BTBOTM ~ WWE: The Gorilla Position ~ Vol. II

[EZ3]

THE ROAD TO BACKLASH
March 30, 2003 - April 27, 2003
Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts​

A Series of [Un] Fortunate Events [MONDAY NIGHT RAW]
With just four short weeks between WrestleMania and the next pay-per-view, Backlash presented by Monday Night Raw, things were off to a hot start a mere 24 hours after the conclusion for the grandest stage of them all. After successfully defending his World Heavyweight Championship, Triple H - along with Evolution - gloated about the defeat of Stone Cold Steve Austin. It was a long promo to open Raw, drawing good heat from the audience, as Triple H outlined how he had once again proven that he was on another level in this business and was still at the very top. He predicted that Randy Orton and Batista would be inspired by what they saw last night, and that it would spur them onto their great success in the WWE - all because of his mentorship (and that of Ric Flair). Upon the titantron, Eric Bischoff would appear and congratulate the World Champion, and he confirmed that there was going to be a fatal four way match for the number one contendership later this evening to determine the challenger for Backlash. This has been advertised throughout the day and on WWE's website.

Bischoff announced that the match had been intended to feature Chris Jericho - however, the Highlight Reel was unable to get to the building due to travel issues and may not make it in time. Therefore, Bischoff had no choice but to organise a last-minute battle royal with the winner taking the final spot in the fatal four-way. The battle royal took place after the first commercial break and was won stunningly by Shawn Michaels! HBK escaped elimination with one foot hitting the floor ala 1995, and scored the victory with a superkick to Sean O'Haire. Later that same evening, Shawn Michaels would overcome the most unlikely odds and win the fatal four way - securing himself a title shot at Backlash. As Raw came to a close, Chris Jericho arrived at the arena and locked eyes with HBK. The following week, Shawn Michaels and Triple H signed the contract for Backlash - the two former friends going back and forth about their most recent battles at the end of 2002. Meanwhile, Chris Jericho pleaded his case to Eric Bischoff that he should be getting the shot at the title since he forced HBK to tap out at Wrestlemania, and if not for car troubles and a stupid driver, Jericho would’ve won the fatal four way. That argument ultimately fell on deaf ears, and Jericho was left to deal with a personal issue that sprouted an alternative path for him.

Evolution became involved during the last two weeks heading into Backlash. Shawn Michaels took on Randy Orton in a solid fifteen minute match which ended in a no contest due to the involvement of the Dudley Boyz and Batista. We saw a deeply personal promo between Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair - the former spoke about how much he had worshipped Flair growing up but now he was frustrated to see Ric assigned to be a lackey for someone like Triple H. This drew the ire of ‘The Game’ who promised to step out from the shadow of his former friend, once and for all, at Backlash. He had beaten Steve Austin at WrestleMania - something that Shawn had never done - and at Backlash he would finally put to an end the debate as to who was better; Triple H or Shawn Michaels.

Three’s Company, Honey [MONDAY NIGHT RAW]
Following a disappointing loss at WrestleMania, the WWE Intercontinental Champion, Christian was locked out of the office of the Raw General Manager when he tried to get a meeting. Christian was frustrated and yelled through the door that he would make it up to Eric. He cut a promo backstage with Kevin Kelly about how he was going to be the greatest Intercontinental Champion that this brand had ever seen - he was going to be a champion that Eric Bischoff could be proud of and that’s all that mattered. Rob Van Dam interrupted the promo and said that he had never seen someone kiss so much ass as Christian was going right now. Van Dam told Christian that the Intercontinental Championship was something he had always wanted as a kid, and now, with WrestleMania in the rearview, RVD had his sights set on gold.

The following week, Christian sat on commentary during one of Rob’s matches and oversaw his potential challenger get a solid win. Christian then snuck into the ring and hit Van Dam from behind with the title belt and proceeded to attack him. Fire then burst from the ring posts as Kane rushed down for the save and drove Christian from the ring, and sent him fleeing into the crowd - but without the title. The belt remained in the ring - which Kane picked up, looking at the title as if it was calling to him, and he raised it into the air to declare his intention of challenging for it again! The decision was made to have a number one contender's bout two weeks before Backlash - Kane vs. Rob Van Dam in a WrestleMania rematch - with the winner facing Captain Charisma at the pay-per-view.

Christian watched most of the match from the backstage area on a monitor. In the dying moments of the contest, Kane was looking set to win the bout until Christian rushed the ring with a steel chair and hit both men! The referee called the match a draw, unable to rule as to who was hit first, and had no other option but to throw the match out. Christian got on the microphone and said that since neither man won - he was going to have the night off and skip having to wrestle in Massachusetts. Eric Bischoff had a different opinion, however, announcing via the titantron that he had been stewing on a way to punish Christian for his failure at WrestleMania - and tonight he finally had the perfect idea. Since Christian loves getting involved in the affairs of Kane and Rob Van Dam, he is going to get a front row seat at the pay-per-view when he defends the Intercontinental Championship against BOTH men in a triple threat match! In the final week, Kane and Rob Van Dam had a segment in the locker room where the two friends discussed their recent matches, Rob saying he thought he was in trouble last week, and Kane sounding slightly irritated that he was robbed of actually getting a win over his tag partner. No matter what, they would fight fair on Sunday and see that one of them walked out with the title.

The Eighth Reign Lasts Less Than a Day [MONDAY NIGHT RAW]
For the eighth time in their career, the Dudley Boyz had captured the World Tag Team Championships after dethroning the Un-Americans just 24-hours earlier. With their backs against the wall, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley kept their tag team career alive and achieved their first ever WrestleMania victory. The night next on Raw, upon arriving at the building, Chief Morley informed the champions that their first title defence was going to be later in the evening. When asked their opponents would be that night, Chief Morley refused to answer and said that champions on Raw must always be ready for the unexpected and then wished the two men luck - laughing as he walked away gleefully. Later that evening, Johnny Stamboli and Chuck Palumbo (the FBI from Smackdown) were introduced as the opponents for the Dudley Boyz. We saw a hard hitting match with the Dudley Boyz ultimately surviving and retaining the belts after a 3D on Stamboli. Post match, Palumbo and Stamboli jumped the champions from behind and wore them down in frustration with a cheap assault.

The night looked complete until Chief Morley walked out onto the stage and announced that the FBI weren’t the challengers he had alluded to - as a Smackdown team can’t challenge for titles on Raw. He then introduced Randy Orton and Batista - Evolution, who were the real challengers! Orton and Batista dethroned an already half-beaten champions, ending the eighth reign of the Dudley Boyz and kickstarting their first reign as a team. For the record, the pinfall was secured by Randy Orton after he hit the RKO on D-Von. The following week, we saw a vignette of Randy Orton and Batista at a photoshoot with the newly won titles, and a group of hot models fawning all over them. Orton and Batista immediately became more smug on-screen, always making sure their titles were in shot of the camera and demanding that a referee open the ropes for them when they entered the ring for promos or matches.

The feud between the Dudley Boyz was hot leading into Backlash with it being a match of new school vs. old school. Bubba Ray cut a promo in the ECW arena off-site, talking about how he and D-Von shed blood to get to the top of the business while Orton and Batista have jumped on the backs of others. They have taken the easy road and wouldn’t have lasted two seconds in the land of extreme. When given the chance, the Dudley Boyz are going to rip Evolution’s head off their shoulders and leave them for dead in Massachusetts! In contrast, Orton and Batista did an offsite promo from the airport which showed them skipping the line for security and heading onto a private jet with a pretty stewardess. They spoke about how they didn’t need to wrestle in a bingo hall to make it in the business and that they, in their first reign, were already better than the Dudley Boyz after eight. On the last show before Backlash, Orton and Batista had a big brawl with the Dudley Boyz which ultimately saw Ric Flair eat a Dudley Death Drop through a table whilst the champions looked on having fled!

A More Traditional Champion, Please [MONDAY NIGHT RAW]
For the women of the Raw brand, Trish Stratus continued to reign at the top of the division as the WWE Women’s Champion post-WrestleMania. Her feud with the ‘Black Diamond’ Jazz was put on hold for the next four weeks - with Jazz moving to the side and continuing to work with local talents and beat them up to rebuild her as the monster challenger following her defeat at Wrestlemania. Trish cut a promo about having achieved her two big goals in the last two months; winning the title in Canada and defending it at WrestleMania. It has been a wild ride for her since February, and now she is wondering what is next? That’s when she revealed that she was going to be the cover of ‘Muscle Mag’ for May 2003 - and a HUGE cover dropped from banner role that was set up above the ring. That got a huge pop from the crowd but drew the ire of the champion’s next foe - Molly Holly.

Molly Holly was quick to the point, she hated what Trish stood for as a representative for the WWE and young women everywhere. Here she was proud of posing in a magazine like a piece of meat and doing so whilst holding the most important title in women’s wrestling. That made Molly sick and she needed to bring respect back to the division by taking that title from the woman who was prostituting herself for a quick buck! Trish accepted the challenge and told Molly she’d wrestle her anytime, anywhere and that they could do it right now! That wasn’t going to work for Molly, who faked accepting the bout immediately, striking Trish with a lariat and hitting a powerbomb onto the belt, before telling Trish that she’d see her at Backlash.

The following week, Molly Holly cut a promo outside of the arena with a barrel which had been lit on fire inside of it. She had a stack of Trish’s magazines and went off on how disgusting this woman was for parading herself around over and over. That wasn’t what someone should do - the WWE needed a traditional woman as the champion and Molly was going to bring back a higher level of standard when she beat Trish. During the promo, Trish Stratus showed up and tackled Molly, the two fighting on the cold pavement outside the arena until security pulled them apart. In the final week, Trish wrestled a match against a local talent and ran through them like it was nothing. She then marched over to the announce desk, put on a headset and shouted that she wanted Molly to listen up - “You’ve demeaned me for the past three weeks, you’ve humiliated me in front of millions on TV, you hit me when I wasn’t ready - yet you say I’m the one who doesn’t have any standards. I’m a four-time WWE Women’s Champion - you’re chasing me, Molly. Not the other way around. I’ll see you at Backlash… and I’m going to kick your head off, bitch!”

Rattlesnakes Do Not Like Authority [MONDAY NIGHT RAW]
A week after WrestleMania 19, we saw the first appearance of Stone Cold Steve Austin on Monday Night Raw. The Texas Rattlesnake made an entrance like only he can, driving a pickup truck out into the arena and climbing over the top of the down to the canvas inside the ring. Austin cut a promo about taking a week off but he thought it was time to get back to work and to doing what he does better than anyone else in the business - and that’s kick some ass. He made an open challenge to anyone back in the locker room who wanted to get into a fist fight with Stone Cold… nobody answered. He continued to goad the boys, saying he was beat up, run down, a washed up old man, ripe for the picking and someone could come and finish off what’s left of Stone Cold. Still, he got no answer until Chief Morley strolled onto the stage. With a level arrogance, Morley lashed Austin verbally due to Austin’s involvement in assisting the Dudley Boyz pre-WrestleMania, and said that Stone Cold had made an enemy out of this administration.

In response, Austin said he didn’t care if Morley liked him or not but if he wanted to come down to the ring and do all that talking he’d end up getting a Stunner - booyah! Morley continued to accuse Austin, saying that he still hadn’t learned that going against authority was never the right move, and Austin should know better, especially since so many of the people in the audience liked to emulate him. Before Austin could retort, he was attacked by Christopher Nowinski. The Harvard graduate attacking Austin long enough for Morley to join in and both men laid the boots to the Rattlesnake, forcing him to the outside of the ring. They posed in celebration in the ring for the moment until Austin grabbed a chair and set both men running for the hills. Morley and Nowinski cut a promo together later that same evening - cementing the latter’s alignment with the administration and Morley moving forward, as well as their intention of beating Austin into submission for his actions.

A handicap match was made for Backlash after the attack. It would be Morley and Nowinski against Steve Austin; 2 vs. 1 with Austin at the disadvantage. Over the next two weeks, Austin continued to defy the administration as he gave away a truckload of free merchandise - which Jerry Lawler pointed out, did not include Austin’s merchandise. Austin did a walk-through promo in the concession area, where he spoke with one of the workers and did a spot handing out free beers to fans from behind the concessions desk - advising to just charge it to the tab of Chief Morley and Monday Night Raw. One of his final antics involved Austin going into Morley’s office and replacing a big picture of Morley with one of himself. Austin would stun Nowinski on the final Raw before Backlash and drink a beer on top of the announce table to a rockstar reception from the audience whilst Morley fumed with rage.

Don’t Hate The Player, Hate The [Dirtest Player In] The Game [MONDAY NIGHT RAW]
One of the big shifts coming out of WrestleMania was the push for Booker T. He was left off the WrestleMania 19 card but featured heavily in the pre-show battle royal which earned him a lot of credibility with those backstage. On the Raw immediately after Mania, Booker T had a segment with his tag partner Goldust where they agreed to part ways for the moment to search for new opportunities, but remained on good terms and agreed to join up later down the line. Booker T approached Eric Bischoff about what he could do to put himself into the World Title picture, and was told that he had to start impressing the GM far more than he had been. Booker T took that personally and went out the following week and scored a win over D'Lo Brown. Post-match, Booker T went back to Bischoff and asked how that was for impressive, and was told that it would take a lot more than that to get into the top end of the competition.

Later that same night, Booker T was shown leaving the arena when he bumped into Ric Flair. The Nature Boy kept walking, but then stopped, he turned and shouted out to Booker T. Flair said that he couldn’t let this go and said that for a guy who was looking to get to the top of the WWE, he was sure as hell clueless on how to do it. Look at you right now, leaving the arena and the top guys are still preparing to go out there and wrestle in front of millions. If you want to be at the top, you'd best start watching what we do at the top and you learn how to hang with us! Booker T dropped his bags and said he could hang with any of them, including Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Ric Flair. That drew a laugh from Flair, he dismissed the notion that Booker T could beat him in a match and asked if he was serious. Booker T did not stutter. He confirmed again that he believed that if given the opportunity, he could and would beat any of them - and one day he would become a six time World Champion.

Flair reminded Booker that those were fighting words, and to be careful because he was standing across from a sixteen time World Champion. Booker refused to back down and told Flair that he’d go speak to Bischoff next week, and try to get a match booked. Flair told him to do just that and he’d meet him anywhere. The next week, Flair vs. Booker T was booked for Backlash, and Flair cut an in-ring promo alongside Evolution about how he was going to show Orton and Batista a masterclass in professional wrestling when he outclassed a man who could not tie his laces. Booker T, somewhat foolishly, interrupted and got into the ring with Flair and said that this was going to be a shock of a lifetime when he beat Flair in Boston. Orton and Batista jumped Booker T, and held him up as Flair slapped him across the face for disrespecting him.

In The Name of The Father [MONDAY NIGHT RAW]
Much of what happened on the night post-Mania has been covered at this point in the outline, but just to recap, Chris Jericho was supposed to be in the fatal four way to determine a number one contender for the World Championship at Backlash. He was delayed getting to the arena due to car troubles, which forced Bischoff to host a battle royal for Jericho’s spot in the four way, and that was won by Shawn Michaels - the man who lost to Jericho the night before. Jericho arrived at the arena as the show ended and had a staredown with Michaels to end Raw. After failing to get the result overturned or have himself added to the match the following week, Jericho was confronted in the ring by Goldust. At first it seemed that Goldust was coming down to the ring to cut short Jericho’s whining over being excluded from the World Title match but upon entering the ring, Goldust shocked the world when he slapped the taste out of Jericho’s mouth without saying a word.

Goldust then exited the ring and walked to the back. After a commercial break, cameras caught up with Goldust and he told the world that Chris Jericho disrespected his father, Dusty Rhodes, at WrestleMania and this was the first chance that he had to walk up to Jericho and teach him some manners. As far as he was concerned, the matter was now settled, but if Jericho opened his mouth about the Rhodes family again - then he’d get another slap to the face. The next week, Jericho marched to the ring and cut a somber promo about growing up watching wrestling and named his favourites including Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, Randy Savage… but he always hated that stupid fat slob Dusty Rhodes. The crowd roared with boos as Jericho blasted Dusty for being a loser and “failing to make it in WWE” and only thriving in a small pond like Jim Crockett Promotions and World Championship Wrestling. When it came to the big stage, Dusty and the rest of his stupid family were, in the eyes of Jericho, a bunch of failures.

This drew Goldust out again - this time not wearing any face paint as he marched down to the ring in street clothes. As he entered the ring, Jericho got the first strike in - nailing Goldust with a microphone to the back of the head. Jericho then attacked him and applied the Walls of Jericho until he felt enough time had passed. Grabbing the microphone, he said that this was a lesson in respecting your betters. You got the jump on me once, Dustin, but you can’t fool me twice. Step into this ring with me again and I’ll beat your ass even worse. The final week before Backlash, Goldust cut a promo in the ring and called out Jericho, he challenged him to a match at the pay-per-view, because he needed to stick up for his family. Jericho answered the challenge and accepted, saying he would love nothing more than to beat up one of Dusty’s kids. During the final promo between the two, Jericho promised to wear polka dots at Backlash on his tights.

***

Backlash - April 27, 2003
Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts

World Heavyweight Championship Match:
World Champion, Triple H defends against;
The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels

Intercontinental Championship Match:
Christian vs. Kane vs. Rob Van Dam

World Tag Team Championship Match:
Evolution (Batista/Randy Orton) vs. Dudley Boyz

Women’s Championship Match:
Trish Stratus vs. Molly Holly

2-on-1 Handicap Match:
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Christopher Nowinski & Chief Morley

Singles Match:
Booker T vs. Ric Flair

Singles Match:
Chris Jericho vs. Goldust

Intercontinental Championship Contendership Battle Royal:
Jeff Hardy, Justin Credible, Lance Storm, Mark Jindrak, Scott Steiner, Sean O'Haire, Test, The Hurricane, Tommy Dreamer & William Regal
​

Other Notes (Raw Only):

• Maven and Stacy Kiebler entered into a TV feud with Steven Richards and Victoria. Victoria attacked Stacy in the women's locker room unprovoked after Kiebler accidentally spilled a coffee on her. Maven was in the area outside of the locker room and ran in to break the fight up, grabbing Victoria which pissed off Richards, who attacked Maven the following week backstage after a verbal confrontation.
• Test began a slow heel turn when he failed to check-in on Stacy after the attack by Victoria. He refused to team with Stacy in a tag team match against Richards and Victoria due to a slight knee injury, but jumped at the chance to enter the Intercontinental Championship contender's battle royal - exposing that he was picking and choosing what to compete for.
• Chief Morley and Christopher Nowinski officially formed a tag team known as the Administration.
• Sean O'Haire is given TV time each week with at minimum a Devil's Advocate vignette but also appears on screen in the background of other segments speaking with various wrestlers and even crew members. He's seen speaking with Test about not wanting to risk injuring his knee for some little 'women's tiff' when there are bigger things out there for him. Which ultimately leads to Test's heel turn and the breakdown of his relationship with Stacy Kiebler.
• Vignettes begin to air hyping the debut of Gail Kim. Her debut is not given a timetable, but rumours are that she is expected within the next 2 months.
• Talks have begun regarding several potential mid-card talents on the independent scene, including Paul London and Steve Corino.

 

[Stojy]

Backlash - April 27, 2003
Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts

World Heavyweight Championship Match:
World Champion, Triple H defends against;
The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels
Triple H retains here. Evolution is still just getting started, he's remaining champ.

Intercontinental Championship Match:
Christian vs. Kane vs. Rob Van Dam
RVD wins to further piss off Kane, meanwhile Christian will follow the thread of having issues with Bischoff.

World Tag Team Championship Match:
Evolution (Batista/Randy Orton) vs. Dudley Boyz
Dudleyz win by DQ. This feud is just getting started.

Women’s Championship Match:
Trish Stratus vs. Molly Holly
Wholesome Molly feuding with Trish was a big angle in 2002. Unless you've got something overly different plan, I'm not that interested in seeing it again in 2003.

2-on-1 Handicap Match:
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Christopher Nowinski & Chief Morley
I know I mentioned Austin getting a World Title shot caught me off-guard, but I definitely didn't expect him to be in an angle with these guys straight after. Austin wins comfortably.

Singles Match:
Booker T vs. Ric Flair
Booker wins to continue to look good after not appearing on the main Mania card.

Singles Match:
Chris Jericho vs. Goldust
Jericho wins but it feels like we might get a return of 'The Natural' Dustin Rhodes here.

Intercontinental Championship Contendership Battle Royal:
Jeff Hardy, Justin Credible, Lance Storm, Mark Jindrak, Scott Steiner, Sean O'Haire, Test, The Hurricane, Tommy Dreamer & William Regal
Do it please. His 'Devils Advocate' gimmick is fun.

STEVE MOTHER FUCKING CORINO ASAP PLEASE!!!

 

[Wolf Beast]

Have to say, I think introducing the solo brand PPVs has hampered you a bit here - gone from stacked PPVs at No Way Out and WrestleMania (obviously) to a fairly underwhelming line up for Backlash with a lot of these matches feeling like placeholders before you get into the main stuff down the line. I'll combine comments on Mania in some of the predictions here.

World Heavyweight Championship Match:
World Champion, Triple H defends against;
The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels
Quite peculiar to go back to HHH vs HBK at this point, I feel, especially after Shawn lost at Mania. I know a lot of that played into the title equation here with Jericho missing the opportunity; I'd suspect HBK/Y2J will be revisited (Sidebar: shocked that you went with that as the opener for Mania with quite a few matches feeling better suited for that spot) at some point off the back of Michaels earning the shot in Jerichos absence ... but it won't be over the World Title. As Stojy said, Evolution is just getting started, and it most likely means TRIPLE H holds onto the gold for the foreseeable.

Intercontinental Championship Match:
Christian vs. Kane vs. Rob Van Dam
Kane and Van Dam probably just cancel each other out, CHRISTIAN steals the win and escapes with his title. Set up for the match is very basic - heel takes out both potential challengers resulting in having to face both is a set up that's been done many times, but the match should at least further the stuff between Kane and RVD in the future.

World Tag Team Championship Match:
Evolution (Batista/Randy Orton) vs. Dudley Boyz
No way The Dudleys win back the belts at this point, I feel. May well be time to move them aside; they got their big WrestleMania moment, they're a stale act, doesn't feel like there's much else you can do with them now. EVOLUTION retain.

Women’s Championship Match:
Trish Stratus vs. Molly Holly
TRISH retains; again, this comes across as a placeholder match for the title before you decide to pull the trigger on rematching Trish with Jazz to continue that program.

2-on-1 Handicap Match:
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Christopher Nowinski & Chief Morley
Given how pissed off Austin was with his direction in '02 before walking out, this being his follow up to WrestleMania should really have him ready to walk out again. With it surely being his last run, he shouldn't be wasting any of his remaining PPV appearances on these kind of mid card matches - should be programmed with main event players only imo. And while I typically don't like the idea of one guy beating a tag team, it's Austin, and STEVE AUSTIN should be winning this.

Singles Match:
Booker T vs. Ric Flair
Looks as if BOOKER T will be going through all of Evolution to get to Triple H and be set up as his challenger for Bookers return home at Bad Blood - assuming you're not changing the location for these shows. That could feel like a big time match, assuming that's the plan.

Singles Match:
Chris Jericho vs. Goldust
Like Stojy mentioned, could wind up seeing Dustin Rhodes out of this. However, CHRIS JERICHO wins this match, he's got too much momentum right now and a loss to Goldust would destroy a lot of that.

