GCB's WWE (2003)

GCB · Jan 1, 2024

SUNDAY MARCH 30, 2003
Safeco Field - Seattle, Washington

RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
SINGLE FALL TAG TEAM MATCH
CHIEF MORLEY & LANCE STORM [c] def. KANE & ROB VAN DAM
via pinfall (7:02) to retain the RAW Tag Team Championships

Ordered to do as they are told to keep their jobs on RAW, the Dudley Boyz are at ringside for the match, conflicted over doing the right thing. Although they do hit a 3D to Lance Storm, Bubba then thinks better of it - to the annoyance of D-Von - and he drops an elbow on the back of Van Dam’s neck which allows Storm to get the pinfall and retain the titles.

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WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
SINGLE FALL MATCH
MATT HARDY [c] def. REY MYSTERIO
via pinfall (5:37) to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

In the opening match of WrestleMania, following Ashanti’s rendition of “America the Beautiful” to kick off the show, Rey Mysterio challenged Matt Hardy for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. After surviving the Twist of Fate and overcoming the interference of Shannon Moore, Mysterio hits the 619 to Hardy. However, when he goes for the West Coast Pop, Hardy ducks into a roll up and uses the ropes for leverage to get the 3 count and retain the Cruiserweight gold.

2-ON-1 HANDICAP MATCH
THE UNDERTAKER def. A-TRAIN & BIG SHOW
via pinfall (9:42)

Originally slated to be a tag team match, this match became a handicap match after Nathan Jones was attacked by Nunzio and Palumbo on Sunday Night HEAT. Despite being dominated for much of the match by the two monsters, Undertaker would survive long enough for Jones to head out and attack Big Show outside the ring. This would allow Taker to hit the Tombstone Piledriver to the A-Train for the 3 count to extend his WrestleMania record to 11-0.

WWE WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
TRIPLE THREAT MATCH
TRISH STRATUS def. VICTORIA [c] & JAZZ
via pinfall (7:17) to become the new WWE Women’s Champion

Throughout this match, Steven Richards - accompanying Victoria to the ring - would constantly interfere; there would also be a regular alliance between Jazz and Victoria to target Trish. However, Trish would hit a Stratusfaction to Richards after a chair shot rebounded into his face off the ropes. Trish would then counter the Widow’s Peak to hit the Chick Kick to Victoria and get the 3 count and become the 4-time WWE Women’s Champion.

SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
TRIPLE THREAT TAG TEAM MATCH
TEAM ANGLE [c] def. CHRIS BENOIT & RHYNO & LOS GUERREROS
via pinfall (8:48) to retain the SMACKDOWN Tag Team Championships

In a highly competitive encounter between these three teams, it would look as if Rhyno and Benoit were set to become the champions when Rhyno took out Chavo Guerrero with the Gore. However, Shelton Benjamin would tag into the match and take advantage of the Gore to sneak the 3 count and retain the titles for Team Angle.

SINGLE FALL MATCH
SHAWN MICHAELS def. CHRIS JERICHO
via pinfall (22:34)

Facing his boyhood hero, Jericho would do everything in his power to take out Michaels, including the Walls of Jericho and use of HBK’s Sweet Chin Music. However, Michaels would show his resilience to survive both and would then counter a suplex into a roll up to get the 3 count and victory. After the match, the two men would embrace in an emotional moment … but then Jericho would spoil it with a low blow kick to Michaels to leave him laid out in the ring.

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
SINGLE FALL MATCH
TRIPLE H [c] def. BOOKER T
via pinfall (18:45) to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

The constant interference and distraction of Ric Flair played a pivotal part in this one as it denied Booker T on several occasions as he looked to win the match. At one point, Flair would throw Booker into the steel steps and injure his knee; this would prove vital when Booker would hit Harlem Heat and then clutch at his injured knee instead of making the cover. Triple H would take advantage of this hesitation and would drop Booker with the Pedigree to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

STREET FIGHT
HULK HOGAN def. VINCE McMAHON
via pinfall (20:47)

After twenty years in the making, these two men would throw everything at each other in a bloody, brutal battle that would see both men busted open. However, it would appear that Hogan was getting the upper hand when Roddy Piper would make his return to the WWE. Hardly a fan of either man, Piper would use a steel bar to attack Hogan from behind. Despite this, Hogan would survive to hit McMahon with three leg drops to get the victory and ensure that Hulkamania continues to run wild here in the WWE. After the match, Shane McMahon would head out to help his father from the ring; Vince would flip the bird to Hogan as he left, the issues between the two clearly not over despite the match.

SINGLE FALL MATCH
THE ROCK def. STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN
via pinfall (17:55)

After defeating The Rock twice before at WrestleMania XV and X7 to become the WWE Champion, Austin would face the Great One again here for the third time with Rocky desperate to finally beat his long-time rival. In a highly personal encounter, both men would use each other’s finishing moves to no avail and Rock would taunt Austin throughout, even wearing his 3:16 vest whilst beating down the Rattlesnake. Austin would hit the Stunner but Rock would stun him by kicking out; the roles would then be reversed as Austin would kick out of not one but two Rock Bottoms. However, Rocky would hit the third Rock Bottom and this would prove enough to finally defeat Austin at WrestleMania.

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
SINGLE FALL MATCH
BROCK LESNAR def. KURT ANGLE [c]
via pinfall (22:00) to become the WWE Champion

In the main event, the Royal Rumble winner Brock Lesnar would challenge Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship - any disqualification or countout loss for Angle would result in him losing the gold, essentially meaning that Team Angle would be able to have no impact on the match. Early in the match, Lesnar would see his F5 countered by Angle into the Ankle Lock, a warning that Angle was capable of out-wrestling his challenger. Both men would hit their big moves - the F5 of Lesnar, the Angle Slam of Angle - but they would not be enough to get things done as the tension built. After hitting another F5, Lesnar would opt to go to the top rope instead of pinning Angle; he would then attempt a Shooting Star Press that would go wrong and he would plant himself face first into the mat and causing himself a concussion. Despite this, Brock would kick out of a pinfall and recover enough to hit a third F5 to Angle which would be enough to get the pinfall and become the new WWE Champion. After an intense battle, WrestleMania would close with the two men sharing an embrace and a handshake before a dazed Brock Lesnar would hold the WWE Championship belt up in celebration.

GCB · Jan 4, 2024

MONDAY MARCH 31, 2003
Seattle, Washington

Twenty-four hours on from WrestleMania XIX in Safeco Field, we remain in Seattle - this time in the Key Arena - for Monday Night RAW which kicks off with the glass shattering as Stone Cold Steve Austin makes his way down to the ring. As always, the crowd are on their feet for the arrival of the Rattlesnake despite his loss last night to his long-time rival, The Rock, in an epic battle. Jim Ross - on commentary with Jerry “The King” Lawler - identifies that Rocky is not here tonight but reminds everybody watching that it is now Austin 2-1 Rock at WrestleMania despite last night’s outcome. After saluting the fans, Austin grabs a microphone and reveals that he is here to make an announcement about his future in the business. He reveals the startling fact that he spent the night prior to WrestleMania in a hospital and admits that he was not medically cleared to compete, a fact that he hid from the WWE so as not to let the fans down. Giving props to The Rock, Austin says that should not diminish the fact that Rocky beat him fair and square and was the better man at WrestleMania. “That being said,” Austin continues, “The Rock can be sure that, once I’ve recovered from my injuries, I intend to get back in the ring and stomp a mudhole in his ass!” Continuing on, Austin confirms that he is now going to listen to the doctors and will not be competing in the ring in the near future. However, he says that he won’t be running away and hiding, he will be here “each and ev’ry week” raising as much hell as he possibly can for the RAW General Manager, Eric Bischoff. Suggesting that he will make Bischoff’s life miserable, Austin promises to keep entertaining the WWE fans until such a time as he can return to the ring and compete. “And that’s the bottom line,” Austin finishes, “Because Stone Cold says so!”

Backstage, we see the afore-mentioned General Manager, Eric Bischoff, who is watching Austin saluting the fans again on a monitor. RAW interviewer Terri asks him for his thoughts regarding Austin’s comments and the RAW GM suggests that he knows far more than you might expect. “You see, Terri, I know that Austin’s injuries are much more serious than he is letting on,” Bischoff explains, “So I’m afraid that his little plan to raise hell for me each and every week, well, it’s a non-starter.” Suggesting that a permanently injured Austin is no use to him at all, Bischoff claims that he will, later tonight, fire the Rattlesnake on medical grounds.

WWE WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
SINGLE FALL MATCH
TRISH STRATUS [c] vs. VICTORIA

In the first in-ring action of the night, the newly-crowned WWE Women’s Champion, Trish Stratus, defends against the former champion Victoria who is cashing in her rematch clause immediately. Looking to be close to a breakdown after the loss of her title, Victoria takes the fight to Trish in the early stages and dominates as she looks to avenge the loss of her gold. However, despite Victoria’s vicious attitude, there is a hell of a lot of fight and determination in the popular champion and she manages to turn the tide back in her favour. Trish even manages to hit a low drop kick to the knees of Steven Richards when he leaps up onto the apron to try and distract the referee. After a couple of failed attempts, Trish manages to hit the STRATUSFACTION BULLDOG and this proves enough to get the 3 count and retain the title here tonight.

WINNER: TRISH STRATUS
via pinfall (3:29) to retain the WWE Women’s Championship

Backstage, a limousine pulls into the parking lot and, after a few seconds of intrigue, it is revealed to be Shane McMahon arriving here tonight on RAW. After helping his father from the ring after his loss to Hulk Hogan last night at WrestleMania, Shane is here alone tonight and heads into the arena as RAW heads into a commercial break. Following the break, we see Shane looking around the backstage area for Eric Bischoff and he is pointed in the direction of the RAW General Manager’s office. Once he arrives there, Shane shakes hands with Bischoff and reveals that he is here tonight with a proposition for him to consider. Highlighting his recent past in-ring performances - notably his victory over Vince McMahon at WrestleMania X7, his brutal battle with Kurt Angle at the 2001 King of the Ring, his victories over Big Show - Shane suggests that he has proven that he has skills in the ring. “I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time now, Eric,” Shane continues, “But I would like to become a full-time in-ring competitor here in the WWE, preferably right here on Monday Night RAW.” Indicating that his last name shouldn’t be a factor in the decision or in his success or failure as a WWE superstar, Shane suggests to Bischoff that he would like to sign for Monday Night RAW right now. Initially, Bischoff smirks at the idea but, the more he considers it, the more he seems to warm to the idea. Suggesting that Shane has a “tryout match” right here tonight on RAW, Bischoff says that he will consider the proposal and give his thoughts later tonight. Shane seems happy with this and goes off to get himself prepared for what promises to be a very big match for him …

TONIGHT ON MONDAY NIGHT RAW
Chris Jericho & Christian will face Shawn Michaels and a partner of his choosing!

Backstage, Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley are having a disagreement about how things went down last night prior to WrestleMania. Fearing for their jobs on RAW after warnings from Bischoff and Chief Morley, Bubba would drop a heavy-hitting elbow to the back of the head of Rob Van Dam which would allow Morley to sneak out the win and retain the RAW Tag Team Championships for himself and Lance Storm. Bubba says he feels for Van Dam and Kane but he had to do it, he had to make sure that their jobs were safe. However, D-Von, much more conflicted by the situation it seems, asks Bubba how he would feel if somebody did that to them and claims it just isn’t right. As the two of them agree that they can’t just stand by and watch Morley and Storm as the RAW Tag Team Champions for much longer, a smirking Morley - with his title belt over his shoulder - walks into the locker room and pats Bubba on the back, telling him he made the right choice last night. He also tells D-Von that he needs to abandon his principles and get used to being part of the Bischoff Administration because they work for him now if they don’t want to be fired. “But it seems as if the two of you aren’t on the same page about this,” Morley smirks again, “And you’ve definitely got some pent up frustration to work out so let’s put you in action tonight.” This appeals to the Dudleys who definitely want to get in the ring tonight … but Morley then reveals that the match he has in mind is Bubba Ray Dudley vs. D-Von Dudley! “And gentlemen, remember, you need to do what you’re told and fight,” laughs Morley as the Dudleys object, “Or else you’ll be fired!” As Morley leaves, Bubba and D-Von look at each other incredulously but it appears they have no choice but to face each other in the ring here tonight!

SINGLE FALL MATCH
CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI vs. TEST

Wearing a face mask to protect his reconstructed face, Nowinski tries to convince Test that tonight’s match should not feature punches to the face … but Test refuses this and starts off fast as he beats down the Harvard graduate. With Stacy Keibler by his side as normal, Test has the fan support - although many would argue that it’s support for Stacy rather than him - as he uses his power to gain the upper hand. There is a shift in momentum when a desperate Nowinski removes his mask and clocks Test right between the eyes with it whilst the referee is distracted; the referee had been trying to usher Stacy away after a disagreement between her and Test as she rallied the crowd. This leads to Nowinski getting a couple of close near falls but he is unable to keep the big man down and becomes increasingly frustrated. He once again removes the mask to attempt to hit Test for a second time but the referee spots it this time and grabs the mask from Nowinski. In the confusion, Test strikes with a BIG BOOT right to the exposed face of Nowinski and this proves enough for a 3 count. Following the conclusion of the match, medics tend to Nowinski who is clutching his face once again whilst Test and Stacy continue to have a few disagreements; it appears that Test is not a fan of Stacy getting the fans cheering for him - or is he not liking the attention she is drawing?

WINNER: TEST
via pinfall (4:48)

In the interview area with Coach, Shawn Michaels confirms that he has found a tag team partner for his match tonight against the team of Chris Jericho and Christian. However, when Coach presses him to reveal who his partner is, Michaels refuses to tell and says that Coach, Jericho and Christian and the rest of the world will have to wait until match time to find out who it is.

Backstage, Booker T - looking a little dejected after failing to become the World Heavyweight Champion last night at WrestleMania - arrives at the arena and walks towards the locker room area. Once in the locker room, he meets his good friend Goldust first who congratulates him on a hell of a performance last night and says he deserved to win the title. However, before he can respond to Goldust, Booker is interrupted by Ric Flair who of course was at ringside last night and played a part in Triple H defeating Booker. Declaring that HHH made it clear all along that Booker was not deserving of becoming World Champion, Flair mocks the fact that Booker gave everything he had and still came up short. Goldust holds Booker back and calms him down enough so Booker can tell Flair that he has watched the match back and he will make Flair pay for his antics during the match. However, when Flair once again mocks Booker and says he will “never be the World Heavyweight Champion”, Booker snaps. Shoving Goldust out of the way, Booker rushes at Flair and starts beating the hell out of him with a barrage of right hands. Within seconds though, WWE officials and referees swarm into the locker room and they - assisted by a few WWE superstars that are on hand - manage to separate Booker from Flair and hold him back. An angry Eric Bischoff walks into the locker room and he berates Booker T for causing chaos by attacking Flair simply because he “didn’t get the job done last night”. However, in a surprising turn of events, Bischoff informs Booker that he will get ONE more opportunity to become the World Heavyweight Champion. And it will be here tonight on RAW! Bischoff reveals that it will be Booker T up against Triple H … AND Ric Flair … in a handicap match here tonight with Triple H’s World Heavyweight Championship on the line!

