7. Kurt Angle Vs. Rey Mysterio @ SummerSlam 2002
This was the much anticipated WWE PPV debut of Rey Mysterio, which followed an introductory set of video packages showing him in a mask (he took off the mask for a few years in WCW), and his TV introduction against against Chavo Guerrero, which led to this match against Angle.
There was a style clash between them since Mysterio was a high flier while Angle was more of a technical wrestler, but they didn’t have any problems adjusting, and the pace of the match was amazing. The atmosphere in the building was great thanks to the Long Island crowd staying hot all night long. It was the perfect opener for one of WWE’s best PPVs ever.
This match was at a time in their careers where they were both healthy: Angle controlled much of the match until Mysterio fired back by doing some amazing things like reversing the Angle Slam into an arm drag. We didn’t see that kind of thing normally. There was also the memorable spot where Mysterio hit a somersault dive over the top to take out Angle. The nearfalls following that moment were incredible with Angle kicking out of the 619/West Coast Pop combo. That was Rey’s finishing sequence. Angle ended up winning with an Ankle Lock, which caused Mysterio to tap out.
It would have been a big win for Mysterio in his PPV debut, but they weren’t going to put him over a main eventer like Angle. The biggest complaint about this match was the time. It only went about 10 minutes. If it had another five minutes it really would have been a classic. It’s still a very good match that is one of the best PPV openers ever.
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