10 Greatest Rivalries in The History of WWE SmackDown

#2 Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit

Frenemies

Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit had an excellent feud with some incredible matches in 2001, so when the feud was revisited on SmackDown in 2002, we all knew we were in for a treat, and that is exactly what we got.

Tensions grew between the two heels when Benoit found it very funny that his partner for the match, Kurt Angle, was on the receiving end of a stinkface from Rikishi. The following week, Kurt interrupted Benoit's match with Rikishi where he held down Chris so he would take the stinkface. Benoit would then attack Kurt later in the evening, resulting in a match between them at Unforgiven.

The match at Unforgiven, one of the best matches of 2002, was won by Benoit with some help from his feet on the ropes. An enraged Angle attacked Benoit, which would lead to not another match, but SmackDown General Manager Stephanie McMahon forcing the two to form a team for the WWE Tag team Championship tournament or be suspended. The two reluctantly teamed together and were victorious, defeating Edge and Rey Mysterio for the titles in an amazing match at No Mercy. For a few weeks, things turned comical for some humorous segments between them.

The reign was short-lived at 2 weeks when the animosity between them was too much, and they lost the titles to Edge and Mysterio. Angle and Benoit had another match, which Benoit won, and their feud was put on a hiatus for just over a month. Benoit would then challenge Angle for the WWE Championship at the 2003 Royal Rumble, which would be one of the greatest WWE Championship matches in history.

The feud ended after a rematch a few weeks later. It was one incredible feud that never failed to deliver an excellent match.