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Kurt Angle announced last night that his final WWE match will happen at WrestleMania 35. His retirement match can go several ways as he could either face a memorable foe from his past or take on a fresh opponent. While I’d like to see him square up with a familiar face, there’s certainly merit to both.
With that in mind, here are five Kurt Angle WrestleMania 35 opponents that make sense!
Samoa Joe
One of the greatest feuds in the 2000s was Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle. It was the bout that put TNA on the map as a real contender and was arguably their highest point as a company. Not only did the two put on some fantastic bouts, but they always had great chemistry in the years that followed. Considering Joe holds the United States championship, this would allow Angle to get one final taste of WWE gold.
John Cena
John Cena’s first match in the WWE was against Angle and the two would feud plenty during Cena’s rise to becoming the promotion’s biggest star. As such, there would be a poetic beauty to Cena ending the career of Angle. He’s even teased the match on Instagram, so this could possibly be the direction that WWE is going in.
Jason Jordan
Now this one seems the most unlikely due to Jordan’s current injuries, but was probably the long-term plan at one point considering the storyline that made the younger star the “son” of Angle. If Jordan’s condition has miraculously improved, this would be a great comeback for him. It doesn’t even have to be some evil turn on his kayfabe father, but rather just a passing the torch between the two.
Rey Mysterio
Another iconic Kurt Angle opponent from his original WWE run would be Rey Mysterio. The veteran luchador put on some classics with Angle inside the ring. Not only did they have great matches on SmackDown, but they put on a great bout in Mysterio’s WWE pay-per-view debut at Summerslam 2002. Mysterio wound wind up tapping to a submission after nine minutes of action
Chad Gable
As far as a more realistic passing of the torch scenario, I’d give the amateur wrestling star Chad Gable a renewed singles push. Not only is he incredibly talented in-ring, he shares the goofy charisma that Angle had in his heyday. They could tell a wonderful story with this match.
