Summerslam 2003: A Retrospective Look

[Dagger Dias]

This summer I'll be looking back on each of the previous Summerslam events, one by one. Every few days I will submit a new topic until we reach 2014's edition of the 2nd biggest brand in WWE.

This thread will be for discussing.... Summerslam 2003!





Summerslam 2003 took place on August 24, 2003. It was held at America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Here are the results of the matches from this show:



0. Matt Hardy defeated Zach Gowen by forfeit in a singles match

0. Rey Mysterio (c) defeated Shannon Moore in a singles match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship (02:03)

1. La Résistance (René Duprée and Sylvain Grenier) (c) defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) (with Spike Dudley) in a tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship (07:49)

2. The Undertaker defeated A-Train (with Sable) in a singles match (09:19)

3. Shane McMahon defeated Eric Bischoff in a Falls Count Anywhere match (10:36)

4. Eddie Guerrero (c) defeated Chris Benoit, Rhyno and Tajiri in a Fatal four-way match for the WWE United States Championship (10:50)

5. Kurt Angle (c) defeated Brock Lesnar in a singles match for the WWE Championship (21:17)

6. Kane defeated Rob Van Dam in a No Holds Barred match (12:49)

7. Triple H (c) (with Ric Flair) defeated Goldberg, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Kevin Nash and Shawn Michaels in an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship (19:12)




Now, here are some discussion questions concerning the event:

What was your favorite match on this show, and why did you like it the most? What about the worst match of this show, why did you like it the least?

If you could change a few things about Summerslam 2003, what would it be and why?

You may only use wrestlers who were available at the roster at that time or make changes that could have realistically taken place in August 2003. Please keep in mind the situations going into the show such as who could actually have been pushed into a title match, or what songs existed back then if you wanted to change the show's theme music, and so forth.

You may only discuss Summerslam 2003 in this thread. The remaining Summerslam events will be getting their own retrospective threads, any posts regarding other events will be considered spam and you risk getting an infraction.

Discuss!

 

[The Brain]

I used to consider SummerSlam 2003 the worst SummerSlam. Maybe I'm a little hard on this show but there were some disappointments with this one. I'll get to that in my changes, but first the usual favorite and least favorite matches. My favorite was Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar. These two always had natural chemistry together and it was interesting to see the roles reversed as Angle was now the face and Lesnar the heel. I don't know that it was as good as their mania match but it was at least very close.

There were a few matches on the show I didn't care for. RVD and Kane didn't seem to click. Shane McMahon vs. Eric Bischoff dragged on longer than it should have. As for my least favorite I'd say it was Undertaker vs. A Train. Just like 2002 Taker had an inferior opponent for SummerSlam. A Train was getting a bit of a push but really he was still just Albert and was in no way a threat to Taker.

My big change involves the guys in the main event. These six guys should have had three singles matches instead of being in the Elimination Chamber. It should have been Kevin Nash vs. Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton, and Triple H defending against Goldberg. Triple H vs. Goldberg would have been a big SummerSlam main event. Throwing everyone into the chamber was just done out of desperation to make room for everyone on the card. Of course I don't know that for a fact but considering HHH vs. Goldberg was actually announced as the main event and how the other feuds were developing I'd say it's a pretty safe bet. They probably could have squeezed two matches into the time the chamber got and definitely shortened McMahon vs. Bischoff to get the third match in. Maybe the timing just wouldn't have worked but one thing is for sure. Whether it be one on one or in the chamber Goldberg should have won the title. I've always been a Goldberg critic but even I recognize this should have been his night. The crowd was really behind him and he was looking great in the chamber. He was going to win the title in a month anyway so I think the title win should have been moved up so Goldberg could have gotten the title win at a bigger event.

 

[Wolf Pac]

Really really awful show, maybe the worst Summerslam I've ever seen, and a very dark time for Raw. The 2003 episodes of Raw still give me nightmares to this day. Summerslam's only saving grace is the WWE Title match. The US Title match was also alright and I loved St Anger as the show's theme song, but those are the only things I liked about the show. Everything else was horrible.

Even though I didn't like the switch to the Chamber match during the lead up to Summerslam, I'll give that one a pass and keep it cause apparently Triple H had a groin injury, which I'm guessing is the reason for those silly pants that he wore at the time and for the switch to the Elimination Chamber since he couldn't do a lot. And I think they felt the need to save as many big matches as they could for their second-Raw brand PPV, Unforgiven. I definitely agree they should've given the win to Goldberg. The big moment should've happened at the big show not at the B-PPV, it wasn't as exciting at Unforgiven as it would've been at Summerslam.

Everything else I would change though except for the WWE and US Title matches.

Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Matt Hardy for the WWE Cruiserweight Title

Remove The Dudleyz vs. La Resistance from the card and replace it with this as the opening match. Dudleyz vs. La Resistance was shit and felt more like a TV match than a PPV match. Even though they didn't have a match on the PPV, I hated the feud between Gowen and Hardy, and the direction of Hardy after he lost the Cruiserweight belt to Mysterio. Matt was a great heel, a promising character, and WWE just wasted him away until he entered into a feud with Kane on Raw. A rematch from the Smackdown where Mysterio won the belt, would've been an exciting opener. After that, maybe move Matt onto a feud with Benoit for No Mercy.

