March 30, 2003
Location: Seattle, Washington
Venue: Safeco Field
Attendance: 54,097
Theme song: "Crack Addict" by Limp Bizkit
Another year flew by for the company, which ended up being up and down. Due to the conflict of having the same initials as the World Wildlife Fund, the WWF was forced to change to WWE. Goodbye "World Wrestling Federation" and hello "World Wrestling Entertainment."
In saying that, not only would the WWE lose the initials they've used for over 50 years, they were also losing one of their biggest superstars in history.
The WWE headed back to the west coast for WrestleMania 19 as Seattle was given its first and only WrestleMania to date. The venue would end up being Safeco Field, home of MLB's Seattle Mariners.
A giant WrestleMania banner hung by the stage, and with a curved ramp that took the superstars to the ring, 54,097 strong were ready to get the festivities going.
Once again, "America, the Beautiful" was sung to start the show by the "Princess of hip-hop and R&B, "Ashanti. However, if you watched this on the WWE Network or DVD, you'll realize that WWE cut her performance from both sources. It turns out, WWE didn't want to pay royalties. It was a good performance too.
This would also be the first WrestleMania that had the brand extension involved. Shortly after WrestleMania 18, WWE announced that due to the excess amount of talent they had, superstars would be exclusive to either Raw or SmackDown.
Each brand would have pay-per-view shows in alternating months with their championships. The only time both brands would meet was at any of the "Big 4" PPVs (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series).
WrestleMania 19 opened with the new Cruiserweight championship made exclusive for SmackDown. Matt Hardy would successfully retain his title against Rey Mysterio, who was making his WrestleMania debut.
The Undertaker would have a tough task ahead when his tag team partner Nathan Jones was attacked during Sunday Night Heat by their opponents, Big Show and A-Train. The tag team bout turned into a handicap match. Would that matter for The Undertaker? Of course not.
The biker took another win, and his streak grew to 11-0. This would be the final 'Mania in which we see 'Taker ride a motorcycle to the ring before deciding to revisit his old roots the following year.
Victoria put up her Raw exclusive Women's Championship on the line in a triple threat match against Trish Stratus and Jazz. Stratus would make history by winning her fourth Women's Championship and tying the Fabulous Moolah's record.
Another SmackDown exclusive title was on the line when Team Angle (Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Hass) retained the newly created WWE Tag Team Championship against Los Guerreros (Chavo and Eddie Guerrero) and the team of Chris Benoit and Rhyno.
For clarification, Raw had the "World Tag Team" Championship, which was already in existence before the brand extension. Raw means the world to the tag team division?
This is where I introduce the "three things that stood out to me" portion of the article. The thing is, WrestleMania 19 was fantastic (except for this one wrong decision). It's up there as one of the greats. Rather than going with three, I'm listing FIVE things that stood out to me.
Welcome home, heart breaker
I'll start with the fact that a familiar face from the past decided to remind everybody why he was given the nickname "Mr. WrestleMania." This has a bit of a backstory and takes us back to the 1998 Royal Rumble.
In the WWF Championship match, Shawn Michaels had his title on the line against The Undertaker in a Casket Match.
Undertaker picked up Michaels and dropped him from outside the ring and straight onto the casket during the fight. When his lower back hit the casket, he herniated two spinal discs and ended up destroyed a third. He won the match but was unable to compete at the next pay-per-view. When March came around, he barely survived his match with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania 14.
After that match, Shawn Michaels was forced to retire and not expected to compete ever again. He would have other on-screen roles in the company (such as being WWF Commissioner in 1999) but eventually stepped away from the company.
All of that would change in June 2002 when he shocked everybody and made his return as a full-time competitor, and came back a different man. Michaels would find his faith and become a born-again Christian. The days of the arrogant, stuck up, hard to work with "Heart Break Kid" were over.
When Chris Jericho heard he returned, he addressed HBK and let him know that he was his inspiration to become a wrestler and wanted to be the next Shawn Michaels. Then Jericho went crazy, beat up Michaels, and stated he wanted to be the first "Chris Jericho."
After a three-month feud that started at the 2003 Royal Rumble, the two would meet face-to-face at WrestleMania 19.
When it was time for their match, Shawn Michaels took his sweet time to the ring and soaked in his grand WrestleMania return. As you can see below, Michaels was having the time of his life.
