Wrestlemania 19: A Retrospective Look

[Dagger Dias]

This is the 19th of 29 topics looking back on previous Wrestlemania events. Every couple of days I have been submitting a new one and will continue until all of the past Wrestlemania events have been discussed, leading up to the big day in April where Wrestlemania 30 will take place.

This thread will be for discussing.... Wrestlemania 19!

Wrestlemania 19 took place on March 30, 2003. The event was held at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. There were 54,097 fans who attended the show. Here are the match results:



0. Lance Storm and Chief Morley (c) (with Dudley Boyz) fought to no-contest Kane and Rob Van Dam in a tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship as part of Heat. (10:00)

1. Matt Hardy (c) (with Shannon Moore) defeated Rey Mysterio in a singles match to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship (05:37)

2. The Undertaker defeated Big Show and A-Train in a handicap match (09:42)

3. Trish Stratus defeated Victoria (c) (with Steven Richards) and Jazz in a Triple Threat match to win the WWE Women's Championship (07:17)

4. Team Angle (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas) (c) defeated Los Guerreros (Eddie and Chavo Guerrero) and Chris Benoit and Rhyno in a Triple Threat tag team match to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship (08:48)

5. Shawn Michaels defeated Chris Jericho in a singles match (22:34)

6. Triple H (c) (with Ric Flair) defeated Booker T in a singles match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (18:45)

7. Hulk Hogan defeated Mr McMahon in a Street Fight where if had Hulk Hogan lost, he would've been forced to retire. (20:47)

8. The Rock defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin in a singles match (17:55)

9. Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle (c) in a singles match to win the WWE Championship where if had Angle been counted out or disqualified, he would have lost the championship (21:07)



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 Wrestlemania 19, 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 March 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 Wrestlemania 19 in this thread. The remaining Wrestlemania events will be getting their own retrospective threads shortly, any posts regarding other events will be considered spam and you risk getting an infraction.

Discuss!

 

[MoxleyCrue]

My favourite match has to be HBK vs Y2J. Two of the best in the ring and on the mic of all time. I always love SCSA vs Rock matches too.

If I could change one thing it would be to insert Edge and Christian into the tag match and make it a 4-way TLC match for the titles. This is of course if Edge wasn't out injured at the point.

 

[rge2010]

This was a great Mania and followed on nicely from great events like 17 and 18. It sometimes gets some unwarranted criticism in my eyes.

There was only two things I didn't like about this event.

World Title - Triple H vs Booker T

This was just a horrible afterthought. Booker T never screamed main event playa to me! I don't know about contractual obligations etc but I would have brought Goldberg in 4 weeks earlier and changed this to Triple H vs Goldberg. Now that screamed Main Event.

Undertaker vs A-Train/Big Show

What the hell were they thinking here! Nathan Jones was a complete waste of time so I think Taker vs Big Show would have been just fine. It was a clusterfuck though that nobody cared about.

Having said that Brock/Angle, Rock/Austin, Hogan/McMahon, Jericho/Michaels were great matches and or told great stories.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

My favorite Mania of all time. Could I tinker with the undercard.... sure, but I ultimately wouldn't change a thing. Three great matches on this card with Shawn/Jericho, Rock/Austin and Angle/Brock. As much as I love The Rock match because he's my favorite all time and he finally beat Austin and he worked as a heel during the program and gave us some great stuff (Sacramento concert probably the best segment in Wrestling history) my favorite match is Angle/Brock because it was just such a good match. Would have been perfect had it not been for the botched shooting star press, but still Angle and Brock came through big time for me. Like Austin/Rock, this match also had a great program.

If I make a list of my favorite Mania matches of all time Rock/Austin and Brock/Angle are 2 of my top 3.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

This WrestleMania exceeded my expectations, which quite honestly, were kinda low at the time. IMO, we got two exceptional matches in Michaels Vs. Jericho and Lesnar Vs. Angle -- the latter being my favorite of the night. This saved the card, because I was really down on the rest, and still feel this was not a great WM.