After a commercial break, we see Eric Bischoff once again as he is standing with Rosey & Jamal and giving them instructions. However, he is confronted by an angry-looking Spike Dudley who gets in Bischoff’s face, demanding to know why he has booked his two half-brothers, Bubba and D-Von, to face each other here tonight. After ushering Rosey and Jamal away, Bischoff turns his attention back to Spike and suggests that he is the RAW General Manager and he makes decisions that are best for RAW and to entertain the fans. Accusing Bischoff of abusing his power, Spike suggests that nobody wants to see Bubba vs. D-Von and he demands that the Dudleys are given a RAW Tag Team Championship tonight instead. Laughing at Spike’s suggestion, Bischoff says that is not going to be possible as he has already booked Morley and Storm to defend the titles here tonight in a rematch with Kane and Rob Van Dam. “However, Spike, it appears to me that you are spoiling for some action of your own here tonight,” Bischoff says ominously, “Therefore, you can get in the ring with Bubba and D-Von … as the special guest referee!” Ordering Spike to ensure that his two half-brothers fight, Bischoff reiterates that they will be fired if they refuse … and he also says that Spike will be fired if he doesn’t ensure it happens too!

SINGLE FALL MATCH
JAMAL vs. SHANE McMAHON

Looking to impress Eric Bischoff here tonight and potentially secure himself an in-ring performer contract for Monday Night RAW, Shane McMahon heads for the ring for his tryout match … but has to face the 350-pound Samoan, Jamal! Accompanied as well by his 3-Minute Warning partner, Rosey, Jamal heads for the ring looking delighted with the chance to toss Shane around here tonight. Despite a fast start from Shane, Jamal’s power does quickly get him control of the contest and he starts throwing Shane around like a rag doll. Showing his trademark resilience, Shane refuses to quit though and is intent on impressing here tonight. As he manages to launch a comeback though, distraction from Rosey at ringside allows Jamal to hit a corner splash to Shane to turn the momentum back his way. This pattern is repeated: dominance from Jamal, comeback from Shane, interference from Rosey to allow Jamal to regain control. Eventually, Shane manages to take down Rosey when he exits the ring and shoves him face first into the ring post and this allows him to take the fight to Jamal without distraction. However, when he heads for the top rope looking for his flying elbow, Rosey - unseen by the referee - shoves his foot off the rope and Shane crotches himself on the top turnbuckle. Jamal drags him down and slams him on the mat before heading for the top rope himself … and hitting the SAMOAN SPLASH for the 3 count. An impressive and gutsy performance from Shane-O-Mac but he is unable to overcome the numbers game and Jamal walks away with the victory.

WINNER: JAMAL
via pinfall (5:18)

In the interview area, Terri’s guests are the two men who will face Shawn Michaels and a mystery partner later tonight, Chris Jericho and Christian. She asks the two of them whether they are concerned about the unknown partner but Christian dismisses this and says that whoever the partner is, they will be defeated here tonight. Jericho says that he proved last night that he was a better man than Michaels in their WrestleMania match; he says that HBK got lucky but he left him laid out at the end of the night. “I know I can beat the so-called legend that is Shawn Michaels,” smirks Jericho, “And I will prove that here tonight, regardless of whichever ass clown comes out to partner him.” It appears that Jericho and Christian are very confident here tonight as they prepare for their match - but who will Shawn Michaels’ partner in the match be?

SINGLE FALL MATCH
BUBBA RAY DUDLEY vs. D-VON DUDLEY
(Special Guest Referee: Spike Dudley)

Although reluctant to compete against each other here tonight, Bubba Ray and D-Von - knowing that their jobs as well as Spike’s are on the line if they refuse - lock up and compete in the middle of the ring. With Spike on hand to make pinfall counts, the two half-brothers are competitive against each other and the will to win shines through as they each look to get the victory. As Jerry Lawler points out on commentary, once you are in the ring, every WWE superstar wants to win and things are no different here. In the end, D-Von rushes at Bubba in the corner but collides with the buckles when Bubba moves at the last second. With D-Von dazed, Bubba takes advantage and hits the BUBBA BOMB which appears to be enough for victory. However, as Bubba makes the cover, there is confusion as Spike has slid out of the ring. What is Spike doing? As Bubba gets to his feet, Spike slides back into the ring behind him and is clutching a steel chair … AND SPIKE SMASHES THE CHAIR OVER THE BACK OF BUBBA RAY’S SKULL! What is Spike Dudley doing here tonight? As the bell rings to signal the end of the contest, Spike is not finished as he waits for Bubba to get back to his knees … and he then cracks him across the skull a second time! With Bubba laid out, Spike turns his attention to a groggy D-Von who is pulling himself up on the ropes … AND HE SMASHES D-VON IN THE SKULL WITH THE STEEL CHAIR AS WELL! With both Bubba and D-Von laid out in the ring, Spike throws the chair down on the mat with them and heads out of the ring with the crowd jeering the hell out of him for his actions here tonight. What is going through Spike’s head here tonight on RAW?

WINNER: NO CONTEST
(4:03)

Backstage in the locker room area, we see Triple H - his World Heavyweight Championship hanging in the background - getting ready for his match later tonight as he teams up with Ric Flair to defend his title against Booker T. Flair walks into shot and he checks whether the champion is ready for action and HHH confirms he is but then stops Flair and says he needs to talk to him. “You know, Ric, there’s nobody in the world that respects you and everything you have done more than me,” HHH informs him, an intense look in his eyes, “But tonight, if you cost me THIS World Heavyweight Championship belt, trust me Ric, you don’t wanna’ know what I will do to you if that happens.” Despite the menacing threat from the champion, Flair tells him to relax and says that tonight they are going to show the world why Booker T is not championship material here on RAW. Flair guarantees Hunter that tonight, once RAW is over, he will walk away still the World Heavyweight Champion.

Backstage, Shane McMahon is sat looking disappointed at the way his “tryout” match went down earlier tonight when he was defeated by Jamal, mainly thanks to the interference of Rosey. As he sits there, Eric Bischoff, a smile on his face, comes into shot and he congratulates Shane on an impressive performance. Despite the praise from Bischoff, Shane gets up and gets in his face, declaring the match he was given to be unfair; Shane demands another chance to face Jamal without Rosey at ringside, suggesting that he would defeat him if given the chance. Bischoff says he would love to see that but he has already made his mind up about Shane’s future on RAW. “You see, Shane, impressive as you looked tonight,” Bischoff explains, “The last thing I need here on RAW is another McMahon running round. I’m afraid I’m going to have to take a pass on giving you a contract.” Looking annoyed at the way things have turned out here tonight, Shane shakes his head whilst Bischoff, as he walks off, suggests that Shane should try his sister over on SMACKDOWN instead.

Next up, Christian and Chris Jericho head out to the ring as they prepare for their tag team match tonight against Shawn Michaels and his mystery partner. After being defeated by Shawn Michaels last night at WrestleMania, Jericho shocked the world when, after appearing to share an emotional moment with his former hero, he kicked Michaels right between the legs to leave him laid out in the middle of the ring. Shawn Michaels heads out to the ring next and he is alone - for now - as his pyro explodes behind him. However, as he approaches the ring, Michaels has a microphone and he introduces his partner here tonight - the returning Kevin Nash, Michaels’ best friend and a former WWE Champion of course, heads out to the shock of the two Canadians in the ring. What a huge surprise here tonight!

SINGLE FALL TAG TEAM MATCH
CHRIS JERICHO & CHRISTIAN vs. KEVIN NASH & SHAWN MICHAELS

One night on from their classic WrestleMania encounter, Jericho and Michaels continue their rivalry in the early stages with both men still intent on getting the better of the other. It is Jericho who tags out first, Christian coming in to get the advantage over HBK and the two of them work well as a team to isolate the Showstopper and keep him away from his partner. However, when Michaels finally makes the hot tag to Nash, all hell breaks loose as the big man comes in and starts destroying the two Canadians with his powerful offence. When Jericho and Christian attempt to double team Nash to try and slow him down, he simply powers through them both before setting Jericho up for the Jack Knife. Unfortunately for Nash, Jericho sneaks in an unseen low blow which finally does slow the 7-footer down for a few moments and allows them to regain control. In the midst of it all though, Michaels gets a blind tag to Nash and he comes into the ring and flies around in typical fashion. However, the resilience of Jericho and Christian is clear as they fend off Michaels and Nash, Jericho hitting the Bulldog to HBK and then Christian, sensing victory, drags him over and hits the Unprettier to Michaels as well. However, as Christian looks for a huge pinfall, Nash gets back in the ring and stomps him in the back of the head to break up the fall before turning his attention to Jericho who he clotheslines out of the ring. The referee ushers Nash out to the ring apron and Michaels struggles over to make the tag just before Christian can prevent him. Looking fearful, Christian attempts to beg off but Nash starts destroying him in the corner. When Jericho attempts to sneak up on Nash, Michaels gets back into the ring and looks to take Jericho’s head off with Sweet Chin Music. Jericho ducks away at the last second and slides under the bottom rope to safety; he then watches on in horror as Nash slams Christian to the mat and then positions his head between his knees … As Nash looks directly down into the eyes of Jericho, almost daring him to come back into the ring and stop him, he lifts Christian up into the air … and drops him with the Jack Knife Powerbomb! This proves more than enough for Nash to get the 3 count on Christian and he secures the win for him and Michaels on his return to the ring here tonight! Despite making no attempt to save Christian from the Jack Knife, Jericho does look worried about his tag team partner but he resists the encouragement from Nash and Michaels to get back into the ring and continue the fight. Instead, Jericho grabs Christian’s arm and drags him out of the ring so he can take him back to safety as Nash and Michaels high five in the centre of the ring. Big win for Kevin Nash on his in-ring return, equally big win for Shawn Michaels as he continues his winning run after his WrestleMania victory last night.

WINNERS: KEVIN NASH & SHAWN MICHAELS
via pinfall (7:50)

In the interview pit, Coach has Booker T with him, the man who could leave RAW tonight as the new World Heavyweight Champion if he can find a way to overcome both Triple H and Ric Flair here tonight in the main event. Coach asks Booker whether he feels that he can overcome the numbers game to walk out as the champion tonight; the former 5-time WCW Champion reveals that he believes in himself and he is confident of leaving RAW tonight as the new World Heavyweight Champion. Suggesting that he has overcome the odds before and will do so again tonight, Booker says that he would have beaten Triple H last night had it not been for Ric Flair’s interferences and distractions. “Tonight, Coach, I will have my eyes on both Hunter AND Flair, they’re both going down and I will walk out as the NEW World Heavyweight Champion,” Booker says, a look of determination in his eyes, “Now can you dig that? SUCCCCCKKKKKKKKAAAAAAA!” A confident Booker T here tonight, he faces HHH and Flair later tonight with a chance to become the World Champion in the main event!

Elsewhere backstage, we see Spike Dudley looking around nervously as he heads down the corridors. He bumps into the RAW General Manager, Eric Bischoff, who greets him with a smile, maybe for the first time ever. Congratulating Spike on his new attitude here tonight and shaking his hand, Bischoff suggests that Spike cracking the steel chair over both Bubba and D-Von’s heads was one of the best things that he has seen in a long, long time. Nodding his head and smiling back, Spike suggests that it felt good to finally cut loose on his half brothers but Bischoff then gives him notice that the other two Dudleys are looking for him and he would be best getting out of here tonight. Identifying that he has a car ready to get him out of the arena, Bischoff appears to be a fan of Spike all of a sudden and it seems that Spike is happy to listen to him. Heading quickly to the waiting car, Spike gets in and it sets off just as Bubba and D-Von, looking incredibly pissed off at what occurred earlier tonight, rush onto the scene. However, they are a few seconds too late and Spike is out of here, safe and sound.

WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
SINGLE FALL TAG TEAM MATCH
CHIEF MORLEY & LANCE STORM [c] vs. KANE & ROB VAN DAM

After their controversial victory on Sunday Night HEAT last night, moments before WrestleMania began and thanks to the assistance of the conflicted Dudley Boyz, Chief Morley and Lance Storm head out tonight to face their challengers for a second successive night, the RAW Tag Team Championships on the line again. For Kane and Van Dam, it is another opportunity - one you feel that they need to take advantage of - to take the titles away from Bischoff’s favoured team and tonight they have no Dudley Boyz to contend with. In the early stages, the challengers certainly have the upper hand and seem set to make short work of the champions as they take the fight to them, the power of Kane proving effective. However, Morley uses his experience to shove Kane hard into the referee and the official is knocked through the ropes to the outside of the ring. With the referee not looking now, Storm attacks the Big Red Machine from behind and the champions double team Kane to take him down to the mat. Sensing trouble, Morley heads out of the ring and grabs a steel chair which he uses to crack over the back of Van Dam before heading back into the ring to target Kane. As Morley winds up though, Kane senses him coming and ducks the chair shot before ripping the chair from Bischoff’s Chief of Staff … Kane cracks the steel chair over the head of Chief Morley! And then Lance Storm as well! With Morley and Storm down and out, Kane then drags the legal man - Storm - off the apron and grabs him by the throat … Choke Slam! Are we about to see new RAW Tag Team Champions? Reaching out, Kane tags Van Dam back into the match and he climbs to the top rope … Five Star Frog Splash to Storm! Van Dam hooks the leg of Storm as Kane kicks Morley down off the ring apron to prevent him interfering in the count. Slowly, the referee counts … 1 … 2 … 3! We have new RAW Tag Team Champions! Kane and Rob Van Dam are the new RAW Tag Team Champions! However, as Kane and Van Dam celebrate their title victory, the music of Eric Bischoff hits and the General Manager heads out to interrupt the celebrations. Indicating that it is his job to ensure that the rules are applied here on RAW, Bischoff replays the footage of Kane using the steel chair and orders the referee to disqualify the challengers … which means Morley and Storm retain the gold via disqualification here tonight! As Kane and Van Dam look incredibly pissed off at the ways things have worked out, Morley and Storm sneak in and rip the title belts away from Kane and Van Dam before escaping up the ramp to safety. As an incredulous JR slams Bischoff’s actions on commentary, the RAW Tag Team Champions exit as quickly as they can, their title reign still in tact somehow!

