On September 9th 2004 Kurt Angle battled Eddie Guerrero in a Lumberjack Match. The match never saw a clear winner due to the returning Big Show coming to the ring and cleaning house. The following week The Big Show got the choice between Kurt and Eddie as opponents for No Mercy. Big Show seemed sure to sign Eddie's contract but changed his mind and signed Kurt's, setting the stage for a match at No Mercy.

The following week on SmackDown!'s 5th Anniversary Special The Big Show & Eddie Guerrero defeated Kurt Angle & Luther Reigns by Disqualification in the main event due to Mark Jindrak interfering to help Kurt. After the match, Kurt Angle shot Big Show with a tranquilizer, shaved his head, and posed for a WWE photographer. Kurt had promised to make a SmackDown! Moment of his own after many old clips had been run throughout the show, and he had done just that. At No Mercy Kurt tried everything to get out of the match easily, he even got counted out but Teddy Long ordered the match be restarted. Big Show picked up the victory after a huge Chokeslam, but the feud was far from over. At Survivor Series Kurt teamed with his allies Jindrak and Luther Reigns and also Carlito to take on Eddie Guerrero, Rob Van Dam, John Cena and The Big Show. Carlito soon exited the match after he was chased out by John Cena. Kurt managed to eliminate RVD but the rest of his team were soon eliminated. Kurt tried to walk out of the 3 on 1 handicap but was soon thrown back in and received a Cena FU, a Guerrero Frogsplash and a Big Show pin.

On the following SmackDown! Kurt started the 'Kurt Angle Invitational' in which he wrestled local talent who had to survive 5 minutes with Kurt to win his Olympic Gold Medal. This carried on for the next few weeks on SmackDown! with Kurt always getting the win. At Armageddon Kurt, Jindrak, and Reigns took on the Big Show in a 3 on 1 handicap match in which Big Show again got the upper hand and pinned the Big Show. On SmackDown! 4 days later Kurt challenged the WWE Champion JBL to a title match. JBL declined but the match was made anyway. Kurt won by DQ and The Big Show made his way to ring and cleared the ring making his desire to be WWE Champion known. A triple threat match was booked between these 3 for the WWE Championship at the 2005 Royal Rumble. The next few SmackDown! episodes saw these 3 make numerous alliances between each other. Kurt was tricked into entering Joy Giovanni's shower when he thought it was Amy Webber's which made the Big Show angry. JBL and Kurt had a Last Man Standing match on January 27th's SmackDown! which ended in a draw with The Big Show laughing at his 2 beaten opponents. At the Royal Rumble JBL pinned Kurt after much help from his cabinet.

Kurt was angry about this and stole Nunzio's spot in the Royal Rumble only to be eliminated by 'The Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels of RAW. Kurt was furious and eliminated Shawn and beat the crap out of him outside the ring. This set the stage for one of Kurt's greatest feuds, but first Kurt was still focused on the WWE Championship.

RAW's Batista had won the Royal Rumble and it was unknown which title he would challenge for at WrestleMania 21, so Teddy Long made a #1 contenders tournament. Kurt made it to the final at No Way Out against old nemesis John Cena after he defeated Rey Mysterio and after he sent Jindrak and Reigns to cost the Undertaker his match. John Cena got his first ever win over Kurt at No Way Out leaving Kurt out of the title hunt.

Shawn Michaels challenged Kurt to a match at WrestleMania 21 the following night on RAW. The next week on RAW Kurt appeared and beat Shawn to a bloody pulp and accepted his challenge. On the following SmackDown! Shawn turned up in disguise as a camera man and beat up Kurt until security stopped it. Over the next few weeks Kurt made it his mission to out-do HBK. He started with winning a Ladder Match with a jobber, then the following week he beat HBK's former partner Marty Jannetty. The week after Kurt sang a mock of HBK's 'Sexy Boy' with HBK's former manager Sherri and then put her in an ankle lock. Kurt got one more attack on Shawn on the next RAW and then it was on to WrestleMania. The match stole the show with many great spots. Kurt eventually made Shawn tap to the ankle lock after an amazing match.

Kurt again became focused on the WWE Championship and entered the #1 Contender tournament. On April 14th's SmackDown! Kurt beat Eddie Guerrero in their last ever match after Rey Mysterio's help backfired. Kurt went to the Fatal Four Way Elimination Match Final for the #1 contender's spot in Sheffield, England on April 28th against JBL, Booker T and The Big Show, a match I saw live! It went down to JBL and Kurt after Big Show was counted out and Kurt used a chair on Booker T. Booker T came back in and cost Kurt the match setting up a feud between them. Kurt started having an obsession with Booker T's wife Sharmell and called her a 'gutter slut' and claimed he wanted to have sex with her. After weeks of this Booker T defeated Kurt at Judgment Day and beat him up some more after the match. The feud ended a few weeks later after Booker T again defeated Kurt.