I was totally not into Rock Vs. Austin 3 -- mainly because it was a foregone conclusion who was going to win, in addition to the fact that you knew both of these guys would be leaving soon. Hogan Vs. McMahon was another storyline that was "ripped from the headlines" that I had no interest in either. I had my fill of the McMahons by this point and was ready for a breather. Triple H vs. Booker T just left a bad taste in my mouth for some reason, and the match itself was meh.

There was just something about this card that seemed thrown together for me. I had the same feeling with WM 18 and the NWO. It felt forced...rushed.

 

[Judah's Lion]

Mania 19 gets a lot of love from many wrestling fans. whenever the conversation for absolute best Mania events comes up, Mania 19 is ranked right up there with Mania 17. and why not? it was a pretty stellar card. i personally liked the overall feel for the event and most of the matches had pretty good build ups, so i appreciate that a lot.

best match: Lesnar/Angle. doubt there'll be a whole lot of variation on that one.
worst match: Hardy/Mysterio. just a lot to be desired in this one.

some changes i'd make...

Cruiserweight Title: Mysterio/Kidman. these two had a lot of history together from WCW. both were Cruiserweight Champions and they were in the Filthy Animals Stable for some time. if i'm not mistaken, they either won the Tag Team Titles or Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles, or both, as a team. i'd like to see this match start the show instead of Hardy.

Taker/Flair. for Mania 18, i had Taker team with Kane as the Brothers of Destruction took on the Outsiders. so this year, i bring back Taker/Flair with the roles reversed; Taker is the face and Flair is the heel. same type of match and same result.

Tag Team Titles #1: Kane & RVD vs. Dudley Boys. rather than have Morley/Storm vs. Kane/RVD on Heat, i'd bring in the Dudley Boys and have them face Kane/RVD in a Tables Match. to be honest, i'd just really enjoy seeing a 3-D through a table, as well as a chokeslam and frog splash through the same. Kane & RVD win the titles here.

Tag Team Titles #2: Team Angle vs. Los Guerreros vs. Hardy Boys. the Hardy Boys were both still with the company at this time and i think they would have been a better option than the thrown together team of Benoit/Rhyno. i also would have liked to see Team Angle win this match after executing a double team maneuver on one of their opponents as opposed to stealing a pin. i always enjoyed their super kick into a german suplex combination. hit that on Chavo, take the pin and continue this feud.

Women's Title: Victoria vs. Trish vs. Jazz. i like this match but i'd let Victoria retain. i had Trish winning last year in her hometown. Victoria can win this time around.

HBK vs. Y2J. keep this exactly as is. incredible match for a really logical, enjoyable feud. fantastic storytelling both in and out of the ring.

World Title #1: Lesnar vs. Angle. another amazing match with a great build. the only thing i'd change, in a perfect world, is Brock's botched Shooting Star Press. either hit it correctly or leave it out of the match entirely.

World Title #2. here's where i get into some serious fantasy booking. Triple H vs. Kevin Nash. i love Booker T and have tons of respect for the man in real life. i just didn't feel that this feud had enough steam or build and i never realistically thought that Booker had a chance at winning the title on this night. Kevin Nash and Triple H feuded not long after this event and culminated at SummerSlam as two parts of the Elimination Chamber. i liked their feud this year and would have it begin sooner rather than later.

Austin vs. Goldberg. Goldberg debuted the night after Mania 19 and fought the Rock the next month. the real dream match, and dare i say even more so than Austin/Hogan, was Austin vs. Goldberg. these were the two biggest stars of their respective companies from 98-99. this was the match that fans wanted to see. and Austin/Rock III with nothing on the line was pretty lame. the match was decent, but by this time, pretty redundant.

and for the booking that i'm dreading to post due to the hell i'll get for it i'm sure, but i'd scrap Hogan/McMahon this year. hear me out before you send the death threats my way. i loved this match. the build up was flawless. the match was uber-entertaining and went well beyond my expectations. the only problem i had with it was the setting. this exact match and build belonged on the stage of Mania 20, not 19. it belonged at the 20 year anniversary where WrestleMania and Hulkamania first took the world by storm. and it belonged at MSG. so take this match off 19 and save it for 20.

that leaves my current Mania 19 card lacking some pretty big names, so i'd simply put some matches together. this isn't the most brilliant, but it's what I've got so far...