Intercontinental Championship Contendership Battle Royal:
Jeff Hardy, Justin Credible, Lance Storm, Mark Jindrak, Scott Steiner, Sean O'Haire, Test, The Hurricane, Tommy Dreamer & William Regal
I'll be bold and say a SURPRISE ENTRANT wins the match.

 

[EZ3]

…

WWE BACKLASH
April 27 | Worcester Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts

PYRO

Following the conclusion of the opening video package, Jim Ross welcomes the audience to what is expected to be a fantastic night of sports entertainment. They run down the card for tonight, Ross expressing his excitement for the epic World Championship encounter between Triple H and Shawn Michaels. For the King, he was looking forward to seeing Evolution’s first title defence in their rematch against the Dudley Boyz.

**RAP SHEET**

Entering the arena first, BOOKER T looks confident, steps out onto the stage, and is ready to kick off this pay-per-view event. Since WrestleMania, we have seen a new focus on the part of the former five-time WCW Champion, with his goal of returning to the main event scene at the forefront of his mind. He gets the first chance at stepping in the right direction tonight when he collides with a man who has made a career out of being on top of the card.

**ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA**

Out next is the dirtiest player in the game - RIC FLAIR, without any backup as every member of Evolution is in action tonight. Dressed in one of his trademark robes, Flair struts down to the ring, immediately talking smack to Booker T about the lesson he will be taught when the bell rings in just a few moments. When Flair reaches the ring, he demands that the official open the ropes for him, before entering the squared circle and doing a twirl to show off his newest robe to the extensive collection.

Singles Match:
Booker T vs. Ric Flair
​

The opening contest of the evening began with Booker T coming in hot with a quick succession of strikes to Flair, which seemingly caught him off guard. Flair stumbled back, his golden hair quickly a mess, as Booker T whipped him across the ring and hit a big jumping kick to knock down the Nature Boy! The crowd was hot as Flair popped back up - only to get sent over the top rope with a back body drop and result in him crashing to the floor on the outside of the ring. Booker T felt the energy in the building come rushing toward him. He dropped down to a knee and shook his hand, setting up for a spin-a-roonie! On the outside of the ring, Ric Flair chucked a fit at the arrogance of it all, seething that he had been displaced from the ring and had it rubbed in his face with a taunt so early on in the contest.

Over the next several minutes, Flair and Booker T wrestled a fairly even match. Flair raked the eyes at one point, pleading innocence to the referee when the crowd booed loudly at the replay on the titantron. He would then shove Booker T into the corner of the ring and chop away at his chest with his famous knife-edge chops, cutting through layers of skin with each strike and building Flair’s confidence. A chop block followed shortly after, Flair beginning to target the leg of his opponent to setup his lethal finishing move - the Figure Four Leg Lock. Flair made sure to return the favour of the taunt earlier as he did a little strut and a ‘Woo’ to a wave of boos from the audience.

After ten minutes of action, Flair took to the top rope trying for a high risk move. As always, he was cut off by Booker T and sent for a ride via a superplex! They both crashed and burned to the mat below - Booker T wrapping an arm over Flair for a nearfall. Selling the impact of the move still, Booker T was the first man to their feet, and he booted Flair in the mid-section and went for the scissor kick! Flair moved out of the way, kicked out the leg of Booker and tried for the Figure Four but Booker T kicked out of it. It was a scramble for a moment, Flair hitting the corner and rushing back toward his opponent, who caught him in position for the Book End! Flair fought back with elbows and broke free of the hold, it could go either way at this point. He tried for a knee breaker but Booker T punched wildly, fighting back, refusing to allow his leg to suffer any further damage, and he escaped - striking thereafter with the Book End! Booker T hooked the leg and scored a huge win in a great opening contest.

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: Booker T @ 11:37 via pinfall

A fantastic victory for Booker T - and one that is sure to impress the General Manager of Raw, Eric Bischoff. His goal is to advance toward the top of the card and with a win over the Nature Boy, that should position Booker T at the next level, and one step closer to a future shot at the World Champion. There can be no doubt after tonight, Booker T is going to be making waves in this post-WrestleMania season.

Booker T has his hand raised to a big cheer from the audience, whilst Flair rolls to the outside of the ring and heads up the ramp and is soon joined by Batista and Randy Orton who help get him out of the arena. With a moment to himself, Booker T climbs onto the second turnbuckle and poses for the audience, motioning around his waist and making his long-term goal clear to the audience and the rest of the Monday Night Raw roster.

***

Backstage, Eric Bischoff watches the show on a TV monitor and pays no attention to the camera. A knock at the door and Bischoff beckons them to enter - CHRISTIAN entering the scene. Bischoff almost immediately drops his head into his hands and tells Christian that there’s nothing to be said right now, and he’s not going to change his mind about the triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship tonight. In response, Christian tells Eric that he’s not here for that, in fact it’s the opposite. He’s thought of the match and has come to realise that it’s a genius move by Bischoff, and one that he is thankful for now. The two men discuss how this will be Christian’s crowning moment when he beats both Kane and Rob Van Dam in one night and cements himself as the greatest Intercontinental Champion in history.

Bischoff agrees that this is a great opportunity and promises to be watching. Christian accepted that he let the General Manager down back at WrestleMania but after tonight, when he retains the gold, he hopes that Bischoff gives him another chance to be HIS champion. The two men part ways, Bischoff looking intrigued at the idea of Christian redeeming himself tonight after his failure last month.

***

We return to ringside for the next match…

**SLOW DEATH**

No theatrics for the challenger as MOLLY HOLLY makes her way down to the ring tonight. Dressed modestly and in all black, Molly sneers at the audience and rips a sign from the hands of a grown man with a lewd picture of Trish Stratus on display. Our commentators discuss how having Molly as the champion could shape the entire division with many following what the leader does. She’s determined to dethrone the woman who Molly argues is disgracing the title by the way she conducts herself outside of the ring.

**TIME TO ROCK & ROLL**

Here comes the champion, TRISH STRATUS on her way to the ring to defend the title she won back in February at No Way Out. The champion might be about to take part in a deeply personal bout but she still takes the time to engage with the crowd, high fiving and giving a few young children hugs as she walks down the aisle. For the fan with the ripped sign, Stratus walks over and takes a picture with them and gives the man a quick peck on the cheek - drawing a fake vomit motion from Molly Holly in the ring.

WWE Women’s Championship Match:
Trish Stratus vs. Molly Holly
​

The two women stepped into the middle of the ring, neither woman backing down from the other, their foreheads pressed against each other. Without warning Molly Holly threw a hard right hand and stunned the champion enough to allow the challenger to scoop her up and execute a body slam! Holly jumped into the mount position and hit a combination of shots to the chest of the champion. A sharp neckbreaker followed by the challenger, and she scored a nearfall in the opening minutes of the contest. Holly took a moment to gloat, drawing boos from the audience, as he stood in the middle of the ring and hit her old ‘Mighty Molly’ taunt. Stepping onto the back of the champion, Holly pulled back on the top rope for leverage and told Trish - “You can’t compete with me, you, bimbo! I’m going to break you in here.”

Trish got a moment to breathe when she ducked out of the way of a clothesline and fired back with a big spear! This forced Molly to the corner and the champion connected with a wheelbarrow bulldog just a few moments later. A nearfall for the champion followed and she brought more offense with a spinebuster, also a nearfall, and hurricanrana out of a powerbomb attempt by Molly Holly! The two women both went down at a double clothesline, and the contest hit a reset of sorts. The crowd began to cheer for Trish - building support for the champion as she pulled herself off the canvas using the ropes, and she got a boot up into the face of the incoming challenger! Molly stumbled back as Trish grabbed her by the head with a headlock - she jumped toward the ropes for Stratusfaction… only for Molly to spin her around into a Blue Thunder Bomb! The count was close but Trish got a shoulder up at the very last second.

A look of horror appeared on the face of the challenger - doubt creeping into her mind after the champion survived what can only be described as an ultimate counter. Holly punches the mat in frustration, pulling at her hair as the madness poisons her body, and the challenger questions what will it take to claim the title she so desperately covets? The heart of the champion cannot be denied, Trish getting back to her feet and eating a sidewalk slam from Holly - for yet another close count. After the nearfall, Molly signals for the end, waving the referee to get out of her way as she climbed the top rope. Molly was perched in position… but Trish hurried toward her and nailed the Stratusphere! Molly crashed to the canvas, clutching her lower back as she somehow got back to her feet. Unfortunately, the champion was ready and waiting, her target set, her aim ready - Chick Kick! Trish does as she promised and kicks Molly’s head off, and makes the cover thereafter for the win.

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: And STILL WWE Women’s Champion - Trish Stratus @ 06:12

The crowd jumps to their feet in excitement for the final count - Trish Stratus is still the WWE Women’s Champion and retains in a hard fought bout against Molly Holly. Trish leans against the ropes after the bell, selling how tough the contest was, before she’s handed the title belt and manages to raise it above her head to a roar from the audience.

While Trish exits the ring and celebrates with some of the fans at ringside… Lawler reminds everyone that there’s another woman out there who has been unstoppable lately. Ross quips that he must be alluding to the ‘Black Diamond’ Jazz, the same woman who was defeated at WrestleMania by Trish. While that’s a good point, Lawler maintains that the loss at WrestleMania has only provoked Jazz to be even more vicious than she already was, and he doesn’t know if Trish can overcome that.

***

VIDEO PACKAGE

A large medieval town is shown, people rushing through a crowded market as a town crier stands on a wooden box.

Town crier: Hear ye, hear ye!!! I have an announcement for thy Chairman of the Board!

A group of passersby stop and listen as the man unfurls a long piece of parchment with the WWE seal ripped open.

Town crier: It is by decree of the Lord Chairman, Sir Vincent Kenneth McMahon, that a tournament shall be held!

The crowd grew at the mention of the tournament, children rushing over and groups of men looking intrigued.

Town crier: Sixteen men from the lands of Raw and Smackdown will clash in a battle of wills, a test of strength and a war of intestinal fortitude.

The crowd is even bigger now as the town crier’s words begin to spread throughout the land.

Town crier: June 7th in the coliseum known as the Newcastle Arena!

The town crier spreads his arms wide and shouts.

Town crier: Men will fight, lives will be changed as they all battle to be called…

The camera zooms in on town crier as he flips the parchment around to reveal the event’s logo.

Town crier: KING OF THE RING!!!

WWE Presents: King of the Ring
LIVE from the Newcastle Arena in Newcastle, England
June 7th, 2003 - [A CO-BRANDED event]

***

Back at ringside, Jim Ross comments on the upcoming King of the Ring tournament, which will conclude across the sea in Newcastle, England. It’ll feature sixteen men with eight superstars from Raw and eight superstars from Smackdown competing until we have four men remaining in a single elimination tournament. The winner of the Raw bracket will face the winner of the Smackdown bracket in the final, which takes place at the pay-per-view, along with the two semi-final matches. No official start date for the tournament is given, but JR says to expect an announcement in the next few weeks for a list of participants.

… 5 …
… 4 …
… 3 …
… 2 …
… 1 …

**BREAK DOWN THE WALLS**

Entering first, CHRIS JERICHO slowly steps out onto the stage, his usual smugness increased even further when the camera zooms in on his tights - POLKA DOTS! The biggest jerk in the WWE has fulfilled his promise and has worn the famous polka dots of the ‘American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes tonight, and the boos from the live audience grow louder as Jericho slowly walks down to the ring, making sure everyone gets a good look at his attire for the evening. While Jericho walks to the ring, our commentators discuss how tonight must make Jericho feel - seeing the man he defeated at WrestleMania competing for the World Title, a spot he believes he deserves.

**GOLD-LUST**

It’s not the biggest pop in the world but Goldust gets a decent cheer from the audience upon his music hitting the speakers. In contrast to his opponent, Goldust jogs to the ring, wanting to get this started as soon as possible - and as he slides underneath the bottom rope - Jericho dives out of the ring. Goldust yells at Jericho to get back into the ring and face him like a man. That draws a smirk from the Highlight Reel, he’s not about to be pushed around by Goldust and he waves him off, walking around the ring as he wants to. The referee tells Jericho to get in so they can start the contest, to which Y2J rolls his eyes and nonchalantly climbs onto the ring apron and enters the ring, finally.

Singles Match:
Chris Jericho vs. Goldust
​

A highly personal issue comes to a head here tonight. The sound of the bell sees Goldust charge forward and throw some very stiff “worked” punches on Jericho until the referee jumps in between them. They have a quick chat, the referee warning Goldust that closed fists are still illegal. Round two begins and Goldust goes the same thing, throwing potatoes at Jericho with him now trapped in the corner until the referee pulls Goldust away - and issues a final warning. Do that again and I’ll call it. When Goldust moves toward Jericho for a third time, Y2J acts quickly and hits a dropkick to the knee of his opponent. A quick rolling neckbreaker followed from Jericho, and he checked in for a two count. On his knees, Jericho pounded away with punches of his own against Goldust, repaying the debt that had been started at the beginning of the match.

Jericho took control for the next few minutes and played the role of showboat as well. He dropped Goldust with a vertical suplex and placed a single boot on his chest for a pin attempt - which thankfully was not successful. A running bulldog followed shortly thereafter and Jericho also struck with a jumping senton from a standing position. Part of the story thread now, Jericho slapped Goldust across the back of his feet, kicking him across the temple as well - “You and your whole stupid family can’t disrespect me and get away with it. I shouldn’t even be in this match, I’m supposed to be winning the World Title tonight!”

Goldust fired up and cracked Jericho in the throat with a hard shot. He would land a DDT and then his big punt in the corner after positioning Jericho correctly. A series of nearfalls occurred for Goldust but he couldn’t put the Highlight Reel away. Feeling like this could be his chance, Goldust paid tribute to his father and went for the Bionic Elbow - but Jericho stuck a thumb in the eye! Blinded by the underhanded tactic, which drew the ire of the fans and a scolding from the referee, Jericho chopped Goldust’s knee out from under him. A few twists of the leg later, along with dragging his body into the middle of the ring, Chris Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho! The pain was etched on the face of Goldust as he tried to fight - his makeup falling from his face as beads of sweat hurried down. In the end, Jericho repositioned and placed his knee at the top of the spine and pulled back further, forcing a submission.

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: Chris Jericho @ 07:04 via submission

Every story does not always end with the good guys triumphing and this is one of those moments. With the same smirk on his face that he entered the arena with, Jericho releases the submission hold - waiting a few extra seconds to do so - and demands the referee raise his hand in victory. The heat from the audience is loud, Jericho soaking it all in as he walks around the ring shouting at the crowd that this wasn’t supposed to be his match, he should be closing the show, not the third match from the open.

Jericho rolls out of the ring and goes over to the announce desk where he takes the headset off of Jerry Lawler. He shouts, through big deep breaths, that this issue with the Rhodes idiots is dead and buried as far as he is concerned now. He has his eyes set on a bigger prize and after tonight the world will know exactly what he means by that. Ross asks for clarification but is ignored, Jericho choosing to take the final few seconds to hype himself up as the feed cuts to the backstage area.

***

In the interview spot backstage, Jonathan Coachman is standing by with the challengers for the WWE World Tag Team Championships later this evening - the DUDLEY BOYZ. He welcomes both men and asks how they feel about their chances later tonight. Bubba Ray takes the opening question, they feel confident and know that the reason they lost last time was because they were at a disadvantage. They had wrestled at WrestleMania, then on Raw before Orton and Batista stepped into the ring. Overall, the Dudley Boyz had to wrestle 3 times in less than 24 hours while Evolution only had one match.

D-Von chimes in, he says that they were good - great even - one time. Tonight, Evolution has to show everyone, including the Dudley Boyz, that it wasn’t a fluke. They are eight-time World Tag Team Champions, the most decorated team in the history of the business, so tonight is about getting the titles back that they should’ve never lost under fair conditions. Bubba joins in, he explains that’s the difference - the Dudley Boyz don’t stay down when things get tough. They get up and they kick some ass - tonight they are coming back for the titles and they are going to give Randy Orton and Batista the ass kicking off a lifetime. D-Von wraps it up by saying that if Orton and Batista want to learn about this business - get ready, because you’re about to be taken to school by the best tag team of all-time!

***

VIDEO PACKAGE

An image of an apocalyptic city, rumble everywhere, buildings empty and a light post flickering.

“THE END OF DAYS IS UPON US…”

The scene is without a single lifeform in the shot but we begin to hear the sound of something rumbling.

“HE SERVES AS JUDGE…”

In the distance, dust begins to kick up from the broken road.

“JURY…”

The sound continues to grow as the figure comes closer, driving something, as we also cut in clips of Smackdown’s finest including; Edge, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Big Show, Rey Mysterio, A-Train & Billy Kidman.

“AND EXECUTIONER…”

The figure pulls up on his motorbike and steps off it, his long trenchcoat flapping in the wind as he scouts the destroyed landscape.

“HE WILL FIND YOU…”

The camera pans up from the man’s boot and reveals THE UNDERTAKER - dressed in all-black biker gear with sunglasses on.

“AND HE WILL BRING FORTH…”

Clips of The Undertaker throughout the years destroying people, focusing on his time spent in Hell in a Cell and other hardcore matches.

“YOUR PERSONAL…”

The Undertaker walks over to the collection of rubble, wiping it clear and sparkling back at him in the sunlight… is the WWE Championship.

“JUDGMENT DAY!”

WWE Presents: JUDGMENT DAY
LIVE from the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina
May 18, 2003 - [A Friday Night Smackdown EXCLUSIVE event]

***

We return to ringside now and seven out of the ten men in the battle royal have made their way down to the ring…

**COME ON**

The devil’s advocate himself, SEAN O’HAIRE enters the arena in his black trenchcoat and rubs his hands together with glee. His recent appearances on Raw have seen him trying to influence many members of the roster into indulging their innermost desires, and tonight he looks to embrace his desire by becoming the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship.

**LOADED**

Rushing out onto the stage covered in face paint - JEFF HARDY brings with him an explosion of energy and excitement. Having recently embraced the crowd again after an ill-fated run as a heel, Hardy is back to his classic daredevil antics and seems positioned for a strong run into the future. He sprints down to the ring, jumps onto the apron and ascends the turnbuckle to a fair cheer from the live audience. Ross discusses how he’s known Jeff since he was a teenager and has always believed he has what it takes to be a major star.

**HOLLA IF YA HEAR ME**

The final participant of the match is SCOTT STEINER, who walks out onto the stage with his head down. The lights dim a little as a spotlight shines at the top of the ramp where Steiner strikes a pose and flexes his rather large arm. The Genetic Freak then makes his way down to the ring, counting how many men are inside the squared circle, preparing to toss all of them over the top rope and win this match. It’s been a rough start to 2003 for Steiner after losing twice to Triple H, but now he has a chance for a new path forward with a win tonight.

Intercontinental Championship Contendership Battle Royal:
Jeff Hardy, Justin Credible, Lance Storm, Mark Jindrak, Scott Steiner, Sean O'Haire, Test, The Hurricane, Tommy Dreamer & William Regal
​

A solid ten minutes are devoted to this contest with a few different story points flowing through. Test is joined by his girlfriend Stacy Kiebler, who didn’t look happy to be here during their entrance. On their way to the ring, Stacy repeatedly struggled to walk as quickly as Test demanded her to because she is selling the impact of the attack at the hands of Victoria from a few weeks ago. Test told her to toughen up and help him win tonight or else! During the match, Test would motion for Keibler to grab the arm of Jeff Hardy, who he had half over the ropes, but Keibler was too slow and Hardy broke free. A little bit later, Test ordered Stacy to get on the apron, his shouting scared her enough to do so, and it ultimately resulted in her being knocked to the floor by accident! As Stacy struggled to her feet, Test yelled at her again to hurry up and help him and she told him to go screw himself - officially breaking up with him! Test would then scream at her to get back to ringside as she left - and during this, he was thrown over the top rope by The Hurricane.

Scott Steiner had a solid performance which saw him eliminate Justin Credible, Mark Jindrak and William Regal. During this bout, Steiner and The Hurricane seemed to form an unlikely alliance and worked well with double team moves, and had great communication. It was pointed out by Ross, and he pondered if they could work together outside of this environment. He was part of the final four which also included Jeff Hardy, Sean O’Haire and Lance Storm. The first of these men to fall with Storm after Hardy caught his superkick and hit a Twist of Fate. Before Hardy could get off the mat to follow up, O’Haire rushed over and hit a spinning heel kick to the face of Storm to send him flying over the top rope. The next man to go out was the Genetic Freak - falling to the Widowmaker by O’Haire, and then being thrown over the top rope.

The match was down to two men; Jeff Hardy and Sean O’Haire. At this point, O’Haire called for a microphone from ringside. He spoke to Hardy and said that he needed to block out all the noise from the cretins in the arena. All that mattered was what stood right in front of him - a chance to give in to his true desire. Being a champion isn’t what Jeff wants, he just wants to go out and party, have a good time, live like a champion, but we all know that the responsibility of the title isn’t what Jeff covets. With a smile on his face, O’Haire offered Jeff the chance to eliminate himself and O’Haire would throw him the biggest party he could ever want - he’d buy him all the drinks he could ever hope to consume after the event. All he had to do was climb over the top rope and step down to the floor. With his sermon over, O’Haire waited for an answer - Hardy looked like he was agreeing, nodding his head, until he booted Sean in the stomach and tossed him over the top rope!

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: And the number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship - Jeff Hardy @ 10:22

There’s a big pop from the crowd now as Jeff Hardy stands alone in the middle of the ring, his music blasting over the speakers, and he lets out a scream of defiance! He did not bend to the will of the devil tonight - O’Haire’s sermon falling on deaf ears as replays are shown of the final choice, Hardy kicking O’Haire in the stomach and throwing him with both hands over the top rope. A quick shift in career trajectory since embracing the fans once again is not lost on Jeff Hardy. He exits the ring and goes over to fans in the front row, hugging many of them and tells them that this is for all of them who stuck with him.

The camera cuts to the other side of the ring, Sean O’Haire sitting on the outside of the ring laughing. For someone who has lost, he does not seem upset, as pointed out by Jerry Lawler. The devil’s advocate gets to his feet and offers Jeff a little round of applause before he turns and makes his way up the ramp. Back to the ring, Jeff Hardy climbs the turnbuckle and poses, the crowd cheering louder for him now after the win - and commentary reminding us that he now has a date with whoever leaves Backlash as the WWE Intercontinental Champion!

***

Switching to the backstage area, SHAWN MICHAELS is shown putting tape on his wrists in preparation for his main event match later on this evening. After the camera lingers for a few moments, we see a pair of boots come into the shot's frame. Michaels looks up and says that he wasn’t expecting a visitor. The camera pans out to reveal STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN standing across from him, gym back over his shoulder, dressed in street clothes, not yet ready for his match.

Austin tells HBK that he was just walking by and he wanted to wish Shawn luck - and that if Shawn wins tonight, he’d expect a return of the favour he paid Shawn by agreeing to be his partner at No Way Out. At this point, Michaels stood up and extended his hand to Austin. He told the Texas Rattlesnake that any debt would be paid once he becomes the World Champion - and the first call he makes will be to Austin. They shake hands and the segment comes to an end with Austin exiting the room.