WINNERS: CHIEF MORLEY & LANCE STORM
via disqualification (6:48) to retain the RAW Tag Team Championships

With his confrontation with Bischoff moments away, we see a contemplative Stone Cold Steve Austin backstage before he is approached by Terri. She asks Austin for his thoughts about Bischoff’s words earlier when he suggested that he was planning to fire Austin on medical grounds. For once, Austin has no words and he struggles to answer Terri’s question. All Austin can say is that if Bischoff thinks he is going to go quietly, he can think again before walking off …

Once again, Eric Bischoff heads for the ring and he is grinning as he carries some sort of official looking paperwork in his hand on his approach to the ring. Once in the ring, Bischoff informs the world that Stone Cold Steve Austin has lied to him, he has lied to the WWE and he has lied to the entire world about his injury situation. Suggesting that he has obtained Austin’s medical documents, Bischoff reveals that not only are Austin’s injuries much more serious than he has made out to the world, they are career-threatening and that there is no way that he will be back in the ring any time soon. “Given that I signed Austin to compete inside this ring,” Bischoff continues, “The fact that he isn’t going to be competing any time soon means that I have serious decisions to make about his future employment here on Monday Night RAW.” Indicating that he has grounds to fire Austin on medical grounds here tonight, Bischoff calls out the Rattlesnake to the ring to face him when he delivers the news. True to form, Stone Cold Steve Austin has no problem heading out to confront Bischoff and he stomps down to the ring to listen to the RAW General Manager deliver his inevitable verdict. However, as Austin approaches the ring, six burly security personnel head out behind him and they come and stand in the corner of the ring as Austin stands in the ring with Bischoff. Smirking, Bischoff calls for Austin’s music to be cut before suggesting that if he doesn’t go quietly, the security personnel will act accordingly. Bischoff tells Austin that he is going to enjoy this moment and says that he has fired him before; however, this time it will be different as he is going to do it face-to-face unlike previously when the two of them were in WCW. Bischoff tells Austin that he is no use to RAW and suggests he is a broken-down shell of the man who used to dominate the WWE. However, before Bischoff can utter the words he is longing to deliver, he is interrupted by Linda McMahon, the CEO of the WWE. Heading for the ring to make an announcement of her own, Linda shakes hands with Austin as she enters the ring and she then informs Bischoff that NOBODY will be getting fired here tonight, not even him. Indicating that if Bischoff had not managed to sign Austin just a few months previously he would have been fired as the RAW General Manager, Linda suggests that firing Austin here tonight would be foolish and that he should think twice about it. “You see, Eric, if you want to keep your job as the RAW General Manager,” Linda announces, “Then you will not be firing Stone Cold Steve Austin any time soon.” Identifying the severity of Austin’s injuries, Linda recognises that he cannot compete in matches but she says he now has an alternative role, one that will see him appearing on RAW and SMACKDOWN in the coming weeks and months as the newly-appointed WWE Enforcer. Suggesting that, from tomorrow, Austin will be here eyes and ears on both RAW and SMACKDOWN, Linda reveals that it will be Austin’s job to keep a close eye on proceedings on both brands and to deal with any problems that may arise. Bischoff is not happy about this but Austin points out to him that Linda said “from tomorrow” … and he follows this up by hitting the STONE COLD STUNNER to Bischoff! A Stunner from the new WWE Enforcer to the RAW General Manager!

Following a commercial break ahead of the main event, we see Austin escorting Linda to her limousine in the parking lot, the two of them in discussions about Austin’s new role. Linda reminds him that he is to be her “man on the ground”, to keep an eye on the likes of Bischoff on RAW, Vince McMahon wherever he appears, even her daughter Stephanie on SMACKDOWN and to act accordingly to ensure that nobody abuses their power. Before she can leave, Linda also reveals that both Eric Bischoff and Stephanie will have a busy week ahead of them as they will need to prepare for next week’s RAW when we will see the 2003 WWE Draft. As Austin watches Linda leave, he smiles at the way things have worked out here tonight. What does the future hold for Stone Cold in his new role? And what will happen next week in the WWE Draft? It appears that the landscapes of RAW and SMACKDOWN are about to change significantly over the next week or so!

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
SINGLE FALL 2-ON-1 HANDICAP MATCH
TRIPLE H [c] & RIC FLAIR vs. BOOKER T
(If Booker T wins, he will be crowned the new World Heavyweight Champion)

In the first post-WrestleMania main event, with news of next week’s draft hanging in the air, the World Heavyweight Championship is on the line as Booker T gets another attempt to secure the big gold belt from Triple H. However, this time, he is fighting against both the champion and Ric Flair in a handicap match and needs to overcome the odds to walk out as World Champion here tonight. Despite the numbers game going against him, Booker takes the fight to his two opponents - arguably two of the greatest WWE and World Champions of all time - and makes a fast start in which his gameplan is clear; isolate one of the opponents and go for a pinfall at every opportunity. Unfortunately for Booker, despite a couple of attempted pinfalls on Flair in the early exchanges, he is unable to get the job done and is slowed down significantly by a sneaky chop block to the back of his knee by Hunter that sets him up to be worn down by Flair. An expert in dissecting a knee injury and setting up for a Figure Four, Flair gets to work and the pace of the match slows down as the 16-time World Champion works the knee of the challenger. Frequent tags between Hunter and Flair occur as well and it seems a matter of time - despite the resilience of Booker - before he succumbs to the pain being inflicted. Indeed, Flair - at the third attempt - manages to twist Booker’s legs up: FIGURE FOUR LEG LOCK! IN THE CENTRE OF THE RING! As JR and King suggest that Booker will have nothing to be ashamed of should he tap out though, the 5-time former WCW Champion manages to find a way to drag himself to the bottom rope. Frustrated, HHH tags in and looks to finish Booker with a Pedigree but the challenger hits a back body drop as he begins a comeback.

To his enormous credit, Booker is showing determination and a will to win that engages with the fans and they rally around him as he begins to get more of a foothold in the fight now. Despite their numbers advantage, HHH and Flair just cannot keep Booker down for any length of time and when Flair takes his customary toss from the top turnbuckle down to the mat, it is clear that Booker is beginning to roll. Angry at this, HHH looks for a cheap shot from behind but Booker ducks it and manages to hit a stiff kick to the gut of the champion … SCISSORS KICK! BOOKER T HITS THE SCISSORS KICK TO TRIPLE H! Protecting himself from a potential pinning predicament, HHH rolls out of the ring but this gives Booker the opportunity to isolate Flair for a few moments and he takes full advantage! Hitting a series of right hands in the corner, Booker then whips Flair hard into the ropes and, ignoring Flair begging off, Booker hits a stiff kick to the side of Flair’s head. As Flair staggers up off the ropes, Booker locks him up … AND HITS THE BOOK END! BOOK END TO FLAIR! Has Booker T found a way to win the World Heavyweight Championship with Triple H still down on the floor?

-- 1 --
-- 2 --
WAIT A MINUTE! THE REFEREE IS DRAGGED OUT OF THE RING

It’s BATISTA! Batista drags the referee out of the ring in the nick of time and denies Booker T the World Heavyweight Championship! With the title saved for now for Triple H, Batista ignores the protests of the referee and backs off to the foot of the ramp as an angry Booker T remonstrates with the Animal! We haven’t seen Batista for a couple of months but it appears that he is back to save the title for his Evolution teammates! As the referee tries to order Batista away from the ringside area, Booker is glaring down at him … AND IS HIT WITH A LOW BLOW! LOW BLOW! FROM RANDY ORTON! Another Evolution return, now we have Randy Orton sneaking into the ring - unseen by the referee - to hit a devastating low blow to Booker! “This is not right, King!”yells JR on commentary as HHH slides back into the ring, “What has Booker T done to deserve this?”Unfortunately for Booker though, it appears that simply having the nerve to challenge for and believe that he could win the World Heavyweight Championship is enough to get a 4-on-1 situation and HHH is about to take full advantage as he whips Booker into the buckles. As Booker staggers out from the corner, HHH meets him with a ring-shaking spinebuster before standing over the challenger looking delighted with how things are turning out. He drags Booker T up and positions him … PEDIGREE! TRIPLE H HITS THE PEDIGREE TO A HELPLESS BOOKER T! And with Batista and Randy Orton now halfway up the ramp, the referee returns to the ring as Hunter makes the cover …

-- 1 --
-- 2 --
-- 3 --

WINNERS: TRIPLE H & RIC FLAIR
via pinfall (9:27) to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

Heartbreak again for Booker T as, for the second successive night, he is screwed out of his chance to become the World Heavyweight Champion - last night it was the distractions of Ric Flair, tonight it is the interference of the other members of Evolution in Batista and Orton that ensure that Triple H retains the gold once again. As the referee checks on Booker’s condition, Orton and Batista join HHH and Flair in the ring, Orton handing the title belt back to The Game who embraces his two proteges. The wise old head in Flair, the World Heavyweight Champion in Triple H, the power and strength of Batista and the future of the business in Orton, Evolution are back together here in the WWE for the first time in months and they are working together to keep the title on Triple H. As the four of them celebrate with their hands in the air, JR suggests that there is no stronger unit in the WWE than Evolution!

MONDAY NIGHT RAW - QUICK RESULTS

Trish Stratus def. Victoria to retain the WWE Women’s Championship
Test def. Christopher Nowinski
Jamal def. Shane McMahon
Bubba Ray Dudley def. D-Von Dudley
Kevin Nash & Shawn Michaels def. Chris Jericho & Christian
Chief Morley & Lance Storm def. Kane & Rob Van Dam [DQ] to retain the RAW Tag Team Championships
Triple H & Ric Flair def. Booker T to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

DTP · Jan 7, 2024

WWE Monday Night RAW - March 31, 2003:

I'm a big fan of the premise, and I really like this period. I've done a 2003 project previously, and not only is the roster totally there in terms of talent and star power, but the world is your oyster as far as how the year can take you.

The format is really well done, might I add. It's clean and the writing is very solid and true to real life. You did Stone Cold Steve Austin justice in the angle with Eric Bischoff, and I am interested in how you handle Austin post-WrestleMania XIX. I do think you have the opportunity to take Steve's career in a different direction, perhaps that of a part-time schedule. He definitely doesn't need to be competing on a weekly basis, but that goes without saying. I wonder what Bischoff's plan is, interesting twist on the despicable heel authority figure angle.

Trish Stratus going over Victoria made sense, retaining the WWE Women's Championship freshly won at WrestleMania. Who you present against her is what intrigues me, considering the easy option would be a rematch with Jazz. They always had solid matches, but it would be interesting to see you go a different direction heading towards Backlash.

Shane McMahon's appearance at WrestleMania XIX always did perplex me, so I'm curious how Shane fits into the equation on Monday Night RAW. I liked the utilisation of a commercial break to build the suspense, too. I'm somewhat baffled to hear him wanting to become an in-ring competitor. I'll have to wait it out, but it comes quite out of left field.

I wasn't a big fan of the Dudley Boyz and Bischoff Administration angle at the time, but maybe you can make it more compelling than it actually was. Maybe I just felt the Dudleys were staler thna stale at this point in time. Chief Morley was a fun character. I do hope William Regal isn't gone too long, that said.

Test and Christopher Nowinski was a fine 2003 television match. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing Test used a bit more strongly. Perhaps if you reintroduce the WWE Intercontinental Championship he becomes something of a contender.

Booker T losing the World Heavyweight Championship match really did leave him in the lurch career wise. You're really getting over how dastardly Eric Bischoff can be. It's good booking, even if it's somewhat predictable with the heel authority siding against every possible babyface. Even Triple H had hangups with Eric sometimes, after all. Either way, I do think Booker should be kept strong in the fallout of WrestleMania. You have to imagine Goldust will get involved in the Handicap match opposite Ric Flair. That's a fun dynamic in theory.

I did like the added wrinkle of the Bischoff Administration messing with Spike Dudley. While it's clear the show is booked around Eric Bischoff as the king dickhead, it's becoming every segment. Not a bad thing necessarily, as it works for exposition - but I do think it's important to consider undercard storylines.

Uh, biggest win of Jamal's young career? I get that 3 Minute Warning had a big hand in making sure Shane McMahon didn't get a win, but I'm surprised to see 3MW get one over on him so cleanly. I figure Shane O'Mac will have to find some friends. I guess you're starting to get Rosey and Jamal over...where will that leave Rico I onder.

The Dudley Boyz having to fight is a very fun angle, and Spike Dudley as the special guest referee is definitely a solid way to wedge a blade between them. I feel like Spike's heel turn is the spiciest thing you've done. I really like the idea of Spike becoming the big bad heel a la SmackDown 2004. I think him as Eric Bischoff's Mini-Me of sorts is a very original direction to go.

I guess it's a different method of returning Kevin Nash, siding with Shawn. I just hope we don't go too hard with Nash wanting to rekindle things with Triple H. This read like a really strong first-hour main event, one very fitting for a post-WrestleMania edition of RAW with the clear cut return.

I was glad to see Kane and Rob Van Dam get to have another crack at the World Tag Team Championship, one not stuck in the purgatory of Sunday Night Heat before WrestleMania. Nice cheap finish to keep Lance Storm and Chief Morley with the titles, but I hope Kane and RVD are the ones who will end the Bischoff Administration's reign. One would presume a gimmick match is incoming.

I'm glad we get to Stone Cold Steve Austin as Eric Bischoff's contemporary without too much wait. It works better than Bischoff firing Austin, at least. Linda McMahon's rare appearance worked too, as the neutral party of the McMahon Family. I think I like the title of Enforcer over being Co-General Manager. I do believe Austin should have been in position to hit Linda with a Stunner anyway, but then we wouldn't have gotten the WWE Draft follow up. It's a way to get things prepared to take the company in a new direction, without having to rely on WrestleMania rematches I suppose. I'll be interested in seeing how you handle this Draft, especially in seeing whether it's one from scratch to reset the full rosters, or just a shakeup with lottery drawings.

I loved the main event, as we see the return of Batista and Randy Orton from injury. Would they be ready to return from their injuries yet? Either way, we have Evolution established as another big bad faction in charge of the RAW brand - but I will say I hope we see Booker T get back in the hunt.

An eventful and interesting first show, with the fallout of WrestleMania. I was fascinated by some of the changes you managed to incorporate, namely the lack of The Rock and Goldberg - but perhaps we'll see something of them on the SmackDown brand? Either way, strong foundation here with this debut show.

GCB · Feb 1, 2024

THURSDAY APRIL 3, 2003
Spokane, Washington

With the 2003 WWE Draft scheduled for this coming Monday night on a special 3-hour edition of Monday Night RAW, tonight’s SMACKDOWN could prove to be extra chaotic with all WWE superstars unsure of their own futures ahead of next week and many looking to settle old scores just in case they get split from their rivals in the coming days. After the WrestleMania main event just four days ago, we have a new WWE Champion in Brock Lesnar but, as we are informed quickly by the commentary team of Michael Cole and Tazz, a concussion means that Lesnar will not be here tonight on SMACKDOWN. Also missing from tonight’s SMACKDOWN is the man Lesnar defeated for the WWE Championship, Kurt Angle, who suffered a broken neck during the match and will be out for the foreseeable future. However, the night kicks off with an appearance from a man who, until Monday night, was exclusive to RAW but has now been assigned - by the WWE CEO, Linda McMahon - to be her eyes and ears in the WWE as the WWE Enforcer; Stone Cold Steve Austin heads out to the delight of the fans right here in Spokane. As Austin stomps down to the ring, a beer in his hand, Michael Cole explains that it is Austin’s job to ensure that the General Managers - particularly RAW’s Eric Bischoff - and other management personnel (ahem, Vince McMahon) are acting accordingly and not abusing their power. Once in the ring, Austin reveals that Linda has given him special dispensation to deal with any abuses of power and he is effectively “the law” here in the WWE.

