Who Was Better: Kurt Angle or Eddie Guerrero?

We are back with another “Who Was Better?” debate. I am still undecided on if the concept will continue going forward or not. Still have not been able to get the thing right in my mind. Always tweaking and changing stuff. If you have any ideas or ways to improve the format, feel free to let me know. My email address is listed below, and my Twitter account (@JustinWatry) is always looking for more followers. Until then, how did I decide on Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero?

Well, a few reasons. First, the pairing was suggested last month and caught my interest. Secondly, it seemed pretty even with enough back and forth discussion for each wrestler. Thirdly, June 27th marked the 10 year anniversary date in which JBL won the WWE Championship. Of course, his opponent that night was Eddie Guerrero (then champion), and Kurt Angle played a huge role in that all happening as Smackdown General Manager. Fit well enough for my column theme to give it a go this week. Without any more stalling, bring it on!

Who Was Better: Kurt Angle Or Eddie Guerrero?

Tag Team Career: Kurt Angle – Not sure there is much debate here in this section. Eddie Guerrero had more success in the tag team division. Kurt Angle spent his fair share of time outside of single’s competition but nothing I can write about. Chalk one up for Latino Heat!

Tag Team Career: Eddie Guerrero – His tag team with Chavo Guerrero in 2002 and 2003 was a lot of fun. Eddie held the gold with others (Tajiri and Rey Mysterio come to mind), but it was Los Guerreros that fans remember from Smackdown. The Blue Brand was absolutely on fire during this time frame and was watched by more viewers than Raw on occasion. A large part of that was the beloved wrestlers who delivered week in and week out. That included Eddie as a tag champ.

Outside Of WWE: Kurt Angle & Eddie Guerrero – If you want to discuss Kurt Angle’s time in TNA Impact Wrestling, go right ahead. Like Sean Waltman mentioned on Twitter recently, I think fans just want him back in WWE at this point. Same with th SyFy version of ECW and elsewhere. Ditto for Eddie Guerrero outside of WWE. I am not going to sit here and lie and proclaim I followed his career from the start, and blah, blah, blah. My guess is 90% of those reading this are in the same boat but will not admit it. I can admit it. Thus, if you DID keep tabs on Eddie during his early days, be my guest. Tell me all about it. Kurt Angle or Eddie Guerrero outside of WWE – who was better?

Mid-Card Career: Kurt Angle – Outside of his first few months, Kurt Angle was usually well above the mid-card level. He racked up a few victories after debuting at Survivor Series 1999. However, it all came together facing Tazz at the Royal Rumble in 2000. While the man was choked out, that began his upward movement in WWE. The European Championship. The Intercontinental Championship. Weekly spots on television. Quality pay-per-view spots. Win or lose, his mid-card career slowly led to a King of the Ring crown and more main event opportunities. On and off though, Angle did hang out in the middle of the pack feuding with the likes of Chris Jericho, Kane, Mark Henry, Rikishi, Big Show, Rey Mysterio, Edge, and others. Not too shabby…

Mid-Card Career: Eddie Guerrero – Coming in hot with The Radicalz was a big moment. However, it quickly cooled off due to Eddie getting injured. It was not until he matched up with Chyna that his stock started to soar. Fans loved the duo. It brought Eddie the European Title in 2000 and later the IC Title. While he kept adding gold to his resume, the love story line with Chyna ended in late 2000. Eddie feuded with the likes of Test, Hardyz, Rob Van Dam, Stone Cold for about a week, Luther Reigns, and Rey Mysterio for nearly all over 2005. Lots of memorable moments there. Even so, he was up and down the card many times (was also released in 2001 which lasted just under a year). It took awhile, but the main prize was in Eddie’s future.

Main Event Career: Kurt Angle – Oh boy, lots to cover. Kurt Angle won the WWE Title from The Rock at No Mercy 2000. Less than a year after his debut. From there, it was full steam ahead. He never looked back as being ‘accepted’ as a main event player again. From management to fans, Angle was big time. He stayed that way from late 2000 all the way to present day in mid-2014. Unreal! While he won many WWE Titles, World Titles, etc., his crowning achievement had to be WrestleMania XIX being the final match – the MAIN EVENT – of the show as WWE Champion taking on Brock Lesnar. The ultimate goal of anybody in this industry. Kurt Angle lived it.

Main Event Career: Eddie Guerrero – Did not spend as much time at the top like Kurt Angle. The rise of Eddie first began in late 2003. He had flirted with moving up the card many times before. Feuds with Stone Cold, Big Show, and others always got him close…but no cigar. When he lost the United States Championship to Big Show, it really felt like now or never. He could not keep hanging around the mid-card, and another long tag team run with Chavo Guerrero was not happening. Eddie was destined for bigger and better things. At No Way Out 2004, he got that opportunity facing Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. Still one of the most emotional wins in wrestling history (and maybe Michael Cole’s best call), he reached the top of the mountain. Ironically, his opponent was Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XX for the belt. After that feud, he ended up dropping the gold to JBL (for whatever reason you wish to believe) and never touched the title again. Shortly before passing away though, Eddie Guerrero was right there in the main event again feuding with Batista for the World Title.

Match Quality: Kurt Angle & Eddie Guerrero – For a large percentage of their WWE careers, these two wrestled basically the same opponents. Sometimes feuding with each other. All being in high quality. From Chris Jericho to Big Show to JBL to The Rock to tag team matches in 2002 and 2003 on Smackdown to everything in between. I think Angle gets the nod in match quality just for his work the past ten years, but then you have to consider Eddie in WCW, ECW, etc. Tough call. Flip a coin and call it…

Bottom line: Kurt Angle is a surefire WWE Hall of Fame inductee someday. Eddie Guerrero was already inducted in 2006. Both men have many similarities yet are still so different. While fans have their own likes and dislikes, the questions remains…

Thanks for reading. Please vote and then let me know what you think below in the comment section!

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