***

The camera then cuts to a “EARLIER TODAY” clip which shows the arrival of the World Heavyweight Champion, TRIPLE H. Flanked by the other three members of Evolution, Triple H exits a limousine and has a local worker from the arena carry his bags while he carries only the World Title belt itself. Ross and Lawler discuss the main event, going over how heated the rivalry between Triple H and Shawn Michaels has been since the return of HBK back in mid-2002. The biggest change since the original feud is the inclusion of Evolution and how they will factor into tonight’s main attraction.

***

Back to Lillian Garcia, who is ready to announce the next match…

**WE’RE COMING DOWN**

They are undoubtedly the most decorated tag team in the history of the business and tonight they are looking for their ninth World Tag Team Championship victory in the WWE. The half brothers, D-Von and Bubba Ray Dudley - THE DUDLEY BOYZ - march out onto the stage to a big cheer from the crowd as they fire them up, punching their fists into the air and calling for them to make a lot of noise. Ross highlights how unfair it was for the Dudley Boyz to compete three times within 24 hours, the day they lost the titles, and he believes that the challengers are more motivated than ever to take the belts back.

**LINE IN THE STAND**

The arrogance has been building for weeks and it’s on full display during the entrance of the World Tag Team Champions. With a wall of golden pyro behind them, Batista and Randy Orton - EVOLUTION - strut onto the stage to a wave of boos. Orton mocks the crowd by fake crying, telling them to shut up as he strikes a pose at the top of the ramp. In contrast, Batista is stern, unmoved by the cheers but does also pose, flexing his muscles and saying “boom”. Following behind the duo, RIC FLAIR hobbles out after his defeat earlier in the night. Lawler praises Flair for still being able to be by the side of these two young men, citing his influence and leadership. Ross calls it just another way for Evolution to potentially bend the rules, and make life harder for the challengers.

World Tag Team Championship Match:
Evolution (Batista/Randy Orton) vs. Dudley Boyz
​

A solid twelve minute tag team match between these four men. The newer team was looking to prove themselves as the fresh champions of the division against one of the cornerstones of the division. The crowd was behind the Dudley Boyz all the way and roared with cheers whenever they rallied against the three-man side they were competing against. It was no doubt a three-man team - Ric Flair being the third man on the outside of the ring. Whenever Flair could get involved, he would, grabbing feet, placing Orton’s leg on the rope and even jumping onto the apron to distract the referee when the Dudley Boyz made a tag at one point. Batista played the role of powerhouse throughout the contest, hitting big slams and at one point doing a military press with D-Von Dudley which was very impressive.

The finish to the contest saw Batista as the legal man against D-Von Dudley. They had battled it out and kept Batista out of the match as much as they could, knowing that the powerhouse was the biggest threat of the two youngsters. Batista had control over the challenger after he hit a spinebuster in the middle of the ring. The Animal fought to his feet and whipped D-Von into the ropes, and cracked him with an earth-shattering lariat! A big kick to the gut followed and Batista went for the big powerbomb! While up in the air, D-Von began to fight back, punching at the head of the champion and forced him to stumble back toward the corner. D-Von escaped the powerbomb and shoved Batista into the corner with Bubba Ray standing on the apron. The Dudley Boyz made a tag and together they hit the 3D - Bubba Ray was legal and he made the cover; D-Von tackled Randy Orton to stop him from breaking up the pin. The referee made a count of two and as his hand was coming down for the final three count… Ric Flair dove into the ring and broke the count! Forcing the referee to call for a disqualification!

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: The Dudley Boyz by Disqualification (STILL World Tag Team Champions - Evolution) @ 12:45

There’s a rush of boos from the audience as Ric Flair batters Bubba Ray with short punches even after the bell has been called. He throws off his jacket and lands a swift kick. On the outside of the ring, Orton and D-Von continue to clash. Orton gets the advantage after raking the eyes and he throws D-Von into the barricade with a loud thud. Shortly thereafter, Orton slides back into the ring, joining Flair and Batista, to attack Bubba. At the instruction of Flair, we watch as Orton nails the RKO on Bubba Ray, leaving him down and out for the night.

Drawing cheers from the crowd, D-Von rushes into the ring to try and defend his brother but it’s no use. Ross commends D-Von for trying but Lawler calls him a fool for thinking he could stand up against the might of Evolution. D-Von gets the same beat down post match and is eventually flattened by a Batista Bomb by Evolution’s animal. The three heels post in the ring, Batista and Orton smug as ever holding their title belts, whilst Flair stands in the middle proclaiming them the best tag team on the planet.

***

Our commentators are the focus of the shot for a moment as they prepare to deliver an advertisement segment when suddenly Jim Ross tells us we need to cut to the locker-room arena!

We cut to the women’s locker-room where TRISH STRATUS is getting her head slammed into a locker by JAZZ! The ‘Black Diamond’ has invaded Backlash and is assaulting the WWE Women’s Champion with no sign of slowing down. Jazz drags Trish by her hair across the room, picks her up over her shoulder and throws her head first into the locker. Trish slumps down against the lockers, no fight left in her as Jazz drives her BOOT RIGHT ACROSS THE FACE OF THE CHAMPION - DRAWING BLOOD! We’ve got blood on the face of the Women’s Champion at Backlash.

Jazz then leans down, yanking Trish by the hair and laughs in her face. She promises that this isn’t the end of the road for them. It’s just the beginning and this pretty little doll is going to get what is coming to her very soon. A threat or a promise, maybe both. Jazz declares that she is [un]officially the number one contender, because she damn well says so, and that she wants Trish on RAW for the belt sooner rather than later. This is nothing compared to the beating Jazz vows to give Trish if she refuses to meet the ‘Black Diamond’ in a rematch from WrestleMania. The segment ends with Jazz punching Stratus in the jaw one final time, and walking out - the camera lingering on the shot of our Women’s Champion, busted open and the title just out of her reach.

***

A quick video package airs for the DVD of WrestleMania 19 which hits stores this upcoming week! Relive all the classic matches and moments from the showcase of the immortals including the epic Battle in Seattle between Brock Lesnar and The Rock!

WRESTLEMANIA 19
AVAILABLE ON DVD - THIS WEEK!

***

Returning to ringside…

**SLOW CHEMICAL**

From the depths of hell itself, fire explodes across the stage and the arena is lit up in red lights as KANE emerges onto the scene. To a loud chorus of cheers, the Big Red Machine stomps his way down to the ring, ready to claim another title to his impressive list of accomplishments. After suffering a defeat to his tag partner at WrestleMania, Kane is on the hunt for his first pay-per-view victory of 2003 and the ever dangerous demon has shown he will not back down when confronted by his current tag partner either.

**ONE OF A KIND**

To an equal, if not a little bit louder, wave of cheers - ROB VAN DAM rushes out onto the stage and accepts the fanfare coming his way. He looks down at the ring and sees his tag partner but does not get any sort of acknowledgment from the man standing in the ring. Lawler outlines how RVD and Kane both being in this match could be the worst thing ever for the champion tonight. They could decide to eliminate Christian and then settle it between the two of them. Raising an interesting point, Ross says that it could also work in the champion's favour if RVD and Kane get in each other’s way.

**AT LAST**

The final man to make his entrance is the champion himself. His reception is not as kind, the crowd booing loudly and hurling insults, as CHRISTIAN struts out onto the stage slapping his chest. He slaps the title belt around his waist and shouts - “The captain is in the building! You know you love me - you’re my PEEPS!” He makes his way down to the ring and comes to a stop just outside of the apron. Inside the ring, Kane and Van Dam have locked eyes and are sizing each other up, leaving the champion as the odd man out - looking in at his challengers but them seemingly not even having him on their radar.

WWE Intercontinental Championship Match:
Christian vs. Kane vs. Rob Van Dam
​

A fun triple threat with Kane and Rob Van Dam teaming up during the early minutes of the contest. From the sound of the bell, Christian went from excited to furious when his attempt to get the tag partners to fight did not eventuate. It was a slow turn as Kane and Rob Van Dam faced off and then slowly turned toward Christian, and the tag partners bumped fists before grabbing Christian and tossing him into the corner. It was a beatdown for a few minutes with RVD and Kane working over Christian, hitting tag moves and both men taking turns to work over the champ by themselves as well. After a few minutes, Christian slumped to the ground and fell to the outside of the ring - which finally left Kane and RVD alone in the ring, and that set off the clash between the tag partners.

Christian would remerge in the match a few times, and get tossed right back out of the ring whilst Kane and Rob fought between themselves. He would get in his offense about halfway through the match, Christian working over Rob whilst Kane was knocked to the floor on the outside. The contest broke down with Christian hitting the Unprettier for a nearfall on Kane. Unable to accept that this wasn’t the end, Christian rolled to the outside looking for answers - pondering what he could do to put this match away and retain his title. Christian’s eyes turned to the timekeeper’s area and from there he pulled a steel chair, his eyes fixated on the weapon, and the crowd erupted with outrage at the sight of the champion looking to take the easy way out. He slid back into the ring and hit the chair against the canvas as Kane slowly got back to his feet - he was ready to strike!

Suddenly, RVD rushed in… Christian swung at him but missed! RVD knocked the chair from the champion’s hand and he picked it up to a roar from the audience. Van Dam pointed at Christian and said he was about to get it - he swung for the fences but Christian ducked… only for the chair to nail Kane in the face! Christian looked up and seized the moment, hitting RVD with a low blow and tossing him from the ring. The champion scurried into the cover and the referee made the count - 1, 2 and 3! Christian escaped with the title after pinning Kane because of a chairshot from RVD!

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: And STILL WWE Intercontinental Champion - Christian @ 13:06

AT LAST! Christian does not waste time after the bell sounds and he hears his music blasting over the speakers. Knowing that he’s stolen the victory, Christian snatches the title belt from the referee and flees from ringside, waving the title up in the air and shouting “YES!” like he’s just won the lottery. The focus on the champion dissipates as the titantron replays the finish of the match; Rob Van Dam swinging the steel chair and hitting Kane flush in the forehead with the chair. We see it from multiple angles, and the sound of the chair hitting Kane echoes throughout the speakers, and the camera zooms in on the facial reaction of Van Dam - utter shock the moment he does it.

We cut back to real time now, Kane sitting up in the ring as RVD climbs back onto the apron and calls for him. Kane looks over at his tag partner, shaking his head from the shot as he stands up - glaring at the titantron and then back to Rob. The tag partners chat from the ring to the apron - Rob enters the ring and approaches Kane. He lets Kane know that the chair shot was not on purpose and he was aiming for Christian. He argues that he stopped Christian from doing it himself moments earlier, and that he wanted to battle it out between the two of them. Kane hears him out, and then gives Rob… THE COLD SHOULDER… leaving the ring without responding and he heads up the ramp, leaving Rob to question what the state of their friendship is now.

***

Turning to the hallway of the arena, JEFF HARDY is shown walking toward the parking lot dressed in casual clothes following his victory in the battle royal. Now the number one contender for the WWE Intercontinental Championship - Hardy has a spring in his step, still flying high off his win earlier. As he approaches a door, we see a hand press against it and the camera slowly pans around revealing… SEAN O’HAIRE! Two men who collided in the battle royal tonight. O’Haire throws up his hands in a sign of peace, and tells Hardy that he just came by to say congratulations. He was impressed by how Jeff faced temptation tonight and didn’t give in - he overcame the most basic action man can fall to… sin.

Tonight, Jeff made the right decision for his career and he no doubt heard the crowd roar with applause. Hardy asks what’s the point, telling O’Haire that he has a car waiting for him. With an evil grin on his face, O’Haire offers Hardy some advice. It’s very easy to make the right decision one time, most people can even do it twice, but how strong a will does the great Jeff Hardy have? Can you truly look the devil in the face night after night and… just say no? Enjoy tonight, have a drink… but not too many now.

O’Haire exits to the left as Jeff Hardy shakes his head back and forth, muttering under his breath before leaving the arena.

***

**CHIEF OF STAFF**

It’s a two for one entrance with CHIEF MORLEY and CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI walking out together for the upcoming handicap match. It’ll be two versus one with the advantage going to Morley and Nowinski as they look to beat down the Texas Rattlesnake tonight. Collectively known as the Administration, Morley and Nowinski argue back and forth with some of the fans as they head down to the ring, shouting that they are going to expose Stone Cold tonight and show the world that the Administration cannot be disrespected.

**GLASS SHATTERS**

The word thunderous is the only way to describe the reception for STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN! Dressed in his trademark black tights, black boots and knee brace with his jacket - Austin steps out onto the stage. It’s his first match since WrestleMania, Austin taking a moment to listen to the crowd before he flips the bird toward the ring and marches down, ready to kick some ass tonight. Morley and Nowinski are ready in the ring, yelling at Austin to bring it on, which draws Austin in and he turns his walk into a run and he tackles Morley inside the squared circle!

2-on-1 Handicap Match:
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Christopher Nowinski & Chief Morley
​

This is not a tornado match, but for the first minute it is contested with all three men in the ring as Austin peppers Morley with right hands from the opening bell. Nowinski tries to rip Austin off his tag partner but the rattlesnake elbows him in the face before driving his boot into the stomach of the Harvard graduate. Stepping over the body of Morley, Stone Cold tosses Nowinski into the corner and stomps a mud hole into him to the roar of the crowd. A few moments later, Morley comes at Austin with a shot to the back but Austin no sells it, grabs Morley and throws him on top of Nowinski and proceeds to stomp him in the corner and stacks both of them up! The crowd cheers as loud as they can as Austin climbs the turnbuckle and poses - his opponents stacked below him selling the impact of his moves.

The match would turn into a handicap match under standard rules shortly thereafter with Austin kicking Nowinski from the ring and working over Morley. The heels got the upper hand eventually; Morley raking the eyes of Stone Cold, tagging in Nowinski and the two of them hitting a double suplex. Nowinski wrestled a fairly standard set of moves, swinging neckbreaker, hip toss, jumping elbow drop and a flying cross body from the top turnbuckle. A good section of high impact moves to highlight Nowinski as a possible future star for Monday Night Raw. Morley would also get in some of his moves but Austin was far quicker to counter and regain the advantage in the match, which he held from that point on.

Austin would fend off both Morley and Nowinski rushing at him at the same time. The Texas Rattlesnake booting Morley in the stomach and doing the same for Nowinski. He then grabbed them by the head and smashed them into each other, causing Nowinski to stumble against the ropes before being clotheslined over the top rope! Austin then turned his attention back to the Chief of Staff, lined his target up and nailed the Stunner! Morley went down and Austin flipped him over, made the cover, for the three count and the win.

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin @ 09:16 via pinfall

Even with two against one, the odds seemingly stacked against him, Steve Austin has won the match! Sweat dripping from the back of his head, his hand brushing away a few drops from his brow, Austin stands up and has his hand raised by the referee in victory. On commentary, Ross declares that he’s still the toughest S.O.B in the business, and no level of authority can keep him down! He talks up how Austin has always done things to the beat of his own drum and Chief Morley learnt a lesson tonight - you cannot contain a Rattlesnake!

Morley and Nowinski huddle on the outside, both men crushed by the defeat, knowing that they had the advantage tonight and they let it slip through their fingers. Austin poses around the ring for a minute, calls for a beer and downs a can before exiting the ring - the crowd happy with their serving of Stone Cold tonight!

***

VIDEO PACKAGE

The sound of the dedicated theme song for the next Raw exclusive pay-per-view, Bad Blood, begins to play as various images appear on the screen. The first is a shot of Triple H walking through the halls right before a match with the World Heavyweight Championship wrapped around his waist.

“BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON”

In a quick flash, we see Stone Cold Steve Austin hitting a Stunner on multiple people, standing tall and drinking beers in the middle of the ring to much fanfare.

“HEADSTRONG TO TAKE ON ANYONE”

Booker T makes his entrance to much fanfare, pyro bursting from the stage as the camera cuts to multiple signs in the arena held by fans which say his name.

“I KNOW THAT YOU ARE WRONG”

Clips of Shawn Michaels hitting Sweet Chin Music and posing in the ring.

“HEADSTRONG, WE'RE HEADSTRONG”

A montage of Evolution’s remaining members exiting a helicopter; Orton and Batista carrying the World Tag Team Titles.

“BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON”

In rapid succession, we see clips of Jazz destroying local wrestlers and her continued path of destruction since returning to the WWE.

“HEADSTRONG TO TAKE ON ANYONE”

Kane hits a chokeslam; Rob Van Dam connects with the frog splash.

“I KNOW THAT YOU ARE WRONG”

A final clip is shown of Chris Jericho standing in the middle of an empty ring, the camera pans down his arm slowly… revealing a trail of blood.

“AND THIS IS NOT WHERE YOU BELONG”

WWE Presents: Bad Blood
LIVE from the Compaq Center in Houston, Texas
June 29, 2003 - [A Monday Night Raw EXCLUSIVE event]

***

TRIPLE H VERSUS SHAWN MICHAELS - VIDEO PACKAGE:

A history of the friendship between Triple H and Shawn Michaels is shown dating back to the later 1990’s where Triple H was the lackey of the Heartbreak Kid. It’s narrated by Jim Ross who outlines how these two were as close as brothers.

We are then shown the injury sustained by Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble 1998, which ultimately leads to the early retirement of HBK. In the following months (and years), Triple H ascends to the top of the wrestling business and takes the spot once held by his former friend.

Fast forward to 2002, Shawn Michaels returns and is betrayed by Triple H. A tale of jealousy, hatred and greed. We hear from Triple H who says that if Shawn was his friend he would’ve never come back. He came back to take away what Triple H earned, to strip him of his spot and make him a glorified errand boy. Not anymore - clips of Triple H and Shawn Michaels matches at the end of 2002, Triple H winning the 3 Stages of Hell match at Armageddon.

Post-WrestleMania 19, Shawn Michaels becomes the number one contender and sets his sights on Triple H’s World Heavyweight Championship once again. For the first time they will clash since the formation of Evolution - we see clips of Shawn being beat down by Evolution and Triple H claims that this group will surpass anything DX ever did, because they answer to him!

We see a final clip of Triple H and Shawn Michaels standing across from each other as the video package comes to an end.

***

For the final time tonight… we head back to the ring with Lillian Garcia standing in the ring.

**SEXY BOY**

The long walk down to the ring begins for the challenger, the man who has provided more show stealing moments than anyone else in the history of the WWE, the man they call - SHAWN MICHAELS! Ross puts over the way Shawn Michaels was able to bounce back from his disappointing loss at WrestleMania 19, turning heartbreak (pun intended) into opportunity and seizing the moment when confronted by it. Michaels continues his walk down to the ring, a smile on his face, doing a little dance and playing to the crowd. He’s no stranger to this situation - a main event match for a World Championship - this is a place he knows extremely well. Once in the ring, Michaels poses as pyro goes off behind him, then unclips his chaps and turns to face the entrance way… waiting for his former best friend.

**THE GAME**

It’s a LOUD rush of boos as the lights dim and out comes the World Heavyweight Champion, TRIPLE H, flanked by his mentor, RIC FLAIR. It’s just the two of them at the moment, Triple H leading the way with his water bottle in hand, and Flair marching right beside him. There’s a level of added intensity tonight, this feels different for ‘The Game’ as it’s a real chance at ridding himself of Shawn Michaels for good. If he can win here tonight, he might just send a permanent message to HBK that he cannot hang at the top level anymore.

World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels
​

The beginning of the contest begins with Triple H and Shawn Michaels walking toward each other into the middle of the ring. They have a staredown, nobody making a move, as the crowd chants for ‘HBK’ and Shawn begins to laugh. He asks Triple H if he can hear them - to which Triple H smushs Michaels in the face with his right hand and shouts - “You think I give a damn about them? This is you and me, Shawn. I’m going to put an end to this - to you! Come on!” They trade opening shots in the centre of the ring, Triple H whips him into the ropes and ducks down on the rebound but Michaels flips over him into a sunset flip pinning situation for a quick two count. Triple H pops right back up and Michaels fires off a superkick but the World Champ drops to the canvas like he’s avoided a bullet from a gun! Michaels acts quick and flips forward for a jackknife pin cover, also for a two count.

The middle section of the match saw Triple H slow this down as he targeted the back of the challenger. A backbreaker across the knee, followed by ramming Michaels into the edge of the ring apron on the outside, led to Triple H getting a nearfall after a spinebuster. A high spot of this section was Triple H catching a superkick, spinning Michaels around and attempting the Pedigree. Michaels slipped out, hit a back body drop but had his leg grabbed by Flair on the outside - which allowed Triple H to hit a lariat on Michaels over the top rope! Triple H took this chance to taunt the crowd, climbing the turnbuckle and yelling that he is the best in the business whilst Flair backed him up with praise.

The finish of the match was chaotic overall as Michaels and Triple H accidentally crushed the referee in the corner. Ref bump in a 2003 Triple H match? No! With the referee down, Michaels hit a superkick and made the cover but there was no count. The challenger tried to wake the referee but he had no luck. This opportunity drew in Ric Flair who ate a superkick of his own! Michaels was fired up, the crowd cheering him like mad… but Triple H grabbed him from behind and hit the Pedigree! With an arm over the challenger, the referee began to stir and was aware enough to begin a count… but it was only good for 2!

Triple H then got to his feet, realised that the referee still wasn’t fully recovered and he rolled to the outside to grab the title belt. Back in the ring, Triple H yelled for Shawn to get up - the challenger was slow to his feet… Triple H charged at him… and was nailed with Sweet Chin Music! The referee was halfway up to his feet, Shawn Michaels was about to make the cover until Chris Jericho invaded the ring and smashed Shawn in the head with a chair! He quickly pulled Triple H on top of the Heartbreak Kid and ran away through the crowd as the referee turned around and saw the champion covering the challenger! The zebra made a three count and declared the title for the champion.

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: And STILL World Heavyweight Champion - Triple H @ 17:34

THAT DAMN SON OF A BITCH!!! It wasn’t enough for Chris Jericho to defeat Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania but now he’s just screwed him out of the World Heavyweight Championship. Lawler declares that it’s no surprise - Jericho believed that he would’ve been in this spot had it not been for car trouble. He has held resentment about Shawn getting this spot ever since it was announced! The crowd is furious as replays show Jericho’s hit-and-run style invasion and how he pulled Triple H on top of the challenger. Ross is going nuts over this and calls Jericho every name he can legally say on air without getting thrown off by the pay-per-view providers.

Triple H takes a while but he is eventually able to roll out of the ring, clutching his World Championship which is handed to him by the referee. He’s joined by Randy Orton and Batista, the latter helps him stand up whilst Orton goes and grabs Ric Flair - also suffering the impact of a superkick late in the match. All four members of Evolution huddle at the bottom of the ramp; Lawler ponders how things might have turned out had Jericho not shown up at the end, to which Ross replies that we’d have a NEW champion.

Backlash comes to a close with Triple H (and Evolution) halfway up the aisle, the World Championship proudly hoisted in the air - the man holding it knowing he’s just barely survived tonight. Inside the ring, Shawn Michaels begins to come to, his head fuzzy and almost in a state of shock. Ross says that it is likely that the Heartbreak Kid doesn’t even know what the hell happened at the end of the match but he’ll soon find out. There may not be vengeance on his mind right now but he’ll see the replay - Shawn Michaels is going to find out that he was screwed out of the World Title by Chris Jericho… and that’s sure to create some bad blood between the two.

END OF SHOW​

 

[Stojy]

Backlash was a really solid follow up to that awesome 'Mania. Good stuff. A few things that stood out to me:

KOTR still hanging around (believe '03 is when it stopped being a thing IRL) makes me happy. Looking forward to you hopefully making a star through the tournament.