Austin’s reason for coming out early here tonight though is not to deal with anybody abusing their power, he is here to reveal more details about this Monday’s draft. Austin informs the world that both RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff and SMACKDOWN General Manager Stephanie McMahon have the right to select five superstars or teams to remain on their brand and not to be eligible for drafting this Monday. This means that both Bischoff and Stephanie will select a champion, a top star, two tag teams and an up-and-coming breakout star from their current rosters to remain where they are already. Austin also reveals that the WWE Women’s Championship will no longer be exclusive to RAW and the WWE Cruiserweight Championship will no longer be exclusive to SMACKDOWN; the two champions - currently Trish Stratus and Matt Hardy - will be able to appear on both RAW and SMACKDOWN alongside other women and cruiserweight competitors competing in those divisions. When Austin has finished explaining this and is about to go backstage to “drink a lot of beer and keep a close eye on the rest of SMACKDOWN”, Vince McMahon interrupts and heads out to make a few points of his own. Getting in the ring with his long-term nemesis in Austin, Vince suggests that he, as chairman of the WWE, is uncomfortable with the idea of the WWE Board of Directors, namely Linda McMahon, “interfering with RAW and SMACKDOWN” by appointing Austin as WWE Enforcer and scheduling drafts. However, Austin simply laughs in his face and says that there is nothing he can do about it. Daring Vince to step out of line here tonight on SMACKDOWN, Austin says all he needs is an excuse to “stomp a mudhole in his ass and walk it dry” and he threatens the Chairman with a response should he step out of line in any way. The bottom line is simple, according to Austin: Vince will let Stephanie McMahon get on with her job of being the General Manager of SMACKDOWN without any interference whatsoever. With that, Austin takes his leave - drinking beer as he leaves - and Vince looks furious in the ring as he watches the Rattlesnake’s exit.

TONIGHT ON SMACKDOWN: A-TRAIN vs. BIG SHOW vs. THE UNDERTAKER
Winner will face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship this Monday on RAW!

WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
SINGLE FALL MATCH
MATT HARDY [c] vs. TAJIRI

After successfully defending the Cruiserweight gold against Mysterio at WrestleMania a few days previously, Matt Hardy returns to the ring here tonight to defend against Tajiri. However, as at WrestleMania, the presence of Shannon Moore proves problematic for the challenger as he continuously involves himself in the match and causes problems for Tajiri. To his credit, Tajiri manages to put up a fight and he locks Matt in the Tarantula to the delight of the SMACKDOWN fans. A Buzzsaw Kick to the head of Hardy appears to have the title won for Tajiri but Shannon Moore places Hardy’s foot on the rope to save the title. As Tajiri argues with Moore and the referee, Matt takes advantage to hit the Twist of Fate to his challenger and this proves enough for the 3 count to retain the title. Following the match, Tajiri is irate over the way things went down and he goes after the champion and his M’Fer but the numbers game leads to Tajiri taking a beating from Hardy and Moore. However, Rey Mysterio - the man screwed over at WrestleMania - comes racing out to make the save and he takes Matt down with a Hurricanrana before hitting the 619 to Shannon Moore for good measure. As Hardy and Moore exit, Mysterio helps Tajiri to his feet but once again Matt Hardy has escaped with the WWE Cruiserweight Championship in his possession …

WINNER: MATT HARDY
via pinfall (4:37) to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Backstage, the SMACKDOWN General Manager Stephanie McMahon, full of smiles as she heads for her office, bumps into her father, the Chairman, Vince McMahon. Clearly still unhappy with Austin’s comments earlier in the evening, Vince begins to inform Stephanie of something but she shuts him down and reminds him that she is in charge and there is nothing he can do about it. Claiming that she is delighted with Austin’s presence here tonight to ensure that she can do her job, Stephanie says that she is the one making decisions whether Vince likes it or not. As Vince realises that he cannot do anything about it, Stephanie has a huge announcement for him: tonight, right here on SMACKDOWN, no holds barred, it will be Hulk Hogan vs. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper!

Backstage, Josh Matthews has the returning Mark Henry with him and reveals that Henry will be back in action in the ring here tonight on SMACKDOWN. However, Henry reveals his unhappiness with the way he has been treated by the WWE and suggests that in the past, he has been treated as a joke, a “novelty act” only capable of performing feats of strength. Whilst Henry admits that he is the strongest man in the world, he also claims that he is the “world’s most dangerous man” as well and says that he will prove that here tonight. Before he can continue though, Teddy Long appears and he agrees with everything Henry has said. However, he questions why the WWE believe that they can treat him in that way and suggests that it is because the WWE is comfortable with making a joke out of the black man. Identifying that joining forces with him will see him protected from the racist treatment he has received in the past, Long promises that nobody in the WWE will ever make a joke of him ever again. After considering it for a few moments, Henry shakes Long’s hand and agrees to join forces with him starting tonight.

SINGLE FALL MATCH
NIDIA vs. TORRIE WILSON

After the news earlier tonight that the WWE Women’s Championship and the women’s division would no longer be exclusive to RAW, two of SMACKDOWN’s female talent clash in the ring with added meaning - could one of these ladies get themselves into possible consideration for a future shot at the WWE Women’s Championship? There is certainly an added intensity to the two of them as they compete but the match is spoilt in the early stages when both women are down on the mat. As the two of them struggle up, Jazz from RAW slides into the ring and she attacks Torrie with a vicious takedown. The referee signals for a DQ as Nidia, wisely, exits the ring to avoid Jazz. Despite technically winning the match, Torrie is in real trouble here as she takes a beating from Jazz that she did not see coming. Nidia gets out of town and Jazz locks Torrie in a painful STF in the centre of the ring as she “welcomes” Torrie to the women’s division. Officials and referees swarm all around to break things up but Torrie is hurt here as Jazz stands over her looking pleased with her work. A clear message sent by “the bitch” here tonight and it seems that Torrie has a long way to go if she is to ever get into title contention.

WINNER: TORRIE WILSON
via disqualification (1:42)

Backstage, Team Angle - with their SMACKDOWN Tag Team Championship belts over their shoulders - enter the arena but they are looking concerned as they do so. Here on SMACKDOWN without their leader, Kurt Angle, or their representative, Paul Heyman, for the first time in their careers, the champions are hesitant as they slowly make their way through the backstage area. As Haas and Benjamin head for the locker room area though, they are met by Stephanie McMahon who informs them that they will be in action here tonight and defending their SMACKDOWN Tag Team Championships. When they ask who they will be facing, Stephanie reveals that it will be a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team match - Team Angle vs. Benoit & Rhyno vs. Los Guerreros vs. Rikishi & Scotty 2 Hotty! After Stephanie wishes them luck, Team Angle look fearful as they contemplate their challenge here tonight - they only just survived their WrestleMania encounter a few days ago and now they have an extra team to deal with here tonight on SMACKDOWN! Can Team Angle somehow retain their titles once again?

SINGLE FALL MATCH
BILLY GUNN vs. MARK HENRY

After their meeting earlier in the night, Mark Henry is accompanied by Teddy Long to the ring here tonight as he returns to action against Billy Gunn. Long heads over to join Michael Cole and Tazz on the announce desk as Henry puts in an impressive performance against Gunn as he looks to make an impact on his WWE return here tonight. However, Henry doesn’t get things all his own way as the experience of Billy sees him able to take the fight to the 400-pounder as well. On commentary, Long accuses the referee of “favouring the white boy” with a slow count which annoys Tazz who suggests that the WWE - management, officials, superstars - does not favour the white superstars at all. Long responds by asking if there has ever been a black World Champion before continuing his crusade. Back in the ring, Henry uses his power to get the upper hand over Gunn and, as you would expect in his return match, he manages to get the win when he hits the World’s Strongest Slam to get the 3 count. After the match, Long gets in the ring to celebrate the victory with Henry but takes in a microphone which he uses to inform his new client that Tazz has been disrespecting him on commentary. Tazz denies it but Henry, unwilling to listen to reason, drags the colour commentator from the announce desk and into the ring. Realising that he is in danger, Tazz has no problem fighting back but a distraction from Long allows Henry to hit another World’s Strongest Slam to Tazz. A despicable attack by Mark Henry here tonight as Teddy Long, getting right in Henry’s ear, ensures that his client’s anger is directed in a successful direction.

WINNER: MARK HENRY
via pinfall (5:40)

Ahead of his match later tonight with his long-term nemesis, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan appears in the interview pit with Dawn Marie who asks him whether he believes tonight will see an end to his rivalry with the Hot Rod. Laughing, Hogan says his issues with Piper run deep and will never truly be over - just like they never will with Vince McMahon either. Claiming that he has been waiting a long time to get his hands on Piper once again, Hogan vows to make him pay for his actions at WrestleMania and says that Hulkamania will run wild on Piper once again here tonight. Hogan then turns his attention to Vince as well and warns him to stay out his business here tonight. Suggesting that he won’t need Austin on hand to look after Vince, Hogan says he will always be ready to kick Vince McMahon’s ass all over the arena and that includes right here tonight on SMACKDOWN.

SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
4-CORNERS FATAL 4-WAY TAG TEAM MATCH
TEAM ANGLE [c] vs. CHRIS BENOIT & RHYNO vs. LOS GUERREROS vs. RIKISHI & SCOTTY 2 HOTTY

In what appears to be - for the second night in a row - an impossible situation for the SMACKDOWN Tag Team Champions, Team Angle are up against multiple challengers here tonight. In the early stages, the gameplan for Benjamin and Haas is clear as they look to capitalise on any tiny opportunity to sneak out a pinfall. However, they are not successful and their attempts do not sit well with the other three teams involved and they end up suffering the consequences as a result. Indeed, one of these consequences sees Benjamin down in the corner and he suffers the indignation of being on the end of the STINKFACE from Rikishi! Although the match descends into chaos, Benoit and Rhyno vs. Los Guerreros takes centre stage as we appear to be hitting the home straight and when Benoit locks Chavo in the CROSSFACE and Rhyno prevents Eddie from breaking it up by hitting the GORE to Latino Heat. However, as Benoit tries to pull back and force the submission, he is a little close to the ropes and Haas gets the tag. Benoit and Guerrero end up brawling outside the ring with Rikishi and Scotty at this point and, with Eddie down from the Gore, this leaves Chavo vulnerable and alone in the ring. Taking advantage of this, Benjamin waits for Chavo to pull himself up on the ropes … and then hits a jaw-crunching SUPERKICK before Haas rolls the Mexican up. Clutching the tights, Haas manages to sneak out the 3 count before the other teams have chance to react and somehow, one more time, the champions manage to retain their SMACKDOWN Tag Team Championships! With Los Guerreros down on the mat and the other four men looking on angrily, Haas and Benjamin quickly get out of the way and back away up the ramp with their title belts in their hands. Once again, Team Angle have retained their gold - even without their mentor Kurt Angle’s presence - in a multi-team contest.

WINNERS: TEAM ANGLE
via pinfall (6:06) to retain the SMACKDOWN Tag Team Championships

The SMACKDOWN General Manager, Stephanie McMahon, heads for the ring looking delighted with the way things are going here tonight and confident ahead of this Monday’s draft. Once in the ring, Stephanie reveals that - as per Austin’s explanation earlier tonight - she is out here to reveal her five chosen superstars or teams that will remain on SMACKDOWN and will therefore be unavailable for drafting. Before she announces her choices, Stephanie reveals that Eric Bischoff, the RAW General Manager, will be heading out here later tonight to make his own announcement regarding his choices for RAW but it won’t matter because, once the draft is complete, SMACKDOWN will continue to reign as the top brand in the WWE. Stephanie reveals, to nobody’s surprise, that her first pick to remain on SMACKDOWN is her newly-crowned WWE Champion, BROCK LESNAR, she says that there is no way that she is going to allow Lesnar to fall into the hands of Eric Bischoff. With another top superstar also allowed to be retained by SMACKDOWN, Stephanie says that the man who Lesnar defeated at WrestleMania, KURT ANGLE, will be her second choice and she confirms that, when he returns from injury, Angle will get an opportunity to regain the title from Lesnar. With two tag teams to be selected, Stephanie opts to retain her SMACKDOWN Tag Team Champions, TEAM ANGLE, as well as the team of CHRIS BENOIT & RHYNO. For her final choice, an up-and-coming star, Stephanie says that she has considered this more than any of the other choices due to the potential of the SMACKDOWN roster. However, she has made the decision that JOHN CENA will remain on SMACKDOWN moving forwards as her final pick. With Eric Bischoff still to come later tonight to announce his five picks to remain on RAW, has Stephanie made the right selections here tonight for the blue brand?

#1 CONTENDERSHIP
TURMOIL MATCH
BILLY KIDMAN vs. CRASH HOLLY vs. THE HURRICANE vs. JAMIE NOBLE vs. NUNZIO vs. REY MYSTERIO
(Winner will challenge Matt Hardy for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on Monday Night RAW)

The match kicks off with Billy Kidman facing Nunzio in the first fall of the match, these two men needing to go the long route if they wish to challenge Matt Hardy on RAW next Monday. Kidman manages to get Nunzio down on the mat near the ropes but he misses the Shooting Star Press, crashing face first into the mat instead. This allows Nunzio to take advantage with a quick roll up - tights held for good measure - and Nunzio takes the first fall of the match. Next out is the man who challenged Matt Hardy at WrestleMania, Rey Mysterio, who heads out as normal to delight the fans with his fast-paced, high-flying style. After hitting the 619, Mysterio drops the dime with his springboard leg drop and that proves enough for him to pin Nunzio and get the second fall. The action continues in the third fall when The Hurricane heads out and we have two fan-favourites facing off against each other next. In a highly competitive fall that spans five minutes, Hurricane hits a flying crossbody off the top rope to get a close 2 count but he then hits the ringpost shoulder first and Mysterio takes advantage with a leg scissors roll up to advance once again. Next out is Crash Holly but Mysterio makes short work of him; another 619 and then the West Coast Pip allows Mysterio to win his third straight fall as he pins Crash. Can Mysterio find a way to win four straight falls here and secure the title shot? The final man out is Jamie Noble, a former Cruiserweight Champion of course, but before Noble can lay a glove on Mysterio, Crash attacks the Mexican from behind and then drops him with a DDT. Looking to take advantage, Noble goes on the offensive but gets too over-confident with the situation and is unable to put Mysterio away. As his frustration grows, Noble looks to hit Paydirt but Mysterio counters it with a standing dropkick that sends Noble sprawling over the middle rope. 619 for a third time followed by a springboard splash, Mysterio hooks the leg and gets a fourth straight victory to earn himself the title shot! Mysterio celebrates the victory with the fans, an impressive victory as he wins four of the five falls, and signals that he will become the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion this Monday night on RAW during the draft.