Rock/Booker T. yes, they feuded at SummerSlam 2 years prior, but this time the roles are reversed. and i'd give Booker the big win here and give him some much needed momentum.
Hogan/Big Show. this could be similar to a Hogan/Andre type match. these two guys do have some history from WCW and they're friends in real life, which almost always shows during a match via the chemistry and mutual respect. give them a match here.
Scott Steiner vs. Rick Steiner and/or Buff Bagwell. if you wanted to have Freakzilla on Mania, give him an old grudge match with one or both of these guys in either a singles match or a triple threat match.

despite my pretty sizeable overhaul, i really did love Mania 19. in my own little world though, i'd switch up Mania's 18-20 to make all three events more complete shows.

 

[PingPongBundy]

This really was a great Mania. I would have kept all the matches the same. If I could change anything, I would have scrapped the stupid pillow fight segment. Not that I didn't love seeing the Miller Light girls, but that segment got almost ten minutes and Rey v Hardy got nothing.

 

[Thecorporatechamp]

One of my favorite matches of all time was this Rock/austin match. Loved the Rock as his hollywood heel character. If you told me in high school that the Rock would pin austin cleanly, as a heel, and in what could be austins last match I would have never believed it! I have watched this match more times than I care to admit...............

 

[Pedigree1]

Hey Brain,this is your favorite Mania... And a great Mania it was probably 2nd best of all time... It had suspense,drama,and excellent matches.. Plus it marked the return of Mr WM,his first WM since WM14.. The only match i would change would be a one on one Undertaker vs Big Show.. The supposed tag match,i never liked that one,and when it became a handicap match,due to Nathan Jones being attacked and taken out.

It was just a waste IMO to have undertaker in a handicap match and A-Train by that time didnt belong on a WM Card.. It should have been Taker vs Show one on one. Triple H completely buried Booker T in the title match,and i mean buried him.. While i agree Trips should have went over,he didn't need to dominate the way he did,but anytime Naitch helps out is a plus..

The HBK vs Y2J,match was a classic and a great great match.. Five star IMO and HBK never looked better. This was damn there a perfect WM card top to bottom! Great great mania

 

[MCMG]

Undertaker. Just an awful decision. What genius thought they should follow Triple H and Ric Flair with the A-Train?

I really liked this Mania (Taker match aside) It had some fantastic wresting and there were some decent storylines heading into it. Taker simply had to have a better match. One-on-one with The Big Show would have been better but I'm pretty sure Big Show was in poor condition at the time. I'll admit it is difficult because all the other matches were solid but I'd rather have seen Benoit vs Taker. Benoit was somewhat wasted in the tag-match and they could have found another team to replace him and Rhyno. Benoit vs Taker would have been a great match, no doubt.

Other than that this Mania was superb. Angle/Lesnar and Jericho/HBK are classics. Hogan vs McMahon had to happen and was an entertaining match. Could Booker T gone over HHH? Maybe and it would have been a great Wrestlemania moment. He was a talent and it would have helped his credibility in what was a rather poor year for Raw. Even a short run would have given us a break from HHHH to ensure we didn't feel overwhelmed.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

I loved Wrestlemania 19 and deciding which match on the card is my favourite is so difficult that I'd say there're 3 matches which easily qualify to be 3 of the greatest WM matches ever. However, despite the pure wrestling and the story of HBK-Jericho, and the star-power and 4 yrs in making of Austin Vs Rock, I'd go with Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar because it had it all and offered something very new- Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. I'm not sure if anyone will agree but what Brock had to offer as a contender to the WWE championship far outweighs EVERY single WWE title match in WM history, except for Hart-HBK Ironman match. On WM 19, Brock was the greatest wrestler, most decorated athlete, a high-flier, a beast, and the face of the WWE all combined, something which Undertaker, John Cena, Austin, Rock, nor HHH can claim to be. None of them is built like Brock, none of them trained like Brock, none of them had the most exciting manoeuvres as those of Brock- shooting star, F5, suplexes, and so on.
Of course this match wouldn't be the greatest match of that night, had it not been for the sheer intensity, athleticism and pure wrestling of Kurt Angle.