Loved everything about Jericho tonight. From his involvement in the main event, which he arguably rightly had a gripe with, through to the polka dot pants today to reference Dusty. Really great stuff with Jericho here, who was one of the character highlights throughout the night.

Based on our recent conversations, you probably know I'm happy with anything O'Haire is doing. This Devils Advocate character has so much potential and Jeff Hardy is the perfect victim. Love that you're playing the slow burn with it as well, Jeff resisting and winning tonight was the right way for this to start. Looking forward to how it develops after their segment together to.

Evolution/Dudleyz result caught me off-guard. I thought it would just be a Batista/Orton retain, but looks like this will continue. It doesn't overly excite me, but there's not much else happening in the tag division so I get needing to drag this one out.

IC Title match wasn't really about Christian, although I am curious how Bischoff reacts to him moving forward after their conversation earlier. A nice watch this space, but the big, obvious progression here is more RVD and Kane issues.

I also marked out for the Austin/HBK segment. Heel Shawn to end Austin's career would be something else...

Really enjoying this mate. Oh and I almost forgot, this is a tiny thing really, but I've seen you refer to Smackdown as Friday Night Smackdown quite a few times in this thread, but pretty sure it wasn't moved to Fridays until 2005/2006. Maybe I'm wrong, but it's something that caught my eye a few times.

The other thing is the Jazz attack was really good here tonight. The one negative of these monthly recaps is we probably haven't seen enough of her being more 'vicious' since Mania, which hurts the story a bit, but drawing blood on Trish is a pretty great 'holy shit' moment for this era of womens wrestling.

Really enjoying the way this is progressing.

 

[EZ3]

Thanks for the comments Stojy!

The Friday/Thursday thing was a slip on my behalf, which I picked up during the recap for Judgment Day. I will go back and edit it out of the previous posts and make sure it's correct (Thursday) moving forward.

The recaps are good for the overall storylines, but some of the smaller things do fall off the scope like Jazz continuing to destroy jobbers each week. I'm going to move to weekly shows after King of the Ring. It'll be a co-branded show which will let me recap for both brands up until a uniform date and then we can do weekly shows moving forward - which was always the plan after building a universe for a few months via the recaps.

Next recap is coming tomorrow. The road to Judgment Day will be finished tonight and I'll have it uploaded around midday/early afternoon.

A big thank you to everyone who has been reading along, leaving likes, comments and/or predictions. In our second month of the thread we've picked up the BTBOTM award in a great community with a lot of quality threads bouncing around. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read this project and I'm having a lot of fun working on it. Cheers again!

 

[EZ3]

THE ROAD TO JUDGMENT DAY
March 30, 2003 - May 18, 2003
Charlotte Coliseum; Charlotte, North Carolina​

The Conscious Of The WWE [THURSDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN]
Seven weeks separated WrestleMania 19 and Smackdown’s next date with pay-per-view, Judgment Day. At the top of our card sat the WWE Champion, The Rock, coming off one of the greatest victories of his career when he gained redemption by defeating ‘The Next Big Thing’ Brock Lesnar on the grandest stage of them all. The Rock did not appear on all seven weeks of television - he was live in the arena four out of seven times, but he made each one of those appearances count!

His first appearance was the first Thursday following WrestleMania, The Rock - joined by his cousins (then known as 3-Minute Warning) - and during an in-ring segment our reigning WWE Champion took all the time in the world to gloat. He spoke down to the fans, laughing at them for doubting that he could defeat Brock Lesnar, telling them that he told the world he’d be standing right here in the ring post-Mania still holding the title and he did just that. The in-ring promo would move off the subject of Lesnar and transition to a significant character shift for the duo, Jamal and Rosey.

The Rock spoke to his cousins directly, telling them to ignore the idiots in the arena and focus on him - their leader of their family. He said that he loved his cousins with all his heart and that’s why, from this moment on, he demanded that any member of his family - the greatest family tree in wrestling - use their traditional Samoan names just like he did (the fact that The Rock is not his tribal name was pointed out by Michael Cole, calling out how self-righteous this sounded).

The Rock ordered Jamal and Rosey to take a knee, which they did willingly. He then somewhat christened them to rise anew, no longer shackled by the token names given to them by Eric Bischoff, but to stand as members of HIS family, of the Samoan dynasty - no longer Jamal and Rosey… and in their place, be henceforth known as Umaga Fatu and Leati Samu. So came to a close the first week - The Rock stood tall as the WWE Champion and 3-Minute Warning gained new in-ring names to align to their Samoan roots. As all three men stood in the ring, Smackdown appearing to be closing off for the night… The Undertaker drove out onto the stage on his motorcycle, leaning forward on his bike and shook his head whilst The Rock looked out toward him with a slight edge of fear about himself.

The next few weeks were without The Rock live and that left The Undertaker to take centre stage as he positioned himself as the number one contender. The argument for Big Evil was simple; he was the number one contender because he said he was, and if anyone had an issue with it, they could step up and try to take it from him. Stephanie McMahon co-signed this and said due to his epic war with Edge and victory at WrestleMania, she deemed him to be the first in line for a title shot and made it official for Judgment Day.

During the third week, the same week The Undertaker was declared the challenger for the title by Stephanie, we saw The Rock appear on a vignette at a country club, dressed in all white, and he talked about seeing The Undertaker think he’s calling the shots. Well, this isn’t the late 90’s, time has moved on and The Undertaker doesn’t run this yard anymore - Smackdown is and has always been The Rock’s show and when he comes back, he’s going to put the Deadman in the ground for good. The Rock did this interview whilst holding a tennis racket, and then joked he had to go because he had an old family friend waiting to hit a few with him on court 1 alongside Jay Leno.

The Rock made his next appearance live during the fourth week, cutting a promo in the ring demanding that The Undertaker come to the ring to face him. When Big Evil came out, Samu and Fatu jumped the barricade and tried to rush the challenger but he was expecting it - revealing a steel pipe from behind his back which he smacked both of them across the face with! The Rock went bug-eyed, shaking his head in fear as ‘Taker went after him and flattened him out with a chokeslam! The following week, The Undertaker was scheduled to go up against 3-Minute Warning but during Smackdown, Leati Samu and Umaga Fatu had a backstage interview, the first of its kind for them with Josh Mathews, where they just glared at him and said nothing.

Mathews was about to give up when he felt a tap on his shoulder and into the frame appeared - Jim Cornette! Cornette outlined that if you had questions for either of these two dangerous men, then you should ask him! If you had questions about what these two men were going to do to The Undertaker tonight, then you should ask him. If you had questions about what these two men are going to do moving forward, then you should ask him! And no longer should you refer to these men as 3-Minute Warning because just like the childish names they were slapped with to get into the WWE as puppets for Bischoff on Raw, now they stand as free men, as warriors, as monsters and in that vain they are shedding the skin that once suffocated them. Standing before you is no longer 3-Minute Warning but rather the Samoan Death Squad!

Later that night, the newly named Samoan Death Squad (SDS for short) would wrestle to a no contest when they brawled with ‘Taker on the outside of the ring, and ended up using steel chairs on them and hitting a double powerbomb through the announce table. Jim Cornette did commentary for this contest and was officially named as the manager for the SDS - citing his history with Yokozuna, recognised as a family member, and experience managing world class tag teams. He described the SDS as the most dangerous tag team he has ever seen and when he got the call from The Rock, he had to say yes to coming in to be the voice for this great tag team and to help guide their career whilst The Rock kept a balance on his Hollywood career and in-wrestling aspirations.

During the final two weeks, The Rock and The Undertaker both appeared on Smackdown. In week six, The Rock and The Undertaker signed the contract for Judgment Day and there was no physical altercation between the two men. The Undertaker stood alone in the ring to sign the contract whilst The Rock had Samu, Fatu and Cornette standing behind him - displaying the stark contrast between these two individuals. The Undertaker mentioned as much, telling The Rock that all these people would not be there at Judgment Day to save him and to keep that title.

The only reason The Rock was the WWE Champion is because The Undertaker allowed it and at Judgment Day, he was taking the title and putting The Rock back in his place. The final week arrived, The Rock cut a promo about how The Undertaker likes to take credit for sticking by the WWE and being the captain of the ship through the good times and the bad. In reality, he was the anchor that The Rock dragged through the rough seas and somehow, through his talent, got the ship home whilst The Undertaker did nothing along the way. Sunday, it’s about cementing his position as the WWE Champion - putting down the conscious of the WWE and sending the Deadman straight to hell where he belongs.

The Stronger They Are… [THURSDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN]
The luchador Rey Mysterio continued to reign as WWE United States Champion following WrestleMania and was congratulated on his victory over Christian by many members of the roster when he arrived on Smackdown two weeks later. Mysterio’s arrival was interrupted by John Cena and his girlfriend Dawn Marie-Wilson. Cena made it clear that he wanted to let Rey know that he was on notice - the United States title was on the clock and time was running out for his reign because Cena earned the right to challenge for the gold at WrestleMania. He boasted about tossing man after man over the top rope, and said that Mysterio was just a stepping stone to his future greatness. They clashed a week later with the gold on the line, and Mysterio came up as the victor with a schoolboy pin following Cena taking too long taunting his opponent and the crowd.

While that mini-feud occurred on TV, Mark Henry ran through a combination of local talents and had fights with actual members of the roster. Henry and Hardcore Holly collided in a Falls Count Anywhere match after they had a 3 week feud when Henry got in Holly’s face backstage, the hardened veteran refused to back down. Henry ultimately won that match and continued to build his momentum week after week until he surprised Rey Mysterio by interrupting his interview backstage. It was a clear-cut challenge, Henry said he wanted a shot at the gold that Rey had and he believed that he could beat him fairly easily - no disrespect. Mysterio laughed, he told Henry that he had heard that all his life, and he loved proving people wrong, so consider it a challenge accepted. A handshake was offered and Henry accepted it, but a shot of his face lingered after as Rey walked away.

The next week, Henry steamrolled Mysterio in a blindsided attack and wrapped him around the ring post. That same night, Henry took a cameraman hostage and cut a promo direct to the camera backstage, the camera shaking as the operator was held within the grip of the World’s Strongest Man. For all these years he felt like he had been disrespected, overlooked, and doubted by everyone. Last week, Mysterio had the nerve to laugh in his face - to accept the challenge from the World’s Strongest Man like it was no big deal?

Henry shouted at the camera - asking if people had forgotten who the hell he was? He’s no laughing matter, and at Judgment Day he’s going to wipe the smile off the face of Rey Mysterio when he puts the greatest luchador in the world in a wheelchair for the rest of his natural life. Mysterio sold the impact of the assault all the way leading up to Judgment Day, coming out with tape around his ribs and saying that the doctors have warned him about the risks but he’s not going to let a bully like Mark Henry think because he’s bigger that he can push people around. He vowed to deliver a wakeup call to the World’s Strongest Man and prove that heart can win over strength when the time is right!

Reach For The Sky [THURSDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN]
Paul Heyman’s triumphant return to the blue brand continued to go swimmingly following WrestleMania and into Judgment Day. His mentorship of Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas had seen them become the new WWE Tag Team Champions at WrestleMania 19, and they held those titles until at least the upcoming pay-per-view. The name of the team was officially changed on the first edition of Smackdown following Mania with Benjamin and Haas entering the arena as the ‘World’s Greatest Tag Team’ in new metallic coloured gear.

They still had the wrestling singlets but they no longer sported the colour scheme of their former namesake, Kurt Angle. When asked about their relationship with the gold medalist, neither man had a bad word to say, focusing on how they wished him a speedy recovery and that they’d still be here holding down the fort as the champions when he returned to Smackdown. Heyman was caught on camera scolding Josh Mathews for asking about Kurt Angle as the camera lingered one week, and from that point on there was no mention of Angle to Benjamin or Haas moving forward.

It didn’t take long for the path to Judgment Day to become clear for Benjamin and Haas. The Guerreros cut a promo backstage demanding a rematch for the titles they lost at WrestleMania. They congratulated ‘Team Angle’ - refusing to call them by their new moniker during this build, which became a sore point for the WGTT in their promos, alongside Heyman. Eddie was the focal point for Los Guerreroes on the microphone, carrying most of the talking and having a big in-ring promo segment with Paul Heyman on Smackdown. Their they talked about how Heyman wished he could’ve done for Eddie what he was doing for Benjamin and Haas - if only the time had been right and things worked out differently but standing here now, Heyman said he realised that Eddie would’ve ultimately been a waste of his time because he’s not half the wrestler that Benjamin or Haas are right now.

While Eddie and Chavo were able to use their rematch clause to get a title shot at Judgment Day, the WGTT had their first title defence set for Smackdown when they competed against a fairly new tag team in Hard-Ass! Hardcore Holly and Billy Gun - a new team comprised of two veterans who won a tag team battle royal to get a shot on Smackdown at the gold. It was a fairly basic match, the WGTT retaining after Haas forced Billy Gunn to submit to the Haas of Pain. Heyman clapped wildly for his team and then entered the ring to cut a promo - he said that there was no amount of bravado that the Guerreros could muster that would be enough to cut down the athletic ability of these two pure-bred athletes. They are faster, stronger, smarter and more than capable of climbing the ladder of success to the very top of the WWE and grasping that brass ring.

Someone took that last line literally as in the last two weeks, Stephanie McMahon announced that she wanted to see just how badly these two men wanted to be the WWE Tag Team Champions. She had heard all the talk about Haas and Benjamin being the best and she had heard the Guerreros say they would do anything to take the gold back. Well, she was going to give them the chance to prove themselves right. At Judgment Day - it would be the World’s Greatest Tag Team defending their titles for the second time against Los Guerreros in a Ladder Match!

Making An Offer He Can’t Refuse [THURSDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN]
Now the longest reigning champion in the WWE, Billy Kidman came out of WrestleMania 19 at the very top of the cruiserweight division. He spent the first few weeks following the ‘Gauntlet for the Gold’ doing commentary spots with Michael Cole and Tazz. During these spots, he would scout potential challengers and discuss how the experience in going coast to coast at WrestleMania had helped teach him exactly what it took to be a great champion in the WWE. With each appearance on commentary for the WWE Cruiserweight Champion, we’d also get a visit from Nunzio and the FBI. The first time they appeared, Nunzio had Stamboli deliver a package, a wad of cash, and attempt to bribe Kidman into granting ‘the Don’ a title shot ahead of everyone else. This request was denied by Kidman and he gave the cash back to Nunzio before exiting the ringside area.

The following week, Kidman was cornered by the FBI who handed him a briefcase and told him to open this on his own time, and to reconsider the offer from ‘the Don’ or else. Kidman had a match later that night and secured a victory in tag team action. Post-match, Kidman opened the briefcase on the announce desk to reveal even more money. This time, to the delight of the crowd, Kidman tossed it all over the arena and allowed the fans to claim the cash for themselves. A week later, Nunzio had a full spread - cheese, wine, meats, and fruits delivered to Kidman backstage, but the champion declined, and allowed the general staff to enjoy it. This infuriated Nunzio and he let Kidman know about it the following week. In an in-ring segment, Nunzio confronted Kidman and said that he had been respectful to the champion but he wasn’t getting the same respect back. He had done everything he could to win favour with the champion but Kidman continued to be disrespectful to Nunzio and the family.

Kidman replied that he didn’t respect what Nunzio was trying to do. He never asked for any favours or gifts from Nunzio, the FBI or any family that wasn’t his own. The title means more to Kidman than any stack of cash or fruit platter. If Nunzio wants a shot at the gold, he needs to earn it like everyone else on the Smackdown roster. Kidman didn’t back down - telling Nunzio and his goons that he was not for sale and neither was the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. Of course, Nunzio said he was offended by the claim that he was trying to bribe his way into a title shot but he understood that Kidman was afraid. Scared men say crazy things and that’s what Kidman had become because he knows that the title would change hands the minute they faced each other. The offer was made; Nunzio would wrestle any member of the division, and if he won, he gets to face Kidman for the belt at Judgment Day.

The following week - now two weeks before the pay-per-view - Nunzio defeated ‘Pitbull’ Jamie Noble to become the number one contender. That same evening, Nunzio, whilst backed by the FBI, confronted Kidman backstage and told him that his time had officially run out. All offers of friendship were off the table - his chance at dining with the family had been rescinded and word was out on the street about the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. It was “on sight” for any member of the family that sat under Nunzio and he warned Kidman to be careful walking around the streets at night - because he didn’t want there to be any blood on the title belt when he got his hands on it at Judgment Day.

Unlikely Friends With A Common Goal [THURSDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN]
The other half of the main event from WrestleMania, Brock Lesnar, was given the first two weeks off television following the pay-per-view. His highly advertised return occurred in week 3 when he cut an in-ring promo about the Battle in Seattle. As you would expect, Lesnar was disappointed to be standing there as the runner-up but he mentioned that this was a position he had felt before. Throughout his life, he had come 2nd more than once and it wasn’t losing that defined him but rather how he was going to pull himself back up and earn another chance to become the WWE Champion! The promo was interrupted by Big Show and A-Train, the powerhouse pair reuniting on-screen after not being used as a team much after the Royal Rumble. Together, Big Show and A-Train mocked Lesnar for his loss at WrestleMania and declared that he was all hype after all.

In response, Lesnar reminded Big Show that he flattened him at the Royal Rumble and had no issue with doing it again tonight. After a brief discussion, Big Show declined, citing that he had an issue with his ankle, as much as he would love to wrestle tonight - he just couldn’t. Instead, A-Train would sub in and take on Lesnar one on one. Later that same evening, Lesnar appeared to have the match won against A-Train when he was pulled from the ring by Big Show and chokeslammed through the announce table. The next week, Edge was seen chatting with Stephanie McMahon in her office when Big Show and A-Train walked in. They mocked Edge as just another one of the young kids with all the hype but none of the results. Another loser from WrestleMania thinking he’s a superstar just like Brock Lesnar.

Edge said he saw what the two brutes did to Brock last week and he wasn’t impressed. It takes a man to step up to the biggest dog in the yard like The Undertaker but it takes a coward to go after a man when you’ve got him outnumbered. They didn’t take kindly to that, and Edge further pushed their buttons by mocking Big Show, asking if his little ankle felt any better, and challenged him to a match the following week. Big Show got in Edge’s face and accepted the match - warning him that he should’ve kept his mouth shut. On Smackdown a week later, Edge had his match with Big Show ruined when A-Train began assaulting him on the outside of the ring - causing a disqualification. The powerhouses were about to put him through the announce desk when Brock Lesnar appeared, sprinting down to the ring, and drove them away.

The next week, Lesnar and Edge would interact backstage during an interview with Kevin Kelly. Both men said that while they weren’t close friends, they did have a common interest. Big Show and A-Train are running around pushing their way through the roster, acting tough and using their numbers advantage to intimidate people. Together, Edge and Lesnar decided to unite and step up to challenge the powerhouse pair. Later that night, Edge and Lesnar brawled with Big Show and A-Train at ringside - the action spilling into the fans as Lesnar paired off with Big Show whilst Edge paired off with A-Train. The fight would conclude with the heels rushing away - leaving Lesnar and Edge surrounded by the fans, cheering them on - proving that with the numbers even, they could keep the monsters at bay.

There was slight tension during the final two weeks as Big Show and A-Train spoke from the stage while Edge and Brock Lesnar stood in the ring. They said that while the two of them are friendly now, what happens when they realise that they both want the same thing? Both of them want a shot at the WWE Championship, no? A-Train reminded Edge that it was Lesnar who failed to count to three at No Way Out - otherwise he’d potentially be the WWE Champion right now. How can Edge trust that Brock isn’t going to stab him in the back so that Edge doesn’t take another step closer to becoming a roadblock on Brock’s path to the WWE Title? For Brock, how can he trust Edge? Edge is the guy who assaulted The Undertaker with a steel chair just to get the chance to wrestle him! What would Edge be capable of if it meant getting closer to a WWE Championship opportunity?

Lesnar and Edge would wrestle in the last weeks of Smackdown before Judgment Day. During their matches, they each shared a similar spot, Edge went for a spear on his opponent, who ducked out of the way, and Edge had to put on the brakes so he didn’t hit Lesnar. Then in the last week, Lesnar picked up a chair to keep Big Show at bay and one point swung the chair and had to pull it back to stop himself from accidentally hitting Edge. These two incidents were replayed and touched on by commentary as signs that perhaps there was some lingering doubts from either man on if he could fully trust his partner for Sunday.

A Stinkface A Day Keeps Lovers Away [THURSDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN]
As we’ve already outlined in this recap, John Cena lost his WWE United States match to Rey Mysterio in the early weeks following WrestleMania. Post-match, we saw Cena and his girlfriend Dawn Marie-Wilson backstage where they ran into Rikishi. The big man was enjoying some lunch when he told Cena that he did well for his first try and to keep it up, and maybe he can earn another shot down the road at the title. Cena did not take this veteran advice kindly, walking up to Rikishi and slapping the food out of his hands.

The two got into a squabble, Cena ranting that he’s not going to be disrespected by a fat ass in a thong, and especially not in front of his girl. If Rikishi wants some, he can come get some next week on Smackdown. The ruckus caught the ire of Stephanie McMahon, she arrived on the scene as the two men were being held back, and said she didn’t know what this was about but if they were so keen to fight they can do it in the ring where nobody else would get caught in the crossfire.

The next week, Cena and Rikishi had a pretty standard match. It looked like Cena had the contest wrapped up but again he got cocky and called for his girl to get onto the ring apron. Together they shared a kiss but Rikishi then caught Cena with a thrust kick, and pulled Dawn over the top rope into the ring! The crowd went wild as Rikishi positioned both Dawn in the corner and then Cena on top of her - preparing to give them both the Stinkface! Cena came too and realised what was coming and he escaped to the outside… leaving Dawn alone unprotected.

The referee counted to 10 and ruled Rikishi the winner as Cena stood on the outside, threatening Rikishi - demanding he not do it! The big man pulled up his thong and waved at Cena to come back into the ring and save his girl but Cena was too cowardly, stomping back and forth, yelling “no, come on!” as his frustration grew. To his horror, Rikishi performed the Stinkface on Dawn to a huge applause from the crowd, and the replays were shown over and over - Cena’s face showing pure disgust.

Over the final weeks to Judgment Day, Cena’s vendetta against Rikishi grew and he sought vengeance for the Stinkface to his girlfriend. During this time, we would often see Paul Heyman lingering in the background whenever Cena appeared on screen. Never talking to each other, almost as if Heyman was scouting Cena. He assaulted Rikishi upon his arrival before Smackdown one week - which was shown as a pre-tape - and battered him in the parking lot outside near a group of fans. Cena smashed a door on Rikishi and almost put him through the windshield until a group of security stopped him. The next week, Cena cut a fired up promo on the roof of a brand new pickup truck - which had been customised for him. He outlined that Rikishi had made it impossible for him to even see his girl, let alone kiss her anymore.

He could still smell… something on her and no amount of washing had fixed it. Since the Stinkface, Dawn has only been shown wearing a face covering and whenever she walked past people, they would react as if they smelt something bad. Rikishi had tainted his woman and so Cena said this vendetta wasn’t over until one of them was down and out. He declared that this wasn’t an issue that could be resolved in a match, this was personal. This was a fight and the only place to settle this was the streets - or a parking lot. At Judgment Day, he’d send Rikishi an open invitation to meet him in the parking lot of the Charlotte Coliseum - and they can settle the score once and for all.