The Undertaker vs. John Cena

WWE should have learned from their mistake at Wrestlemania XIX and kept A-Train as far away from Taker as possible. A-Train just fucking sucked and anybody would've made a better opponent for Undertaker than him. Cena and Undertaker had started a feud in June and I would've just continued it and had Cena go over The Deadman in a rematch from Vengeance.

Kane vs. Shane McMahon

I didn't like Kane vs. RVD and Shane vs. Bischoff either and I don't know why they decided to book those two matches when a month earlier Kane had Tombstoned Linda and Shane had returned the week after to get revenge for his mother. Kane vs. Shane was the much bigger feud and they had helluva series of matches with each other.

Christian (c) vs. Rob Van Dam for the WWE Intercontinental Title

Start their feud a little early. They began their feud like one week before Unforgiven.

 

[Cub McCallister]

This was a pretty bad SummerSlam tbh it could of been done much better like, this would of been the card I'd of done:

1) Rey Mysterio (C) Vs Matt Hardy Vs Ultimo Dragon
Triple Threat Crusierweight Title Match. Nice opener with Mysterio going over to retain.

2) Christian (C) Vs Rob Van Dam
Intercontinental Title Match. This would of been a good addition to the card with Christian going over.

3) The Undertaker Vs John Cena
This should of been on the card with cena getting the victory.

4) Eddie Guerrero (C) Vs Chris Benoit Vs Tajiri Vs Rhyno
Same as before.

5) Kane Vs Shane McMahon
Falls Count Anywhere Match. Shane goes over here setting up a return match at unforgiven.

6) Kevin Nash & Shawn Michaels Vs Randy Ortan & Chris Jercho
Tag Match. Put this together instead and have ortan pin nash to push him further

7) Kurt Angle (C) Vs Brock Lesner
Stays the same

8) Triple HHH (C) Vs Goldberg
World Title Match No Dq. Goldberg goes over here and wins the title setting up a return hell in a cell match at unforgiven.

 

[Dragon Chief]

Underrated SummerSlam to be honest, sure it doesn't compare to the previous year's event which is considered to be the greatest SummerSlam of all time but it surely isn't the worst. The Brock Lesnar V. Kurt Angle match was great, probably the worst out of the three matches they had together but still great in comparison to the WWE title matches that headlined SummerSlam after this one. The Elimination Chamber was great as well, shorter than most chambers but delivered well, Goldberg was booked strong and everything made sense.

The undercard is what makes this event worse than it actually is, all the matches on the undercard are forgettable but not all were bad. I would say this event is better than some of the SummerSlam's that followed, including SummerSlam 2004, 2007, 2010 and is certainly not the worst if both main-events delivered. All in all a weak SummerSlam with two good main-event matches preventing it from ranking lower than it could have been.

 

[Pedigree1]

Summerslam 2003 was a missed opportunity IMO! Especially the ME it seemed it was a clusterfuck and had there had been 3 singles matches instead of one ME,this probably would have been a SummerSlam to remember..

Like everyone,my favorite was Brock vs Kurt! Natural Chemistry they both had,and could work wonders in the ring eh? Those two together were complete magic,and while probably not the best of buds,definitely had each others respect!

RVD Vs Kane could have gone on,the next night on RAW really didnt belong on a Summerslam card at all.. Goldberg vs HHH should have happened at Summerslam,with Trips going over,that would have been one Main Event along with Kurt vs Brock..

HBK vs Orton,would have been magic IMO.. The Legend vs the Legend Killer would have been epic.. Orton goes over in this one,with some underhanded tactics from Naitch to help him out..

A-Train didnt belong within a country mile of wrestling Taker again,they should have learned their lesson from WM! Cena would have been a nice choice,but Taker goes over as Cena wasnt quite ready for the spotlight just yet IMO..

Jericho vs Nash meh i could really care or not care to see that one i guess.. IT would have been okay,nothing special but i guess the bookhog Nash,goes over in this one!

Overall a okay summerslam but could have been way better

 

[roipdh123]

Well like a lot of pepole have said the card for this show could have been much better and this is my proposal:
1.Rey Mysterio {C} defeated Shannon More.
2.Christian retains against Rob Van Dam & Kevin Nash & Chris Jericho.
3.John Cena defeated The Undertaker.
4.Shane McMahon defeated Kane in a Street FIght.
5.Eddie Guerrero retains in the Fatal 4 way.
6.Women's match {could be a bikini / bra and panties match}.
7.Randy Orton defeated Shawn Michaels.
8.Kurt Angle {C} defeated Brock Lesnar to retain the WWE Title.
9.Goldberg defeated Triple H {C} in a No DQ match to win the WHC Title.

 

[Shocky]

Goldberg vs. HHH was the main event, but I believe Trips suffered a groin injury that scratched said main event. HHH really didn't do anything in the Chamber match, which makes me believe the rumor was true, and he was being protected for the money match with Goldberg.