WINNER: REY MYSTERIO
via pinfall (12:49) to become the #1 contender for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Backstage, we see Dawn Marie once again and this time she is interviewing Hogan’s opponent here tonight in the Street Fight, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. Short and sweet, Piper tells Dawn Marie that he returned to the WWE at WrestleMania for one reason: his intense hatred of Hulk Hogan. “You’d better believe me, lady,” Piper spits, “I am going to destroy Hulk Hogan here tonight, I’m going to kill Hulkamania once and for all … and I’m gonna’ damn well enjoy it as well!” With that, Piper exits to prepare and the No Holds Barred match, Hogan vs. Piper, is coming up very soon here on SMACKDOWN.

A limousine pulls into the parking lot here in Spokane and, looking cautious, out steps the RAW General Manager, Eric Bischoff, here to announce his five retained picks for RAW ahead of the draft. As he heads into the arena, he is met by his SMACKDOWN counterpart, Stephanie and she welcomes him to the top brand here in the WWE, SMACKDOWN. Declaring Thursday nights to be the “superior brand in the WWE”, Stephanie informs Eric that she has been kicking his ass all year long and, regardless of who he drafts this Monday night, she will continue to reign supreme. As Bischoff goes to retort though, he receives a phone call and he answers it. It becomes clear pretty quickly that it is the World Heavyweight Champion - and Stephanie’s ex-husband of course - Triple H and he is attempting to convince Bischoff to follow some instructions. Even though we can only hear Bischoff’s side of the conversation, it’s pretty clear that Bischoff will be retaining his World Champion and that The Game is pressuring him to retain the remaining members of Evolution as well after their antics on RAW. Despite the warnings from Triple H, Bischoff says that he has yet to finalise his decisions but he will announce them later tonight and they will be the best decisions not for Triple H and Evolution but for Eric Bischoff and Monday Night RAW. As he ends the call, Bischoff looks conflicted but Stephanie smirks at him and says that she knows all about Triple H. Suggesting that if he really wants to become the superior General Manager, Stephanie advises Bischoff that he needs to “grow some damn balls” and take control of his roster!

NO HOLDS BARRED MATCH
HULK HOGAN vs. “ROWDY” RODDY PIPER

In a match full of intense hatred, Hogan and Piper battle outside the ring early in the match and it doesn’t take long for Piper to begin utilising the environment to punish the Hulkster. Making use of the ring steps and then with steel chairs and steel pipes, Piper surprisingly gets the upper hand but is unable to put Hogan away during the match and frustration grows. When Piper locks in the SLEEPER, it looks as if Hogan might be in trouble but he manages to fight his way out and hulks up before his arm can drop three times. Hogan hits the big boot followed by his fabled LEG DROP and looks to have the match won but decides against pinning Piper. Instead, he goes outside the ring and grabs a steel chair of his own and looks set to punish Piper some more for his actions at WrestleMania. However, just as Hogan is about to strike, CHUCK PALUMBO slides into the ring and grabs the chair just before Hogan can smash it over Piper’s head. What is going on here? PALUMBO SMASHES THE STEEL CHAIR OVER THE HEAD OF HOGAN and then, as Hogan struggles up, he hits the SUPERKICK as well to knock Hogan cold! This allows Piper to crawl over and make the cover … 1 … 2 … 3! Piper steals the victory over Hogan thanks to Chuck Palumbo! After the match, Palumbo and Piper leave together and it becomes very clear that this was a pre-planned assault on Hogan here tonight!

WINNER: “ROWDY” RODDY PIPER
via pinfall (7:45)

The RAW General Manager, Eric Bischoff, heads out to the ring next and it is time for him to reveal his retained picks for Monday night ahead of the 2003 draft. However, once in the ring, Bischoff delays revealing his choices and goes off on a tirade about how annoyed he is with the appointment of Stone Cold Steve Austin as the new WWE Enforcer. Suggesting that Austin was signed to compete in the ring on RAW, not to babysit him as the General Manager, Bischoff says that he has filed a complaint with the WWE Board of Directors and he expects them to take it seriously. As Bischoff whines on, Austin appears on the titantron and he accuses Bischoff of wasting time and boring everybody here in the arena. Austin says that Linda McMahon and the Board of Directors have already had a good laugh at his official complaint and dismissed it out of hand; he tells Bischoff that he is here to stay and he better get on with naming his picks for RAW or else he will have to “suffer the consequences”. Despite his annoyance at Austin’s words, Bischoff decides to reveal his choices and kicks off, as expected, with the World Heavyweight Champion, TRIPLE H followed by two of his Evolution colleagues, Bischoff’s first tag team selection, BATISTA & RIC FLAIR. With three-quarters of Evolution retained, Bischoff now focuses his attention on his next top star and suggests that this was difficult due to the number of talented RAW roster members. However, in the end, Bischoff has selected the multiple-time Intercontinental Champion and the first-ever WWE Undisputed Champion, CHRIS JERICHO, to remain on RAW. With another tag team to be retained, Bischoff follows Stephanie’s earlier lead and opts to keep his RAW Tag Team Champions, as well as keeping his Chief of Staff around, CHIEF MORLEY & LANCE STORM. With his final choice, an up-and-coming future star, Bischoff is expected to select Randy Orton and this is clearly the name he has in mind after his phone call from Triple H. However, with Stephanie’s words about growing some balls running through his head maybe, Bischoff chooses to ignore his World Champion … and instead retains JEFF HARDY for Monday Night RAW! How will that final pick sit with Triple H? Will Bischoff be able to draft Orton this Monday at the draft? Or is there a chance that Orton could be split from his Evolution colleagues in the coming days?

Ahead of the main event match to determine Brock Lesnar’s #1 contender for this Monday night, Stephaniesteps into the medical room where she is heading to check on the SMACKDOWN announcer, Tazz after his beating from Mark Henry earlier tonight. Clearly angry at how things went down earlier tonight, Tazz demands that Stephanie gives him a match with Henry but she refuses this request: “You are part of the announce team now, Tazz,” Stephanie explains, “I can’t allow you to be in the ring competing.” Refusing to accept her answer, Tazz says that it has been on his mind for a while now that he wants to return to the ring and he reveals that he is willing to quit as an announcer and return to the ring as an in-ring competitor, especially if it means he gets his hands on Henry. Reluctantly, Stephanie agrees but she warns Tazz that, as an in-ring competitor, this makes him eligible to be drafted to RAW but he does not care. Simply put, Tazz is intent on choking Mark Henry out and he says that this is going to happen regardless of which brand he - or the World’s Strongest Man - are assigned to.

#1 CONTENDERSHIP
TRIPLE THREAT MATCH
A-TRAIN vs. BIG SHOW vs. THE UNDERTAKER
(Winner will challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship this Monday on RAW)

A highly-competitive match here with a huge prize on offer; which of these three men will get the opportunity to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship when he returns this Monday on RAW? At first, the two men that teamed together against Taker just a few days ago at WrestleMania do the same thing here and they work together against the American Bad Ass. However, when A-Train hits Undertaker with the DERAILER and appears to have the match won, Big Show drags him off and the two of them start brawling as a result. Whilst Undertaker is still up against it against these two monsters, the fact that the two of them are working together less means he has a better chance … but he is hit with the CHOKE SLAM later by Big Show and it is up to A-Train to save him this time! As the three big men just launch power moves against each other now, desperately searching for the knock out blow, it is Undertaker who manages to hit the decisive move: a CHOKE SLAM of his own to Big Show to put him out of the reckoning for a few moments. He then hits an unseen low blow to A-Train as he hits mounted punches to him and lifts him up off the rope … and drops him with the LAST RIDE out of the corner. Although Big Show tries to get back in time, he is too late and Undertaker makes the 3 count to earn the right to challenge Lesnar on RAW!

WINNER: THE UNDERTAKER
via pinfall (8:11) to become the #1 contender for the WWE Championship

This Monday night, during the draft on RAW, it will be Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker for the WWE Championship in what promises to be an epic confrontation. Will Lesnar, just a week on from the concussion he suffered at WrestleMania, be able to overcome the American Bad Ass in his first title defence? SMACKDOWN closes with The Undertaker celebrating his victory here tonight in the main event and excitement is building here for the draft this Monday. Which superstars will be drafted from RAW to SMACKDOWN? And from SMACKDOWN to RAW? It promises to be a huge night this Monday and not one to be missed!

THURSDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN - QUICK RESULTS

Matt Hardy def. Tajiri to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Torrie Wilson def. Nidia (DQ)
Mark Henry def. Billy Gunn
Team Angle def. Benoit/Rhyno, Los Guerreros & Rikishi/Scotty to retain the SMACKDOWN Tag Team Championships
Rey Mysterio def. Billy Kidman, Crash Holly, The Hurricane, Jamie Noble & Nunzio
to become the #1 contender for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper def. Hulk Hogan
The Undertaker def. A-Train & Big Show to become the #1 contender for the WWE Championship

SUNDAY APRIL 6, 2003

SINGLE FALL MATCH
SCOTT STEINER def. STEVEN RICHARDS
via submission (2:47)

Continuing to build momentum here in the WWE, Scott Steiner kicks off Sunday Night HEAT with victory over Steven Richards as he locks in the STEINER RECLINER for the submission.

SINGLE FALL MATCH
MOLLY HOLLY def. JACQUELINE
via pinfall (3:28)

With the recent announcement that the WWE Women’s Championship division will now be across both brands, there is added incentive here tonight for Molly Holly and Jacqueline as they compete. The MOLLY-GO-ROUND proves pivotal here as Molly takes down Jacqueline to pick up a big win in her quest to regain the title in the future.

SINGLE FALL MATCH
BILL DEMOTT def. BRIAN KENDRICK
via pinfall (1:55)

Routine victory for DeMott here tonight as he makes short work of the much smaller Kendrick; DeMott hits the RUNNING POWERSLAM for the 3 count.

SINGLE FALL TAG TEAM MATCH
MATT HARDY [c] & SHANNON MOORE def. AL SNOW & MAVEN
via pinfall (5:39)

Ahead of his WWE Cruiserweight Championship defence on RAW, Matt Hardy - and his partner Shannon Moore - prepares with a big win on HEAT in the main event. Hardy manages to hit the TWIST OF FATE to put away Al Snow which causes some frustration post-match for Maven who looks unhappy with his mentor. However, with his title on the line tomorrow, a huge boost for Matt Hardy as he build some momentum.

RDT · Feb 5, 2024

This is a very easy read so far and I'm liking the format. These are some monster matches you've booked too on your first RAW and Smackdown and I'm curious how you'll build to PPVs as a result. Kevin Nash returning to team with Shawn was close to what happened IRL but also cool how it was done. HHH and Flair vs. Booker, big match. On the Smackdown side interesting to see Hogan and Piper given away right away on TV, but maybe that's for the better. I'm all for Undertaker vs. Lesnar for the title on the next RAW too. I'm really interested in seeing more.

DTP · Feb 7, 2024

WWE SmackDown - April 3, 2003:

Man, am I happy to see this is still alive. WrestleMania XIX served as a strong base for an impeccable first show in Monday Night RAW - I just hope we see you keep up the trend.

It's an interesting decision to see the WWE Draft get three hours in the year 2003. It wasn't something that was typically done, and I think this will be a first in the ten-plus year history of Monday Night RAW. I believe the first three-hour show would be RAW Homecoming in 2005. Not to say you can't max it out, though, the 2003 Draft is absolutely mega.

The WWE Enforcer role presented by Linda McMahon does allow for the star power of Stone Cold Steve Austin to appear on any show he likes, which in a time where Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle are both out hurt, is definitely a needed kick that SmackDown needs. Good set-up with Austin and Vince McMahon, and I am interested in how you might have Vince meddle with the show as in real life. Interesting there were absolutely no references to Hulk Hogan after WrestleMania XIX.

A bit of a fast turnaround o the WWE Championship match, but I suppose a three-hour RAW show requires it in this period, practically. I wouldn't mind seeing A-Train get the underdog win, as we've seen Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, as well as Big Show for that matter, already in previous months.

Matt Hardy retaining the WWE Cruiserweight Championship was the logical move, and I would suspect his score with Rey Mysterio shall go continued spanning from this one. There's a lot you can do with Matt as the champ, with Shannon Moore beside him. I think Rey is the move to make as far as getting the title off of V1, but not yet.

Mark Henry's return is a welcome one, adding even more BEEF to SmackDown, alongside Big Show, A-Train, Rikishi and countless others. I feel like it happened a little out of left-field, but this is the week after WrestleMania, after all. Teddy Long was spot on in this role, and really this era of Mark really needs a mouthpiece.

I was surprised to see the women in a spot outside of the death-slot before the main event. It would not have been a good match, but really the business with Torrie Wilson and Nidia was all about Jazz appearing to get redemption after losing at WrestleMania. I'm expecting big things for Jazz in 2003, hopefully barring injury. Curious as to why Teddy Long wasn't at her side, here, though he is involved with Mark Henry as of this show. Also interesting not to see any sign of Jamie Noble here.

Mark Henry getting the win over Billy Gunn just makes sense. I think Billy popping up is a bit out of nowhere, as I don't recall him being featured in the spring months ahead of coming back as Mr. Ass in the summer. May have gone a little long for both men, too, at five minutes. Jeez, I get that Tazz has been quietly retired for a year, but I don't know about him taking bumps for Henry to show the new mean streak. Hilarious as it sounds, Michael Cole would have been a better foil. I wonder who Cole will team up with on commentary now, still this early into the show. Good angle, either way.

Hulk Hogan finally appearing made sense, and it seems you are interested in getting the stuff with Roddy Piper out of the way sooner rather than later.

I would have left Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty out of the mix in this WWE Tag Team Championship match, if I'm honest. The WrestleMania rematch would have been fine as it was, and also could have gone a lot longer and less rushed. Six minutes is a little tight for teams the calibre of Team Angle, Chris Benoit and Rhyno & Los Guerreros. Interested to see how you plan to freshen things up on the tag team front.

Conceptually I'm okay with the idea of talents being reserved ahead of the WWE Draft. It's a fresh topic and allows for not a complete rehash of what we saw with the initial Brand Extension Draft in 2002. The right candidates were made, and John Cena being among them certainly establishes him as the rising star. I suspect his big push may begin earlier than anticipated in 2003.

I'm not too keen on all of the multi-man matches, and the idea of a WWE Cruiserweight Championship match happening on the three-hour Monday Night RAW does sound enthralling, but hopefully it gets the ample time it needs. Cruiserweight Opens are always pretty clustered, but this read better than the WrestleMania XX match, so that's something. Rey Mysterio winning made logical sense, and I suspect he may get the title win on Monday - a little soon for Matt Hardy to lose it though...unless?

Switching out Sean O'Haire for Chuck Palumbo as the sidekick of Roddy Piper had me laughing in InVasion Angle 2001. Big push for him too, months after the Billy & Chuck fiasco, getting heat on Hulk Hogan. I don't know how I like Hogan just moving on past Vince McMahon so fast, admittedly.