Big Sexy Joins The Blue Brand [THURSDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN]
In the aftermath of WrestleMania, a surprise debut occurred and WWE welcomed back a former World Champion. Returning for the first time since 2002, Kevin Nash was introduced by Stephanie McMahon as the newest edition to the Thursday Night Smackdown roster. He was positioned as a babyface upon his return, thanking the fans for supporting him during the injury to his quad last year. He said that he had done a lot of rehab and been through a strict training program and felt like he was in the best shape he had been in for years. During this promo, Nash was received well and he said he was here on Smackdown to work his way to the top and give all his fans more big time moments that he had given them for years. After the promo, Nash walked backstage and came across The Rock, they said nothing but had a brief staredown, before they went past each other like ships in the night.

A week after his return promo, Nash was preparing for his first match back in his locker-room. He was doing some stretches by himself until the door to the locker-room swung open and Shannon Moore walked into the room. The MF’er carried with him a bunch of DVD’s for Mattitude and said that he was here on behalf of the greatest self-help guru on the planet - Matt Hardy, Version 1! Moore advised that his guru found Nash’s speech last week to be inspiring and he did not doubt that a specimen like Nash could get back to his physical peak with the right program. However, no rehab or doctor could match the results that the former WWE and WCW Champion could get if he sampled Mattitude. If Nash felt great right now, doing what doctors told him to do, then he could feel 1000 times better by taking the medical advice of V1! In response, Nash stood up, checked out the DVD’s and told Moore that he wasn’t interested.

Over the next few weeks, Matt Hardy and Kevin Nash took part in some serious and some comedy segments. Feeling slighted by the refusal of his program, Hardy wrestled Moore in an exhibition match where Moore dressed like Kevin Nash and pretended to tear his quad. Hardy then cut a promo about how even the biggest men of this planet can have weak minds and bodies but you can reach your true potential by purchasing the latest Mattitude Fitness DVD - available from pop up MF’er locations all around the country. Nash would come across Hardy the following week and say he could laugh at himself, but it was not all so serious. Hardy countered and said that Nash was lying about being healthier than ever and that he wanted to put it to the test on Judgment Day. The power of Mattitude versus traditional rehab. The two agreed that it was a great idea, and the match was signed - Nash vs. Hardy at the pay-per-view.

***

Judgment Day - May 18, 2003
Charlotte Coliseum; Charlotte, North Carolina

WWE Championship Match:
WWE Champion, The Rock defends against;
The American Badass, The Undertaker

United States Championship Match:
Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry

!! LADDER MATCH !!
WWE Tag Team Championship:
World’s Greatest Tag Team (Benjamin/Haas) vs. Los Guerreros

Cruiserweight Championship Match:
Billy Kidman vs. Nunzio

Tag Team Match:
Edge & Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show & A-Train

Parking Lot Brawl:
Rikishi vs. John Cena

Singles Match:
Kevin Nash vs. Matt Hardy​

Other Notes (Smackdown Only)

• Hardcore Holly and Billy Gunn officially form a tag team known as Hard-Ass and are positioned as babyfaces. Gunn plays the role of the more comedic member of the team whilst Holly is the straight man of the duo.
• Jamal and Rosey are renamed Umaga Fatu and Leati Samu. Their team name, 3-Minute Warning is dropped and changed to the Samoan Death Squad.
• Jim Cornette is brought in as the manager/mouthpiece for the SDS and is added to the Smackdown roster.
• Kevin Nash is a member of the Smackdown brand full-time moving forward.
• Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas drop the ‘Team Angle’ name and take up the moniker of the World’s Greatest Tag Team at the behest of their manager, Paul Heyman.
• The APA has multiple segments backstage playing poker on Smackdown and interacting with various superstars, keeping up appearances on the television show.
• Hulk Hogan is given this period off television but is mentioned regularly on commentary, and we see a few segments during the timeframe where Stephanie is on the phone, supposedly talking with Hogan about his return to Smackdown.
• Rhyno and Spanky spark an odd couple friendship of sorts. Rhyno discovers that Spany is a huge fan of his from ECW and wants to impress the last ever ECW Heavyweight Champion, and takes to doing crazy stunts on Smackdown - taking things to the extreme. Spanky believes that they could be a great tag team but Rhyno is less enthusiastic about it.
• Rico and B2B2 are released from their WWE contracts.
• Paul London enters the second stage of contract discussions with the WWE.
• There have been ongoing discussions around the longevity of the Biker character for The Undertaker and if a switch to his more traditional persona is required. Many within WWE expect a shift in character tone sooner than later.
• While not announced, internal discussions have seen the WWE Draft pencilled in for after SummerSlam at this stage. It is expected that at least 1-2 main event stars will be shuffled to keep matches fresh and the top end of the card exciting as a focus on building mid-card talent ramps up.

 

[Qui-Gon Bren]

Alright, I'm really starting to get into this. I'll admit that the "recapped" style isn't my thing, so initially I did not start your thread. But after I saw the "Battle in Seattle" poster in BTB Advertisements... I was intrigued. I made a point to check out WrestleMania, and was happy to see how detailed it was. Your WM XIX was a VERY strong show and I thought "okay yeah, now I'm in!" Then, the follow up "road to Backlash" didn't quite connect with me and I thought I'd just be a PPV reader. Finally checked out Backlash this morning and thought it was a good PPV follow up! I like how rich the upper mid-card/main event scene for RAW is, and they were prominently featured on the PPV. Booker T climbing out of the "battle royal pool" with a singles PPV win, Jericho keeping his heat, Jeff Hardy getting into the title scene. The Administration felt very underwhelming as PPV opponents for Stone Cold... but hell, just HAVING Stone Cold still after WM XIX is a victory. I'm interested to see how his career continues! Evolution and Christian retaining their titles felt inevitable, but I did have a sliver of hope HBK would pull of the big win to "send them home happy"! Damn Jericho. I think it's clever the way you kept the HBK/Y2J feud alive after Mania, and the next chapter should be killer! RAW feels very much like a "heel territory" with all the men's championships on bad guys atm, Jericho positioned strong at the top, and what feels like a potential Kane turn coming? All of the champions feel pretty secure, but hopefully a resilient babyface can break through and shine some light on RAW!

NOW. The "road to Judgment Day" storylines? That stuff REALLY hit the spot for me personally. Your SmackDown is already in a very exciting place by having both Edge and The Rock in the mix. But on top that, you are using them in really great ways. Starting with the WWE Championship feud, this was an exciting read. This "bloodline" version of Hollywood Rock is so fun to imagine. I always liked the pairing of biker Taker and Rock, so this feud is right up my alley. I think your transition of 3 Minute Warning into SDS was patient and natural. I think this trio (w/Cornette) could work excellently as a finished product... but I got my eyes on you Rikishi. Idk how good Undertaker's chances are of beating this version of Rock, but I'll be rooting for it like hell come the PPV! Edge's push of "belonging" in the top of the card as a fringe-main eventer is a cool ride. The ups and downs from No Way Out, going down a dark path to get Taker's attention, only to earn his respect, now thrust into a monster mash ahead of the PPV. It would've been easy to toss Edge into his next feud and try to get a big win following the PPV losses... but this pairing with Brock is very unique. Based on what we saw Edge do ahead of Mania, idk if we should fully trust him. What could be an "easy win" tag match to help get Lesnar and Edge back on their feet has some interesting dynamics that have me unsure of how this one will go, or how the superstars involved will act. All of the Judgment Day title matches feel distinct, no build is the same. I'm worried if things go a certain way, that SmackDown too becomes a heel territory. But the blue brand at least has Stephanie at the helm to balance things out. I was a little bummed that Cena's title shot came and went before the PPV, but makes sense with 7 weeks of TV to fill, and thankfully he still landed on the PPV in a singles spot. The stinkface spot with Cena bailing on Dawn Marie popped me big. Just as I was imagining funny moments of Cena refusing to kiss her afterward, YOU DO JUST THAT lol. And Paul Heyman lurking on Cena? I'm locked tf in for wherever this is going. Kevin Nash on SmackDown is weird to imagine for some reason, but his involvement with a very dynamic roster has my curiosity. Whatever it is will surely be better than Kliq-ing it up on RAW!

I'm pretty pumped for Judgment Day, and equally interested to see how you handle the King of the Ring tournament. I feel like I should mention that any comments I made about things not connecting for me were more about my preferences when it comes to recapped style, and NOT your writing. Everything so far has been clean on that end. I can see why you won BTBOTM! Congrats, and keep going!

 

[EZ3]

...

WWE JUDGMENT DAY
May 18, 2003 | Charlotte Coliseum; Charlotte, North Carolina

PYRO

Michael Cole and Tazz welcome us to the first exclusive pay-per-view presented by Thursday Night Smackdown for the year. After the opening video package concludes, highlighting some key match-ups, including the main event—The Rock vs. The Undertaker—our commentary team briefly runs down the card, each man hyping up the various matches and how big a night this is going to be for the blue brand, their first chance to show the world what Smackdown can produce by itself for 2003!

**ECHO**

To begin our night of big match-ups, we kick things off with the first title fight as the World’s Strongest Man - MARK HENRY marches out onto the stage. The camera shoots Henry from behind for his entrance, showing off his gigantic back. Henry takes a moment to survey the crowd, taking in the boos from the audience for the intimidating athlete. After a few moments, Henry completes his walk to the ring, glaring at a few fans along the way.

**619**

From below the stage, REY MYSTERIO is launched into the air and lands on the stage to a big pop from the audience. The WWE United States Championship wrapped around his waist and his attire in a red, white, and blue theme tonight - showing his love for the title he holds so dearly. It does not go unnoticed that Mysterio has tape around his ribs, and Cole attributes it to the assault he suffered at the hands of the challenger previously on Smackdown.

WWE United States Championship Match:
Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Henry
​

The bout begins with a staredown between the two competitors. Mysterio hands the title over to the referee, kissing the face of it, and Tazz questions if it’s a kiss goodbye at this point. Henry and Mysterio square up to each other, the former telling the champion that this is the end for him. There’s high tension, Mysterio shakes his head and gets palmed in the face by the World’s Strongest Man. He comes firing back with forearms to the head of the challenger but Henry no-sells the assault, grabs Mysterio, and knocks him down with a headbutt. Mysterio goes straight back to the canvas but is then ripped off the canvas by Henry, who grips his head and yanks him back up. Henry presses Rey over his head and drops him straight to the ground. A running splash follows and we get a near fall thereafter.

After twelve minutes of solid action, our first match of the evening came to a close. Throughout the contest, Henry used his power advantage to keep the luchador on his back and away from the tools of the trade in the top rope. A turning point in the match saw Henry attempt a running splash in the corner, which Mysterio was able to scramble out of and fight back against the challenger. Rey refused to give in, kicking the tree trunk-like legs of the challenger and finding his way to the top rope to hit a missile dropkick! Henry was rocked and stumbled back - Mysterio then struck with a stiff kick to the head with Henry in a seat position.

The final fall of the match saw Mysterio counter out of a fireman’s carry position, execute a headscissors and send Henry into the ropes. A 619 followed… but Henry stumbled across to the other side of the ring and fell against the middle ropes there! Quickly, Mysterio rushed across the ring and hit the 619 for a second time! This time Henry stumbled back, his eyes glazed over… and he FELL to the canvas. To a roar from the crowd, Rey hit a springboard splash from the outside apron onto Henry for the three count!

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: And STILL WWE United States Champion - Rey Mysterio @ 12:34

He did not let the odds stand in his way tonight! Rey Mysterio has found a way to slay another giant in the WWE and in doing so retain his coveted United States Championship. Following the sound of the bell, Mysterio is handed the title from the referee and proudly raises it above his head to a loud cheer. He slaps his chest, telling the crowd thank you for believing in him as he climbs a nearby turnbuckle. He was busted, he was hurt but the champ has come out on top and is still the champion.

Meanwhile, Mark Henry makes his way up the ramp, his hands covering his face as he marches away, telling the cameraman to get out of his way. We cut back to ringside, Mysterio now walks around engaging with the fans, thanking many of them for coming out and supporting him tonight. It’s another big win for the luchador as he sets himself as a formidable champion in the WWE and one of the bright new stars emerging as the future of the company here in 2003.

***

In the backstage area, we see BROCK LESNAR carrying a gym bag as he heads towards the locker room. It’s a big pop for the ‘Next Big Thing’ when he’s shown on screen to the live crowd. When he arrives at the door to the locker room, the door flings open and EDGE walks out from the opposite side. The unlikely duo for tonight lock eyes - each man knowing that their fate lies in the hands of the other tonight if they want to get the victory.

Edge tells Brock that if they both work together, it’ll be a clear path to the win for both of them. Once they get through Big Show and A-Train, then the two of them can battle it out to see who is next for a shot at the WWE Championship. There’s a slight smile from Brock as he traces his chin with his index finger. Brock tells Edge that he’ll have his back tonight because that’s what he promised he would do - but the minute it’s over, then it’s game on. He wants the WWE Championship back and there’s nobody on the roster that can stop him from getting it.

They shake hands one final time - Edge and Lesnar agreeing that these two hungry young stars will stay aligned tonight but their ultimate goal of dethroning whoever holds the WWE Title will take center stage after tonight.

***

Moving into the parking lot area of the arena, we see a circle of cars and a group of spectators made up of both WWE personnel and the average unnamed fan. In the middle of the ring of cars stands a referee, his job tonight is to just count a pinfall or recognise the submission as there are no other rules for the upcoming match. From the left-hand side of the car park, we begin to hear music as RIKISHI walks in carrying a speaker that pumps his entrance music.

After Rikishi enters the circle of cars and looks around, he calls out for Cena. The veteran looks down at the camera and says that he’s here and ready to fight but it looks like the young kid didn’t show up. As he’s talking to the camera, JOHN CENA jumps out from the back of one of the pickup trucks in the circle and jumps Rikishi from behind, slamming his face first into the hood of one of the cars!

Parking Lot Brawl:
Rikishi vs. John Cena
​

It’s a pure fight as you would expect for something like this. The opening assault sees Cena slam Rikishi into the first car, and rip off a windshield wiper before using it as a weapon. Cena is dressed in sneakers, jean shorts, and a Duke University basketball jersey. He punches Rikishi in the head with a closed fist, grabs him by the back of the neck, and goes to whip him into the front of the car. Rikishi can get his foot up, blocking the attack and he counters with an elbow to the ribs of Cena. Breaking free of the grip, Rikishi knees Cena and then lifts him up before driving him into the side of one of the pickup trucks. Back and forth they go throughout the circle of cars, Riksihi slams a door on Cena’s shoulder and then tosses him into the front seat of a car and begins to smash his head into the wheel causing the horn to go off.

Another big moment of the fight saw Cena and Rikishi standing on top of one of the cars and Cena planted him on the hood with a DDT. A highlight also saw Rikishi rip a bumper bar off a car and swing it right at Cena. There were two sets of broken windows, Cena and Rikishi both smashing one. Cena put Rikishi through one head first whilst Rikishi broke one whilst swinging a crowbar he found in the boot of one of the cars. The finish of the match saw John Cena lift Rikishi in a fireman’s carry, his teeth gritted together as he stood in the back of a pickup truck and he flipped Rikishi over onto the windscreen of the car below them! This would be the first time that Cena had hit his new finishing move - which he named Attitude Adjustment.

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: John Cena @ 10:12 via pinfall

The fight is over!! Cena collapses in the back of the pickup truck, exhausted from the fight, bits of glass everywhere and a small cut across his brow. The referee climbs onto the back of the truck and raises Cena’s hand - declaring him the winner as the paramedics rush over to check on Rikishi. The veteran has not moved and the windscreen is completely sunken beneath him.

As Cena climbs down from the truck he approaches the camera and tells it that this is a message to all of Smackdown. If people think he’s just some dumb rapper from Boston they are sorely mistaken. He’s as tough as they come and he’ll fight any member of the roster if they want to step to him. Rikishi found out that picking a fight with this “kid” ain't as easy as it looks on paper, and if anyone else wants to chance their hand, they can get it too. He ends his promo by telling the camera, IF YOU WANT SOME, COME GET SOME!!

***

VIDEO PACKAGE

A large medieval town is shown, people rushing through a crowded market as a town crier stands on a wooden box.

Town crier: Hear ye, hear ye!!! I have an announcement for thy Chairman of the Board!

A group of passersby stop and listen as the man unfurls a long piece of parchment with the WWE seal ripped open.

Town crier: It is by decree of the Lord Chairman, Sir Vincent Kenneth McMahon, that a tournament shall be held!

The crowd grew at the mention of the tournament, children rushing over and groups of men looking intrigued.

Town crier: Sixteen men from the lands of Raw and Smackdown will clash in a battle of wills, a test of strength and a war of intestinal fortitude.

The crowd is even bigger now as the town crier’s words begin to spread throughout the land.

Town crier: June 7th in the coliseum known as the Newcastle Arena!

The town crier spreads his arms wide and shouts.

Town crier: Men will fight, lives will be changed as they all battle to be called…

The camera zooms in on town crier as he flips the parchment around to reveal the event’s logo.

Town crier: KING OF THE RING!!!

WWE Presents: King of the Ring
LIVE from the Newcastle Arena in Newcastle, England
June 7th, 2003 - [A CO-BRANDED event]

***

Back from the video package, Cole and Tazz begin to hype the upcoming title match.

**FULL BLOODED ITALIAN**

It has been a long time in the making as we finally get to see the head-on collision between the Don and the champ. Entering the arena first, flanked by the members of his family CHUCK PALUMBO and JOHNNY STAMBOLI, draped in smug confidence is NUNZIO! In his now trademark leather jacket, Nunzio walks out in front of his family, both on either side of him. Tazz outlines how taking over as head of the family has truly changed Nunzio into a lethal thinker. He has put together plans and orchestrated his way to becoming the number-one contender.

**YOU CAN RUN**

Out next is the longest-reigning champion in the WWE at the moment - BILLY KIDMAN. He has proven to be one of the strongest WWE Cruiserweight Champions of all time and his performance at WrestleMania 19 put him in an elite category. Kidman walks to the ring with focus - he eyes the three men looking back at him and unclips the title belt before raising it in the air. This is another challenge he has to overcome; Kidman climbs the turnbuckle from the outside ring apron, slaps the gold, waves it out in front, and shouts that this is his division to Nunzio. The Don sneers, shaking his head, and flips him off.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match:
Billy Kidman vs. Nunzio
​

It’s a match that has been months in the making and here we go! An action-packed encounter sees Nunzio and Kidman collide in the center of the ring. Kidman boots him in the stomach and gets the first knockdown against the challenger. Nunzio is quick to get back on his feet, he cops another clothesline from the champion and is then scooped up into the air with a big slam. The champion works over Nunzio in the early moments, hitting a follow-up suplex and hitting a sharp swinging neckbreaker for a two count. Nunzio gets his offense in during the match after a thumb to the eye, bending the rules as he knows best to get the better of the champion. He uses the ropes in multiple pin attempts, grabs the tights, and argues with the referee over the pace of the count. He wants to be in control in the ring as much as he is outside of it as the Don.

For the finish of the match, Nunzio and Kidman erupt in chaos as the referee goes down by accident! Nunzio scrambles across the canvas and waves over Stamboli and Palumbo. They quickly grab the title belt and throw it to Nunzio, and then the duo storm the ring. Kidman sees them coming however and boots Palumbo in the face, knocking him to the floor and he connects with a dropkick on Stamboli to send him to the floor as well. The numbers game catches up with him in the end, three versus one too much, as Nunzio smacks him in the head with the title belt! The challenger tosses the title to the outside of the ring and looks at the damage. The referee begins to stir and Nunzio screams at him to hurry up, he has the legs hooked of the champion and the title is within his grasp! The referee raises his arm… one! He raises it again… two! For a third time, the hand goes up and it smacks the canvas - and so ends the longest title reign in the WWE!

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: And NEW WWE Cruiserweight Champion - Nunzio @ 09:53

There is a stunned look on the faces of many fans at ringside - the title has changed hands and is officially the property of the Don! Jumping to his feet, Nunzio scurries to the outside of the ring and hoists the title up, shouting that he’s the best! He hurries around ringside, slapping Palumbo and Stamboli on the back of the head, and orders them to get up. The big men shake off the impact of the attack they felt from Kidman - selling it as they exit.

On their exit, the FBI raises Nunzio in the air and carries him out on their shoulders while he holds the title belt close to his chest. He has dreamed of this moment and he did everything he needed to do tonight to make sure he left with the gold. We cut to a shot in the ring of Kidman, the champion just coming too and realising that he has officially lost the gold. The longest reign in the WWE has ended tonight at Judgment Day and it did so in the absolute worst way. Kidman gets to his knees and glares up the ramp at the new champ, their issues clearly not done.

***

VIDEO PACKAGE

The sound of the dedicated theme song for the next Raw exclusive pay-per-view, Bad Blood, begins to play as various images appear on the screen. The first is a shot of Triple H walking through the halls right before a match with the World Heavyweight Championship wrapped around his waist.

“BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON”

In a quick flash, we see Stone Cold Steve Austin hitting a Stunner on multiple people, standing tall and drinking beers in the middle of the ring to much fanfare.

“HEADSTRONG TO TAKE ON ANYONE”

Booker T makes his entrance to much fanfare, pyro bursting from the stage as the camera cuts to multiple signs in the arena held by fans which say his name.

“I KNOW THAT YOU ARE WRONG”

Clips of Shawn Michaels hitting Sweet Chin Music and posing in the ring.

“HEADSTRONG, WE'RE HEADSTRONG”

A montage of Evolution’s remaining members exiting a helicopter; Orton and Batista carrying the World Tag Team Titles.

“BACK OFF, I'LL TAKE YOU ON”

In rapid succession, we see clips of Jazz destroying local wrestlers and her continued path of destruction since returning to the WWE.

“HEADSTRONG TO TAKE ON ANYONE”

Kane hits a chokeslam; Rob Van Dam connects with the frog splash.

“I KNOW THAT YOU ARE WRONG”

A final clip is shown of Chris Jericho standing in the middle of an empty ring, the camera pans down his arm slowly… revealing a trail of blood.

“AND THIS IS NOT WHERE YOU BELONG”

WWE Presents: Bad Blood
LIVE from the Compaq Center in Houston, Texas
June 29, 2003 - [A Monday Night Raw EXCLUSIVE event]

***

We return to the live-action backstage, JOHN CENA walks down a corridor dressed in jeans and a hoodie, having taken a shower after his match earlier. He’s walking down a hallway when he comes to a stop suddenly, we can’t see what he’s looking at.

John Cena: Sup, you got a problem or something, homie?

The camera slowly pans around to reveal PAUL HEYMAN leaning against a wall, dressed in one of his best suits, with a smirk on his face. He begins to clap as he walks toward Cena, the latter backing up a step and scrunching his face.

Paul Heyman: No problem, Mister Cena. It’s the exact opposite. I wanted to congratulate you on a fantastic performance. What a fight!

John Cena: Well, thanks. He had that beating coming for what he did to my girl. Is that it?

Heyman continues to smile and just nods. Cena attempts to walk on by but Paul steps in front of him and raises a finger in the air.

Paul Heyman: But while I’ve got you, I did want to mention something. You know, I’ve been watching you lately Mister Cena and I think you’re unpredictable. You’re dangerous, you go from one extreme to the next without warning, and you can snap… like that! Some people around here might think that you’re a liability.

