The Main events at Wrestlemania XIX

[MCMG]

Wrestlemania 19 took place in 2003.
This was a stacked card with matches such as Rock v Austin; Hogan v McMahon ; Lesnar v angle for the WWE championship ;HHH v Booker T for the world championship and Chris Jericho v HBK.

It also featured The Undertaker in one of his less impressive Wrestlemania matches against the Big Show and the A-train.

This year saw Brock Lesnar winning the Royal Rumble, where Kurt angle and Chris Benoit had one of the best non-RR match at the Royal Rumble ppv. Looking back at Wreslemania 19 i feel the WWE could have saved this match for Wreslemania and have Brock face HHH ( a match which many wanted to see, but never happened). Chris Benoit spent his 'mania night teaming with Rhyno in a throw-away tag team title match.

This is an obvious waste of Benoit's talent and him and Angle could have had a wrestlemania classic.

Wrestlemania could have looked like:

Angle (c) v Benoit
HHH (C) V Brock Lesnar
Rock V Austin
Hogan v VKM
HBK v Y2J
and maybe Booker T could have faced the undertaker.

It is a small change but could have immediately made this Mania better and could have started another long lasting Wrestlemania feud between Angle and Benoit (they obviously had no clue what would happen with Benoit).

 

[HBKperfect23]

Id buy that ppv. HHH/Lesnar would be cool to see at WM. But Angle/Benoit we just saw at RR and 2 years ago at WM. Angle really couldnt start anything after XIX because he needed neck surgery. Booker T/Taker could have good too.

I think they got this card pretty dead on at XIX. HHH/Booker was one of my all time favorite heel champion/babyface chaser feuds.

 

[MCMG]

But Angle/Benoit we just saw at RR and 2 years ago at WM. Angle really couldnt start anything after XIX because he needed neck surgery.

Don't have angle and Benoit at RR 2003. Use someone else other than Benoit, perhaps Edge, Big Show, Mysterio. They certainly had other options.

Regarding Angles' impending surgery, they could have let Benoit win the match and then have them start the feud up later on.

 

[obamartins]

Everybody wanted to see pure wrestler Kurt Angle vs. pure wrestler Brock Lesnar

I don't think may people wanted to see Lesnar vs. HHH at all in early 2003. Lesnar had been on the active roster less then a year at this point & it was his first Wrestlemania so there was plenty of time to do a Lesnar vs. HHH match (or so we thought) in the future. The Wrestlemania 21 Main Event was supposed to be Lesnar vs. HHH.

Booker T had way more qualifications to be 'the man' then Chris Benoit. I think we all know if Booker T beat HHH that night a new star would have been made.

They could have made Scott Steiner the psycho heel (like he should have been all along) & have him face Undertaker. Chris Benoit vs. Undertaker also would have been good. They could have brought Goldberg in a month early & have him face Undertaker.

The thing is with Hogan, Austin, Rock etc WWE probs thought they don't need Goldberg to sell Wrestlemania.

But for me Benoit as good as he was, was always a supporting player & his World Title run in 2004 proved WWE never fully had faith in his drawing power.

 

[HBKperfect23]

Everybody wanted to see pure wrestler Kurt Angle vs. pure wrestler Brock Lesnar

Agreed. I couldnt wait for that much.

MCMG, I can see you wanting RR03 Angle/Benoit at WM. Definitly was WM caliber. I just think they went the right way with Angle/Lesnar and HHH/Book. Plus leaving Benoit out for another year made WMXX even more special.

I would have loved to have Benoit/Taker at WMXIX. Takers match was weak.

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

I'll be honest, WM 19 is my favorite WM so far (Because it was the 1st one I got to watch so I was pumped)

I look back and it wasn't that amazing, even though I will always pop the VHS version in and watch.

I feel like Booker T deserved to be in a Title picture, I loved his program with HHH

I like the card the way it was. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the Taker vs Big Show and A Train (It was still alot better than it would of been had Nathan Jones been Undertaker's partner as originally booked(Nathan got beat down earlier in the night so he couldn't "compete"))

I would have booked Undertaker in a feud with Chris Beniot, the match itself would have been good, the build would of been different, but it could have worked I suppose.

On a side note, I wish Kane/RVD would of had a tag match vs Storm/Morley vs Dudleys on the card and not just the Sunday Night Heat pre-show match (Swap that match for the Smackdown triple threat tag match)

 

[The Brain]

Everybody wanted to see pure wrestler Kurt Angle vs. pure wrestler Brock Lesnar

I don't think may people wanted to see Lesnar vs. HHH at all in early 2003. Lesnar had been on the active roster less then a year at this point & it was his first Wrestlemania so there was plenty of time to do a Lesnar vs. HHH match (or so we thought) in the future. The Wrestlemania 21 Main Event was supposed to be Lesnar vs. HHH.

This is exactly right. Lesnar vs. Angle was the match to go with that year. The potential of what two great amateur wrestlers could do in a pro ring was very intriguing. That was my second most anticipated match of all time behind the WM12 main event. WWE waiting for mania and not rushing the match. Lesnar and Angle were natural rivals and appropriate opponents for mania.

Keep in mind Lesnar was under a long term contract. It was completely unexpected that he would quit wrestling only a year later. I'm sure Lesnar vs. HHH would have happened at mania, likely WM21 like mentioned above, had he not left so suddenly. There was no reason to have it at WM19.