Kurt soon turned his attentions to Tazz and the ECW supporters for the One Night Stand Pay Per View coming up. Kurt viciously assaulted Tazz with a chair and went to One Night Stand as one of the 'Anti-ECW Crusaders'. Kurt cut a promo on ECW and its fans and was completed drowned out with aggressive chants towards him. At the end of the night Tazz came out and choked out Kurt with the Tazmission.

The following night Kurt was drafted to RAW and got in a confrontation with HHH, Ric Flair, Batista and was also challenged to a rematch by Shawn Michaels for Vengeance. At Vengeance Kurt and HBk put on another wrestling classic, but this time HBK came out on top after a huge Sweet Chin Music. Kurt then wrestled Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan in the following weeks on RAW and then continued his Open Invitational which saw Eugene win the Gold Medal. This set up a match for the Medal at Summerslam which Kurt won with ease.

The following night Kurt beat Shelton Benjamin and later in the night was named #1 Contender after he beat the hell out of John Cena at Eric Bischoff's biding. Kurt beat Cena by DQ at Unforgiven but was then F-U'd through the announcer's table. The feud continued for the next few weeks. At WWE Homecoming Kurt had to face Shawn Michaels once again except this time it was a 30 minutes Iron Man Match. After 30 minutes it was 2-2 and Kurt declined HBK's offer for sudden death rules. Kurt went back to his feud with Cena and became #1 contender once again. Kurt was in a Triple Threat Match for the title at Taboo Tuesday with John Cena and HBK. Cena pinned HBK and again Kurt had not been beaten by Cena. Kurt soon acquired Daivari as his 'personal referee' which saw Daivari do everything in his power to make sure Kurt won his matches. Kurt got another shot at John Cena at Survivor Series with Daivari as referee. Daivari was knocked down in the match and a SmackDown! referee counted a pinfall victory for John Cena. Kurt continued his alliance with Daivari and became an anti-American, cutting promos against the troops in Iraq and even saying he refused to compete in front of them. Kurt beat Ric Flair to be entered into the New Year's Revolution's Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship. Kurt was the first man eliminated in this match after Shawn Michael gave him a Super Kick. The following night Kurt teamed with HBK against Carlito and Chris Masters, only to be left alone and losing to Chris Master's Masterlock. Things weren't looking good for Kurt, with a number of looses to John Cena and being made a fool of it looked very bleak for his future. But things were about to lighten up.

On January 13th's edition of SmackDown! World Heavyweight Champion Batista gave up the title due to injuries. A Battle Royal was scheduled to determine a new Champion. Kurt made a surprise appearance in the Battle Royal and last eliminated Mark Henry to start his first reign as World Heavyweight Champion. Kurt made a final appearance on RAW the next week and was beaten by Shawn Michaels after Daivari accidentally cost Kurt the match. Kurt gave Daivari an Angle Slam over the top rope, showing that Kurt was now a Face. Kurt was now officially back on SmackDown!. Mark Henry then made Daivari his new manager and got a title shot at Kurt at the Royal Rumble. Kurt managed to defeat Henry but was then immediately challenged by the Undertaker. Kurt faced the Undertaker at No Way Out for the title in an outstanding match between the two, which saw Kurt reverse the Triangle Choke into a roll-up pin to beat Undertaker. A rematch was set up 11 days later on SmackDown! in which Kurt was nearly defeated but Mark Henry attacked Undertaker.

Kurt was then made to defend the title against the Royal Rumble winner Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 22. The three of them teamed up at the returning Saturday Night's Main Event, where they lost to John Cena and HHH after failing to get along. At WrestleMania Rey pinned Randy and therefore Kurt lost the title to Rey. Kurt entered the SmackDown! King of the Ring tournament and defeated Randy Orton and broke his Ankle (out of storyline Orton had been suspended). Kurt got a rematch at Rey Mysterio on April 28th in England but Mark Henry came down and put Kurt through a table, taking Kurt out of action and making him forfeit the King of the Ring Tournament. Kurt returned and lost to Mark Henry via count-out at Judgment Day but did get revenge by beating the hell out of Henry.

On May 29th's RAW Kurt was announced as joining the new ECW brand and attack Mick Foley and Edge. Kurt beat Rey Mysterio via count-out on the following SmackDown! as a farewell match. Kurt went onto ECW One Night Stand and beat a returning Randy Orton with the ankle lock. Kurt made his mark in ECW over the next few weeks, defeating Justin Credible and teaming with Rob Van Dam to beat Edge and Randy Orton. Orton challenged Kurt to a match at Vengeance in which Orton came out on top. Kurt then went onto lose in a match against Rob Van Dam on the following ECW show. Kurt then took some time off to heal up from old injuries. Kurt Angle has had an amazing career up to this point, holding almost all the titles possible and countless other achievements. Personally, I would love to see him as ECW Champion to add to his achievements and also for Kurt to win the Royal Rumble. It is no secret that Kurt does still have problems with his neck, but I hope that he can keep going on for a few more years with some good title reigns and matches. In my mind Kurt Angle is the best wrestler alive today and I hope you've enjoyed reading about his career up to this day.

by James Ahsan