John Cena: So what? Why should I care what a bunch of suits think about me? I’ve come through the streets of West Newbury, people have been gunnin’ for my head my whole life - this place ain’t different.

The smile on Heyman’s face widens even further as he continues.

Paul Heyman: You may not care what they think but you need to understand how this game is played, Mister Cena. You don’t become a champion by just being the best in that ring. There’s a whole world that happens right here…

Heyman waves his hand around to the backstage area, and steps closer to Cena.

Paul Heyman: Some games need to be played back here, Mister Cena. You can be as dangerous as you want out there, you can beat all of them but if you lose back here, it all means nothing. Sometimes, you just need a helping hand to guide you through these waters.

John Cena: What makes you think I need help?

Paul Heyman: Remind me - how’d your title match with Rey Mysterio go? You won that and lost it, and now your name isn’t even in the discussion for a rematch.

In response, Cena steps closer to Heyman and raises his voice.

John Cena: You think you can come back here and just punk me? If I get another chance against Rey Mysterio, I’ll beat him. What’s to stop me just beating your old ass right here?

Paul Heyman: Oh, Mister Cena. I would highly recommend not doing that.

From the right-hand side, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas step up behind Heyman - their title belts on their shoulders. Cena glares at them and then returns his gaze to Heyman.

John Cena: Okay, OG. I get it - so what’s the point? Why have you been following me around for weeks? I’ve seen you, hiding in the corners, keeping tabs on me. What do you want?

Paul Heyman: Mister Cena, I want you to hang around tonight. Come join me in my box at the top of the arena where we will witness the World’s Greatest Tag Team defend their WWE Tag Team Titles. I want you to witness what I have done for these two young men, who many thought would lose their heads without Kurt Angle. Not only have they survived without him, they have thrived. I want you to watch and see what happens to people that I take an interest in.

John Cena: You got food and drink in that box, OG?

Paul Heyman: Whatever you want, Mister Cena. Come. I want to be with you when Stephanie McMahon makes her announcement later on tonight - and then we can discuss how WE move forward. Sometimes, it’s okay to have enemies, Mister Cena - it’s great to have friends even… but I’ve always found that alliances work best of all.

A deal has been made - Heyman and Cena will watch the show together in a private box for the evening. There’s also some mention of an announcement by the Smackdown General Manager… what could it be? Heyman and Cena exit with the WGTT following closely behind them - I wonder if there’s an adjective to describe this kind of alliance?

***

Returning to ringside now we are set for our next match.

**LIVE FOR THE MOMENT**

He’s a bad guy everywhere else in the world but for tonight, MATT HARDY gets a decent pop from his hometown crowd. The master of Mattitude walks out with his MF’er SHANNON MOORE by his side. The MF’er carries with him a large flag pole which has a big picture of Matt on it, and he marches up and down the arena declaring how amazing his mentor is. Meanwhile, Hardy looks focused, he climbs into the ring and poses.

**DIESEL BLUES**

Even against the hometown boy, our next entrant still gets a decent pop from the live crowd. Oozing that trademark coolness, KEVIN NASH struts out onto the stage, his long blond hair flowing and his gear showing the colours red and black in a throwback to his days running the nWo Wolfpac. Nash only has one glove on as he walks down to the ring, and once he arrives at the threshold between the ring and the entrance ramp, he puts the second glove on. After entering the ring, Nash faces off with Hardy - towering over him, and raises a fist in the air to another pop.

Singles Match:
Matt Hardy vs. Kevin Nash
​

It’s not a technical masterclass by any means when Nash and Hardy collide at Judgment Day. The strategy for Hardy is for him to attack the knee of Kevin Nash to take the big man off his feet and put him on his back. Nash was focused on the power game, using his strength to throw the smaller Hardy around and end things quickly. At the beginning of the match, Hardy went straight for the knee - causing Nash to drive it Hardy’s body. He went for the Jackknife right away but Hardy was pulled to the outside of the ring by Shannon Moore! This drew the eyes of the referee, he was warned to not do it again or risk being sent from ringside. Hardy would take a moment on the outside to gather his thoughts, forcing Nash to follow him and their ensuing scuffle resulted in Nash colliding with the steel steps knee first.

To conclude the match, Kevin Nash whips Hardy into the ropes and nails him with a lariat on the rebound. Being the bigger man, Nash is able to power him back up off the canvas and lift him into a fireman’s carry position. Hardy wriggles free and executes a chop block - once again targeting the knee of the big man as he has done all night long. A few kicks follow before Hardy hooks him in a front face lock and tries the Twist of Fate! Even from a kneeling position, Nash is able to fight out of it, pushing Hardy into the turnbuckle. Selling the pain of his knee, we find Nash backed up into the opposite corner, using the ropes to stay vertical. Hardy charges at him - avoids the big boot and cracks Nash with a forearm to the face. Keeping the pressure on, Hardy ascends the turnbuckle and begins to punch Nash in the face. It’s a classic 10-punch spot but unfortunately for Hardy - he finds himself in the perfect position for Nash to grab him by the pants and counter into the Jackknife Powerbomb! Hardy goes splat! His body smacked down onto the canvas and Kevin Nash kneels into the cover, still selling his knee as the referee counts three!

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: Kevin Nash via pinfall @ 07:22

Nash gets the job done in his return to pay-per-view since coming back to Thursday Night Smackdown. Brushing his hair from his face, Nash sits up and takes a moment to soak in the victory and the applause from the crowd. Once he’s back to a vertical base, Nash has his hand raised by the referee whilst Cole and Tazz put over his return run and how he’s back to being right in the thick of it on Smackdown.

Nash gives the crowd one final wave before he makes his exit up the ring - a return to the big stage now completed for Big Daddy Cool. On the other side of things, Matt Hardy is helped off the canvas by Shannon Moore. The MF’er pulls out a bottle marked ‘Mattidue Super Drink’ and begins to pour it into the mouth of his mentor. Whatever is in the drink seems to do the trick as Matt’s eyes widen and he begins to cough, his dazed state now overcome. Hardy looks at the referee and holds up three fingers, “Did I win?”

***

Transitioning backstage to the interview area, JOSH MATHEWS is standing alone in front of a Judgment Day set. He holds a microphone in his hand and welcomes his guest - THE ROCK! Mathews attempts to ask a question but is quickly cut off by the reigning WWE Champion. He’s advised that this isn’t question time with The Rock - this is a monologue and he’ll stand there and keep his mouth shut.

The Rock outlines the main event tonight and how he’s heard all this talk about The Undertaker being the man who's going to put an end to his title reign. It’s all bullshit - The Undertaker says that the title is only with The Rock because he hasn’t come for it? No, The Rock says that The Undertaker is only standing in that spot as the number one contender because he allowed it. He wants ‘Taker tonight so that he can put an end to Big Evil and he’s going to do it alongside his family.

Into the frame then appeared the Samoan Death Squad and Jim Cornette. But they do not enter empty-handed, Samu and Fatu push into the interview area… A CASKET! The Rock runs his index finger along the casket and smiles, he promises that tonight The Undertaker is going to be put to rest. This is the last night of Big Evil, the last night of the American Badass - put the motorbikes in the shop, it all ends tonight. He chuckles softly, looking at the camera - “Remember this, Undertaker. You wanted it. You challenged me and tonight, I send you back to hell where you belong. You may be the conscious of the WWE but Smackdown is, has, and always will be… The Rock’s show.”

***

Our commentary team goes over what has just been said by the reigning WWE Champion. A casket! Somebody is going to be put in that thing later tonight if The Rock has his way, and how about the fact that the SDS is in the building? It could very well be four-on-one later in the main event.

**BIG**

Coming out tonight as a duo, the intimidating pair of BIG SHOW and A-TRAIN stomp out onto the stage, taking in a great deal of heat. The pair haven’t been teaming much since before WrestleMania but in the last month and a half, they have come back together to reform their formidable team. Big Show reaches the ring first, stepping over the top rope, while A-Train slides underneath on the other side, and Tazz hypes up how this pair could be the most unstoppable team in all of WWE now that they are committed.

**YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME**

EDGE enters, a rush of cheers pouring in from the crowd, as smoke spreads across the stage for his entrance. It is immediately pointed out by commentary that this team will not enter together but will conduct their entrances as single stars. Cole argues that this isn’t that big a deal but Tazz hammers home how neither Edge nor Lesnar can trust each other. Edge walks about halfway down the ramp, stopping short of getting into the ring, as he squats down, his wet hair hanging down across his face, awaiting the arrival of his partner.

**NEXT BIG THING**

To a MASSIVE response, the biggest of the night thus far, BROCK LESNAR sprints out onto the stage and roars back at the crowd! Pounding his chest in excitement, Lesnar flexes another time, pointing out to the crowd and letting them know that he hears them loud and clear. Looking down the ramp, Lesnar makes eye contact with Edge and when they come together they bump fists before heading toward the ring together. Show and A-Train scatter from the ring, Edge and Lesnar replacing them as masters of the squared circle.

Tag Team Match:
Big Show & A-Train vs. Edge & Brock Lesnar
​

It’s the Avengers of tag team matches with Edge and Brock Lesnar teaming up. Two of the big-name good guys on Thursday Night Smackdown going up against the classic monster heel team. Throughout the contest, Edge and Lesnar have a few miscommunication spots which builds the sense that they can’t trust each other as top contenders on the same brand. Lesnar is knocked to the floor and isn’t available for a tag, which Edge blows up about. Another point sees Edge collide with Lesnar, knocking him to the floor and the latter is unhappy about it. A-Train and Big Show have perfect chemistry throughout the entire contest and often mock their opponent's lack of cohesion. At no point in the match do Edge and Lesnar have a tag team move while Big Show and A-Train have multiple spots where they coordinate an attack.

The contest concluded after fifteen minutes. Edge has been trapped in the ring for several minutes, unable to make the tag to his partner, with the much larger duo working him over. After kicking out of a chokeslam by Big Show, which almost puts him away, Edge crawls toward his corner. A-Train comes in as the legal man and taunts Edge, standing between Edge and Lesnar, mocking his inability to make the tag. He grabs Edge by the head and positions him for a powerbomb… until Edge powers out and hits a backbody drop! A-Train pops back up to his feet and hurries toward the corner but it’s not fast enough - Lesnar gets the tag! Coming into the match, Lesnar wrecks shop and smashes A-Train from pillar to post around the ring. He makes a desperate tag to Big Show, and in an impressive feat, Lesnar launches himself off the top rope with a flying cross body! With the crowd on their feet, Lesnar stalks the giant and lifts him up for the F5! With Big Show on his shoulders, Lesnar can’t defend himself from A-Train who comes charging at him… but Edge cuts him off with a spear! Lesnar remains untouched and nails the F5, scoring the victory for his team.

Spoiler: Winner

Winners: Edge & Brock Lesnar via pinfall @ 15:!2

They assembled and they got the job done!! Brock rolls off the body of the giant and places his hands on the canvas, sweat dripping from his face. He’s exhausted after the incredible feat of strength but finds it within himself to get up and lock eyes with his partner for the night. It’s Brock’s music they play in the post-match, it was his victory for the team that sealed things.

Cole and Tazz put over how great a contest this was and what it says about both Edge and Lesnar to be able to unite for one night and defeat an existing duo on Smackdown. However, this is just for tonight and these two men have larger goals - the WWE Championship. The commentary team continues to discuss how both men are right at the top of the list for a possible title shot until silence falls… Edge and Lesnar are standing in the ring together.

In the ring, Edge and Brock Lesnar square off, the music of Lesnar blasting over the speakers, and the referee now exits. They stand alone and the crowd holds their breath… only for Edge to extend his hand! Lesnar smirks, his hands on his hips, and he reaches out - they shake hands! Edge then exits, a smile on his face and he walks up the ramp leaving Lesnar alone in the ring. Cole praises both men as true warriors and says that he can’t wait to find out what is next for both of them… as we fade out…

***

VIDEO PACKAGE

From the view of a helicopter flying over Denver, Colorado, we get a nighttime view of the Pepsi Center. The theme song for the event “Price to Play” by Staind begins to play over the footage.

“CAN YOU SEE?”

Footage shows a black car zooming through the streets of Denver, we get a quick flash to see the person in the back of the car has the WWE Championship sitting next to them.

“THE MORE YOU TAKE, THE MORE YOU BLAME”

Focus then shifts to a clip Rey Mysterio hitting the 619, and then a clip of Billy Kidman soaring through the air in a Shooting Star Press.

“FOR EVERYTHING STILL FEELS THE SAME”

A splice of clips includes John Cena making his entrance, Rhyno hitting the gore and Mark Henry putting a competitor through the announce desk.

“THE MORE YOU HURT, THE MORE YOU SCREAM”

A shot of Paul Heyman watching from ringside as the World’s Greatest Tag Team pose in the ring with their WWE Tag Team Titles.

“THE PRICE YOU PAY TO PLAY THE GAME”

Within the streets of Denver, Eddie and Chavo Guerrero drive around in a lowrider, their music blasting as people look on.

“THEN ALL YOU SEE, AND ALL YOU GAIN”

Brock Lesnar is shown marching down to the ring - ready for a fight!

“AND ALL YOU STEP ON WITH NO SHAME”

Clips of Edge hitting spears on people and standing tall holding a steel chair in the air.

“THERE ARE NO RULES, NO ONE TO BLAME”

We cut back to the original car shown in the video package. It pulls up to the Pepsi Center and The Rock steps out holding the WWE Championship.

“THE PRICE TO PLAY THE GAME”

The Rock looks up at the Pepsi Center and turns slowly to face the camera, raising an eyebrow… as we cut to black.

WWE Presents: Vengeance
LIVE from the Pepsi Center; Denver, Colorado
July 27, 2003 - [A Thursday Night Smackdown EXCLUSIVE event]

***

After the video package for Vengeance, we shift over to the office of Stephanie McMahon, the Smackdown General Manager. She welcomes us in, thanking all of the WWE faithful for being in the arena tonight, and wishes a warm welcome to those watching at home. Tonight has been a great event but Stephanie wants to look towards the future - specifically in three weeks when WWE heads across the pond for King of the Ring. There’s been a lot of speculation as to which superstars from Smackdown will be taking part in the tournament, and tonight, after weeks of discussion with a community of experts, Steph has finalised the list.

She turns over a whiteboard in the office and has a bracket listed which is outlined below;

SMACKDOWN - KING OF THE RING BRACKET 2003
John Cena
Bradshaw
***
Chuck Palumbo
Kevin Nash
***
Shelton Benjamin
Rhyno
***
A-Train
Eddie Guerrero

The tournament will begin this week on Thursday Night Smackdown! The entire first round, all four matches, will occur, and the second round match-ups the following week. Stephanie wishes all the competitors luck and says that she hopes that the winner of King of the Ring does come from Smackdown.

***

**VIVA LA RAZA**

Driving into the arena on a custom lowrider, LOS GUERREROS arrive to a big pop from the crowd. With Eddie in the passenger seat and Chavo driving, the former champions are set for a rematch that is seven weeks in the making. Cole puts over how Eddie and Chavo have been hitting the gym working harder than they ever have before to prepare for this opportunity. They believe that at WrestleMania they took Benjamin and Haas for granted as an easy win. There will be no such mistake made tonight!

**HEROES (WORLD’S GREATEST)**

Entering the arena without Paul Heyman, the champs step onto the stage in a special golden attire to display their status as the WWE Tag Team Champions. The camera cuts to a shot of the skybox where Heyman sits with his guest John Cena. Together they look down at the entrance ramp as the camera cuts back to SHELTON BENJAMIN and CHARLIE HAAS walking down to the ring. There are ladders all around ringside and the champs climb a pair just outside the ring, unclip their belts and raise them in the air to loud boos from the audience. Once they get down off the ladders, the WGTT hands over the belts to the referee who hooks them on the hoop in the middle of the ring before it’s raised into the sky.

!! LADDER MATCH !!
WWE Tag Team Championships:
World’s Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas) vs. Los Guerreros (Eddie & Chavo Guerrero)
​

It’s an epic showdown between these two athletic teams with both of them wanting to steal the show. They have a world of time tonight and use everything available to them. The first ladder action we see is Eddie and Chavo hitting a combination triple vertical suplex on each member of the champs, ending it on top of a ladder laid on the ground. The WGTT uses a set of ladders to sandwich Chavo between them. Benjamin at one point runs up a ladder held by Charlie Haas and he does a senton onto Los Guerreros to the outside of the ring. Another spot sees Eddie grab a steel chair and use that on Charlie Haas, cracking him in the head with it.

With all four men having been through twenty minutes of war, ringside is a total mess of ladders, tables, chairs, and steel steps. The announce table has the top cover throw and the monitors were used during the match when Eddie tossed it straight at the back of Charlie Haas in the middle of a climb. Haas and Chavo are at the top of a ladder battling it out, punch for punch, and Chavo seems to be on the losing end. He drops a rung as Haas reaches for the gold, his fingertips touching the title belt, but Chavo fires back with another shot. All of sudden, Eddie enters the frame at ringside… and Chavo yells at him to “do it”... and suddenly Eddie pushes over the ladder with both Chavo and Haas on it! They crash and burn down onto a pair of tables stacked next to each other on the outside of the ring.

Eddie looks to the outside with concern on his face, his nephew having crashed and burned, sacrificing himself in the hopes that his uncle can climb to the top and claim the title belts for them. With his focus back on the titles, Eddie grabs the ladder and sets it back up. He begins the long climb to the top of the ladder… until Shelton springboards in from off-screen like Spider-Man! Benjamin scurries up the ladder as fast as he possibly can and hits a forearm to the face of Eddie! The titles are just above them both - Benjamin and Eddie fighting it out on top of a twenty-foot ladder. The crowd holds their breath as Eddie reaches for the gold, he cops another shot to the face, and then Benjamin slams him head-first into the top of the ladder. Benjamin gives him one last good shove and Eddie collapses to the canvas, he’s got a free shot at the gold, reaching up with his hand… and Shelton rips the gold down!

Spoiler: Winner

Winners: And STILL WWE Tag Team Champions - World’s Greatest Tag Team @ 22:45

THE LADDER WAR IS OVER!! There is carnage all over ringside but the most important sight is the man on top of the ladder - Shelton Benjamin! Sitting on top of the ladder, a title in each hand, Shelton Benjamin is soaked in boos as replays of the match are shown on the titantron. The camera then cuts to the skybox where Paul Heyman is on his feet, clapping wildly with a smile on his face, sweat dripping from his forehead, over the moon that his clients have remained champions. Next to him, John Cena sits with no emotion on his face, a pure poker face, just watching how things are unfolding.

Haas is helped up from the rubble at ringside, bits of shattered table stuck to his back, as Benjamin lifts him. He staggers into the arms of his partner, clutching at one of the title belts handed to him, stumbling to the left slightly. Cole goes into full sell mode - calling Benjamin and Haas the real deal and the future of the tag division. They completed the upset at WrestleMania and tonight they went to war with two veterans and came out on top once again. Haas and Benjamin stand at the top of the entrance ramp, each man holding a title belt, bruises on both men, the impact of the ladder war no doubt sinking in, but they both remain resilient as the victors.

***

~ WWE CHAMPIONSHIP VIDEO PACKAGE ~
WrestleMania and the ‘Battle in Seattle’ concludes with The Rock gaining redemption against Brock Lesnar, and standing tall on the grandest stage of them all as the WWE Champion. Soundbites of The Rock’s speech post-Mania and the naming ceremony for the Samoan Death Squad, and the return of Jim Cornette to the WWE as their manager. Next, we see The Undertaker interrupt and declare himself the number one contender, naming The Rock as his next soul to collect.

Then, clips play of The Undertaker battling the members of the SDS and the interactions between him and The Rock over the last seven weeks. With The Rock spending time away on Hollywood red carpets, we see clips of that mixed in with The Undertaker fighting the SDS and his promos about this yard still being his. The Rock and The Undertaker, two of the biggest names in the business are ready to collide - WWE Championship on the line. There can only be ONE - who will it be?

***

Backstage, THE UNDERTAKER is seen - focused - ready for what is about to occur. His chance to become the top dog in the WWE again. A shot at the WWE Championship is just mere moments away, and it’s the main event. He walks through the halls of the backstage area, ignoring everything around him - he reaches the gorilla position, takes a small pause, and walks through the curtain.

***

The camera follows the challenger through the darkness of the curtain as he comes out the other side.

**YOU’RE GONNA PAY**

The crowd jumps to their feet for the arrival of ‘Big Evil’ - THE UNDERTAKER! There is no theatrics tonight for the challenger - no motorcycle. It is a simple walk to the ring for The Undertaker in his first shot at the WWE Championship since he lost inside Hell in a Cell back at No Mercy 2002. He has not held the gold since July of last year and there is no doubt that reclaiming the gold is front of mind for The Undertaker.

Tazz complements the focus shown by the challenger but states that it’s important to note that he is coming to the ring ALONE. He has no backup, The Undertaker is the long gunslinger in the old west, and times have changed. The Undertaker reaches the ring and climbs up the steel steps, throwing his shirt off into the crowd, and poses in the middle of the ring with his hands in the air. His music dies down, and the challenger leans forward against the ropes, waving the champion to bring it on, as the lights dim and a spotlight appears.

“IF YOU SMELL, WHAT THE ROCK… IS COOKING!!”

**IT’S CONQUERED**

There is no bigger star in the world of wrestling or Hollywood than the WWE Champion. The crowd is on their feet booing him as loud as they can - THE ROCK appears and their venom rises even further. It’s a stark contrast from the previous entrance, The Rock standing in the middle of the spotlight while holding the WWE Championship on his shoulder, his million-dollar smile on full display.

From behind The Rock, his cousins Leati Samu and Umaga Fatu (along with Jim Cornette) appear, pushing the casket shown earlier. The Rock saunters to the ring, his family in the back pushing the casket down to the ring, as the WWE Champion remains the center of attention. The spotlight moves from the top of the ramp down to the ring during his entrance - highlighting the self-importance that The Rock has for himself. Upon entering the ring, The Rock holds up his hand and counts to four - letting The Undertaker know that he is outnumbered and it’s four on one.

WWE Championship Match:
The Rock (with Leati Samu, Umaga Fatu & Jim Cornette) vs. The Undertaker
​

The ultimate big-time showdown between two legends in the business. With the support at ringside, The Rock has no issue taking things to the outside of the ring where he can use the numbers advantage against his opponent. The Undertaker battles back against The Rock and his family multiple times throughout the match, the challenger at one point taking out both members of the SDS, and then putting The Rock through the announce table with a Last Ride. Inside the ring, The Undertaker gets a near fall during the contest off a chokeslam and manages to kick out of a Rock Bottom himself in the early segment of the match. He runs all the classic hits like Old School and even tries the Tombstone on The Rock, but he is pulled from the ring by Leati Samu to safety.

The finish of the main event occurs after the chaos on the outside of the ring. The Undertaker has put The Rock through the announce table after a Last Ride and the champion has not moved! Staggered on the outside of the ring, his body sore from the bout tonight, The Undertaker grabs the reigning champion around the head and drags him toward the ring. Using all his strength, Taker throws The Rock underneath the bottom rope and follows him in. A near fall for a count of two follows and Taker looks up in frustration. What will it take to put an end to The Rock? Rising to his feet, the crowd roars with cheers, the straps come down, and The Undertaker calls for the end. On the outside of the ring, Jim Cornette is frantically trying to revive either Samu or Fatu, but there’s no luck! The Undertaker boots The Rock in the stomach, pulls him into position, and lifts him for the Last Ride! Up in a seated position, The Rock fights back with a fury of punches before escaping out the backdoor.

