WrestleMania XIX Thoughts
WrestleMania XIX was the 19th annual WrestleMania taking place at the Safeco Center in Seattle Washington with a record-breaking attendence of 15,097 on March 30, 2003. This show is well remembered for being the final in-ring performance of the Texas Rattle Snake Stone Cold Steve Austin as he would do his last feud with long time rival The Rock who had yet to get a victory over Austin at the Big Stage. Another fact about this WrestleMania is that it was the first of the brand split as each match was representing one of the two shows of WWE, Raw and Smackdown. Both top matches of the card featured world title matches Booker T vs. Triple H (Raw) and Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle (Smackdown). Shawn Micheals was also making his return to WrestleMania after 4 years of retirement and coming back to the ring in the summer of the previous year. HBK fought Chris Jericho who idolized Shawn Michaels in real life. This was made in a storyline to where Y2J felt like he has surpassed HBK and was tired of being compared to him. Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan battled in a brawl as where this ended up being Hogan's final WrestleMania.
The Good - Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle was an outstanding Main Event. I don't think it was as good as their 5 star match on SD months later but it was an instant classic here at WrestleMania. Kurt did extremely well in the ring despite wrestling injured where Doctors did not want him to compete. Austin vs. The Rock was a great closer to the chapter of the rivalry and Stone Cold's career. The amount of finishers and kick outs of this match made it felt really special. I'm honestly glad it wasn't main event though as Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar felt like a passing the torch where Austin and Rock pretty much have already proven themselves. Both Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon did good too. HBK/Y2J was sooo hot as the audience were just on the edge of the seats because of the steady unpredictability that was to come. Vince and Hogan had a fun and entertaining brawl with a great story of how Hogan betrayed Vince in Vince's eyes for leaving and going to WCW and Vince created him.
The Meh - Booker T vs. Triple H was a decent match. Booker T should have been the winner though. Quite sad based on what was heard off-screen years later as Triple H declined losing to Booker T. The Match was okay but slow paced didn't make the crowd hot the entire match. The opening matches could have been booked better too. Ending so fast really dragged out the first half of the show.
The Bad - The Cat Fight thing was an abomination. The silly promos backstage by the women really made me thankful we have fast forward buttons this generation.
Overall - I hear people say this is one of the best WrestleManias of all time. I think it might be a top 10 but I questioned 5. Still a fascinating show with a lot to remember in the history such as Brock Lesnar's victory, Rock & Austin final match, Austin's retirement, and HBK's return.
Score - 8 out of 10: Really Really Good
0 = Terrible: 1 = Bad/Lackluster: 2 = Decent: 3 = Good: 4 = Awesome: 5 = One of the best of all time:
1. Rey Mysterio vs. Matt Hardy: Cruiserweight Championship - 2.5/5
2. A-Train & Big Show vs. Undertaker (Handicap Match) - 2/5
3. Jazz vs. Trish Stratus vs. Victoria: Women's Championship - 2/5
4. Chris Benoit & Rhyno vs. World's Greatest Tag Team vs. Los Guerreros (WWE Tag Team Championship) - 2/5
5. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho - 3.5/5
6. Triple H vs. Booker T: World Heavyweight Championship - 2.5/5
7. Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. McMahon (Street Fight) - 3/5
8. The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin - 4.5/5
9. Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle: WWE Championship - 4.5/5
Best Match - Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle
Worst Match - A-Train & Big Show vs. Undertaker
Most Memorable Moment - Stone Cold's farewell to the fans.
Top 5 Performers
1. Kurt Angle
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Stone Cold
4. The Rock
5. Shawn Michaels.
WrestleMania XIX was the 19th annual WrestleMania taking place at the Safeco Center in Seattle Washington with a record-breaking attendence of 15,097 on March 30, 2003. This show is well remembered for being the final in-ring performance of the Texas Rattle Snake Stone Cold Steve Austin as he would do his last feud with long time rival The Rock who had yet to get a victory over Austin at the Big Stage. Another fact about this WrestleMania is that it was the first of the brand split as each match was representing one of the two shows of WWE, Raw and Smackdown. Both top matches of the card featured world title matches Booker T vs. Triple H (Raw) and Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle (Smackdown). Shawn Micheals was also making his return to WrestleMania after 4 years of retirement and coming back to the ring in the summer of the previous year. HBK fought Chris Jericho who idolized Shawn Michaels in real life. This was made in a storyline to where Y2J felt like he has surpassed HBK and was tired of being compared to him. Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan battled in a brawl as where this ended up being Hogan's final WrestleMania.
The Good - Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle was an outstanding Main Event. I don't think it was as good as their 5 star match on SD months later but it was an instant classic here at WrestleMania. Kurt did extremely well in the ring despite wrestling injured where Doctors did not want him to compete. Austin vs. The Rock was a great closer to the chapter of the rivalry and Stone Cold's career. The amount of finishers and kick outs of this match made it felt really special. I'm honestly glad it wasn't main event though as Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar felt like a passing the torch where Austin and Rock pretty much have already proven themselves. Both Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan vs. Vince McMahon did good too. HBK/Y2J was sooo hot as the audience were just on the edge of the seats because of the steady unpredictability that was to come. Vince and Hogan had a fun and entertaining brawl with a great story of how Hogan betrayed Vince in Vince's eyes for leaving and going to WCW and Vince created him.
The Meh - Booker T vs. Triple H was a decent match. Booker T should have been the winner though. Quite sad based on what was heard off-screen years later as Triple H declined losing to Booker T. The Match was okay but slow paced didn't make the crowd hot the entire match. The opening matches could have been booked better too. Ending so fast really dragged out the first half of the show.
The Bad - The Cat Fight thing was an abomination. The silly promos backstage by the women really made me thankful we have fast forward buttons this generation.
Overall - I hear people say this is one of the best WrestleManias of all time. I think it might be a top 10 but I questioned 5. Still a fascinating show with a lot to remember in the history such as Brock Lesnar's victory, Rock & Austin final match, Austin's retirement, and HBK's return.
Score - 8 out of 10: Really Really Good
0 = Terrible: 1 = Bad/Lackluster: 2 = Decent: 3 = Good: 4 = Awesome: 5 = One of the best of all time:
1. Rey Mysterio vs. Matt Hardy: Cruiserweight Championship - 2.5/5
2. A-Train & Big Show vs. Undertaker (Handicap Match) - 2/5
3. Jazz vs. Trish Stratus vs. Victoria: Women's Championship - 2/5
4. Chris Benoit & Rhyno vs. World's Greatest Tag Team vs. Los Guerreros (WWE Tag Team Championship) - 2/5
5. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho - 3.5/5
6. Triple H vs. Booker T: World Heavyweight Championship - 2.5/5
7. Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. McMahon (Street Fight) - 3/5
8. The Rock vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin - 4.5/5
9. Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle: WWE Championship - 4.5/5
Best Match - Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle
Worst Match - A-Train & Big Show vs. Undertaker
Most Memorable Moment - Stone Cold's farewell to the fans.
Top 5 Performers
1. Kurt Angle
2. Brock Lesnar
3. Stone Cold
4. The Rock
5. Shawn Michaels.