Clearly, nothing is really left to be desired on this WM with those 3 great matches.
But I'd like to make a few changes nonetheless:-

There should've been 2 tag team triple threat matches instead of one and Rob Van Dam and Kane really deserved to be on WM card instead of Matt Hardy, the divas , or A-train and Big show.

Undertaker didn't deserve to have a disaster of a match at WM 19 with bums like Big show and A-train, I'd have had him face a heel John Cena or some other new superstar who would've benefited from facing and losing to Taker.

HHH vs Booker T, although an okay match would've more suited for a Raw main-event or a championship match headlining a Raw pay-per-view because I never found Booker T and HHH to have that chemistry or intensity and it should've been some bigger star an d not Booker T(I like Booker but if he only had to lose to HHH , I simply cannot accept this match for a big event like WM19). I'm not sure who'd have contended for HHH's WHC but it sure as hell wouldn't have been Hurricane Helms. May be Kane and Rob Van dam should've faced HHH in a triple threat match.

 

[Elchicano15]

This was another Wrestlemania I enjoyed. You had a well stacked card and some fresh stars making their first Mania appearance. Rey, Brock, Rhyno, Chavo, Hass, Shelton. My favorite match of the night was Y2J/HBK. Great build going in, and it didn't matter who won that match because both looked great coming out of the match.

I also think the handicap match with Taker was rather pointless. It should have been a one on one with show and call it a day. It sucks that the world tag team title match was on the heat preshow but I guess how it ended and time constraints, it belonged there. Otherwise I maybe would have made the World tag team title match the opener and the cruiserweight title match the preshow on heat.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

I also think the handicap match with Taker was rather pointless. It should have been a one on one with show and call it a day. It sucks that the world tag team title match was on the heat preshow but I guess how it ended and time constraints, it belonged there. Otherwise I maybe would have made the World tag team title match the opener and the cruiserweight title match the preshow on heat.

Well, it's a shame they decided that the cruiserweight title and women's title being defended at WM was more important, isn't it? I wouldn't think twice before scrapping those two matches and adding the Rob Van Dam and Kane match on the card instead. And instead of that idiotic cruiserweight match featuring an improper cruiserweight(heavyweight) Matt Hardy, have a battle royal, or maybe have Mysterio team with Benoit instead of Rhyno. It wouldn't be so hard for the creative to determine who's career trajectory was more promising- Rhyno's or someone else more deserving to have a WM spot (such as John Cena).

 

[Poop Master Flex]

This was a solid Wrestlemania, not one of my favorites but I can understand why a lot of people put it so high on their list. The only thing I would change from a match perspective is easily the Taker match, it was obvious they had absolutely nothing for the guy so they tried ANYTHING to make the streak look like it was in jeopardy but overall its really hard to get into a Taker match if his start to '03 was training with Nathan Jones every other week, I would have been fine if Taker just had a month program with Big Show and it was a basic singles match, his match didn't need to be huge with all the other matches on the card but they were really reaching going the route they went.

My favorite match could go to Rock vs. Austin or HBK vs. Jericho. Although HBK/Jericho was the superior match the whole idea of Rock and Austin facing off 1 last time (with roles essentially reversed) and the whole story going in really sold that match for me. Also knowing now that it was Austin's (one of my top 5 favorites) retirement match, considering that Austin got released from the hospital the day of the match, knowing that match could have been much worse as a result all helps the matches cause in my eyes.

The worst match was HHH vs. Booker T. I was real surprised Booker didn't win the title here and overall it was a dull, boring match. Going from the buildup to the match itself the whole thing felt like a HHH title defense on a B-PPV and it doesn't help that HHH treated Booker like a joke the whole build up, only to beat Booker T clean. So essentially HHH called him a joke, then proved that he was a joke, just not a good way to treat who was at the time the most popular guy on RAW outside of maybe RVD. You often hear about HHH and the politic game and it's hard for me to ignore it when looking at matches and programs like this. The whole thing did nothing for no one and it was just a big waste of time at the end of the day.

Overall though it was a real good Wrestlemania, plenty of WM caliber matches, a WM quality main event, good matches throughout the card, really what more could you want from a Wrestlemania? The biggest compliment I can give this Wrestlemania is it had so many matches that I wanted to see, probably moreso than any other Wrestlemania I can think of.

