The Kurt Angle Show - No Way Out 2003 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Let’s get right into our topic today - No Way Out 2003!

Last month we covered Royal Rumble where you retained your title over Chris Benoit and Brock Lesnar became the #1 contender for your World Title to set you two on a crash course to headline WrestleMania.

The Smackdown after the Rumble is from Albany and it features both members of Team Angle losing singles matches to Chris Benoit & Edge.

Do you think Haas & Benjamin were losing too much too often in the beginning of this run?

Was it a tough adjustment for them on the road? Did you ride with them?

On the same SmackDown you work against Rey Mysterio…

From the Observer:

“Angle vs. Mysterio had an excellent TV match for the 7:00 they were given. I’d give it ***3/4, and it would have been above **** if they had time.”

Before we go any further Kurt - how different is a mindset of putting a match together when you from almost 25 minutes at a pay-per-view to just about 7 on TV?

Is it a tough transition?

“Mysterio did a flip dive hurdling over ref Brian Hebner and the way he crashed down landing on both feet made me cringe. When Mysterio got his full blown surgery a few years back, the doctor told him not to land feet first from heights. If you noticed the spot where Angle went into a chinlock, it was because Mysterio was shaken up landing at a bad angle on a German suplex. Angle grabbed the hold to check if he was okay and wait until the wooziness was gone. Mysterio was shaken up enough that he saw the doctor on both Thursday and Friday for treatment of his neck, but was back in the ring on Saturday for the house show.”

Here we are 20 years later Kurt and Rey is still doing flips and dives - he just transcends it all doesn’t he?

Do you remember Rey getting shaky after taking the German suplex?

Did you ever have anyone - besides Hulk Hogan - worry about taking suplexes from you?

“Fantastic finish. Mysterio went for the West Coast pop, but Angle caught him. Mysterio reversed positions on Angle’s shoulders, but Angle dropped him on the turnbuckle like a snake eyes, then back suplexed him and rolled over with a heel block style pin.

Benjamin & Haas came in after the match, followed by Benoit & Edge, so probably a six-man tag coming.

Is Rey one of your favorite opponents?

Be sure to check out in our archives over at youtube.com/theanglepod for our interview with Rey from last year - with a much different Dominik included…

Are you looking forward to seeing a possible Rey vs. Dominik match at WrestleMania this upcoming year?

The next week on Smackdown Benjamin & Haas get a win over Benoit & Edge after your interference when you hit Benoit with a belt shot.

Do you think it was time to get Team Angle some tag team gold around their waste?

You haven’t had a lot of interaction with Brock after the Rumble - did you agree with that creative decision?

Speaking of you & Brock…Triple H is hurt and is unable to wrestle in Minneapolis & at Madison Square Garden so the Raw tour needs some help.

When are you notified you need to get to these shows and do they do anything for you since it’s so last minute?

Brock was scheduled to face Hunter on both shows - so instead they have you wrestle him after he goes through a gauntlet of Haas & Benjamin.

Having Brock defeat Shelton in Minneapolis had to be a big deal for both of these men considering their ties to Minnesota right?

You & Brock only go a few minutes considering he had already wrestled twice - is that a disappointment to you two?

You guys aren’t wrestling each other a lot in the run up to a big WrestleMania main event - was that due to your physical condition or did you guys not really need a lot of practice for the show?

Vince is the one who actually announces you would be taking on Brock at MSG. Vince loved MSG didn’t he?

The next SmackDown is from Philadelphia and really you should go out of your way to check out the match show as it features Benjamin & Haas winning the Smackdown tag team titles from Chavo & Eddy Guerrero in 15:56.

This is a big deal for all of you to have the titles is it not?

How happy were you to see Team Angle with the tag titles?

Were they ready for it?

Later that night you would take on Benoit again and he would bleed during the match but you would get the win clean in just over 10 minutes with the Angle Slam.

Were you surprised that it would take another year for Benoit to get a run at the top?

Lesnar would run out for a save when Team Angle would attack to help start promoting the No Way Out six-man match.

