Edge & Rey Mysterio vs Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit (WWE, 10-20-2002)

WWE No Mercy, North Little Rock, AR

This is a request via Ko-fi. This is a tournament final to crown the first-ever WWE tag team champions, for Stephanie McMahon’s Smackdown brand. Angle and Benoit were great but reluctant tag team partners. They had to team together without any aggression toward one another, or face suspension. Edge and Mysterio were also a makeshift team. It was basically an excuse to stick a bunch of great wrestlers together. Edge still has the Rob Zombie theme which thankfully WWE doesn’t have to dub over.

Angle and Mysterio start. They had a low-key pretty terrific rivalry over the years. C&E start, Angle takes Mysterio over with an armdrag. C&E again, Angle with a waistlock takedown, toys with Mysterio, smacking him on the back of the head. Angle laughing at Mysterio despite knowing he’s nothing to dick around with.

Angle picks up and throws Mysterio into his corner, telling them he wants Edge, another old rival. Mysterio won’t tag, though. C&E again, waistlock from Angle. Mysterio “gives up” for a moment, then stomps the foot. Fireman’s carry takeover, dropkick to the knee, off the ropes and a snap legdrop across the back of the neck.

Mysterio into the corner, boot up, off the top with a flying headscissors. Drop toehold from Rey, and he slaps Kurt in the back of the head, then scurries out of the ring, succeeding in flustering Angle.

Edge tags in. C&E, Edge with a waistlock takedown, Angle switches to a hammerlock, side headlock with both standing. Edge sends Kurt off the ropes, Angle with a shoulder. Off the ropes again, Edge with a hiptoss and an armdrag, then a dropkick. Angle tags to Benoit.

Benoit with a go-behind, headscissors, Edge kicks out. Side headlock from Benoit, top wristlock into an armdrag into an armbar from Edge. Benoit backs him to the corner, delivers some knees and a forearm. Side headlock from Benoit. Takeover from Benoit, he wrenches on the headlock on the mat, gets a quick one count. Benoit off the ropes now, Edge with a kneelift to take Benoit down.

Stomachbreaker from Edge, cover, two. Edge with driving knees into the midsection. Side backbreaker from Edge. Stomp to the back, and another. Chop trade in the corner, Benoit wins that. Edge reverses an Irish whip, catches Benoit with a flapjack. Oklahoma roll from Edge, two count.

Into the corner, Edge with a shot to the back of the neck. Benoit reverses a whip to the ropes, and Angle sneaks a knee in from the apron. Edge off the ropes again, ducks a clothesline, and spears Angle off the apron. Rollup from Edge on Benoit, two count, Angle takes another shot at Edge, and Benoit drops Edge, then drives an elbow down. Reverse neckbreaker from Benoit, tag to Angle.

Angle in with a shot to the gut, seven stomps and a book across the face, break at four. Angle with a forearm, Edge drops, dazed, almost a Ricky Steamboat-like sell there. Edge with a couple right hands back, off the ropes, and Angle lifts the knee. Two count. Mysterio calling for the tag, trying to encourage his partner.

Angle with a chinlock, grapevining the body with it. Mysterio tries to rally the crowd. Benoit not holding the tag rope, despite being a veteran of this sport. Edge into the corner, boot up on Angle’s charge, but he walks into a belly-to-belly suplex from Angle. Angle taunts Mysterio, who IS holding the tag rope. Tag to Benoit. Angle holds Edge, Benoit delivers a kick to the stomach.

Chop from Benoit. Right hand. Edge sent into the corner, takes the chest-first Bret bump. Benoit with a couple knees to the stomach. Right hand from Benoit. Edge sent into the corner, chest-first again, and then he bounces out into a German from Benoit. Another one. Another one. Mysterio knocked off the apron, and Benoit calls for the finish, and blows his snot onto Edge.

Benoit up top, Edge gets up and cuts him off with a right hand. Edge hammering away from the second rope, then goes all the way up and hits a huger superplex. Mysterio back on the apron and again trying to rally Edge and the crowd. The only person in this match holding the tag rope is Mysterio. Edge makes the hot tag!