 

[harrythem]

Pretty much enjoyed most of this Mania but the two things I'd change were:

Not have Triple H play the race card in the build-up with Booker T. There was no need for it and it was out of place with the event...If they're going to go that route, at least have Booker win the title at Mania.

Most importantly, not build Hogan vs McMahon as the real main draw of the show. I remember at the time the match that was all over WWE TV was Hogan vs Vince and, as a result, this mania didn't get the buy-rate it deserved. I'd have put the extra effort from that feud into the Triple H vs Booker (as in give them a better storyline) or Angle vs Brock (give them a stronger storyline).

 

[Wolf Pac]

One of my top 5 Mania's along with 17, 14, 21 & 10.

Favourite match is Austin vs. Rock. It's got nothing on their Wrestlemania 17 encounter but it was still a great match. I loved Hollywood Rock, he was such a refreshing change and an awesome character, and I liked his "Act 3" promo before the match. Him wearing Austin's jacket in the match gave me a good laugh. And even though I'm disappointed that this was Austin's last match, it truly was the perfect way for him to go out, finally giving The Rock a victory over him.

Least-Favourite match is Undertaker vs. Big Show & A-Train. Match was kind of slow and I felt Taker deserved a better opponent. I guess the only thing I liked about this match was Nathan Jones being out for most of it. To quote Bill DeMott, he was green as gooseshit, and he would've made the match even more horrible, had he been there for the entire match. He didn't belong on the card nor on the main roster.

There's not a lot I would change about this Wrestlemania.

Have Booker go over Triple H and win the World Title

Booker was the hottest superstar on RAW since the brand split and Triple H beating him, had killed all of his momentum. And prior to Mania, Triple H buried him in racially demeaning ways, saying that "people like him were uneducated and incapable of winning the big one", which wouldn't have been so bad if he had gotten his comeuppance at Wrestlemania and Booker won the title from him, proving him wrong. Booker could always lose the title back to Triple H at Bad Blood in Hell in a Cell. Booker would be out of action after Bad Blood anyway and the Hell in a Cell could be announced on-screen as the reason for Booker being sidelined with an injury.

Lance Storm & Christian (c) vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Kane & Rob Van Dam for the World Tag Team Titles

Replace William Regal with Christian as Lance's new partner, Chief Morley was shit. And have Chief Morley add The Dudleyz to the match so they can try help Storm & Christian retain, only for The Dudleyz to end up swerving Morley and take the belts for themselves. Maybe you could even make this a Triple Threat Ladder match.

The Undertaker vs. Chris Benoit

Maybe Steph or whoever the Smackdown GM was at the time, could book Benoit & Taker in a few tag team matches against Big Show & A-Train after No Way Out, and Benoit and Taker have some miscommunications during their tag matches, that eventually lead to the two blowing up and having brawls with each other. Steph decides enough is enough and if they can't get along then they can get it on at Wrestlemania. However you would build this, just don't turn Benoit heel for the sake of this match and then turn him back to face right after. Just let these two have a classic babyface-babyface match.

And since I have Benoit going one-on-one with Taker, book Los Guerreros vs. The Worlds Greatest Tag Team for the WWE Tag Team Titles and Rhyno vs. Big Show on Heat.

 

[Kris Benwa]

I loved this Mania either #1 or #2. My favorite match is HBK vs Jericho great match all around and the atmosphere really added to it IMO. I didn't have a problem with the Taker match because it wasn't a bad match however I agree A-Train did not belong on a WM card. So things I would change are Taker vs Big Show in a singles match no dq so you could still have your A-Train and Nathan Jones cameos in the match, I would have Booker gone over even if he would have dropped the belt back the next month I just don't see why they didn't make the easy choice. Also, I would have toned down King's commentary during that match he was trying too hard to be a dick and it got repetitive and I find myself not revisiting that match a lot and a good reason is because of the commentary.

Lol also fantasy, I'd have had Brock Lesnar actually nail the SSP perfectly and get the three lmao and I would have given Hardy and Mysterio at least 3 more minutes which I would have subtracted from the pillow thing they were trying to do.

 

[The Perfect Max]

In my opinion, the best WrestleMania of all time came in 2003 in Seattle, Washington. That was WrestleMania XIX. The card featured a plentiful amount of great matches, including Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels, The Rock vs. Steve Austin and Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. I disagree with the criticism of Triple H (c ) vs. Booker T for the World Heavyweight Championship. I found it to be thoroughly enjoyable, and Booker gave a great performance. Even Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. McMahon was entertaining.

Changes I would make? Obviously, as my fave WrestleMania, it doesn't bother me. I enjoyed it all. However, I can safely say The Undertaker vs. A-Train and Big Show was pretty... bad. I heard a suggestion of Chris Benoit facing Taker. That's interesting, and at the time, it could have been huge. I'm sure the match would have delivered. As a big fan of the team of Kane and Rob Vam Dam, I was disappointed with their match getting cut to Heat. If only it could have been on the card.

Other than that, brilliant WrestleMania.

 

[Aquaman6686]

WrestleMania 19 is the best WrestleMania of all time in my book, without a shadow of a doubt. Every match on the card delivered, and even the lower-card matches had a big time feel. The only thing I would change about the show (besides the removal of the Miller Lite Catfight Girls, but that wasn't an official match on the card so it doesn't bother me too much) is I'd change the order of the main events. It went Triple H/Booker T - Hogan/McMahon - Rock/Austin III - Angle/Lesnar. Personally I feel it should have been Hogan/McMahon - Rock/Austin III - Triple H/Booker T - Angle/Lesnar. That's really the only thing I would change. Best WrestleMania of all time and as close to a perfect show as any wrestling promotion could ever hope to put on.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Changes I would make? Obviously, as my fave WrestleMania, it doesn't bother me. I enjoyed it all. However, I can safely say The Undertaker vs. A-Train and Big Show was pretty... bad. I heard a suggestion of Chris Benoit facing Taker. That's interesting, and at the time, it could have been huge. I'm sure the match would have delivered. As a big fan of the team of Kane and Rob Vam Dam, I was disappointed with their match getting cut to Heat. If only it could have been on the card.

Other than that, brilliant WrestleMania.

I'm a huge fan of Kane & RVD as well, both individually and as a team, but in the long run, their match being cut to Heat actually benefitted them. Since it wasn't on the WrestleMania card, it doesn't count towards their WrestleMania records, and if it did, RVD wouldn't be undefeated at WrestleMania and Kane wouldn't be undefeated in both tag team matches and championship matches at WrestleMania. So it was a blessing in disguise.

 

[Rocky84]

I stopped watching wrestling shortly after Mania 18 but the night after Mania 19 my buddy calls me and asked if I watched it the other day. I laughed at him for still watching since I figured it's been ruined by this point (guys like Jericho main eventing and new guys like Brock and Cena coming in and old guys like Rock leaving) I asked him who wrestled and he says Rock vs Austin. I laughed and said, "bro, that was 2 years ago at Mania 17, are you stoned?" He said no no it was last night, and I said "no no you're mistaken, that was at 15 and 17 dude" and he's like no Rock beat Austin and HBK came back and wrestled too plus Goldberg came back on Raw. I remember dropping the phone feeling betrayed by WWF for putting on such a stellar card behind my back lol.


Needless to say I watched the video the next day and was shocked. Immediately I didn't understand why Undertaker didn't take on Big Show 1 on 1. Also was confused why they didn't have the Mania dream match of HBK vs HHH (at the time I didn't know about their SS match) but they should've waited til Mania for that.

I was blown away by Hogan vs Vinnie Mac. Mr. MAC-man was HUGE ...dude put on even more size for this because he was just as big as Hogan. Rock vs Austin's build up was awesome and the actual match was just as amazing. Was SO thrilled to see Rock finally get a Mania win over Austin. Brock vs Angle was a sweet wrestling match with a crazy ending (star press) even though he landed on his head lol.

Favorite match was a tie between Rock vs Austin and Hogan vs Vinnie Mac. The shot of Vince's bloody face raising up above the ring after he grabbed the pipe from under it was epic and hilarious. I loved that part...what an evil bastard. Such an entertaining story in the ring and out. Rock vs Austin had their best in ring match of the 3 hands down. The build wasn't 17-esque but still damn good and best ending of the night for me (despite knowing already which I'm sure most already knew before seeing it anyway).

HBK and Jericho was great no doubt but the whole time I couldn't stop thinking about why they didn't have HBK vs HHH so it kinda ruined it. HHH vs Booker was a hilarious build up. I loved it...match was solid too...loved Booker knocking Flair off the apron 1000 times and seeing him flopping all over lol.

Again I'd have to say the worst was the Taker vs Show and A-Train match...they dropped the ball with the 1 on 1 match...that actually should've happened at Mania 15 to be honest.

If I could change it I wouldn't have had HHH vs HBK at SS and had it here and I would've switched up a few tag teams too...


1. L. Storm & RVD vs Dudleys vs Benoit & Rhyno vs Eddie & Chavo-Tag Titles

2. Trish vs Victoria vs Jazz- Women's Title

3. Undertaker (w/ Kane) vs Big Show (w/ A-Train)

4. Chris Jericho (c) vs Booker T- World Title

5. HHH vs HBK

6. Hulk Hogan vs Vince McMahon- Street Fight

7. The Rock vs Stone Cold

8. Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle (c)-WWE Title


Although I would've been tempted to bring Goldberg in ahead of time to face Austin as well as having Rock vs HBK...THE 2 BIGGEST dream matches never to happen. However, Rock getting that win was so important to me as a fan of his that I probably would've kept it the way I have it above.

 

[roipdh123]

In my opinion it was the 2nd best mania of all time.
The only thing that I didn't liked in this show was the match of Taker {one of the only times that it happended} and he should have only faced Big Show in this situation.

So this was a great show with 5 great last matches in my opinion & great undercard and this is 2nd close after WM X7.

 

[LODemolition]

This ranks right up there in the top 3 Manias of all-time for me, and there's not a lot I'd change. But as always, there are some changes that could have been made to improve the event that much more. My favorite match was Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho, without a doubt. One of my favorite feuds and the match was just executed terrifically.

1. RVD vs. Chris Benoit

I was never a fan of Kane being thrown in random tag teams with RVD or X-Pac. I didn't like seeing Benoit as part of a tag team either, when he put on such a great show by himself. This is a Mania match I would've loved to see.

2. WWE Women's Championship: Victoria (c) vs. Trish Stratus

3. Kane vs. Rhyno

4. Cruiserweight Title: Eddie Guerrero (c) vs. Rey Mysterio

Yes, I know they squared off at WM21, but this would've done much more for me than Matt Hardy, even though that didn't turn out to be a bad match at all.

5. The Undertaker vs. Big Show

A-Train had no business in this match. It made zero sense for someone the size of Big Show to supposedly need a tag team partner in a handicap match against Taker. If A-Train had to be in the match, then it should've been a tag team match with Kane being Taker's partner.

6. WWE Tag Team Championship: Team Angle (c) vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Matt Hardy & Shannon Moore

7. Street Fight: Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. McMahon

8. World Heavyweight Championship: Triple H (c) vs. Booker T

9. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

10. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock

11. WWE Championship: Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar

 

[The Brain]

Hey Brain,this is your favorite Mania...

Hell yeah! The best mania of all with 17 coming in at a close second. There is not a bad match on this card and the last five matches were all great. There were a couple things that added to this show besides the great matches. I thought the venue looked very unique and gave mania a big time feel. I also loved each of the video packages for the five big matches. All were very well done and match each match feel so important.

My favorite match was Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho. That kind of match was exactly what was missing during the attitude era. This is one of my all time favorite matches as it flowed so smoothly and told a perfect story. It was great having HBK at mania again. As I mentioned there really isn't a bad match on this card so it's hard to pick a least favorite. I guess I'll choose Undertaker vs. Big Show & A Train simply because I didn't really care for Taker being in a hanicapped match.

There really isn't a reason to make any changes to the best mania but I'll throw out a couple small ideas just for the hell of it. I just said I didn't like the idea of a handicapped match so I would have done Taker vs. Big Show one on one. It may not have been a dream match by 2003 but the two still hadn't done a long program together so I think it would have worked out better than a handicapped match. Of course it wasn't supposed to have been a handicapped match originally as Nathan Jones was supposed to be Taker's partner but I'd just keep him away from mania all together.

It crossed my mind to have Team Angle vs. Los Guerreros in a regular tag match instead of a triple threat. This would free Chris Benoit to have a singles match. I was thinking maybe Benoit vs. Scott Steiner. It's really amazing how Steiner came into the WWE in November with so much hype but was just completely left off mania. It's his own fault as he stunk up the joint in his match with Triple H at the Royal Rumble but if you look back at when Steiner debuted you would assume he was going to have a big match at mania and he didn't even make the card at all. After Steiner did so poorly at the Rumble that the crowd tuned against him mid match, Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle put on a masterpiece. Benoit lost but left the ring to a standing ovation. Maybe that could have sparked some jealousy and resentment and caused Steiner to turn heel and attack Benoit.

At the time I thought there would be a six man tag with The Dudley Boys (including Spike) against Lance Storm, William Regal, and Sean Morley. If I remember correctly Regal got hurt right before mania so that idea came to an end before it was ever announced. I also thought Kane was going to turn heel and face RVD but that was going to wait a few months. Christian vs. Test crossed my mind too but none of these matches were necessary as they just would have taken time away from the five matches that made the show.

If you would have asked me in January 2003 what I wanted for WM19 I would have told you Shawn Michaels vs. The Rock. I don't think I need to explain why and this was the only time that the timing would have been right for these two. In hindsight I'm happy with the way it went down. For as awesome of a build I'm sure HBK and Rock would have had I wouldn't want to trade that awesome HBK vs. Y2J match for it.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

This is a WrestleMania that fans generally seem to like, but honestly I think it's pretty mediocre. There were some good matches for sure, but they also made some really bad decisions with this WrestleMania. To me, this show is comparable to WrestleMania 8, it's a pretty entertaining show to watch, but with the guys they had access to it definitely could've been a lot better.

The first thing I'll mention is the Triple H vs. Booker T match. This was Booker T's time. He was a guy that could work in the ring, was entertaining on the mic, had charisma, had a great connection with the fans, and was over big time as a face. He definitely should have won the belt here, and stepped up to that next level. So there's the first mistake. Also, I'd probably have RVD/Kane on the main show instead of Sunday Night Heat.

Rock/Austin and Hogan/McMahon were pretty good I guess, but this should've been the WrestleMania where we finally saw Hogan vs. Austin. The Rock could challenge the Undertaker's streak instead, and then we wouldn't have to see Taker fight Big Show and A-Train. Jericho vs. HBK was a great match, and I liked Lesnar vs. Angle for the WWE Title, but Hogan/Austin would obviously close the show.

As for Mr. McMahon, i think I'd involve him in the build-up for Hogan/Austin. Have Hogan call out Stone Cold and challenge him to a match, Austin accepts. Crowd goes wild, and the announcers hype it as the biggest match of all time, which it definitely would be. Then at some point I'd have Mr. McMahon come out and talk about his history with both guys. He says that he was responsible for making Hogan and Austin the huge stars that they are, and that he therefore deserves to be a part of this match. In true heel fashion, he decides to insert HIMSELF into the match, making it a triple threat: Hogan vs. Austin vs. MCMAHON. The crowd obviously shits all over him for ruining the best match ever. At No Way Out, I would do Austin & Hogan vs. McMahon & The Rock in a Tag-Team Match. With the stipulation being that if Hogan & Austin win, Vince is out of their match at WrestleMania. The question going into No Way Out would be "Can Austin and Hogan co-exist?", given their history in WCW and all that stuff. Hogan & Austin obviously would win and have the big stare down afterwards to hype up the dream match between them at Mania. In the weeks leading to Mania you could so many cool promos between Austin and Hogan. I'd for sure have Austin re-enact his shoot promo on Hogan from ECW, and play up the real life history and resentment between the two of them. I'd make sure to keep their physical interactions very limited though, you want to save it for WrestleMania.

So there you go, those are the main changes I'd make to WrestleMania 19, and I think it would be a stronger show. I can't talk too much shit though, because i really did enjoy the Hogan/McMahon Street Fight and it gave us one of my all-time favorite WrestleMania moments...