Eric Bischoff's choices were logical, though the night and day between members of Evolution and Chief Morley and Lance Storm is laughable. I did like the discourse of Triple H wanting Randy Orton chosen. Jeff Hardy being name-dropped indicates a big push for him coming up - let's just hope he keeps his nose clean. Shawn Michaels going free, to me, says that we may see him abandon church on Tuesdays and make the switch to SmackDown.

The Undertaker winning out against Big Show and A-Train was the biggest possible selection you could have made. I sense an angle alert for he and Brock Lesnar's match for the WWE Championship on Monday Night RAW.

Overall, this felt like a longer show than usual for SmackDown. It gave me the impression we're in for a whirlwind of changes to make this project your own, come the three-hour Draft edition of RAW. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but there was a lot to digest all crammed into the last show before big changes.

Excited to see what Monday brings.

GCB · Feb 10, 2024

MONDAY APRIL 7, 2003
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

It’s a special 3-hour edition of Monday Night RAW and, for most WWE superstars, a pivotal night in their immediate futures as it’s time for RAW and SMACKDOWN to be shook up with the 2003 Draft. With the exception of the females and ten superstars or teams that have been retained by the General Managers, all WWE superstars are up for grabs here tonight. Eric Bischoff’s RAW brand has retained the services of the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H, his Evolution tag team of Batista and Ric Flair, the RAW Tag Team Champions Chief Morley and Lance Storm, Chris Jericho and the up-and-coming Jeff Hardy; none of these seven men will be eligible for drafting by SMACKDOWN. For Stephanie McMahon and SMACKDOWN, the decision was made to retain WWE Champion Brock Lesnar (unless he loses the title here tonight which would then see The Undertaker retained), the man Lesnar beat at WrestleMania in Kurt Angle, the SMACKDOWN Tag Team Champions Team Angle, the team of Chris Benoit and Rhyno and finally SMACKDOWN’s future star, John Cena. The WWE Women’s Championship division - including the champion herself, Trish Stratus - will compete on both brands as will the WWE Cruiserweight Champion and selected cruiserweight superstars although these men could be drafted to a specific brand if wished by the General Managers. Watching along is the new WWE Enforcer, Stone Cold Steve Austin, who will ensure that the rules are followed here tonight and make any tough decisions needed on behalf of Linda McMahon.

RAW kicks off with video footage of the coin toss in the back which would determine which brand’s General Manager would get the first selection. After the first selection, the brands will alternate choosing two superstars or teams to join their roster and each brand will receive ten draft picks tonight in addition to the five retained stars or teams already selected. Following tonight’s RAW, the remaining superstars will be drafted on WWE.com until the redefined RAW and SMACKDOWN rosters are complete. The coin toss is won by Stephanie and SMACKDOWN but she reveals that she will be allowing Bischoff to make the first selection for RAW to give herself the first double selection. Bischoff likes this idea and says he is pretty confident he knows who he will draft first; he tells Stephanie that she just made a huge error and he will ensure that RAW remains the top brand (an arguable point) in the WWE.

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
SINGLE FALL MATCH
BROCK LESNAR [c] vs. THE UNDERTAKER
(if Undertaker wins WWE Championship, he is retained by SMACKDOWN)

Two powerful fan-favourites collide in the opening match of the night following Taker’s victory on SMACKDOWN last week when he defeated both A-Train and Big Show in a Triple Threat #1 contender match. As we saw back in late 2002, Taker is more than a match for the WWE Champion and the two of them have a great deal of respect for each other; this is shown in a see-saw encounter that sees both men controlling parts of the match. The longer the match goes, the more intense and powerful it becomes and the WWE fans in attendance here tonight in Milwaukee are gripped by the encounter. When Taker looks to hit the Choke Slam to Lesnar though, the champion counters it superbly into the F-5 and appears to have the match won. However, Taker manages to get his foot on the ropes to survive much to the disbelief of Lesnar. Frustration showing on his face, Lesnar stalks Taker as he gets up and looks for a second F-5 but this time Taker counters with a CHOKE SLAM that shakes the foundations of the ring. Unfortunately for Taker, after the F-5, he is still groggy himself and both men are down … AND OUT COME EVOLUTION TO ATTACK THE TWO SMACKDOWN SUPERSTARS! As the referee signals for the bell to end the match, Batista, Flair and Orton beat down on The Undertaker whilst HHH stomps down on the fall WWE Champion, Lesnar. What business does Evolution have with the WWE Championship match? As JR laments the destruction of a potentially amazing WWE Championship match, Triple H drives Lesnar face first into the mat with the PEDIGREE whilst Taker is dragged up off the mat and hit with the BATISTA BOMB by the Animal. As Evolution stand tall, HHH drops the WWE Championship belt over the prone body of Lesnar before raising his own World Heavyweight Championship belt high for all to see. Is this a message from Evolution to the top SMACKDOWN superstars here tonight?

WINNER: NO CONTEST
(9:40) Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Championship

Following the first commercial break of the night, Eric Bischoff heads out into the arena and announces that he has made his decision about RAW’s first draft pick. However, before he can announce it, Triple H interrupts proceedings and makes another appearance here tonight. Revealing that Evolution interfered in the opening match of the night to send a clear message to SMACKDOWN that RAW is the dominant brand here in the WWE, The Game explains that RAW dominates because of Evolution. “You see, Eric, you know what I know, you NEED Evolution here on RAW,” Triple H insists, “And you will do well to remember that keeping Evolution happy, keeping me happy, is a wise move that you will not regret.” The World Champion goes on to indicate two things for Bischoff to consider here tonight in the draft: first, keep Evolution whole and ensure that Randy Orton is drafted to RAW as he should have done last week with his retained selections; secondly, do not draft anybody to RAW that Triple H wouldn’t want to see here on Monday nights. “After all, Eric, you wouldn’t want to upset Evolution and your biggest star, would you?” HHH smirks. However, Bischoff doesn’t look particularly impressed and he - for once - stands up to his World Heavyweight Champion by insisting that every decision he makes tonight is not for the good of Evolution, not for the good of Eric Bischoff, it will be for the good of RAW! “And given that I have Austin watching my every move,” Bischoff adds, “I gotta’ be real careful about the decisions I make here tonight.” As HHH looks angrily at Bischoff and his defiance, the General Manager announces that it is time for his first draft pick to be selected. “And Triple H, I know already, you’re not going to like it,” Bischoff says with a reluctant nod, “Because the man I am drafting to Monday Night RAW first is … GOLDBERG!”

“WHO’S NEXT?”
GOLDBERG
(RAW Draft Pick #1)

As the fans are on their feet here in Milwaukee, Goldberg makes his way out through the smoke and pyro to a huge pop; the former WCW Champion will be coming to Monday Night RAW! In the ring, Triple H looks on with a face full of anger and anxiety at this revelation - he knows that Goldberg is an instant threat to him as Eric Bischoff continues to defy his requests. As Goldberg steps up into the ring, Triple H looks unsettled and the two of them end up face-to-face; Goldberg smirks at the look on the World Champion’s face and he takes a long look at the World Heavyweight Championship that is resting on the shoulder of The Game. It’s very clear that Goldberg has aspirations of once again holding the big gold belt and that puts Triple H right in his path. However, as Goldberg stares a hole in Triple H, the rest of Evolution once again hit the ring and this time we see them attacking Goldberg from behind. Caught off guard, Goldberg is quickly overcome by Batista, Orton and Flair who lay the boots to him but, in true Goldberg style, he manages to fight them off. Clotheslining Flair up and over the top rope, Goldberg then turns his attention to Batista and hits him with a vicious SPEAR that almost breaks The Animal in two. Next, Goldberg begins to set himself to strike Orton as well but Triple H, now on the outside of the ring, pulls The Viper out of the ring and Evolution make their way up the ramp to safety. Standing in the ring snarling at the cowardice he sees in front of him, it’s clear that Goldberg has his eyes firmly set on Triple H and the World Heavyweight Championship now that he is a part of Monday Night RAW.

In the ring following a break, Stephanie McMahon is ready to deliver the first SMACKDOWN draft pick of the night, the first of two successive selections for the SMACKDOWN General Manager. Identifying that she was considering making Goldberg her first selection as well, Stephanie says that it looks as if his arrival will cause even more chaos on RAW. Once again, Stephanie questions Bischoff’s leadership skills and she says that there is no doubt that every single WWE superstar eligible to be drafted tonight is hoping to join SMACKDOWN. Despite missing out on Goldberg, Stephanie is fine and she says that she had more options in mind for the first SMACKDOWN selection of the night before she reveals that, just like Goldberg, her pick will bring a huge amount of attention to her brand. “Therefore, returning home to SMACKDOWN, my number one draft selection is … THE ROCK!” Stephanie announces, a huge beaming smile on her face. Unfortunately, The Rock is not here in the arena this evening but he is live via satellite from Hollywood and he appears on the titantron looking less-than-convinced about Stephanie’s decision. Cutting her off as she welcomes him “home” to his show, Rocky reminds everybody that he beat Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania last week and has more than likely ended his career. “You see, Stephanie, whilst The Rock is flattered by your draft pick, The Rock has done it all in the WWE now,” Rocky suggests, “And after all the boos, all the jeers, whether that was on RAW or SMACKDOWN, The Rock has to ask the question about whether the WWE fans deserve to see The Rock at all?” As Stephanie looks worried that her decision to draft The Rock could well backfire on her, she implores him not to make a hasty decision and reveals that she knows him better than he thinks. “You see, Rock, I know what it is that eats you alive at night,” Stephanie claims, “And trust me, Rock, you will want to be on SMACKDOWN this Thursday night to hear my side of things.” Revealing that she has a huge announcement planned for SMACKDOWN, Stephanie says she expects to see The Rock on her show. Confirming that he will be there and will make a decision on his future once he has heard Stephanie’s arguments, Rock demands respect from the SMACKDOWN fans this Thursday before hitting his trademark finish. What is Stephanie planning for this Thursday on SMACKDOWN? And how will it convince The Rock that his future is with SMACKDOWN?

WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
SINGLE FALL MATCH
MATT HARDY [c] vs. REY MYSTERIO

For the second time tonight, a SMACKDOWN title is on the line here as Rey Mysterio - after winning a Turmoil Match on SMACKDOWN last Thursday - challenges for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Facing the man who controversially beat him at WrestleMania to retain the gold, Matt Hardy, Mysterio has learnt from his WrestleMania match and he takes out Shannon Moore early by dropkicking him off the ring apron as soon as the bell rings. However, Moore still becomes a problem later on as he turns the tide by dragging Matt out of the ring as Rey looks to hit the 619. This leads to Mysterio turning his attention to Shannon instead and allows Matt to sneak up and hit a back suplex on Mysterio that allows him to take control. Each time Mysterio seems set to get back into the fight though, Moore causes another distraction and eventually this leads to Jeff Hardy racing out to the ring and dragging him off the ring apron. Smashing him shoulder first into the ring steps, Jeff takes Shannon out of proceedings and Matt looks stunned at his younger brother’s actions here tonight. Distracted, Matt is hit with a drop kick from behind by Mysterio that sends him into the ropes and sets him up for the 619 followed by the WEST COAST POP! This hurricanrana pinfall proves enough to keep Matt down for the 3 count and Rey Mysterio wins the WWE Cruiserweight Championship here tonight on RAW! Taking the congratulations from Jeff Hardy as he lifts the Cruiserweight gold high above his head, Mysterio has finally overcome Matt Hardy here tonight to the astonishment of the man with the Mattitude.

WINNER: REY MYSTERIO
via pinfall (5:27) to become the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion

After drafting The Rock as her first draft pick of the night moments before the Cruiserweight Championship match, Stephanie returns to the ring for the next selection and she reveals that this is a man that she has wanted on SMACKDOWN for a long, long time. Suggesting that he is one of the greatest of all time, Stephanie reveals that SMACKDOWN’s number two draft pick will be the one and only SHAWN MICHAELS!

“SEXY BOY”
SHAWN MICHAELS
(SMACKDOWN Draft Pick #2)

Looking pleased with the decision of the SMACKDOWN General Manager, Michaels heads out wearing a blue SMACKDOWN t-shirt and makes his way down to the ring. Once in the ring, Michaels shakes hands with Stephanie and says that it will be a pleasure to be part of her team on SMACKDOWN and he will do all that he can to help her overcome Eric Bischoff moving forwards. “However, boss, I gotta’ ask you a favour off the bat,” Michaels reveals, “And it’s a favour I need you to grant me right here tonight.” Indicating that this is the only opportunity for her to grant this favour, Michaels asks her to grant him a match here tonight on RAW: a WrestleMania rematch with his big rival, Chris Jericho. Stephanie is only too happy to book the match but she suggests that she knows that Bischoff will be less inclined to do so. However, the glass shatters and out stomps STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN, the WWE Enforcer, to address the situation. Identifying that he is Linda McMahon’s eyes and ears, that he has been given the responsibility to ensure the right things are done, Austin officially announces that right here tonight on RAW, the main event will see RAW’s Chris Jericho going one-on-one with SMACKDOWN’s Shawn Michaels and that’s the bottom line … “because Stone Cold said so!”

Angry at Austin’s interference in booking the Michaels vs. Jericho match for tonight’s main event, Bischoff stomps out to the ring next to make his next draft selection. Doubling down on his intentions to prove that RAW will be the superior brand, Bischoff says that his next move is to rip the heart out of the current SMACKDOWN brand by drafting … THE UNDERTAKER!

“YOU’RE GONNA’ PAY”
THE UNDERTAKER

Looking thoroughly pissed off after the actions of Evolution earlier in the night that cost him the WWE Championship, Undertaker heads down to the ring looking determined to get something off his chest. Getting right into the face of Bischoff and ripping the microphone from his grasp, Taker reveals that he has no problem being part of Monday Night RAW, especially given the fact that RAW is where Triple H currently resides. The American Bad Ass warns Bischoff that he will not be part of his games here on RAW and reminds him that the ring he is standing in is still his yard. Demanding Triple H right here tonight on RAW, it is clear that Undertaker wants to avenge Evolution’s earlier actions right here tonight. However, Bischoff informs Taker that, due to Evolution’s actions against Lesnar, Taker and Goldberg earlier tonight, he has had them removed from the building so he cannot make that match. Taker accepts that he will have to wait a few days to get his hands on Triple H but he suggests to Bischoff that Triple H is a “dead man walking” and that it’s just a matter of time before he takes vengeance on him.

SINGLE FALL 3-ON-2 HANDICAP MATCH
CHIEF MORLEY & LANCE STORM [c] & SPIKE DUDLEY vs. DUDLEY BOYZ
(if the Dudley Boyz win, they will get a future RAW Tag Team Championship opportunity)

After Spike turned against the two Dudley brothers last week to join forces with Eric Bischoff, he tonight teams with the RAW Tag Team Champions in a Handicap match where, if they are to emerge successful, the Dudleys could earn themselves a title shot. Much to the annoyance of his half brothers, Spike refuses to tag into the match though and their efforts to punish him for his actions on last week’s RAW are unsuccessful. Instead, Bubba and D-Von are forced to take out their frustrations on the champions; when D-Von hits a diving headbutt to the groin of Morley, he crawls to the corner to make the tag to Spike. However, unwilling to get in the ring and face up to his half brothers, Spike drops down from the ring apron and walks out on the match. This leaves Morley vulnerable to a further attack and the Dudleys hit the 3-D to him to secure the victory. If they remain on Monday Night RAW, the Dudleys have secured themselves a RAW Tag Team Championship opportunity for the future and they look intent on becoming champions for a seventeenth time!