Mysterio in and takes out Angle on the apron, then a tilt-a-whirl headscissors for Benoit! Whip reversed, but he hits a drop toehold on Benoit, sending him down in the corner. Running dropkick there. Angle in, dropkicked back out. Benoit bent backwards over the middle rope on the apron, and Mysterio hits a flying legdrop! Two count, Angle makes the save.

Edge in again, and he and Angle go crashing to the floor. Mysterio off the ropes, ducks a clothesline, goes for a wheelbarrow bulldog, but Benoit counters, slamming him down, and locks on the Crippler Crosssface. Edge makes the save this time, then Angle pulls Edge back to the floor.

Angle sent into the steps. In the ring, Mysterio dropkicks Benoit in the back, and goes for the 619. Benoit catches it, but Edge is up top and hits a missile dropkick onto them both, leading to a cover from Rey for two! Mysterio goes up top, Angle sprints in out of nowhere with the belly-to-belly superplex. Benoit covers, two as Angle goes after Edge again. Benoit can’t believe that didn’t get the win and the belts.

Angle back to the apron, and he gets the tag with Benoit stuck in the wrong corner. Angle with a shot to the back, and another. Backbreaker from Angle, two count. Vertical suplex from Angle, another two count. Front facelock from Angle, sensing that he doesn’t have Mysterio beaten just yet, so he needs to wear him down some more, and slow the match.

Angle gets up and goes for a single underhook suplex, but Mysterio reverses with a backdrop. But he walks into another Angle belly-to-belly, another two count. Benoit tags in and throws a couple forearms. Off the ropes, and Rey takes a BIG back body drop. Mysterio staying alive, though. Benoit with a kick to the head, then a chop in the corner. Forearm. Benoit whips him to the opposite side, charge,s boot up. Mysterio with a headscissors, sends Benoit into the ringpost, shoulder-first.

Mysterio looking for the hot tag to Edge, and Benoit needs the tag to Angle, too. Kurt reaching out, gets the tag, and Edge is tagged, too! Clothesline, cltohesline, back elbow to Benoit, Angle off the ropes and backdropped. Faceplant on Benoit. Edge drops Angle, goes for a pin, gets two but Benoit breaks.

Edge and Rey double on Benoit, Edge spearing him in the corner, and then Mysterio hits the bronco buster. Angle back up at Edge’s mercy, spear in the corner. Angle placed up top, Edge launches Mysterio into a top rope rana! Cover, two, Benoit flies in and Edge moves, Benoit hits Angle with the flying headbutt! Benoit knocked out of the ring by Rey. Edge covers Angle, gets a LONG two.

Angle suddenly catches Edge with a back suplex. Angle up, and he’s set now — Edge struggling to his feet, but Edge hurls Mysterio into Angle with a heel kick. Benoit sneaks in behind Edge, trips him, and goes for the crossface! Edge scrambles to the ropes, but doesn’t get there! Benoit has it on! Edge gets the rope, Benoit won’t release. Mysterio flies in with the 619 to Benoit! Angle Slam to Mysterio! STRAPS DROPPED! Angle with the ankle lock on Edge, Edge kicks him off, small package, TWO COUNT!

Edge off the ropes, ducks a clothesline, SPEAR ON ANGLE! Benoit breaks the pin! Mysterio with a baseball slide dropkick to Benoit on the floor, and again Edge tosses Benoit out for a moonsault onto Benoit! Edge goes for the Edgecutioner, Angle counters and gets the ankle lock. Edge counters and rolls him over, and Edge has the ankle lock! Angle reverses! Edge has no choice but to tap out!

Rating: 5/5. It’s probably the best straight tag team match in WWE history, with no gimmicks or anything. It’s a tremendous, tremendous tag team wrestling match, an old school Southern tag style with 2002 WWE sensibilities and offense. These were both makeshift teams, but great makeshift teams. Edge and Mysterio in particular wrestled as a tag team, doing some nice tandem offense. Benoit and Angle were just about the best possible mercenary combination. You can’t ask for a lot more — when the worst worker in a match is fucking Edge, who truly excelled in tags, you’ve got a lot going for you.