Curt Hennig passes away sadly on February 9th - do you have any good Curt Hennig stories - maybe some ribs from your short time with him?

On Smackdown the next week…

“Backstage, Kurt Angle gave Stephanie McMahon a rose for Valentine’s Day. He moved in for a kiss, but Brock Lesnar interrupted. Angle agreed to an “Angle vs. Lesnar” match for next week. Steph booked the six-man tag match for the PPV, so Angle took the rose back.

Does Brock get the credit you think he deserves for his charisma?

He’s not known as a promo guy but he does the little things don’t you think?

From the Observer:

“The show featured the first physical confrontation between the two after Lesnar pinned Cena in the main event with the F5..

Brock got Angle’s attention by F5’ing Cena’s knee into the ringpost. Once Angle came out, Lesnar got the best of him. Haas & Benjamin joined the brawl, but Lesnar fought all three of them off. Lesnar placed the WWE Title on the fallen Angle…”

Were you & Brock excited to finally get your hands on each other for TV?

You guys had gone 9 months without the two of you touching - do you think it was too soon and it could’ve waited?

The Smackdown go-home show from Indianapolis features the match as promised by Stephanie…

“Angle said that Lesnar would have to beat Team Angle before getting a title shot.

So he beat Haas, and then Benjamin.

Crowd was dead for both matches and many people left. Haas match went 4:00 with an F-5 finish and was dull. Second was 5:30 with an Angle slam finish in a decent match.

Right at the bell to start the title match, Heyman hit Lesnar with a chair for a DQ finish. Lesnar no-sold the chair shot and went after Heyman. People didn’t like that at all, but the reaction wasn’t as negative as when they did the same basic scenario in MSG.”

This doesn’t get over live according to the report but the crowd does get sweetened up on TV. Is this any worry for you & Brock going into Mania?

Do you think Paul helped or added any heat to this?

Edge & Benoit would run out for the save to help build to No Way Out…but how bad was Edge hurting at this point? Did you know he might miss the 6-man at this point?

We’re at the show in Montreal and what a show it is…

The return of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin takes place as he wrestles Eric Bischoff. Were you happy to see Steve back?

It also featured Hulk Hogan taking on the Rock in a rematch from WrestleMania X8 in Hogan’s return. Talk about a loaded card - do you think your stuff got missed because of Hogan & Austin’s return?

Did you feel like you were being positioned as a WrestleMania main eventer on the pay-per-view before it?

Well you & Benoit steal the show according to Meltzer but there’s a lot of of talk about Edge’s participation in the match.

“The other wrestlers said they would take care of him and he was willing to do it. However, after word of how serious his injury really was got to the office, they not only pulled him from the match, but decided against allowing anyone to touch him, hence the phantom injury angle. After the Matt Hardy cruiserweight title win, they cut to backstage where Edge was lying dead on the ground with everyone hovering over him. He never moved, you never saw anything, and he was taken to a hospital.”

Was it a disappointment to you to not have Edge in there?

“5. Brock Lesnar & Chris Benoit beat Kurt Angle & Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin in 13:19.

Angle and Lesnar worked too much together to keep the specialness of their first meeting at Mania intact. Benoit used a German suplex on Angle and three more on Benjamin. Benjamin at one point nearly splattered Lesnar’s nose with a superkick. Very physical hard style match. Lesnar made a hot tag and gave Angle and Benjamin belly-to-belly suplexes that put them nearly into orbit.”

Before we get to the finish - was it hard to keep away from Brock considering it was now a handicap match and not a 6-man?

Was there any talk that you remember on replacing Edge with someone else?

“Match ended with a great series of ankle lock and crossface reversals by Benoit and Angle. Haas saved Angle from a crossface, but Benoit then locked Haas in the crossface, while Lesnar delivered an F-5 to Angle to stop him from making a save as Haas tapped. ****”

Are you happy with this when it’s all over?

It’s a hell of a match and you should definitely go out of your way to watch the whole show up on Peacock and the WWE Network!