WINNERS: DUDLEY BOYZ
via pinfall (6:58) to secure a future RAW Tag Team Championship opportunity

After the opening draft selections of the evening were announced in the ring, there is a switch now as both Bischoff and Stephanie - watched over by Stone Cold Steve Austin of course - are in a backstage office to continue the draft. Next pick is for RAW and Bischoff announces that his third draft of the night will see LOS GUERREROS - the former SMACKDOWN Tag Team Champions - switch over to Monday Night RAW. A fan of Chavo and Eddie Guerrero, Stephanie looks disappointed to lose one of her top teams on the blue brand but she identifies that she has had her eyes on a RAW tag team and now is the time to swoop in and steal them away. As Bischoff looks at her interested to see who she selects, Stephanie announces that KANE & ROB VAN DAM will be heading for SMACKDOWN. We then get a quick round up of the draft retentions and selections made so far by each brand from Jim Ross and Michael Cole.

MONDAY NIGHT RAW
Retained List:
1: Triple H
2: Chris Jericho
3: Chief Morley & Lance Storm
4: Batista & Ric Flair
5: Jeff Hardy

Draft Selections:
1: Goldberg
2: The Undertaker
3: Los Guerreros

SMACKDOWN
Retained List:
1: Brock Lesnar
2: Kurt Angle
3: Team Angle
4: Chris Benoit & Rhyno
5: John Cena

Draft Selections:
1: The Rock
2: Shawn Michaels
3: Kane & Rob Van Dam

After the commercial break, we return to the draft selection area where it is time for Stephanie McMahon to make her fourth draft selection of the night. Revealing that her fourth pick has suffered injury issues in recent months, Stephanie says that she is confident that this man has been overlooked so far and just needs the opportunity to get back into the main event scene here in the WWE: SMACKDOWN’s fourth pick is “Big Daddy Cool” KEVIN NASH! United with his best friend in Shawn Michaels, Nash looks pleased with that decision as the camera focuses in on him backstage before we return for Eric Bischoff to reveal his next pick. He identifies that he wants RAW to have a thriving tag team division so he has opted to select another team, this time it is the alliance of A-TRAIN & BIG SHOW! Bischoff describes the two of them as the “most dominant team in the WWE” but this does not sit well with Steph who suggests that her newly-acquired team of Kane and RVD could lay claim to that description. The two of them agree that tonight, during the draft, it will be RAW’s newest team against SMACKDOWN’s newest: it will be A-Train and Big Show vs. Kane and Rob Van Dam later tonight!

SINGLE FALL 6-WOMAN TAG TEAM MATCH
TRISH STRATUS [c], JACQUELINE & TORRIE WILSON vs. JAZZ, NIDIA & VICTORIA

With the WWE Women’s Champion competing on one side of the ring, all the other five women involved in this match are looking to make a big impression as they seek to earn the right to challenge Trish down the line. We get a competitive match between the two teams but it is Jazz, impressive once again, who manages to hit a stiff DDT to Trish and get a pinfall victory over the champion. Could this lead to a title opportunity down the line for Jazz?

WINNERS: JAZZ, NIDIA & VICTORIA
via pinfall (2:44)

Following each other in quick succession, RAW and SMACKDOWN make their fifth and sixth draft choices of the evening between matches and either side of the commercial break. First up, Eric Bischoff opts to draft the legendary HULK HOGAN - who will be in action next as he faces Chuck Palumbo looking for revenge from SMACKDOWN last week - potentially bringing himself a lot more Vince McMahon attention as a result. Stephanie points this out and suggests that she may not need the services of the WWE Enforcer after all before revealing that she is drafting the 5-time WCW Champion, BOOKER T, to SMACKDOWN after he was screwed out of the World Heavyweight Championship in successive nights last week. Suggesting that Booker T will get his fair chance to become a champion once again when he joins SMACKDOWN, Stephanie then also reveals the sixth draft pick of the night for the blue brand: the 16-time Tag Team Champions, the DUDLEY BOYZ who just a few moments ago earned themselves a shot at the RAW Tag Team Championships. Realising that Stephanie may have just saved him from a problem with the Dudleys title shot, Bischoff smirks before revealing that MATT HARDY - the man who lost the WWE Cruiserweight Championship earlier tonight - will be exclusive to Monday Night RAW. Both brands now have four picks remaining, starting with RAW’s seventh choice next up when the draft resumes.

SINGLE FALL MATCH
CHUCK PALUMBO vs. HULK HOGAN

After Palumbo’s interference cost Hogan a match against his long-term nemesis, Rowdy Roddy Piper, last week on SMACKDOWN, the two clash here on Monday Night RAW with Hogan hell bent on taking revenge here tonight. However, with Piper in his corner, Palumbo’s youth and strength plays a big factor in the early stages as he manages to take the fight to Hogan. The veteran ways of Piper also come into play as he constantly causes a distraction to Hogan as well which allows Palumbo to remain in control of proceedings. However, in the end, Hogan hulks up and he knocks both Palumbo and Piper down before delivering the LEG DROP to Piper for good measure. With his rival taken down, Hogan switches his attention back to Palumbo who, to his credit, regains a little bit of control with a Piper-like thumb to the eyes of Hogan. However, when Palumbo looks to hit the Superkick to Hogan, the American Hero ducks under it and delivers a series of right hands followed by the big boot to the face and … ANOTHER LEG DROP, this time to Palumbo to get the 3 count. A big win for Hulk Hogan who, as we just heard, will be making the switch from SMACKDOWN to join Eric Bischoff’s RAW brand from next week. The fans are delighted with his victory here tonight and we get the usual Hogan celebrations and posing to finish the match.

WINNER: HULK HOGAN
via pinfall (7:42)

Backstage, we see Bischoff and Stephanie face-to-face once again, clearly in disagreement with each other as they continue to look to get one over each other here tonight in the draft. Despite his injury problems that are plaguing him at the moment - and threatening to keep him out for a significant period of time - the seventh draft pick for RAW this evening will be the former King of the Ring and WWE Intercontinental Champion, EDGE. Although Stephanie is clearly saddened by the news that she will not be welcoming Edge back to SMACKDOWN when he resumes his career following neck surgery, she claims that another fan favourite from RAW will be switching sides when “BIG POPPA PUMP” SCOTT STEINER joins her SMACKDOWN brand this week.

Following the commercial break, we see a contemplative Stephanie as she considers her next draft pick, Bischoff clearly bored as he waits for her to make a decision. The RAW General Manager attempts to unsettle her as he claims that he already knows his next draft selection but Stephanie refuses to be rushed. In the end, Stephanie reveals that her eighth selection will be a man that she has a long history with … but also a man that brings added benefits to SMACKDOWN. As Bischoff looks confused, Stephanie reveals that not only will her former fiance, TEST, be joining SMACKDOWN but he will also be joined by the one and only STACY KEIBLER, his Marketing Agent. This news disappoints Bischoff, always an admirer of fine women of course, but he says he has news to drive a dagger into the heart of SMACKDOWN. Revealing that SMACKDOWN is no longer the “Home of the Cruiserweights”, Bischoff says that not only does he now have Matt Hardy on RAW but he is also making the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion, REY MYSTERIO, exclusive to the RAW brand as well. Stephanie objects to this news but Bischoff reminds her that, although the cruiserweight division is not exclusive to either brand, Rey Mysterio can be - just like Stacy Keibler being on SMACKDOWN.

The announcers run down the updated draft picks to recap ahead of the final two draft selections that will be made later this evening:

MONDAY NIGHT RAW
Retained List:
1: Triple H
2: Chris Jericho
3: Chief Morley & Lance Storm
4: Batista & Ric Flair
5: Jeff Hardy

Draft Selections:
1: Goldberg
2: The Undertaker
3: Los Guerreros
4: A-Train & Big Show
5: Hulk Hogan
6: Matt Hardy
7: Edge
8: Rey Mysterio

SMACKDOWN
Retained List:
1: Brock Lesnar
2: Kurt Angle
3: Team Angle
4: Chris Benoit & Rhyno
5: John Cena

Draft Selections:
1: The Rock
2: Shawn Michaels
3: Kane & Rob Van Dam
4: Kevin Nash
5: Booker T
6: Dudley Boyz
7: Scott Steiner
8: Test (w/Stacy Keibler)

Attention turns to the interview pit where Rey Mysterio is the guest of Terri at this time; Mysterio looks shocked at the news that, despite becoming the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion earlier tonight with victory over Matt Hardy, he is now to be exclusive to RAW. Identifying that the cruiserweight division is no longer exclusive to SMACKDOWN even if he is, Mysterio welcomes any challengers from SMACKDOWN and says that whatever Bischoff is attempting to do by making him exclusive to RAW will not prevent him from helping build the Cruiserweight division here in the WWE. Promising to be a fighting champion, Mysterio says he will face anybody - admitting he is already anticipating a rematch with Matt Hardy in the near future - and vows to deliver a 619 to anybody who steps in his path.

SINGLE FALL TAG TEAM MATCH
A-TRAIN & BIG SHOW vs. KANE & ROB VAN DAM

After swapping brands earlier in the night, these two teams face off as they look to prove that their new brand is getting the upper hand here tonight in the draft and, in all likelihood, gain favour with their new General Manager with future title shots up for grabs. As the announce team identify, each of these four men will also have singles aspirations as well as tag team so everybody is looking to impress here tonight. With three powerhouses involved in the match,it is a heavy-hitting contest that neither team ever really gains control of. However, the smallest man in the match - Van Dam - does end up isolated for a few moments and shows great grit and determination to withstand the onslaught from A-Train and Big Show. When Van Dam makes the tag to Kane, the Big Red Machine fires off and launches the comeback. Van Dam hits a springboard drop kick to Big Show as he is on the apron and this knocks him down to the floor as Kane locks his hand around the throat of A-Train … AND HITS A RING-SHAKING CHOKE SLAM! With A-Train down and out, Kane tags Van Dam back in and he scales to the top rope before sailing through the air … FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH! As Kane prevents Big Show from entering the ring, Van Dam gets the cover and it’s a huge victory here for Kane and Rob Van Dam, one of SMACKDOWN’s new tag team recruits!

WINNERS: KANE & ROB VAN DAM
via pinfall (8:47)

Following the tag team match, Eric Bischoff is looking less-than-impressed backstage as he just witnessed his new tag team, A-Train and Big Show, fall to one of his old ones in Kane and Rob Van Dam. Declaring that he intends to ensure that RAW has the best tag team division, Bischoff announces that he has that in mind as he selects his next draft pick: BILLY GUNN is heading to RAW. Stephanie questions how this will help RAW’s tag team division and Bischoff smirks; he points out all of Gunn’s previous successes in the tag team division before revealing that Stephanie didn’t let him finish his announcement. As Steph looks on confused, Bischoff reveals that he is drafting Gunn as part of a team with the returning ROAD DOGG, the New Age Outlaws are back in business on Monday Night RAW! Looking stunned at this announcement, Stephanie was clearly unaware of Road Dogg’s potential return and she looks shaken for the first time this evening but recovers herself and suggests that she knows how to craft a tag team division. With her penultimate pick of the evening, Stephanie reveals that ROSEY & JAMAL will be switching from RAW to SMACKDOWN.

Backstage, we see Trish Stratus heading out of the arena, a disappointed look on her face after she was the one who was pinned earlier tonight in the 6-Diva tag team match. However, as she heads for the exit, Trish is confronted by Jazz who glares at her in disdain. Suggesting that pinning her earlier tonight means that she is now due a WWE Women’s Championship match, Jazz tells Trish that she is sick of being overlooked here in the WWE and that her pretty little face better watch out. Looking concerned, Trish watches as Jazz leaves and it appears that her next challenger’s identity has made herself known here tonight.

OVER-THE-TOP-ROPE BATTLE ROYAL
BRADSHAW vs. CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI vs. CHRISTIAN vs. D’LO BROWN vs. FAAROOQ vs. GOLDUST vs. MARK HENRY vs. RANDY ORTON vs. RIKISHI vs. SCOTTY 2 HOTTY vs. SEAN O’HAIRE vs. SHANE McMAHON vs. TAZZ vs. TOMMY DREAMER vs. WILLIAM REGAL

Ahead of Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon’s final draft picks, fifteen undrafted WWE superstars compete in a Battle Royal with nothing more on the line other than impressing the General Managers here tonight. The action is fast-paced with a number of the superstars accompanied by their tag team partners and alliances are in play all over the ring. Unfortunately for Tommy Dreamer and Christopher Nowinski, their attempts to impress come to nothing as they eliminate each other, both men tumbling over the top rope as they fight on the turnbuckles. There is an APA reunion between Faarooq and Bradshaw and this proves effective as they eliminate Goldust followed by Sean O’Haire but their partnership is broken up when William Regal catches Faarooq by surprise and tosses him over the top rope. Angered by this, Bradshaw takes revenge on Regal and hits him with the CLOTHESLINE FROM HELL; a limp William Regal is then tossed out by the Texan but he then turns into a shoulder block from Mark Henry. This allows D’Lo Brown to eliminate Bradshaw as the D’Lo Brown and Mark Henry alliance resumes her tonight. For the most part in the early stages, Mark Henry is dealing with the anger of Tazz after his actions on last week’s SMACKDOWN whilst Shane McMahon, looking to earn an opportunity as an in-ring competitor of course, is also showing guts to take the fight to Randy Orton. The team of Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty is broken up when Henry eliminates the smaller man but then, as he squares up with the big Samoan, Henry is caught in the TAZZMISSION to the delight of the fans. There is no doubt that Tazz is fired up and impressing everybody in his in-ring return but D’Lo Brown rescues Henry and this allows Henry to regain his footing and he eliminates Tazz. As Tazz is ushered away by the officials, Shane McMahon upsets the former WWE Intercontinental Champion, Christian, as he clotheslines him out of the ring but Shane doesn’t see Orton coming and he is then helped up and over the top rope as well. Rikishi eliminates D’Lo Brown and this brings us down to the final three: Rikishi, Orton and Henry. The Evolution youngster shows no fear but he is overpowered by Rikishi in the end; Rikishi eliminates Orton to set up a finale with Henry. In an impressive feat of strength, Henry manages to hit the WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM to Rikishi but then struggles to get him up and over the top rope. The delay allows Rikishi to recover and he almost eliminates Henry. However, in the end, Henry manages to scoop Rikishi up again and this time impresses the world by dumping him over the top rope and down to the floor. Mark Henry wins the Battle Royal in highly impressive fashion … but will it be enough to secure him the tenth draft pick here tonight?