 

[Judah's Lion]

SummerSlam 2003 was a very okay ppv event. i try to give this event the benefit of the doubt. but even i recognize that this is one of those shows that really blew a lot of opportunities and potential. i've got quite a few changes to make so i'll jump right in and get started...


Cruiserweight Title: Rey Mysterio should have defended this on ppv! he had such an excellent match with Angle the year before! without knowing everyone that was on the talent roster, i'd suggest a match against either Billy Kidman or Chavo Guerrero. Mysterio always had great chemistry with both inside the ring. it'd be an easy match to book so i'd kick off the show with Mysterio defending the title against either opponent. maybe make it a Triple Threat Match or Fatal Four Way with Ultimo Dragon. really, pick a match between Mysterio and any one of the three superstars above or any combination thereof.

Tag Team Titles: Dudley Boys vs. anyone other than La Resistance. nothing personal. i just never bought those guys as Tag Team Champs. any combo of the three that were ever a part of that group. maybe the World's Greatest Tag Team instead? make it a Tables Match or a Ladder Match if a gimmick is needed, but a straight Tag Team Match for the Tag Titles against two great teams works just fine for me.

Taker/Cena. Taker vs. A-Train was a sad waste of the Dead Man. 2 years in a row against both members of T&A in separate singles matches. possible options for Taker at this show included Big Show, Kane, Flair, Batista and several others. maybe even a heel Rock. but the match i like best is Taker vs. Cena. they had a great match around this time with a heel rapper Cena battling for Taker's respect. whenever that match actually happened, whether before or after SummerSlam, i'd move it to this ppv instead. really awesome match they had and super easy storytelling. definitely do Taker/Cena.

Shane McMahon vs. Kane. Shane vs. Eric Bischoff in a Falls Count Anywhere Match was fun for what it was, but Shane/Kane was a better story with much more entertaining matches. let one of their series of matches happen here instead of Shane/Bischoff. Bischoff can take a quick Stunner from Stone Cold or something similar if he needs a comeuppance here. but Shane/Kane in a Last Man Standing Match or Ambulance Match or Street Fight, etc, would have been great for this event. would've made a lot more sense given what Kane did to Linda McMahon too.

IC Title: RVD vs. Christian. don't get me wrong, i actually liked RVD vs. Kane. loved their Cage Match on Raw. that should have ended their feud though. maybe even at a different ppv. just not at SummerSlam. but RVD and Christian had great chemistry. give them a match for the IC Title here. they had an amazing Ladder Match on Raw. i bet they could have done one here instead.

US Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit. Rhyno and Tajiri just felt unnecessary in this match. i doubt anyone thought that either guy had a snowball's chance of winning the title, whereas Eddie and Benoit were magic in the ring together. put these two in and let them do what they do best.

WWE Title: Angle vs. Lesnar. this was by far the match of the night. really enjoyable. i'm trying to decide if a gimmick was needed. something like No DQ, Street Fight, Submission Match or even an Iron Man Match. either way, these guys tore the house down and i loved it. outside of possibly making it a gimmick match, the only real change i'd make here is to have this match close the show and i'll explain the reason why next.

World Heavyweight Title: Triple H vs. Goldberg. believe it or not, i actually really enjoy the Chamber Match with the six guys we got. still watch it and still enjoy it. great spots throughout the whole thing. but these guys should have gone one-on-one on this night and Goldberg most definitely should have won the title here too. if i remember rumors and news correctly from over ten years ago, Triple H was working thru a groin injury, hence the Elimination Chamber to protect The Game and those horrible bicycle shorts he was wearing at the time. that said, Goldberg was never known for his long matches. i don't really see a problem with him beating Triple H in a match that lasted 10 minutes or less, even at SummerSlam. a big moment with a big fight feel on a big stage. then close the show out with Angle/Lesnar so you aren't ending the second biggest ppv of the year with a ten minute glorified squash match.

so there would be my card for the event. almost the exact same talent that were actually on the show, just switched around a bit. in fact, there are a number of big names, both at the time of this event and now in hindsight, that i left off the card that could have matches -- HBK vs. Orton in a Legend vs. Legend Killer Match, Hogan vs. Flair maybe, Nash vs. Jericho, Big Show, Batista, Piper, Rock, Austin, and more. these are all names that were at the Royal Rumble and/or Mania of the same year -- lots of great talent there and lots of potential. sadly, also lots of missed opportunities. a very decent show that could have been amazing.

 

[roipdh123]

This was a disappointing PPV.I would have re-booked it as follows:
1.Eddie Guerrero {C} defeated Chris Benoit to retain the WWE United States Championship - 10 minutes.
2.John Cena defeated The Undertaker - nine minutes.
3.Kane defeated Shane McMahon in a Street Fight - 14 minutes.
4.Christian {C} defeated Rob Van Dam & Chris Jericho & Rob Van Dam in a Fatal 4 Way match to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship - 11 minutes.
5.Randy Orton defeated Shawn Michaels - 22 minutes.
6.Goldberg defeated Triple H {C} to win the World Heavyweight Championship. - 16 minutes.
7.Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle {C} in a Thirty Minute Iron man match to win the WWE Championship. - 30 minutes