Kurt Angle’s final Raw appearance was less an occasion for competition than celebration, with The Olympic Hero emerging only to bid the WWE Universe farewell and watch a tribute video highlighting the WWE Hall of Famer’s storied career. So it says something about Baron Corbin that he didn’t only manage to ruin that, but also the efforts of SmackDown LIVE’s Rey Mysterio to defend the Olympian’s honor in an impromptu match later in the evening.
Despite Mysterio’s desire to teach Corbin a “lesson in respect,” The Lone Wolf more or less routed The Ultimate Underdog thanks to a tweaked knee that largely prevented the former World Heavyweight Champion from mounting one of his patented comeback victories. (Somewhere, United States Champion Samoa Joe is licking his chops). Corbin pinned Mysterio after a Deep Six, but he found himself inadvertently wandering into the clutches of The Olympic Gold Medalist on top of the ramp: Angle snuck up on a gloating Corbin, double-legged him to the ramp and wrenched in an Ankle Lock that left The Lone Wolf tapping and crying for mercy. A crew of WWE officials forced Angle to release the hold, but he had made his point: Corbin may be bigger. He may be stronger. He may be faster. But Kurt Angle might just be plain better.