A combination of right hands follows - The Rock whips The Undertaker into the ropes and nails a spinebuster. The lone man standing, The Rock motions to the fans that this is it, ripping off the elbow pad and running the ropes, standing over his opponent for a second before driving his elbow down hard! That gets a 2.9 count from the referee and The Rock scurries into the corner of the ring, his head in his hands, his eyes wide with possible fear. Cornette tells him to get back there and finish the job - The Rock nods, walking over to the challenger… who sits up! His feet slip out from underneath him, much to the delight of the crowd, as The Undertaker glares across the ring at the champion. Both men are back up to their feet - they trade punches dead center of the squared circle.

Taker whips The Rock into the ropes, loads up the big boot, and aims for the headshot. At the last moment, The Rock catches the boot, throws it down, and wraps his arm around the shoulders of The Undertaker - Rock Bottom! No, Taker elbows out of it and latches onto The Rock’s throat. A stiff kick to the stomach follows by The Rock, breaking the grip and he lunges forward into the same position he was in moments again - Rock Bottom! He hits it for the second time in the match and hooks the leg for the three count to retain the gold.

Spoiler: Winner

Winner: And STILL WWE Champion - The Rock @ 16:42

Michael Cole: You cannot doubt how far this man is willing to go to retain the thing that matters most in the world to him - the WWE Championship. After defending it at WrestleMania, The Rock has come to Judgment Day and slayed The Undertaker in one hell of a match-up.

Tazz: You don’t have to like him but you’ve got to respect what the WWE Champion does when that bill rings. He’s over the top outside of the ring and on the red carpet but The Rock has just shown the world that he is still one of the toughest men on the planet. You don’t just walk into the ring and defeat The Undertaker, Cole.

Michael Cole: There were a lot of questions about The Rock coming in tonight. Did he fear The Undertaker? Was he going to fail when the pressure was on - well, we found out. He stood up to the fear of fear and… even with some involvement from the Samoan Death Squad, he went toe to toe with the challenger here tonight.

In the ring, The Rock rolls toward the ropes and pulls himself to a vertical base, retaining his title in a major effort, and laying waste to an iconic foe. The Rock grabs the WWE Championship as he exits the ring, joining his family on the outside, Samu and Fatu having now recovered, and the four men embrace. Inside the ring, The Undertaker is slowly beginning to stir, shaking his head, trying to regain his composure, and beginning to comprehend that he has lost this fight.

The Rock hands the title belt to Cornette, points toward the ring at The Undertaker, and orders his cousins to “do it, now” as they rush the ring! Leati Samu and Umaga Fatu are like two feral dogs as they assault the beaten challenger, much like they did to Kurt Angle only a few months ago - a man we will haven’t seen since that fateful night.

Michael Cole: This is completely uncalled for, damn it! You won the match, Rock. Stop this madness, it’s two on one and the Samoan Death Squad is beating The Undertaker down with no remorse.

Tazz: If The Undertaker has anything left in the tank he needs to find it right now and use it! He’s in for a world of hurt if he can’t get out of there.

There is no escape. There is no help coming for him either - The Undertaker is alone and he’s at the mercy of two mercenaries. A Samoan Drop from Samu connects and Fatu leaps off the top rope for a big Jimmy Snuka style splash. They then grab steel chairs from ringside and the pair of them bet the life out of The Undertaker - drawing blood on the challenger.

All of this is done while The Rock stands next to the casket - a smile on his face as his cousins do the dirty work. After the beatdown is finished, The Undertaker is unable to move, his face leaking blood, and steel chairs are tossed to the side around him, The Rock enters the ring. It’s a slow walk, step by step up the ring steps, the ring ropes held open by his cousins, as The Rock stands over the body of The Undertaker. He reaches down, his fingers around the head of Big Evil, looking into his eyes, but we don’t know if Taker even comprehends what he’s looking back at.

The Rock: I told you, I was going to end you tonight. Now you can burn in hell, you son of a bitch!

The Rock throws The Undertaker into the casket at ringside and slams the lid shut. From the suit pocket of Cornette, a chain, and padlock are revealed and the SDS do the honours of locking the casket shut. While they secure the casket, The Rock looks under the ring and pulls out a sledgehammer and a tiny yellow container - which we catch on camera as lighter fluid.

Michael Cole: God damn it! They’ve locked the casket shut and these animals are going to set the thing on fire. Where’s the security? Where’s the police in this town?

Tazz: You think police want to tell the SDS no, Cole? I don’t think the pension covers that mess. The Rock said it all along - you’ve got no friends and I’ve got family with me. I bet The Undertaker wished he had some friends right now.

The Rock saunters over to the casket which has now been pushed to the top of the stage. Samu and Fatu said on the side closest to the curtain for the backstage area, and Cornette was off to the side a little bit. By the time The Rock arrives on the stage, the camera has captured many horrified-looking faces of fans as they fear for what is about to happen. With the sledgehammer in hand, The Rock smashes a few holes into the top of the casket lid, tossing the hammer away after and looking directly into the camera.

He smiles - that million-dollar smile.

And begins pouring the fluid all over the casket and into the dents he has created - which means it’s covering the body of The Undertaker trapped inside. He uses the entire bottle of fluid, tossing it to the side after, and extends a hand without saying a word. Quickly, Cornette reveals a matchbox and steps back into position. With a flick of his wrist, The Rock lights a match… he looks at the camera next to him…

“Rest in peace.”

And sets the casket aflame to the horror and screams of fans in the arena! The SDS keeps security and staff from putting out the fire, as The Rock watches it burn - the WWE Championship on his shoulder. The Undertaker has been burnt alive within the casket - no mortal man can survive that! Judgment comes to a close, the final shot of the PPV is the casket, fire burning strong as The Rock and his family exit behind the curtain.

END OF SHOW​

 

[Haskell]

This is turning out to be a absolutely beautiful BTB.

I was a bit disappointed with Stephanie‘s announcement, I was hoping it would be something gamechanging instead of a KOTR bracket.

Still, this BTB is solid.

 

[Qui-Gon Bren]

JUDGMENT DAY

Rey Mysterio is historically a great PPV opener. I'm happy to see him get the win over Mark Henry, and I appreciated the extra effort it took to put the challenger down. Idk if I can remember ever seeing the consecutive 619 spot that you did here, but it was ingenious.

John Cena made a strong statement in the Parking Lot Brawl. The head shots to the steering wheel bit popped me. Also love the visual of Rikishi ripping off a bumper and swinging it lol. Great finish and post-match comments from John.

I get a kick out of Nunzio's portrayal as The Don. Easily the best use of WWE's FBI. Maybe the title switch shouldn't have shocked me, idk why I just expected Kidman to retain. But the numbers game SHOULD be an advantage. I like that the title shot was enough to get the job done.

Good win for Edge and Lesnar. You did a solid enough job creating doubt... that I expected Edge to SPEAR Lesnar at the end while he had Big Show on his shoulders. Then AGAIN after the victory lol. But it's pretty cool that they stayed civil and on even footing. I'm interested to see where this goes next.

Revealing SmackDown's side of the KOTR bracket during the PPV was a nice touch. Gives the first round matches time to breathe. I know the matchup I'm hoping for in the SmackDown finals!

Tag Team Ladder match was sick. I know this match sort of happened irl, only with Tajiri having to replace Chavo. So it's good to see the full teams settle the score and I liked that WGTT actually kept the belts. It goes a long way in serving the story you're telling Heyman courting John Cena. Their backstage interaction was captivating. Instead of just pairing an all-manager with a hot prospect, you find such a rich narrative motivation for it. Paul Heyman is RIGHT. And this version of Cena would be foolish enough to think he can force success in the ring without playing the game. Cena sitting next to Heyman, and watching as WGTT retain their titles is the PERFECT selling point for Paul. As you mentioned, WGTT likely would be drowning without Kurt Angle, but Heyman can point to Shelton standing tall on a ladder with two belts (awesome visual as a Shelton fan) and say "You see?" Great business.

Despite my guy Taker coming up short, I liked the main event here. But I LOVE that Rocky ultimately got the job done on his own. Wrestling becomes too reliant on a heel with cronies getting the win ONLY because of interference. It became far too common with irl Bloodline matches, and when that happens, I find it BORING. SDS tried to help, but were dispatched by Taker, leaving The Rock to prove WHY he is a World Champion! I maybe could've done with a sneaky low blow or exposed turnbuckle or something, just for heel sake... but definitely wasn't required. The finishing sequence leading to the game winning Rock Bottom was very good. The Rock's promo introducing the casket was perfect foreshadowing for how this evening would end for The Undertaker. A classic angle done in a fun way. But one has to wonder if Rocky will live to regret committing this atrocity?

Great pay-per-view, EZ. I'm vibing hard with the SmackDown brand atm. Excited to see how the shows co-mingle for the next PPV, and especially for your King of the Ring tournament!

 

[EZ3]

Thanks for the comments, lads. Appreciate the time it takes to leave a message and to read the show, so thank you both. Appreciate the likes as well as anyone else who is reading along.

Cena/Heyman has been the plan since the beginning of the thread. I'm glad to finally be in the position where they now have segments together and I can really start telling the story there. The biggest thing for me is that this will make Cena significantly different in this project than he was in 2003 riding solo. The goal is to really make the WWE Tag Titles a big deal as well since the tag division on Smackdown was fairly light outside of these top two teams. That's why you're going to see stuff like Hard-Ass, Rhyno and Spanky, APA, SDS and the FBI getting some airtime moving forward, especially as we move into weekly shows after KOTR.

Smackdown is the "hotter" brand for me at this point. I found it a lot easier to come up with storylines in the recap for Judgment Day compared to those in the Backlash recap. Part of that could just be the 3-week gap vs. 7 weeks but I do feel that there are a few more characters I'm vibing with on the blue brand. I'm hoping that the switch to weekly shows is going to allow Raw to open up and clean up what is absolutely a bit of a heel-heavy brand.

One of the points that I have seen a few times is the use of Steve Austin. I promise that once we get to SummerSlam (it'll be the build to that really) all will make sense, and if you start from the night after Mania you'll see one common story thread that links together. I'm also of the opinion it doesn't matter what he does, a crowd would just be happy to have him there, the same way The Undertaker could walk to the ring in his gear until he's 80 and that's all he needs to do to send people home happy.

Currently working on the last "Road to..." recap and my goal is to have it done by the weekend.

 

[Haskell]

I know you’ve said that you‘ll finish the latest Road to by the weekend, but what day on the weekend will you post it?

 

[EZ3]

THE ROAD TO KING OF THE RING
April 27, 2003 - June 7, 2003 (Monday Night Raw)
May 18, 2003 - June 7, 2003 (Thursday Night Smackdown)
Newcastle Arena; Newcastle, England​

The Rise Of The Olympian [THURSDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN]
It was a short build for the Smackdown side of things as we set our sights on King of the Ring. The main event of the evening was going to be from the blue brand, and it was set up almost immediately with little time to spare. On the first Smackdown following Judgment Day, The Rock and the Samoan Death Squad, along with Jim Cornette, held a mock funeral for The Undertaker. Replays were shown all night, along with highlights of the career of The Undertaker, and the show culminated with The Rock playing the role of pastor as he continued to tear down the career and achievements of his opponent from the previous Sunday. In a rather distasteful sight, Jim Cornette did his best Paul Bearer impression and disowned The Undertaker, which drew laughs from The Rock and boos from the live crowd. The segment was interrupted by Edge, the man who went to war with The Undertaker at WrestleMania, and he told the group that they should be embarrassed for how they were acting. There was nothing honourable about what they did to The Undertaker, and while he may not be here to defend himself, Edge wasn’t going to let these idiots run down a legend like that.

The Rock laughed, and pointed out that it was four on one, the same odds that The Undertaker had before he was beaten at Judgment Day and sent to hell. Edge smirked, he agreed that it did look one-sided, but he never said he was coming alone. Moments later, Brock Lesnar emerged and the colour drained from the face of The Rock. Not only did Lesnar join Edge on the stage, but he carried with him a pair of steel chairs! Together they rushed the ring. The Rock fled, and Jim Cornette joined him while the SDS fought back. A pair of steel chair shots sent Samu and Fatu fleeing from the ring as well. Lesnar and Edge then tore up the mock funeral set and challenged the SDS to a match next week on Smackdown as the show came to a close. In the second week, Edge and Lesnar competed in the main event against the SDS, and wrestled to a no-contest when Lesnar and Fatu both were counted out. The Rock joined the fight, and it was three on two, the Samoans gaining the advantage in the ring as The Rock prepared to smack Lesnar with his title belt. That was until “Medal” hit the speakers… Kurt Angle appeared dressed in all black, a mouthguard in his hand, and he sprinted to the ring!

It was a monster pop as Angle hammered away at The Rock - which allowed Lesnar and Edge to take out the SDS. Cornette looked on in horror as Kurt Angle ducked a clothesline attempt and hit the Angle Slam on the WWE Champion, leaving him flat on his back. The roar of the crowd got even louder as he walked over and picked up the WWE Championship - the title he was screwed out of - and raised it in the air… while Edge and Lesnar both looked at it with desire. He was back, Kurt Angle had returned and made a statement. He wanted his title back. Before the last Smackdown, via the WWE website, it was announced that the main event of King of the Ring would be a six-man tag team match - dubbed the “Blockbuster Six-Man Tag” where The Rock & the Samoan Death Squad would team up against Brock Lesnar, Edge & the returning Kurt Angle.

On the final Smackdown, Kurt Angle opened the show and cut a heartfelt promo to the fans about how many of them had reached out during his time away since before WrestleMania. He had been through a lot, and there was doubt that he was going to be able to make it back into this ring. It was day by day, a world of pain, but the journey was over - he was back, and there was no place he would rather be than Smackdown! He paused for a moment and corrected himself, it was not over. It wasn’t over until he got back what was stolen from him, referencing that fateful night in Connecticut, and the WWE Championship. Angle said that on Sunday, he was going to lead his team into battle and he was going to beat The Rock and send a message to the world that he was the next WWE Champion! At this point, Lesnar came out and welcomed Angle back to Smackdown, and said he was ready to team up with him - joining forces with partners seemed to be his thing recently, joked Brock. However, when the time came, he would be the one to beat The Rock as he was going to be the next WWE Champion. As you would expect, Edge came out next, and he declared that he would be the one to beat The Rock because, unlike the two men in front of him - he’d never failed to beat The Rock like they had.

Later in the evening, Edge defeated Umaga Fatu in a singles match. After his win, Edge was backstage where he ran into The Rock. The WWE Champion told Edge that he heard what he said earlier, and The Rock agreed. Angle and Lesnar were old news; he had beaten them already, but Edge was the rising star, someone who deserved a chance to compete at the top level. How did it make him feel to see Kurt Angle walk back into Smackdown and get a main event spot like it was nothing? The Rock advised Edge that this wasn’t a good thing for him. No, Angle was yet another obstacle in Edge’s way to becoming WWE Champion, and he didn’t understand why Edge was all happy to now be at best - third in line. The Rock smirked, that million-dollar smile, and said, “I thought you wanted to be the guy? I guess third is fine for some people.” To close the show, The Rock cut a standalone promo, doing the hard sell for the pay-per-view. Throughout the promo, we saw the camera cut to backstage shots of Lesnar, Angle and Edge - all of them listening to the WWE Champion. Smackdown came to a close, The Rock telling his three adversaries that there can only be one WWE Champion and eventually they’d have to turn on each other to get what they truly wanted.

The Blood Diamond [MONDAY NIGHT RAW]
After the events of Backlash and her vicious assault of the WWE Women’s Champion, the [un]official number one contender, Jazz arrived on Raw the next night to issue a challenge. Her intentions were made clear when she cut a promo in the ring with Theodore Long and called out Trish Stratus to defend the WWE Women’s Championship later in the evening. There was no title match however, Trish was not in attendance at Raw, a fact that Jazz knew, and the Black Diamond declared that she was therefore the winner by forfeit. The following week, Jazz approached Eric Bischoff backstage and demanded that she be named the WWE Women’s Champion if that “prissy little blonde” can’t hang with the big girls. Bischoff declined to name a new champion but informed Jazz that he had it on good authority that Trish would be on Raw next week, and she intended to meet Jazz face-to-face in the middle of the ring. Later that same evening, Jazz defeated Victoria in a hard-hitting singles match.

A week later, Jazz took control of the ring on Monday Night Raw and demanded that Trish Stratus get her ass down to the ring and put that title on the line, right now! After a brief pause following her music hitting, Trish Stratus limped out on crutches, her foot in a boot, and the championship wrapped around her waist. Jazz could not contain her laughter as she watched the reigning WWE Women’s Champion take a long time to get from the top of the stage, all the way down to the ringside area, and eventually into the ring. Once there, Trish said that she had heard all the things Jazz had been saying for the last three weeks, and what she wanted to say before anything else - was to shut the hell up! That got a big pop from the crowd. Trish dared Jazz to talk bad to her now, laughing and saying that the Black Diamond wouldn’t because she’s a coward. A coward who attacked Trish at Backlash three weeks ago when she wasn’t ready and threw her into the locker backstage, where she nearly tore her knee.

Trish was fired up for this confrontation and said that her knee was in bad shape, and doctors had told her that she was risking everything by wanting to compete. At this point, Jazz cut in and joked that Trish was barely a champion before her knee was screwed up. Now, she’s nothing more than a walking crash test dummy who Jazz could rip into pieces right now. The way Jazz saw it, Trish either defends the title right now or she hands it over. Trish shook her head and told Jazz that she wasn’t giving anything up - no matter how hurt she might be! If you want the title, you’ll have to rip it from her hands. Trish promised that she would step into the ring with Jazz again; she wanted that more than anything, and she wished it were tonight, but the doctors refused to clear her. She revealed that the earliest they will clear Trish to compete is June 7 - King of the Ring. So, that’s the place where they can settle it - Trish vs. Jazz for the WWE Women’s Championship at King of the Ring!

The Black Diamond accepted and said she was going to look forward to breaking the little princess champion once and for all. As she went to leave, Jazz swung on Trish but was hit with the crutch! Jazz fled the ring and hurried up the ramp, Theodore Long following behind as Trish raised the title belt and the crutch high in the air to end the segment. In the final four weeks of the build, Trish did commentary for one of Jazz’s matches and gave a health update on her knee - promising the fans that she was doing everything she could to be ready for the match at King of the Ring. Trish and Jazz would have a major face-off backstage when Jazz stole the crutch and snapped it in half one week across her knee, laughing in the face of Trish and advising that she best learn to walk on her own two feet again. During the last week, Trish and Jazz brawled all over the arena - Trish walking without the crutch for the first time in the build. After the chaos, Eric Bischoff ruled that he didn’t trust the women to keep it in the ring, so the only thing he could do was to make it so they didn’t have to! The match would be Falls Count Anywhere at King of the Ring!

A Beer Bash In Newcastle [MONDAY NIGHT RAW]
Stone Cold was living on cloud 9 after his victory at Backlash against the Administration. He arrived on Raw two weeks later and ignored a meeting with Eric Bischoff, one that the General Manager had requested, to instead do an in-ring promo with the fans about how he might look to become a two-time King of the Ring winner with the tournament coming up soon. The following week, Austin interrupted a meeting Bischoff was having with some very important business people, and demanded to know why he wasn’t included in Raw’s bracket for King of the Ring. He asked Bischoff if he wasn’t paying attention, Austin thought he made it pretty damn clear that he was looking forward to running it back and becoming a two-time King, and he would’ve even worn the silly little crown this time. Bischoff excused himself and Austin from the meeting and took the Rattlesnake outside into the hallway. They had a brief but heated discussion about how Austin needed to learn some respect - Bischoff wanted to speak with Austin last week, and Stone Cold ignored him. Now, Austin shows up uninvited when Eric has important guests. It simply wasn’t good enough, and Bischoff warned Austin, pull your head in or else.

Over the next few weeks, Stone Cold did not “pull his head in” as Bischoff put it. He continued to run around on Monday Night Raw and do as he saw fit. He conducted a fan drinking contest out in the stands one week, drove his pickup truck into the arena and watched one of the matches for King of the Ring, and even went as far as taking over Bischoff’s assigned office one week before the GM had a chance to visit it. Enough was enough, and during an in-ring segment, Christian interrupted and blasted Stone Cold with the Intercontinental Championship. There was some good heat as Christian put the boots to Austin before making his exit. Later that same night, Christian visited Bischoff and said that he attacked Stone Cold to show Eric how much he valued being his champion. He may have let him down at WrestleMania, but Christian promised that he would solve the “Stone Cold Problem” for Bischoff and he’d do it at Bad Blood. The match would later be made official, and the stipulation was set that it would be Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Christian in a No Disqualification match for Christian only.

Christian and Stone Cold would interact a lot throughout the final weeks to King of the Ring. Even though their match was not going to take place until Bad Blood - three weeks after KOTR - they continued to further their program on television. It was here that Austin announced he would be at the King of the Ring pay-per-view as he wanted to give the fans over the other side of the pond a chance to taste some real American beer when he threw a Stone Cold Beer Bash! It was suspected this was just a way to get Austin on the card and give the English fans a chance to see the Rattlesnake. Christian contested that nobody wanted to see a beer bash with Stone Cold. While ranting on Austin wasting everyone’s time and being disrespectful to Bischoff, Christian was lured into a trap. Austin reminded him that Christian had failed to defend the Intercontinental Championship against the number one contender, Jeff Hardy. After asking if he was afraid, Christian was taunted into accepting the title match the following week.

Six days before King of the Ring, June 2nd, live on Monday Night Raw, Christian put the WWE Intercontinental Championship on the line against Jeff Hardy. The latter had won the chance to challenge for it back at Backlash but had not received the title opportunity until now. It was a fantastic back-and-forth contest in the main event of Raw. Hardy looked to have the match won when he hit the Twist of Fate, but Christian’s foot fell under the bottom rope, the referee catching it at the last moment. Another close call came when Christian hit a low blow on Hardy, rolled him up, but only scored a 2.9 count - much to his dismay. During the match's final moments, Christian had Jeff Hardy hooked for the Unprettier until Stone Cold’s music hit and the crowd erupted with cheers.

Christian released the hold and rushed over to the ropes, yelling at the referee that if Austin touched him, then the match would be over. Austin never came out - Christian looked confused and turned back to his opponent, who executed a schoolboy pin attempt for the win! Jeff Hardy had won the title, and the camera then cut back to Steve Austin sipping a beer in the production truck, a chuckle escaping from his lips. Christian went crazy, screaming at the official and trying to attack Hardy, who countered and knocked him out with a Twist of Fate to end Raw.

A Flair For Gold [CO-BRANDED]
Looking to fill the card out with a special attraction match, both General Managers came together to offer the fans in Newcastle a “first time ever” match in WWE. On Smackdown, Rey Mysterio and Stephanie McMahon stood in the ring for a promo where McMahon praised Rey as one of the very best champions in WWE today. She loved how he was willing to defend the WWE United States Championship not just on pay-per-view, but he came ready to defend it each week on Smackdown, if that’s what was required of him. Describing him as one of the hardest working champions she had ever seen, McMahon could not thank him enough for all he had done for Smackdown and for being a pillar of the blue brand in 2003.

