Random Match Of The Day - Steve Austin vs Kurt Angle At Summerslam 2001

[Lockard 23]

I haven't posted one of these in awhile, so let me back to it with a great WWF Championship match from Summerslam 2001...



This is also the second best WWF Championship match of 2001 period (right behind Austin/Rock) and one of the greatest WWF Title matches Austin (or maybe even Angle) ever had IMO.

Plot summary: The Invasion angle began in late June/early July 2001 and at the Invasion PPV in July, Austin turned on Team WWF and more specifically, his partner Kurt Angle (they had been sharing segments together for more than a month at that point) and joined the Alliance. This shifted Kurt Angle to being the leader of team WWF and the #1 babyface in the promotion, and it led to this match at Summerslam. The awesome video package for the match pretty much explains it.

Short summary of the match: Austin whooped Angle's ass for the majority of the match lol. But that was the story of the match - Austin is a fierce competitor but despite throwing everything he had at Angle (three stunners, ramming his head into the ring post five times and busting him open, even pulling out the Million Dollar Dream on him, etc.), he couldn't put Angle away. So he had to resort to knocking out three referees to try and get himself disqualified. Nice screw job (kind of...) from the Alliance referee Nick Patrick at the end. Also, Kurt Angle hit a Moonsault on Austin. How awesome is that? Usually when he goes for that move, he completely misses it.

Also, as usual, JR added so much to this match on commentary. The commentary today wouldn't be half as good.

 

[Swift]

Great match! Kurt Angle was easily one of the fucking best.

 

[TheArabHammer]

Lol I remember this match watched it again on the way to Cali

 

[seabs]

I loved how they built up Kurt as the sympathetic baby face here, especially the ending when Nick Patrick comes out and feigns a count before DQing Austin, I haven't watched the match in around a year and that moment along with JR talking about Angle being screwed really stuck with me. The blood is used right here also which is why I'm never antiblading Kurt sold the concussion like an absolute legend too, he lacked psychology in a lot of his matches especially presently with his throw every move from the top rope with 30 ankle locks and 90 2 counts from angle slams but he really showed he could do it here. Austin was Austin.

 

[Laura]

So weird seeing Austin in the ring again, lol. Great match, although I was surprised by the crowd. I thought crowds were dead these days, but there wasn't a single chant in that match. They only really came alive during the end. Also surprised by crowd reactions for Austin. He didn't seem to be much over at all, not as heel or a face. He got pretty much the same reaction Kane would. Not really the way I remembered it, lol.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

2001 is my third favorite year behind 97/98, mostly due to Angle feuding with all the top AE guys

 

[Mustafar Reginald]

Missed these threads. Really great match here. Loved every second starting from when Austin clobbered the first ref, that finish was brilliantly executed and build. Admittedly there were portions of the match that I didn't really find entertaining but they were absolutely necessary to the story of the match so I really can't complain there. Loved when Angle locked in the Ankle Lock while Austin was climbing over the barricade (and started a high-pitched scream for him to tap out) then proceeded to drag him into the ring and reapply it. Outside of that and the moonsault, there isn't a lot of moments I really loved in this bout (barring the finish of course) but not trying to criticize it or anything. JR was gold here, my favorite line was probably, "A cobra clutch! We haven't seen that since a guy by the name of Ringmaster did it!"

Personally, I'd rank this above Rock/Austin at X-Seven, it's probably now my second (or at least third) favorite Austin match. First will likely always be his submission bout with Bret, the other contender for me is his match with The Rock at XIX. Doubt it make my top ten for Angle though.

 

[Jeremy]

First one of these threads I've seen but it's an awesome idea. You should keep doing more. I'm about to watch this match right now.

 

[Lockard 23]

I also wanna mention that Mike Chioda sold that Stone Cold Stunner pretty well. Much better than Linda McMahon did lol.

 

[Vernom_Axe]

This is the best MATCH on WWF story.

 

[ChicagoMadePunk]

Remember this match so well, one of my favourites. Kurt Angle was my favourite superstar back then, still would be to this day if he ever returned (Don't care for TNA at all). Kicking out of the two Stone Cold Stunners (although taking three) was practically unheard of. My favourite rivalry probably is the one between Angle and Austin. There was never a dull moment.

Was a shame though that when Angle won the title at Unforgiven they quickly took it off of him on RAW. We need our Olympic Hero back!

 

[Action Jackson]

This match is legendary. It starts out hot, and never lets up. To think that Kurt is only a year into the business at this point is ridiculous. I loved Austin as the heel, and it sucks that it didn't get over the way it should have. It's just impossible to boo Stone Cold. He's even more awesome as a heel and the crowd wasn't going to turn on him 100%. Singing songs, eating Debra's terrible cookies, and beating the everloving shit out of Rock with a steel chair to win the belt. I can't boo that.