If you’ve followed the career of soon-to-be WWE Hall of Famer and former Olympic hero Kurt Angle, you know that there is one constant: if Kurt Angle is in a cage match, he will try a moonsault off the top of that cage. And he will, nearly without fail, miss that moonsault. Cody Rhodes, Angle’s latest blood rival, knows this all too well.
Over the weekend, Angle and Rhodes had their final showdown — a rubber match in a worldwide series, and the final independent booking before Angle returns to WWE — in a steel cage match for Northeast Wrestling in Waterbury, CT. Rhodes clearly wanted to send Angle off with a bang, and so he busted out perhaps the greatest wrestling match homage ever: a whiffed moonsault from the top of the cage, leading to an Olympic Slam.
https://twitter.com/DanWeiner/status/837886138933260288
Hey, let’s watch that from several more … angles, shall we?
Here's my footage of @CodyRhodes Moonsault off the cage during his match with @RealKurtAngle at @newwrestling1 #WrestlefestXXI last night! pic.twitter.com/KjAIHNot4Y
— Nico Giano (@giano_nico) March 5, 2017
here's a better view of the @CodyRhodes moonsault pic.twitter.com/8DMwCSvlGx
— Ranch Dubois (@pkdollabills) March 4, 2017
Cody Rhodes misses the moonsault off of the steel cage, leading to an Angle Slam pic.twitter.com/MVubpIvNK7
— Justin Barrasso (@JustinBarrasso) March 4, 2017
Although he missed the moonsault (in a PERFECT HOMAGE to Angle), Rhodes did ultimately get the pinfall victory, and Angle will head back to WWE losing their rubber match. Cody Rhodes sticking around on the independent scene having taken two of three from an Olympic hero is nothing to scoff at. I’m sure he’ll take care to list that particular bit of bragging rights in Bullet Club promos and videos for some time.