WINNER: MARK HENRY
(7:03)

When RAW resumes after the commercial break, we see a victorious Mark Henry backstage with Teddy Long who is hyping him up as the future of RAW or SMACKDOWN. However, as they walk, Tazz attacks Henry from behind with a steel chain to the back of the head and he starts beating the hell out of the World’s Strongest Man, clearly not over last week’s assault on SMACKDOWN or being eliminated by Henry here tonight. Once again, Tazz locks in the TAZZMISSION to Henry and he refuses to release the hold as security and officials swarm around them. When he finally relents and releases the hold, Tazz looks pleased with his efforts as Henry has been well and truly choked out here tonight. Spotting both Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon watching on, Tazz demands that they make sure that he is on the same brand as Henry or else there will be carnage!

Ahead of tonight’s main event, Terri interviews Chris Jericho who mocks Shawn Michaels for pleading with Stephanie McMahon to book tonight’s main event. Suggesting that it shows how desperate Michaels is to try and prove himself by facing him once again, Jericho says that the entire world saw at WrestleMania that he was the superior competitor and it was only good fortune that allowed Michaels to get a “fluke” victory. Promising to once again leave Michaels laid out in the centre of the ring, Jericho says it will be a pleasure to run HBK off to SMACKDOWN and out of his business for good.

After a pre-recorded video about last weekend’s WrestleMania, we return backstage as Stephanie McMahon and Eric Bischoff prepare to make their final draft picks. With SMACKDOWN set for the first selection of the final round, Stephanie says she has thought long and hard about this decision as it is her last chance to choose - the remaining superstars will be assigned to RAW and SMACKDOWN in the supplemental draft later tonight where the General Managers will not have control. Stephanie congratulates Bischoff for showing balls to stand up to Triple H but suggests his decision to be so stubborn will now have consequences; SMACKDOWN’s final draft selection will be
RANDY ORTON! Clearly, Bischoff intended to take Orton as the colour drains from his face and he realises that 25% of Evolution has been lost to SMACKDOWN here tonight! Looking concerned, Bischoff scrambles and selects CHRISTIAN as RAW’s final pick but it is Stephanie who ends the draft looking pleased with herself here tonight. She suggests to Bischoff that she continues to be smarter than him and that SMACKDOWN, as it has for the past year, will continue to be the superior brand here in the WWE.

MONDAY NIGHT RAW
Retained List:
1: Triple H
2: Chris Jericho
3: Chief Morley & Lance Storm
4: Batista & Ric Flair
5: Jeff Hardy

Draft Selections:
1: Goldberg
2: The Undertaker
3: Los Guerreros
4: A-Train & Big Show
5: Hulk Hogan
6: Matt Hardy
7: Edge
8: Rey Mysterio
9: New Age Outlaws
10: Christian

SMACKDOWN
Retained List:
1: Brock Lesnar
2: Kurt Angle
3: Team Angle
4: Chris Benoit & Rhyno
5: John Cena

Draft Selections:
1: The Rock
2: Shawn Michaels
3: Kane & Rob Van Dam
4: Kevin Nash
5: Booker T
6: Dudley Boyz
7: Scott Steiner
8: Test (w/Stacy Keibler)
9: Rosey & Jamal
10: Randy Orton

Backstage, Terri Runnels has RAW’s number one draft selection with her as her guest, the former World Heavyweight Champion and WCW legend, Goldberg! However, despite his new deal to compete here on RAW, Goldberg is not particularly pleased with how things have turned out here tonight as he accuses Evolution - and particularly Triple H - of running scared. Declaring HHH to be next, Goldberg admits that he wants the World Heavyweight Championship that he once held back over his shoulder and that he will smash through Evolution to get what he wants.

SINGLE FALL MATCH
CHRIS JERICHO vs. SHAWN MICHAELS

After their classic encounter at WrestleMania and their separation during tonight’s draft, thanks to SMACKDOWN selecting HBK, Jericho and Michaels face each other in tonight’s main event with both men desperate to pick up victory after months of issues with each other. For Jericho, it’s about proving that he is on Michaels’ level after he was defeated at WrestleMania but for Michaels, it is about underscoring the fact that he is the better man and proving to the world that he is back to his absolute best. Unfortunately, Christian shows up to cause issues for Michaels as he looks to be gaining the upper hand; the Canadian supports his buddy Jericho and distracts Michaels on several occasions, one such occasion leading to Michaels being locked in the WALLS OF JERICHO. Fortunately, Michaels reaches the ropes but the damage is done and Jericho goes to work on the back of the Heartbreak Kid. On several occasions, Jericho and Christian break the rules to keep Michaels down … and this eventually brings out an angry Kevin Nash who heads out to even things up. Knocking Christian out and throwing him into the ring steps, Nash’s appearance causes concern for Jericho and he takes his eye of Michaels. Nash climbs over the top rope into the ring and glares at Jericho … and he then turns right into SWEET CHIN MUSIC to the delight of the fans! However, as Michaels is about to make the cover … KEVIN NASH ATTACKS SHAWN MICHAELS FROM BEHIND! As the crowd watch on in disbelief, Nash pounds on the back of Michaels, anger radiating from his eyes, pent-up frustration and aggression pouring out of him. As Jericho rolls out to safety and exits with Christian, Nash stands tall in the ring with a fallen Michaels at his feet, boos ringing out around the arena. Dragging Michaels off the mat, Nash glares angrily at him before setting him up … JACK KNIFE POWERBOMB TO MICHAELS! What is Kevin Nash thinking here tonight? RAW comes to a close with Nash standing over Michaels, a smirk on his face as he looks down on his buddy.

WINNER: NO CONTEST
(8:49)

MONDAY NIGHT RAW - QUICK RESULTS

Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker - no contest (Lesnar retains the WWE Championship)
Rey Mysterio def. Matt Hardy to become the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion
Dudley Boyz def. Chief Morley, Lance Storm & Spike Dudley
Jazz, Nidia & Victoria def. Trish Stratus, Jacqueline & Torrie Wilson
Hulk Hogan def. Chuck Palumbo
Kane & Rob Van Dam def. A-Train & Big Show
Mark Henry wins a 15-Man Battle Royal
Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (no contest)

SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT
WWE.COM

MONDAY NIGHT RAW:

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion X-Pac returns to the WWE on the RAW brand
Shane McMahon’s wish to become an in-ring competitor is granted as he also joins RAW
The French tag team, La Resistance will be waving La Tricolor on Monday nights
Sean O’Haire
Another superstar returning to the WWE, Viscera will be on RAW
Bradshaw and Faarooq, the APA, will reunite as a tag team on RAW
Tough Enough III winner, John Hennigan, will compete on RAW
Tommy Dreamer
Bill DeMott
Al Snow

FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN:

After his impressive performance in the Battle Royal, Mark Henry joins SMACKDOWN …
... as does his former partner, D’Lo Brown
The team of Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty will remain on SMACKDOWN
Former WWE Commissioner, William Regal along with his protege, Christopher Nowinski
Goldust heads for SMACKDOWN where his former partner, Booker T, now competes
Chuck Palumbo
Hardcore Holly
After leaving the announce desk, it is revealed that Tazz will compete on SMACKDOWN
Steven Richards
Mark Jindrak

RDT · Mar 1, 2024

Again I really like the format here. Very easy to read. It's also impressive how you've seamlessly integrated big match-ups on these TV shows so far as this RAW had Undertaker against Lesnar and HBK vs. Jericho (and Hogan vs. Palumbo!). The draft was pretty epic. Goldberg, Rock, HBK and Undertaker as the top 4 picks really gave credibility to the draft (and nice move from Bischoff getting Undertaker since he didn't win the title earlier).

Hopefully this is continuing!

DTP · Mar 5, 2024

WWE Monday Night RAW – April 7, 2003:

I’ve been looking forward to making time for this show, given what I thought was a very strong week to kick off this project.

Good explanation for the 2003 WWE Draft in the opening paragraph, although I do feel with the length of paragraphs, I feel like it could have been made clearer what the main takeaways are as far as rules established for this year’s Draft. The coin toss was fun, and I did like Stephanie McMahon deciding to give Eric Bischoff selection, though I’m not sure about it being the first selection. Perhaps it’s a calculating decision?

Strong way to kick off RAW with the WWE Championship being defended, and when you ended it with Evolution’s assault, it made a great deal more sense. If anything I would hazard a guess this jumpstarts a program with Brock Lesnar, who was protected here alongside the Undertaker….or maybe not? I was perplexed when Goldberg didn’t make his debut the night after WrestleMania XIX as took place in real life. I do like this as a way to immediately have Goldberg set sights on Evolution – even though I feel like an introductory storyline would be beneficial to the WCW star’s development as a top-tier name on RAW. I kind of feel for Brock and Undertaker to have had to have relied on Goldberg to save their asses, though.

The Rock being drafted to SmackDown! is funny, since up until February he was technically listed as a SmackDown Superstar anyway. I wonder what plans you have for him away from Goldberg, and one has to question how long he’ll stick around with his blossoming movie carer on the horizon.

I’m not too keen on two consecutive SmackDown matches in a row on Monday Night RAW, personally. Rey Mysterio capturing the WWE Cruiserweight Championship was expected here, though it is disappointing to see Matt Hardy receive such a short reign. I wish it went longer, too, but perhaps you have bigger things in mind for Hardy? Mattitude was a gimmick that saw its’ legs get cut out from under it before it could really go anywhere brilliant.

Shawn Michaels on SmackDown is something I always toyed with when I did diaries set in the Ruthless Aggression period, even if it is something he wouldn’t do on account of church, reportedly. I’m hopeful you’ll give him a feud with Brock Lesnar. It’s also interesting that you have taken him away from Triple H, whose career he remained intertwined with for practically the entire Brand Extension Era. Conversely, Undertaker moving to RAW makes sense, as in my mind, HBK and Undertaker should be kept apart from each other, as pillars of a bygone era. I really hope we don’t have another HHH and Undertaker feud on our hands, after the debacle of King of the Ring 2002.

The Dudley Boyz overcoming the odds against Eric Bischoff’s Administration makes sense, and I continue to admire Spike Dudley’s new character. I dig him as a stooge for the RAW General Manager more than Chief Morley or Lance Storm – or even Jonathan Coachman, should we ever get to that. That’s just a fun dynamic, and I’d like to see Eric make Spike into his Mini-Me, perhaps. I maybe would’ve gotten some more heat on the Dudleys, but with Spike still in the clear from a brotherly beating courtesy of D-Von and Bubba Ray, I’m okay with what we have here so far.

Good selections for the retain lists, which make for a good way to not completely detach ourselves from the status quo. It’s interesting you decided to keep onto Jeff Hardy on RAW, considering the promise that could await on SmackDown, particularly in the Cruiserweight division. I mean, it’s a no-brainer that Matt Hardy is on SmackDown – as it stands right now – and that is a natural match down the line, no doubt.

Kevin Nash joining Shawn Michaels on SmackDown reminds me of SmackDown: Here Comes the Pain. It’s a logical way to keep Nash from Triple H and the Evolution fiasco on RAW, so I am on board with it. Meanwhile, Big Show and A-Train moving to RAW does not fill me with tremendous hope considering that’s where the Undertaker has also gone. I suppose they could make for good opposition for the Dudley Boyz, though.

Token multi-person tag team match for the women in a no-time match. It is a little strange seeing Nidia in action at this stage of her career. Jazz, Nidia and Victoria getting the win over Trish Stratus, Jacqueline and Torrie Wilson made for a right decision. Shame there was no storyline advancement here for the WWE Women’s Championship picture beyond Jazz getting a W back over Trish.

I’m not too sure about Hollywood Hulk Hogan coming to RAW, but am hopeful you are able to limit his appearances to special occasions in the near future. I’m curious how long you’ll keep him around. Again, though, it’s the wisest decision to keep him from the likes of Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash. Very quick way to put a stop to Chuck Palumbo’s new push, but with Hogan moving brands, this had to be blown off in a hurry. Just have to question where this leaves Roddy Piper now.

Edge coming to RAW is to be expected coming off his neck injury. Scott Steiner coming to SmackDown has potential to breathe new life into his career, which stagnated dramatically in 2003 after subpar showings against Evolution. I have to wonder what can await him, though. Test and Stacy Keibler on SmackDown could bring new horizons to their act, and I am hopeful you don’t rush to Test as the bitter boyfriend heel. Not a fan of the WWE Cruiserweight Championship being deemed interpromotional moving forward, nor am I too overly keen on Rey Mysterio moving to RAW. It shuffles the deck, at least.

Strong win for Kane and Rob Van Dam to maintain them as the team to beat on Monday Night RAW. Big Show and A-Train I’ve no doubt will cross paths with them again in the near future.

It feels like Billy Gunn and Road Dogg are destined to forever be a unit, doesn’t it? I guess it can provide Billy something he missed greatly on whenever attempting to be a singles guy, though I have to question what more can be done for the New Age Outlaws despite being nostalgic veterans with a catchphrase? Rosey and Jamal heading to SmackDown is probably best, as being a taped show allows them to hide their green flaws. That said, SmackDown is getting shafted in the tag team division.

Mark Henry winning the Interpromotional Battle Royal was fine, in what largely got a bunch of the undercard guys on the show. I would have liked it to have been for something, whether a future title match or something. That’s admittedly hard with the WWE Intercontinental Championship gone. I suppose that’s up to you to possibly reintroduce down the line, along with the hypothetical introduction of the WWE United States Championship. Maybe in a bit, after letting the Draft changes breathe. With Tazz getting involved in so much physicality, I wonder what will be done about this crazy color commentator guy who is going above and beyond attacking talents. Surely Michael Cole needs a substitute at some point, right?

I am admittedly in two minds about Randy Orton’s shift to SmackDown, given this breaks Evolution up. On one hand, it kind of diminishes the cool visuals provided by the faction as one dominant force on one brand. On the other, it can allow Orton to grow on his own away from being under the curve of Triple H and Ric Flair, as well as allow a possible Evolution takeover of WWE with Orton going for the WWE Championship some day in the distant future. Bold move, but I’m willing to see how it plays out.

Strong, strong main event with Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho getting their WrestleMania XIX rematch. I would have liked to have seen it go longer, or maybe see an actual finish. It felt too similar to the opening match with a no contest due to outside interference. That said, this type of finish was in vogue in 2003. Kevin Nash turning on HBK is clearly the reason this main evented, and while it spices up SmackDown, I don’t know how I feel about it in this show-closing cliffhanger. I think Undertaker and Lesnar would have been better on a personal level, because I don’t feel like anyone would have expected Goldberg coming, and has a RAW focus to what is, at the end of the day, Monday Night RAW. Alas, it adds a lot of fuel to the fire for SmackDown moving forward.

Some very game-changing moves made with this show. I said it previously, but this really is the show that makes this your universe, well and truly. Some decisions I may not have gone with, but at the end of the day these are my opinions and feel like you have the knowledge to be able to pull a lot of them off regardless. With the deck massively shuffled, there is a lot to play with here for both shows.

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