title.
John Cena recently celebrated his 20th year in WWE since his debut on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW.