How bad was 2003 WWE

[dotty_84]

An example of bad year is 2009. I nearly stopped watching because of boring CM Punk SES promos, guest hosts etc.

SES began at the end of November that year and that was one of Punks best pieces of work, pity they jobbed them out to Rey and Big show.

I thought 2010 was bad super Cena at his highest it was terrible due to that The Miz on the rise ugh! the only compliment i can give is it was a transitional period.

 

[King Patrick Star]

These are the top 10 things I found were great in 2003:

WWE Champion, Kurt Angle and World Champion, Triple H started the year off on top.

Brock Lesnar winning the Royal Rumble.

WrestleMania XIX was the greatest WrestleMania ever. I’m not going to break the card down, as that’s for another thread, which I’m sure I have already before.

Goldberg’s WWE return. Not taking into consideration of how he was used, but his debut was just spectacular.

The return of the Intercontinental Championship.

The return of the United States Championship.

The second ever Elimination Chamber match.

Goldberg and the Big Gold.

Team Angle vs. Team Lesnar / Team Bischoff vs. Team Austin.

Ending the year with Evolution holding all of the Championships on Raw.

2003 was a pretty damn great year, in my opinion, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks so.

 

[Eyebrows]

I really enjoyed what I saw of 2003. I only began watching wrestling after a couple of years hiatus in about September of that year and I was still young so it'd be interesting to see how much I enjoy it in hindsight.

From what I remember though there was some good stuff in those last few months in 2003 that planted the seeds for 2004. Orton solidified his legend killer gimmick and began his Intercontinental Title run and the Foley/Orton feud began in earnest. The Undertaker buried alive allowed him to come back as the dead man. Eddie was gaining popularity. Heyman was made GM of Smackdown and started making Benoit's life hell.

Personally, I enjoyed Goldberg but I hadn't seen anything of WCW and had nothing to compare it to. HHH might have dominated but Evolution were still entertaining. The Austin/Bischoff rivalry was great IMO. Jericho and Christian cracked me up and the divas and cruiserweight divisions during the end of 2003 added some depth to the roster. Whatever bad there was, there was definitely some good in there as well.

 

[AnthonyM4]

Another one I forgot to add was the Lance Storm "boring" nonsense. You guys talk about good wrestling in 2003. If he would have gotten a chance, Lance could have provided it! I agree 2003 had some really good wrestling matches, but it was overshadowed by the McMahon crap which by 2003 got really stale. I loved when Vince took himself off tv in 2002 after Bischoff was GM.

It's been 10 years already and I still watch wrestling somewhat, but this year almost killed it for me. I think wwe started going downhill in 2001 after they purchased their competition. 2000 was the last year in which I enjoyed the product overall. More good than bad. I don't know if I want to start another thread on this, but what year do you guys think was worse than 2003 and why?

 

[Da Solo]

2003 wasn't really bad per se. It's really a neutral year. For every good thing about it, something really shitty happened to balance it out.

As good as Rock's heel run was, we lost him as a full time performer
As great as WM 19 was, HHH beating Booker T the way he did was one of the most upsetting moments in WWE's history as a fan
As good as it was that Randy and Batista were getting over, Triple H used Evolution as an excuse to hog the World Title relentlessly.
As good of a heel as HHH was, he buried shit-tons of people in 2003.
As good of a heel as Bischoff was on RAW, the McMahon angles on SD! sucked.
Shane vs. Kane was awesome; Vince beating up a cripple and his own daughter, not so much.

The list could go on, but you get my point.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

2003 was a huge year for nostalgia! Pretty fun year in Wrestling.

Heh.

The Rock went heel, got Goldberg over. Had two great matches with Hogan and Austin. HBK and Jericho had a great feud.

Rock didn't get him over a damn bit to me. What is Goldberg's whole deal? Set them up and knock them down. People want to see Goldberg squash the hell out of guys. I don't think Rock made him look all that great given the buildup and what happened during the match. Rock/Hogan II was atrocious. Don't tell me that atrocity was great.

Smackdown had a great mid-card, Lesnar took off. Heel or Face.

At least you're right about this.

To say 2003 was a bad year, shows you have a bad taste in wrestling. A few bad parts that year, but take a look at the Attitude Era. You had guys getting kidnapped and having their privates getting cut off. Then Viscera introduced the bad hoes. The Hard-Core title being defended 24/7 (Not saying the attitude era was bad. Just pointing out a couple flaws)

The good-to-crap ratio was much higher during the Attitude Era than it was in 2003, especially on Raw.

Take a look at the 2003 promos and crowd reaction. 2003 wasn't a bad, in fact pretty good time in wrestling. Heyman was booking for crying out loud.

Heyman was booking on Smackdown. Let's get that right. Besides, he had the tendency to book great Smackdowns but fell short more often that not on PPV's.

 

[#tamale]

It was pretty bad. I saw throughout this thread how everyone talks about the mid-card being "so awesome" during that time, but what is a good mid-card worth when you are misusing all your talent? Ask WCW that question.

And if we are going to compare this year to the Attitude Era, I'll take 1997 and 2000, which are some of the best years in wrestling over the boring 2002-2004 era of WWE.

 

[rokuma]

The obvious high spot of 2003 was Wrestlemania 19 which was FANTASTIC. One of the best Wrestlemania's in history (Angle/Brock, HBK/Jericho, Austin/Rock 3, Hogan/McMahon I liked as a brawl, HHH/Booker T, 2 quality tag team matches...some nice wrestling at that show). The Rock turned heel, Goldberg showed up, the Elimination Chamber was actually pretty solid at Summerslam 2003. Everything else was pretty mundane. There was some pretty entertaining stuff with Austin, I think, and being the "sheriff." Wasn't that 2003? He basically went around beating people up, which is always fun.

 

[AnthonyM4]

The obvious high spot of 2003 was Wrestlemania 19 which was FANTASTIC. One of the best Wrestlemania's in history (Angle/Brock, HBK/Jericho, Austin/Rock 3, Hogan/McMahon I liked as a brawl, HHH/Booker T, 2 quality tag team matches...some nice wrestling at that show). The Rock turned heel, Goldberg showed up, the Elimination Chamber was actually pretty solid at Summerslam 2003. Everything else was pretty mundane. There was some pretty entertaining stuff with Austin, I think, and being the "sheriff." Wasn't that 2003? He basically went around beating people up, which is always fun.

Oh yeah that's right. After Stone Cold couldn't wrestle anymore he was beating up guys that we the audience were paying to see(ie Jericho and Steiner). Speaking of Steiner, the angle he did with Test sucked so there is another bad thing about 2003.I believe 2003 was also the year when there was a feud between the raw announce teams too? Al Snow and Coach vs JR and the King.

Wrestlemania 19 is being mentioned here and yeah it was one of the few good things about 2003 imo, but having the Miller Light Cat Fight Girls replacing the tag match was dumb as was not having Cena on the show(whose character was awesome back then)

 

[Aquaman6686]

Wrestlemania 19 is being mentioned here and yeah it was one of the few good things about 2003 imo, but having the Miller Light Cat Fight Girls replacing the tag match was dumb as was not having Cena on the show(whose character was awesome back then)

I agree about the Cat Fight girls, but on the plus side, the World Tag Team Championship match taking place on the pre-show meant that Kane remained undefeated in championship matches at WrestleMania, which he still is to this day.

As for Cena, there just wasn't room for him on the card. He really hadn't developed enough as a character to warrant a match on WrestleMania. Every match on the card at WrestleMania 19 deserved to be there. Would you really have bumped that Undertaker or Team Angle or Chris Jericho off the card, so John Cena could fight Billy Kidman?

 

[rokuma]

Oh yeah that's right. After Stone Cold couldn't wrestle anymore he was beating up guys that we the audience were paying to see(ie Jericho and Steiner). Speaking of Steiner, the angle he did with Test sucked so there is another bad thing about 2003.I believe 2003 was also the year when there was a feud between the raw announce teams too? Al Snow and Coach vs JR and the King.

Wrestlemania 19 is being mentioned here and yeah it was one of the few good things about 2003 imo, but having the Miller Light Cat Fight Girls replacing the tag match was dumb as was not having Cena on the show(whose character was awesome back then)

I agree about the tag team match at WM 19. I enjoyed seeing Austin on TV. His feud with Bischoff actually culminated with a decent match at Survivor Series that year I believe.

Also, December of 2003 we had the fantastic HBK/HHH World Heavyweight Title match in San Antonio. One of my favorite Raw matches of all-time (included on Heartbreak and Triumph DVD set). The Elimination Chamber at Summerslam that year was good too and I actually enjoyed Goldberg/Rock at Backlash. Actually, I enjoyed Goldberg's run all together.

 

[jlawls91]

2003 was shocking compared to the 5 years previous. Anyone that says it was great is saying so for nostalgia reasons because it was when they first started watching wrestling.

Don't get me wrong it had good moments, but losing Rock and Austin killed my obession in wrestling, until I downloaded years of WWE, WCW and ECW recently.

 

[quink987]

2003 was a great year for the WWE, Brock Lesnar was the face of the WWE we had the

Rock vs Austin WM19
Angle vs Benoit RR2003
Rock vs Goldberg Backlash
Elimation Chamber Sumerslam 2003

Stone Cold just being on TV was Awesome too

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I was only 13 at the time, so I'm drawing a blank on a lot of things 2003, but I do remember liking Smackdown. I was a WCW fan as a kid in the '90s, but 2002-03 was when I first started really getting into WWE material. Smackdown came first, and then eventually I started to watch Raw when my Monday nights freed up (I was in soccer until junior high, which had practices Monday, but not Thursday).

WrestleMania XIX was the first WWE PPV I ever watched live. Not a great event from head to toe, but at least three big matches that still stand out to me - 1) Austin/Rock, 2) Lesnar/Angle, 3) Michaels/Jericho.

I was a huge fan of Evolution, but they really didn't pick up steam until 2004, and honestly their destruction was way better than their actual run. Any time Scott Steiner is involved in a main event scenario, you know things aren't going well.

The cruiserweight division was still pretty strong at this point. Unfortunately, the tag team division was in a flux between two points of being fantastic. This was after the Dudley Boys and E&C eras, but before the rise of the mash-up teams like Angle & Benoit, Edge & Mysterio, RVD & Booker, etc. I liked that they were constantly creating new teams; it kept you on your toes.

Like I said, I was only 13 but I remember really liking Smackdown at the time. 2003 was the year, if I remember correctly, that John Cena started to gain popularity. Team Angle was a thing, and Kurt Angle was the WWE champion. So that's always a good thing. Zack Gowen happened, which as a very young kid, was downright terrifying. THe Undertaker and Vince McMahon rivalry. I'm not saying these things were objectively good, but from the perspective of a young teenager, I enjoyed it.

 

[BretHitmanHart92]

2003 wasn't that bad actually. I remember being disappointed because I had a lot of hopes for them at the beginning of the year. And after WrestleMania 19 they kind of dropped the ball. But up until WrestleMania 19, they were great.

I remember 2002 ended and Hogan was out, Taker was injured, Austin was gone, The Rock was gone.

Then around Royal Rumble time we heard that Taker was coming back at the Rumble. Just a little while after the Rumble, Hogan re-signed and him and The Rock had their rematch at No Way Out. Austin came back at that show as well.

SmackDown, in 2003, was absolutely incredible. I loved the Lesnar/Angle feud.

WrestleMania 19 was one of the absolute greatest. Hogan vs. McMahon, Austin vs. The Rock III, Booker T vs. Triple H, Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar. There hasn't been a better lineup than that since.

So I don't know how 2003 can be considered a bad year for the WWE.

You want to talk about a bad year or years? How about 1993-1996? Nothing in the 2000's or now can compare to how bad the WWF was in the early to mid '90s before the Attitude Era took off.

 

[BringThePain834]

2003 was all Lesnar. At that point, he was just carrying the company. If he stayed for the 2004 draft lottery, he probably would have gone back to Raw

 

[Downnice]

I disagree. Before we go on the WCW talent was misused Goldberg was WHC and he beat The Rock so do not get on Mcmahon.

The Suvivor Series storyline with Austin was classic and Evolution was a good storyline.

Lesnar was a beast and carried wrestling.

The only point you got was the McMahon, but come on Shane was great in his matches and Mr. McMahon was heavily involved with Austin during the attitude era which was awesome

 

[Henry Hill]

i completely disagree that 2003 was a terrible year in wrestling. The classic royal rumble match between Benoit and Angle, HBK v. Y2J at wrestlemania (which is easily one of the best wrestlemanias in history), Eddie Guerrero really taking off with his beloved tweener character, the Lesnar/Angle buddy comedy to serious rivalry act, The final Rock v. Austin match, the return of the IC belt after a short absence tied in with Christian's captain charisma character, the elimination chamber, the rise of Cena, HBK v. Flair 1, Evolution's dominance. now that i think about it it was not just a decent year, but a great one, i would say i enjoyed that year better than this so far by a long shot.

 

[god-soldier]

I have too say 2003 is one of my favorite wrestling years it started out strong with the Triple H vs Big Poppa Pump feud a lot of people don't like it I was super hyped for it who was better heel champ from 2000 Steiner or HHH I enjoyed watching Big Poppa Pump beat Triple H's ass at the rumble pure classic beatdown!!!!!! Then we had Angle vs Beniot match and the Rumble good start, by Mania what a card Triple H vs Booker T, McMahon Hogan, Austin Rock III, Angle vs Lesnar, HBK vs Y2J great PPV, the debut of GOLDBERG the next, Goldberg vs Rock @ backlash Kevin Nash vs HHH feud ending in a Hell in a Cell Angle Lesnar feud with an iron match on Smackdown that was epic Lesnar throwing Zack Gowen down the stairs of arena while he was in a wheelchair was priceless!!!!!!! Los Guerreros lying cheating and stealing and building up Eddie, Eddie vs Cena parking lot brawl frog splash from a top of a car to another OMG!!!!!!!!! Ultimo Dragon debuts the Asai DDT and in the WWE!!!! Goldberg destroys and dominates a Elmination Chamber match the best one ever and he should of won!!!!!!! KANE unmasked!!!!!!!! Stone Cold co GM of RAW, Evolution, Goldberg bounty, Teddy Long white boy challenge, Version 1, Matt doesn't like spicy food hilarious!!!!!!!! Great entertaining year of wrestling sure I was mad about Booker not winning Steiner being pushed all the way down the midcard Goldberg's short title reign Mr.America, Zack Gowen vs anyone the mis use of Sean O Hair, Ultimo Dragon, and Hardcore Holly getting a title match but when you look at everything that delivered my favorite moment still is when Goldberg kicked Triple H's ass and the entire evolution's ass with one leg at Survivor Series priceless for me!!!!!!

 

[Tom]

I Completely disagree with you, 2003 was a great year.

-McMahon were hogging tv like crazy! Vince, and Stephanie in the I quit match, Shane getting the better of Kane in their feud, Linda McMahon putting Kane on "house arrest", Stephanie McMahon main eventing Smackdowns vs the likes of the Big Show and Albert, Vince and Sable the couple, and Stephanie McMahon's awful acting in her last promo before the I quit match

Personally, I enjoyed all the McMahon stroylines. Shane/Kane was my favourite. We saw storyline development each time they were on TV. Only one event had a McMahon in the main event and that was Survivor Series 2003. It was McMahon year, which isn't a bad thing at all.

-Triple H hogged the world title and made others look bad in the process.

Triple H's two reigns in that year were great, and made him one of the most hated heels of all time. He was the typical bad guy who would do anything for the win, that title was his life. The only person he made look bad was Booker T, but then again, he should have never been in the title scene at that time.

-The misuse of Goldberg

He ended Triple H's long reign on top, beat the Rock and was portrayed as the monster he was in WCW. That's hardly been misused.

-Roddy Piper coming back to rekindle a feud with Hulk Hogan from 20 years earlier!

That was great, not only did we see development in new stars but we also had massive names like those two on cards. Don't get me wrong, neither were like they were in the prime, but it was great to have some legendary faces on television. The whole Mr America storyline was ridiculous though.

-Stone Cold vs Eric Bischoff in a redneck triathlon.

The chemistry they had together alone made me want to watch RAW. It was hilarious how Austin would just f**k with Bishoff, it showed a different side of Austin. It's also interesting to see how Austin had got to both the boss of the WWE and the former boss of WCW.

-Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar in a "biker chain match" main events No Mercy which is a huge stepdown from their awesome hell in a cell match from a year earlier.

Yes it was a step down, but it was still a good match. It was also the match that kick started Takers feud with McMahon. At the time I thought the title was going to be put on Taker, looking back I'm glad it didn't.

The only things I agree with are the Kevin Nash and Torrie/Dawn statements.

2003 was an awesome year, it was where the brands started to make more sense and we got used to seeing certain people on certain shows. Many great matches, and two top champions like Lesnar and Triple H ran the place. They were believable. One of the year where all top 4 PPV's were some of the best of all time, and we saw many returns, and debuts.

To call it the worst might be going a bit too far. 96/97 may have been the worst of all time for the WWE.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Let's see if I still got it.

I Completely disagree with you, 2003 was a great year.

Swing and a miss.

Personally, I enjoyed all the McMahon stroylines. Shane/Kane was my favourite. We saw storyline development each time they were on TV. Only one event had a McMahon in the main event and that was Survivor Series 2003. It was McMahon year, which isn't a bad thing at all.

Testicle electrocution, dumpster fires, and limo-crashing. Dig that storyline development. No Mercy 2003 was built around Stephanie vs. Vince which NO ONE wanted to see.

Triple H's two reigns in that year were great, and made him one of the most hated heels of all time. He was the typical bad guy who would do anything for the win, that title was his life. The only person he made look bad was Booker T, but then again, he should have never been in the title scene at that time.

HHH's matches sucked the big one in 2003. The only good match he had in 2003 was the last match of the year against HHH. His matches against Steiner, Nash, and Goldberg were all terrible. Tell me why Booker T should have never been in the title scene. It wasn't like he was the one of the hottest guys around that time. What's your reason?

He ended Triple H's long reign on top, beat the Rock and was portrayed as the monster he was in WCW. That's hardly been misused.

What should have happened at Backlash didn't happen which would be Goldberg squashing Rock in three minutes. What should have happened at Summerslam didn't happen which would be Goldberg winning the title.

That was great, not only did we see development in new stars but we also had massive names like those two on cards. Don't get me wrong, neither were like they were in the prime, but it was great to have some legendary faces on television. The whole Mr America storyline was ridiculous though.

So the only thing you found ridiculous was the Mr. America storyline? Zach Gowen was ridiculous. The misuse of Sean O'Haire was equally ridiculous. I think you see where I'm going with this. Or maybe you don't.

The chemistry they had together alone made me want to watch RAW. It was hilarious how Austin would just f**k with Bishoff, it showed a different side of Austin. It's also interesting to see how Austin had got to both the boss of the WWE and the former boss of WCW.

Snooze.

Yes it was a step down, but it was still a good match. It was also the match that kick started Takers feud with McMahon. At the time I thought the title was going to be put on Taker, looking back I'm glad it didn't.

Taker sucked as much in 2003 as he did the year before. I'm not surprised YOU thought it was a good match, either.

The only things I agree with are the Kevin Nash and Torrie/Dawn statements.

2003 was an awesome year, it was where the brands started to make more sense and we got used to seeing certain people on certain shows. Many great matches, and two top champions like Lesnar and Triple H ran the place. They were believable. One of the year where all top 4 PPV's were some of the best of all time, and we saw many returns, and debuts.

To call it the worst might be going a bit too far. 96/97 may have been the worst of all time for the WWE.

Royal Rumble, Summerslam, and Survivor Series were nowhere near being the best of all-time. It can never be the best when a Survivor Series match has Nathan Jones, Matt Morgan, Bradshaw, A-Train, and Hardcore Holly in it. If it wasn't for Benoit, Lesnar, and Angle, 2003 would have bombed more than it already did.

 

[Tom]

Testicle electrocution, dumpster fires, and limo-crashing. Dig that storyline development. No Mercy 2003 was built around Stephanie vs. Vince which NO ONE wanted to see.

The man tombstoned his mother, the whole point of those rediculous moments was to have Shane torture Kane for what he did, but it just turned out to be Kane been the "sadistic monster" that his.

It wasn't like he was the one of the hottest guys around that time. What's your reason?

If that's the case, where was RVD's WrestleMania main event? I wasn't saying he shouldn't have been in the title scene at all that year, it just felt he was thrown in because they didn't have a opponent for the World title at 'Mania.

What should have happened at Backlash didn't happen which would be Goldberg squashing Rock in three minutes. What should have happened at Summerslam didn't happen which would be Goldberg winning the title.

If that did happen, it would be a "Goldberg was over-used by the WWE" argument. The guy had it good there, for the dates he was doing. It was early 2004 where he was misued.

So the only thing you found ridiculous was the Mr. America storyline? Zach Gowen was ridiculous. The misuse of Sean O'Haire was equally ridiculous. I think you see where I'm going with this. Or maybe you don't.

I actually forgot about the Gowen stuff, I'm glad I did forget too. Sean O'Haire's push failed, which is sad. They should have had him go over "Mr America". Oh well.

Taker sucked as much in 2003 as he did the year before. I'm not surprised YOU thought it was a good match, either.

Of course he did, he was the opposite to what he was in 2002, he because the un-entertaining baby face. 2002 'Taker was great, but let's not get into that, this is a 2003 thread.

Royal Rumble, Summerslam, and Survivor Series were nowhere near being the best of all-time. It can never be the best when a Survivor Series match has Nathan Jones, Matt Morgan, Bradshaw, A-Train, and Hardcore Holly in it. If it wasn't for Benoit, Lesnar, and Angle, 2003 would have bombed more than it already did.

So you're judging events on one or two bad matches? I didn't say they were the best of all time.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

-McMahon were hogging tv like crazy! Vince, and Stephanie in the I quit match, Shane getting the better of Kane in their feud, Linda McMahon putting Kane on "house arrest", Stephanie McMahon main eventing Smackdowns vs the likes of the Big Show and Albert, Vince and Sable the couple, and Stephanie McMahon's awful acting in her last promo before the I quit match.

-Triple H hogged the world title and made others look bad in the process.

-The misuse of Goldberg

-Stone Cold vs Eric Bischoff in a redneck triathlon.

-Kevin Nash headlining ppvs who at this point was practically immobile.

With the exception of Vince vs. Steph, the majority of terrible things to come out of 2003 happened on Raw. Smackdown had its shit moments, but not nearly as dreadful as what Raw had became. Now to try to defend the some of the crap that went down on Raw:

1. Never have I seen Shane as interesting until his fight with Kane. And Tombstone Piledriving Linda, a political hopeful, was hilarious.

2. Triple H always catches shit for his early 2000s run as World Champion. But you have to look at the roster at the time and wonder who on Raw could have taken the belt off of 'H and still draw as much as he was? HBK and Goldberg were the only believable guys.

All the other threats were on The Blue Show.

3. Goldberg misused? He was the biggest thing to come out of WCW that the WWE could acquire. There was nothing they could possibly do with him to make him a bigger name besides beat Triple H, and so he did. His drawing power stayed the same even facing La Resistance. I just chalk this up to not having anything for such a big name to do besides face someone on the other show.

And you see how that turned out.

4. I agree Kevin Nash even then was passed his prime, but one of the best storylines to come from Raw at the time that didn't involve Shawn Michaels was Nash facing his former friend, the one he hugged it out with at the MSG Incident, Triple H. It told a good story of betrayal.

My 2 cents on Raw 2003: Having Booker T face Triple H at WrestleMania with no real buildup was, in my opinion, the worst part of 2003on the Raw side. Everything screamed that Rob Van Dam, someone who had arguably the biggest pop at the time, should have taken Booker's place. At least that way RVD had a solid revenge-angle going for him; Triple H cheating his way to beat him earlier that year. But no WWE went with Booker T vs. Triple H that played a lot like R-Truth's "I came from prison" gimmick, mixed in with a bland underdog story and racial undertones.

Now, onto Smackdown...

-Roddy Piper coming back to rekindle a feud with Hulk Hogan from 20 years earlier!

You didn't enjoy that? I admit, Mr. America, fun as it was, in hindsight was a terrible idea, but having 2 men with still a little in them squaring off like they did "back in the day" made for a great story that is rare to tell in this day and age.

How it started was epic. Where it ended up was the shitty part.

-Torrie Wilson/Dawn Marie/Al Wilson drama which ended with him "dead".

But...but...the Bra and Panties Matches?? Shouldn't that angle be forgiven for that?

And personally, I love kayfabe heaven.

-Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar in a "biker chain match" main events No Mercy which is a huge stepdown from their awesome hell in a cell match from a year earlier.

I agree that it was a step down, but having Undertaker fight Brock Lesnar sold tickets no matter what, and was good business. They could have fought in a Tuxedo Match and still put asses in seats.

My 2 cents for Smackdown: To me, the worst part of 2003 was a segment that promised so much, and gave us so little. I am talking about the Torrie Wilson/Jamie Noble "If you beat Billy Gunn, I will sleep with you." Match. Of course with that kind of stipulation, Jamie Noble won, and what did the 18-35 year old male demographic get? Jamie Noble, Nidia, Torrie Wilson, and Billy Gunn all sharing a bed and just chilling. This was the predecessor of trolling.


I personally think 2002 was a worse year for WWE- you at least had solid performers all over the place, but what did we get for storyline? "Hot Lesbian Action" and Katie Vick. I rest my case.

 

[Irishock]

I thought the match quality in 2003 sucked big time. Angle, Benoit, Jericho, HBK, Lesnar were the only ones putting on great match after great match. HHH put himself in the main event for an entire year and as someone previously stated, the only great match he had was against HBK at the end of the fucking year. Biker Taker was just a big piece of shit by his 4th year under the gimmick. I don't think he had a single watchable match except for the PPV one against Cena. Goldberg was a shitbag per usual, and who could forget Kevin fucking Nash, and even SCOTT STEINER wrestling in the main events. I guess Smackdown's wrestling was great, but RAW's issue was HHH burying the entire fucking roster and HBK not being on a full-time schedule.

 

[Toron]

2003 was a great year! I cannot take anyone seriously who says it was a bad year, let alone the worst.

The 1st half of the year was when Brock Lesnar was still strong and was awesome. He had just turned face that past November, and was now feuding with Paul Heyman. And he was having great matches with both the Big Show and Kurt Angle. And the WM that year, WM19, is in my opinion one of the most underrated PPV's, let alone just WM's, of all time. The Jericho/Michaels match was awesome, The Rock/Stole Cold 3 was good, the Hogan/Vince McMahon match was actually pretty great, and I think the main event with Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle was an amazing match. I think the shooting star press Lesnar did at the end of the match that he didn't have to do only cemented that fact. It's a shame how ignored this WM is. And I think the main reason that is is because the 2 main event guys of the show, that being Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle, since they both left the company within only a matter of years afterwards (ignoring the fact Lesnar's returned now) the WWE (ofcourse ) decided it best to start ignoring the 2 and all of their accomplishments because that's just what they do when someone leaves the company. But I've also heard that since WM19 was in Seattle that year, not a huge market, it didn't do as well as it would have done had it been in a larger city, which is also a shame.

Unfortunately the latter half of 2003, when they turned Lesnar heel again, but this time a cowardly heel, as opposed to the dominant heel he had been a year earlier, Brock Lesnar lost a lot of steam. I hated the way they booked Lesnar during that time and it really hurt him a lot, but for the 1st half of that year, he was great. In fact, Smackdown that year as a whole was pretty great. Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Chavo, John Cena, Angle, Big Show, the cruiserweights- Mysterio, Kidman, Jamie Noble, ect. Smackdown was actually pretty good.

And Raw had its moments too. I'll admit HHH having a stranglehold over the WWE Championship wasn't the best, but it led to a lot of good matches. His ongoing feud with HBK continued throughout the year, and Evolution got started. And while I wasn't a fan of the beer triathlon as well, Bischoff as the general manager was actually pretty good. I liked 3 minutes (if anyone remembers them), as well as Rosie breaking away from that later on and joining the Hurricane. And the Kane/Shane McMahon feud was great.

Sure there were a lot of bad moments from this year as well, who remembers the arm wrestling match between HHH and Scott Steiner, but overall this was an O.K year. I think things really started getting bad in the last of the year, when they turned Lesnar heel, and the whole Zack Gowen stuff, but the 1st half was pretty solid.

All in all, not the best year, but far from the worst.