It was then announced that Rey had accepted an offer from Stephanie to defend his title at the upcoming King of the Ring pay-per-view. Even though he would have defended it just three weeks earlier at Judgment Day, Mysterio was not going to back down and prevent the fans across the pond from getting the chance to see him compete in the ring. As for his opponent, McMahon proclaimed that since this was a co-branded pay-per-view, she wanted to spice things up a bit. Instead of Rey defending the title against a member of Smackdown, she would allow Eric Bischoff the opportunity to find someone from Raw to compete against him. Rey joked that this was the second time Stephanie had put her trust in him - dating back to WrestleMania when Rey won the brand warfare match for Smackdown.

Over on Monday Night Raw, Bischoff was hounded the following week with people wanting the chance to face Rey Mysterio at King of the Ring. Throughout the night, he fielded offers until late in the evening when ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair expressed his desire to challenge for the United States Title. He said that as the only member of Evolution without gold, he needed to step up and show these youngsters that the Nature Boy could still compete with the best of them. Bischoff pondered it for a moment but quickly agreed when Batista entered the room and stood behind the Raw General Manager, a bit of added pressure no doubt.

Over the next two weeks, Flair cut a few promos about how he is a former six-time United States Champion, and adding number seven to his collection by winning it in England would be perfect. He’s wrestled all over the world for decades, and he vowed to show the world once again that when Flair enters the ring, there is simply nobody better. Mysterio would come under fire by Evolution, the World Tag Team Champions (Batista & Orton) invaded Smackdown one week and took Rey out with a brief beating. Mysterio was offered the option to revoke the match by Stephanie. She was displeased by how Bischoff was allowing Flair and Evolution to act, but Rey refused - he wanted to beat Flair in the ring, the only way he knew he could shut him up for good.

King of the Ring - The First Round [CO-BRANDED]

Thursday Night Smackdown Bracket
The opening round of the King of the Ring tournament was action-packed. The Smackdown side of things began the first week after Judgment Day. All four first-round matches involving Smackdown superstars took place, as advertised at Judgment Day. In the opening round, John Cena defeated Bradshaw. The biggest talking point coming out of this was the presence of Paul Heyman. Heyman made his way down to the ring alongside Cena during his entrance and stayed at ringside during the entire match, offering advice to Cena throughout the contest from outside the ring. The next match saw Kevin Nash overcome Chuck Palumbo and the FBI to advance to the second round, and lock in his place as the opponent for John Cena the following week. Nash had to overcome attempts to cheat from Stamboli and was able to thwart the efforts of the FBI to cheat their way to a second-round appearance.

The third match of the night saw Shelton Benjamin, still selling the war wounds from his ladder match, take on Rhyno. Both men had support at ringside, Shelton had Charlie Haas with him while Rhyno, somewhat unwillingly, had Spanky! They went a solid ten minutes in the ring, Benjamin doing his best to wrestle whilst bandaged up and struggling to do most of his trademark athletic offense. Rhyno was able to take advantage of this and in a stunning finish, Benjamin leapfrogged a Gore attempt, and in what usually would’ve been an easy spot for him to follow up - Benjamin suffered a sharp rush of pain and clutched his ribs. This sudden shock of pain, the effect of the ladder match just days earlier, allowed Rhyno to rebound off the ropes and split Shelton in half with a Gore, and score what many called an upset over one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions. Rhyno had defeated Shelton Benjamin, regardless of the circumstances surrounding it. Backstage, Heyman was furious post-match and said that he couldn’t believe Stephanie would book Shelton’s match just days after the ladder match. He told Cena that all the pressure was on him now, it was up to him to bring home the crown for the alliance, and together they left, leaving the WGTT standing.

In the final match of the night for the tournament, Eddie Guerrero took on the ever-dangerous A-Train. In contrast to the earlier match, Eddie Guerrero used his veteran instincts and was able to outsmart his opponent and work within (and a little outside) the rules of the match. Knowing that he was not in the best physical condition, Guerrero untied one of the turnbuckles, which forced the referee to try and fix it. While the referee was distracted, Guerrero hit A-Train low with a swift kick to the groin, and shrugged at the camera to a big pop. He then climbed the top rope and hit a Frog Splash for the three count. He would then roll to the outside of the ring, tapping the side of his head and laughing that he outsmarted the bigger man.

Monday Night Raw Bracket
On Monday Night Raw, the tournament began a week earlier than it did for Smackdown. The first match saw Batista defeat Goldust, one-half of the World Tag Team Champions, looking great in what was his first chance at a bit of a singles run. As the only member of Evolution in the tournament, Batista was guided by Ric Flair during his match. There was a slight bit of tension when Randy Orton suggested that he potentially could’ve had the spot, but that was put to bed quickly by Flair, arguing that a win for Batista was a win for Evolution as a whole, and that’s all that mattered.

The second match, Scott Steiner up against Test, was a hard-hitting match between the two “hosh” type athletes. By this point, Scott Steiner and The Hurricane had established their odd couple connection on the flagship show. The team was given the name Freaks & Geeks, highlighting the two types of fans for each superstar. With his tag partner at ringside, Scott Steiner was able to get the win over Test and move onto the second round. Test was furious with the loss, ripping up the announce desk and shoving a cameraman who dared to get in his face. Backstage, Test came across Maven doing an interview alongside Stacy Kiebler, the former girlfriend of Test. While nothing happened at that time, Test had a wild look in his eyes as he walked away.

The third match of the tournament was supposed to be Rob Van Dam versus William Regal. This match was cancelled due to Van Dam being unable to compete - more on this later - and he was replaced by Kane. In the new bracket, Kane defeated William Regal and ended up hitting a double chokeslam on the members of the Un-Americans in a show of power and strength. In an interview later that night, Kane said that he was going to win the King of the Ring and dedicate the victory to his tag team partner, who he hopes is watching from home and making a speedy recovery.

In the final match of the first round for Raw, Chris Jericho went up against the winner of Tough Enough, Maven! There was no real contest here as Jericho has established himself as one of the biggest names on Raw in recent months. He was knocked to the outside by a dropkick from Maven, which had him a bit loopy, but Jericho quickly turned it around back in the ring and forced Maven to submit to the Walls of Jericho. Jericho had beaten Maven and moved onto the second round, proclaiming he was going to win King of the Ring and prove once again that he was better than Shawn Michaels, since HBK had never won the tournament in his career. Post match, Test jumped Maven in front of his ex-girlfriend, Stacy Kiebler, and beat him down with a television monitor. He yelled at Stacy that Maven wasn’t man enough to have her and that he knew she missed him. Stacy slapped Test across the face, which resulted in him grabbing a steel chair and whacking Maven with it in retaliation.

King of the Ring - The Second Round [CO-BRANDED]
After the first round, there were eight men left in the 2003 King of the Ring tournament. On the Smackdown side, we had John Cena, Kevin Nash, Rhyno, and Eddie Guerrero. Over on Raw, the field was made up of Kane, Batista, Scott Steiner, and Chris Jericho. Out of the eight men left in the tournament, there were five former World Champions - Kane (WWE Champion), Scott Steiner (WCW Heavyweight Champion), Chris Jericho (WWE Undisputed Champion) and Rhyno (ECW Heavyweight Champion), and Kevin Nash (WWE Champion & WCW Heavyweight Champion). One current champion in Batista (World Tag Team Champion). Then, an upcoming rookie in his first year, John Cena, and a long-time veteran in Eddie Guerrero. The field was stacked, to say the least, and the excitement for the second round was building.

The first match of the second round, Kane defeated Batista in a match filled with nonsense and interference. It had Ric Flair trying to cheat at ringside while Randy Orton did a run-in and hit the RKO on Kane, but the Big Red Machine still got his shoulder off the mat for a count of two. During the match, Sean O’Haire came out and stood in Kane’s corner (I promise, more on this later), and the appearance of the Devil’s Advocate seemed to light a fire in Kane, and he secured the victory shortly after with a chokeslam. Batista was made to look strong in defeat, fairly well against the former WWE Champion. With Kane gaining the victory over Batista, he moved on to the semi-final at King of the Ring and would be one half of the Raw final at the pay-per-view.

Jumping over to Smackdown, Rhyno took on Eddie Guerrero for a spot in the Smackdown final and a place in the final four. Leading up to the match, Chavo warned Eddie to watch out for the Gore, citing that he had struggled to sleep with the pain he was still feeling from the ladder match. He knew his uncle must still be in rough shape, and if Rhyno hit the Gore, that would be the end of Latino Heat’s tournament run. Later that night, Eddie Guerrero put together a masterclass in the ring, avoiding the Gore at every turn and securing the victory with a schoolboy roll up counter to the Gore for the three count. Post-match, Eddie and Rhyno shook hands, a show of mutual respect between these two men. While Rhyno may have fallen in the second round, he and Spanky had a backstage segment with the World’s Greatest Tag Team where Rhyno reminded Shelton that he owned a victory over him. Benjamin told the pair that once he and Charlie were fully recovered, they’d prove that this misfit team couldn’t match the skill of the World’s Greatest.

Back over on Raw, the last match of the second round for the flagship show was ready to take place. Scott Steiner and Chris Jericho would main event the show to see who moved on to the pay-per-view against Kane. Earlier in the night, Chris Jericho came face to face with longtime rival Shawn Michaels, and the latter gave his word he would not interfere in Jericho’s match that evening. Jericho, as you would expect, didn’t buy into that, but it turned out to be true. In the end, Jericho was able to secure the win over Scott Steiner when the big man was forced to submit to the Walls of Jericho.

In the final match of the second round, John Cena and Kevin Nash clashed. Leading up to the match, John Cena cut a promo with Paul Heyman in the halls of the arena. He said that winning this tournament was going to be his crowning moment, a warning shot to all of Smackdown that he had arrived. His time was now, and the new era of Smackdown was here - the clock was ticking and at King of the Ring it strikes midnight on the past, and the future arrives! Heyman called Cena the hottest young star in all of WWE, and that with his guidance, he declared Cena would have gold around his waist sooner rather than later, and a crown to go with it. Later that night, John Cena made good on his promise to win, defeating Kevin Nash after a punch with the steel chain - Heyman distracting the referee - and scoring the three count. A huge win for Cena, and Heyman used this to hype up that Cena had now beaten a former WWE Champion whilst under his management.

King of the Ring - The Final Four [CO-BRANDED]
The final four of the King of the Ring had been settled. The finals for both Raw and Smackdown set, and it was anyone’s game to win leading into the pay-per-view. The Raw final would see Kane take on Chris Jericho, and on Smackdown, it would be John Cena versus Eddie Guerrero. Four men were left. To win the tournament, you must win two matches in one night! Can Kane win the tournament and complete the run that his tag team partner was unable to do because he was mysteriously taken out backstage? Could Chris Jericho keep up his incredible run on Monday Night Raw and go from being King of the World to being the King of the Ring? Was this going to be the breakthrough singles moment for Eddie Guerrero after he used his superior in-ring intellect to advance through the first two rounds of the tournament whilst injured? Perhaps, this was the time for the rookie to rise and shock the world like John Cena with the guidance of Paul Heyman? Who do you think is going to claim the crown and become the 2003 King of the Ring?

​

There’s A Devil In All Of Us [MONDAY NIGHT RAW]
While there isn’t a specific match linked with this on the pay-per-view, the impact of Sean O’Haire must be outlined in the build to King of the Ring. His presence has grown each week post-WrestleMania, and now O’Haire was a regular character on Monday Night Raw with both promo time and vignettes. His matches were limited, but his character work was highlighted each week as he played the role of Devil’s Advocate and attempted to drive superstars to give into their inner demons. Following Backlash, the night after on Raw, O’Haire visited Kane in the locker-room and tried to convince him that the chairshot by Van Dam during the triple threat for the Intercontinental Championship was no mistake. Sean O’Haire contended that it was on purpose; he saw the look in Van Dam’s eyes, and it was one of pure hatred and jealousy for his tag partner. Kane got in O’Haire’s face and told him to get lost, he didn’t believe that at all, and if he stuck around any longer, Kane would put him through the wall. O’Haire put his hands up, a smile on his face, and said it was just a thought, and left.

The next week, on May 5 on Raw, O’Haire paid a visit to Rob Van Dam. During their interaction, O’Haire asked RVD if he truly thought he could trust Kane. He pondered if RVD felt safe after hitting Kane in the head with the chair - what if Kane wanted payback? Could a monster like Kane truly let it go and just move on, regardless of whether they were tag team partners? RVD said he had no mistrust in his partner and that O’Haire was barking up the wrong tree. Like the week earlier, O’Haire threw up his hands and said it was just a thought, but did add that he believed Kane would strike first and that RVD would never see it coming.

May 12, 2003 - Monday Night Raw. There’s chaos backstage out in the parking lot as Rob Van Dam is found assaulted, his bags scattered near him, and he’s ruled unable to compete that night. It’s the night of the first King of the Ring match, and this results in a last-minute replacement being named. Kane is the first man on the scene, and he tells Bischoff that he is going to destroy whoever did this, but Bischoff says he’s in a bind since he doesn’t have anyone to fill in for RVD. Kane then offers to take his place, which Bischoff agrees with because he’s got nobody else on late notice. Kane’s run in the tournament is outlined above. After his first round match, Sean O’Haire cuts a promo backstage about how sometimes the universe makes things fall into place for what we truly desire, and other times you have to take what you want by force.

May 19, 2003 - Monday Night Raw. Kane and Sean O’Haire have another segment backstage together where O’Haire tells Kane he’s impressed. Not understanding what he’s talking about, Kane asks what O’Haire is impressed about. With a sinister laugh, O’Haire tells Kane that he didn’t believe Kane had it in him after their first meeting, but seeing the way he took out his partner to get into the King of the Ring tournament, it was genius. This fires Kane up, he grabs O’Haire and shoves him against the locker and threatens to beat him bloody for spreading a lie like that. O’Haire doesn’t show any fear; it’s as if he loves this and he laughs, telling Kane that he’s only embracing what he truly desires, and that’s exactly what he should do. Kane tells O’Haire that once this tournament is over, he’s going to get a one-on-one match with him and shut him up. For the remainder of the build to King of the Ring, O’Haire appeared on camera during Kane’s matches and would be seen lurking in the background of shots backstage. He had vignettes aligned to his Devil’s Advocate gimmick, which were clearly about Kane and him taking out Rob Van Dam, but they never mentioned him or the incident specifically. Kane continued to deny the claim that he had any part in attacking RVD.

***​

​

King of the Ring - June 7th, 2003
Newcastle Arena; Newcastle, England

!! BLOCKBUSTER SIX-MAN TAG !!
Tag Team Match:
WWE Champion, The Rock & Samoan Death Squad vs. Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar & Edge

~ FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE ~
WWE Women’s Championship:
Trish Stratus vs. Jazz

~ STONE COLD BEER BASH ~
Steve Austin will throw an in-ring beer bash celebration

!! CO-BRANDED ATTRACTION !!
WWE United States Championship:
Rey Mysterio vs. Ric Flair

King of the Ring - Smackdown Final:
John Cena (with Paul Heyman) vs. Eddie Guerrero

King of the Ring - Raw Final:
Kane vs. Chris Jericho

***

King of the Ring Final:
John Cena OR Eddie Guerrero vs. Kane OR Chris Jericho​

Other Notes (Monday Night Raw):

• Following his involvement in the main event of Backlash, which resulted in him costing Shawn Michaels the World Heavyweight Champion, Chris Jericho was forced to face his longtime rival in a second one-on-one match. Bischoff was furious about his main event being “ruined” and said that the Heartbreak Kid wanted a rematch from WrestleMania, and he was going to grant it. On Raw, Shawn Michaels defeated Chris Jericho in a brutal Street Fight in the main event - officially tying their feud at 1-1. This took place right before the King of the Ring tournament started, which Jericho claimed was unfair as he should have been given time to prepare for that.
• Jeff Hardy defeated Christian to become the WWE Intercontinental Champion on the June 2nd edition of Monday Night Raw, thanks to an assist from Stone Cold Steve Austin.
• Gail Kim makes her Monday Night Raw debut and scores a win over a local talent - she goes to shake the hand of the talent after the match and hits a cheap shot, establishing herself as a heel.
• Booker T gains victories over Randy Orton and Batista between Backlash and King of the Ring. He also scored a pinfall victory over Triple H, the World Heavyweight Champion, in an eight-man tag team match. Two weeks out from King of the Ring, Booker T defeats Shawn Michaels to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at Bad Blood. Michaels had gained that opportunity after his Street Fight win over Chris Jericho, and Bischoff was unsure who to grant the next title shot to, so he booked the singles match on Raw to settle it. Between WrestleMania 19 and King of the Ring, Booker T has not lost a match and has his sights set on the World Heavyweight Title. A date now booked in with Triple H at Bad Blood - which happens to be (as Wolfy pointed out the minute the Road to Backlash went up) in Houston, Texas.
• Scott Steiner and The Hurricane officially join forces and form a team known as Freaks & Geeks.
• Vignettes begin to air for the arrival of another new tag team - La Resistance, made up of René Duprée and Slyvian Genre.
• Maven begins to hype up his dropkick. We see him do a few promos about how he’s been down to OVW with Al Snow, linking up with his favourite trainer, and together they’ve perfected the dropkick. It’s his best weapon, and he believes if he hits it, his feet are like steel and will put any man away instantly. Stacy Kiebler aligns herself with Maven and begins to manage him full-time as well. The announcers play up the angle that Maven is the luckiest man on earth, as she is way out of his league.
• Test is given more airtime and begins to establish himself as a solid midcard heel on Raw.
• Christopher Nowinski enters a TV feud with Tommy Dreamer over his role in ECW. It begins with a backstage segment promoting a new DVD - ECW: Tales of Hardcore being released by WWE. This is a collection of the best matches and interviews with those who took part in them. Nowinski catches some of the roster watching it on a monitor and shuts it off, calling it utter garbage and stating he has no respect for anyone who did that. Tommy Dreamer then appeared behind him and said that Nowinski had no idea what he was talking about and that he lived an easy life. He’s gone to the best schools, had the best coaches, and floats by without a care in the world. ECW stood for being a rebel and doing things your way, and that spirit lives on in guys like Dreamer and the fans. Nowinski and Dreamer agreed to have a match the night after King of the Ring to settle their disagreement.

Other Notes (Thursday Night Smackdown):

• Kurt Angle returned from injury on the May 29, 2003 edition of Thursday Night Smackdown.
• Paul Heyman and John Cena officially align - joining forces alongside the World’s Greatest Tag Team.
• Hulk Hogan is advertised for Smackdown after King of the Ring. This will mark his first appearance on Smackdown since his victory over Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania.
• The upcoming tours of Smackdown across the country pull The Undertaker from their advertisements. It is not expected that The Undertaker will appear on television until after SummerSlam. Rumours spread via dirtsheets online suggest that this is to allow his hair time to grow out so he can return with his Deadman persona rather than the biker gimmick he has used since early 2000.
• In an attempt to impress Rhyno, each week on Smackdown, Spanky does increasingly dangerous stunts during his matches or segments. He does this with the rationale that Rhyno is the last ECW Heavyweight Champion and must be impressed by taking things to the extreme. Most of the time, in a somewhat comical fashion, this results in Spanky ending up flat on his face.
• Dawn Marie-Wilson continues to wear the black veil over her face that she has worn since the stinkface at the hands of Rikishi. She has appeared less and less with John Cena, and during an episode of Smackdown, she is refused entry into the locker-room of Cena & the WGTT by Paul Heyman. He tells her that Cena can’t be disturbed right now, but he’d pass a message on, he shot her a nasty stare as she walked away. During her time on screen, Dawn curses Rikishi, still harbouring a lot of resentment for what he did to her.
• Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore continue to sell memberships to the Mattitude program. We begin to see them lean into more comedy than threatening tactics, a sharp contrast compared to their attitude earlier in the year.

Author’s Note: And so comes to an end the last ‘Road to …’ for the thread. After the pay-per-view, I’ll be moving to weekly shows and moving forward as normal. We’ve got a great foundation of characters now and set up the world much differently than it was in reality at the time. I’m looking forward to being able to dive deeper into these stories and tell them across weekly shows and build them up a bit more heading into the pay-per-views. I’ll be keeping the brand-exclusive events for the rest of the year, I believe that the weekly format will help strengthen the cards, which was one of the assessments from Backlash and, to a lesser extent, Judgment Day.

Once I get King of the Ring posted (I’ve not started writing it), I’ll do a big updated roster post with the currently alignment of talent, tag teams, stables and champions because it is significantly different to what is on the front page of this project now that we are six months into it.

 

[Qui-Gon Bren]

Interesting build for the Blockbuster Tag. Great marketing, btw. At various points I thought we were setting up either a Triple Threat or a Fatal 4 Way for the gold, but the 6 Man tag has plenty of delicious angles to sink your teeth into. I was surprised to see Edge & Lesnar still working together at first. Loved that SDS stood their ground and took the fight head on, even with Lesnar & Edge having chairs. Great work with Rocky playing manipulation games, especially with Edge. I just CAN'T let go of his build to Mania with Taker, and the places he was willing to go. Even after a clean Judgment Day, idk if Edge can be trusted! Strong visual with all 3 challengers watching Rocky explain that they can't all reach the same goal. What initially felt like a setup for the babyfaces to all get a big win... now feels like a question of, "which babyface screws it up?"

I don't like Trish's chances come KOTR. But crazier things have happened.

Almost feels like a soft reboot for Stone Cold since returning from "taking his ball home". Yeah he had a marquee Mania program... but now feels like he's trying to find his place in the new landscape. It's a fresh coat of paint, if nothing else. Still beefing with authority, still doing Stone Cold things. But trying to participate in KOTR, feuding with the IC Champ. Seems like he's being used to raise the profile of RAW's 2nd and even 3rd tier players. I know I said the Administration feud didn't really click for me, but I really like this stuff with Christian quite a bit. I like even more that it was given extra room to breathe, with a build from Backlash to Bad Blood. But seems like we may have a new chapter written at KOTR??

Mysterio and Flair is a unique pairing. The work you've done with Rey is some of my favorite stuff. I enjoy the spotlight put on the value Steph see's in Rey, but especially the trust she has putting him in these big matches. Mysterio having interactions with Evolution is fun to imagine. I was curious why Bischoff would give Flair the opportunity... so great touch with Batista's intimidation.

Not too many notes on the KOTR tourney itself. I got the SmackDown finals I was hoping for. Didn't have a preview of the RAW side, but I'd say the finals there are about as juicy as we could've hoped. You made good use of the tournament for storylines... setting up WGTT next feud and starting the Cena/Heyman partnership. Eddie's solo spotlight. The Kane/O'Haire stuff on RAW. I think I'm feeling a Kane vs Cena finals coming... with Cena taking the crown. But truthfully it feels like any of the 4 could win their semi-final matches and the tournament overall.

Sounds like HBK had himself a helluva few weeks on RAW. The big street win over Jericho then the #1 contender match with Booker. Some big time TV main events that I wish we could've read! I'll be glad when you start the weekly shows, for matches like these that let us take the ride and get even more invested! Pretty hyped about Booker getting the Triple H match, especially with Bad Blood being in Houston. Between that and the Christian/Austin match, you've not only done a good job setting up KOTR, but getting interest going for the PPV after. Legit lol'd at Freaks & Geeks. What a name. Kudos!