With Jericho looking on in disgust, the bell rang, and the two were underway.
This match was so great because of how similar these two were in the ring. They would copy each other in flips and moves, outsmart the other, even taunting when the opportunity arose.
It got to the point where Jericho managed to hit Michaels with his Sweet Chin Music superkick. After a twenty-minute battle, HBK found the opportunity to roll up Jericho and pick up his first WrestleMania win in seven years.
After the win, HBK waved to the crowd, and Jericho got up and extended his hand, and the two embraced in a hug for a mutual sign of respect. Instead, Jericho kicked Michaels between the legs, shoved him down to the ring, and stormed off.
While many argue that this was the best match of the night, it wasn't even the main event. WrestleMania 19 promoted a four main event night. Jericho and Michaels put on a classic for those in Seattle, but what followed next sucked the air out of Safeco Field.
Are you kidding me, WWE?
Back when I spoke about Shawn Michaels around WrestleMania 13, he was known to be a man who loved the spotlight and being on top of the world. In his five-year absence, his real-life best friend, Triple H, would begin to follow a similar route.
WrestleMania 18 was a crowning moment for "The Game." His eight-month recovery from a torn quad resulted in him leaving Toronto as the Undisputed WWF Champion. He was at the top of the company and never wanted to come down.
Between WrestleMania 18 and 19 (including these two events), nine of the last twelve pay-per-views he was involved in was a world title match. Heck, in September 2002, Triple H was just awarded the new World Heavyweight Championship by Raw General manager Eric Bischoff when the WWE Champion was made exclusively for SmackDown. He didn't need to qualify to win the title or wrestle anybody, "here you go!".
Jumping ahead to February 2003, Booker T won a battle royal when he last eliminated The Rock to become the number one contender for the Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania.
This was when things got pushy. The build-up revolved around Booker T wanting to claim back a title he so proudly wore during his WCW days. Triple H referenced how the title was turned into a joke when WCW producer Vince Russo and actor Davis Arquette won the title, respectively.
While that was all fine, the line was crossed when Triple H brought up Booker T's real-life problem with the law in his younger days. In 1987, he pleaded guilty to armed robberies, spent nineteen months in prison, and was on parole until 1992.
Triple H used this in his promo, saying how a man with a criminal history and "people like him" should never be a WWE world champion. In the WrestleMania 19 press conference, Triple H was asked if he meant to be racist and denied the claim.
With this story now having racial undertones, you would expect the fairy tale ending and Booker T coming out on top with the title. When it was time for the match as the first of the four main events, it was the ending that nobody wanted.
At the end of 18 minutes, Triple H hit his pedigree onto Booker after injuring his leg. He crawled over to place his hand over the challenger and got the pinfall to retain his World Heavyweight Championship.
The decision was made with criticism as it was interpreted as "Wow, Vince and WWE don't want black people to hold the world title." It felt as if everything Triple H said was okay and justified at WrestleMania.
It's been also said in rumors that Triple H never wanted to drop the belt in the first place. Whatever the reason is, Triple H had no business leaving Seattle with that title.
Booker T was robbed, and everybody knew it.
20 years in the making
Hogan made his triumphant return to the WWE after a nine-year absence and stole the show in Toronto at WrestleMania 18.
Fans missed their idol, and their idol missed them. While Hogan returned in NWO black and white, he would return to the yellow and red within a month, and Hulkamania ran wild again.
His return was so big that Triple H's crowning moment in Toronto was over in a second. At the Backlash pay-per-view the following month, Hogan fought for Triple H's WWE Championship and won. Hulk Hogan was right back at the top of the company in a surprising decision. It must be great to be him.
Eventually, he would lose the title to The Undertaker in the pay-per-view after Backlash, Judgement Day. Hogan would take a break from the company and return in February 2003 at No Way Out for a WrestleMania 18 rematch with The Rock.
During the match, McMahon came down to distract Hogan. The Rock grabbed a chair and slammed Hogan with it, giving him the win in the distraction.
The following week on SmackDown, McMahon came out and stated that "Hulkamania" was dead. He would reveal that he was still bitter at Hogan for leaving for WCW back in 1993 and testifying against him in that steroid trial of 1992.
For revenge, McMahon wanted a match with Hogan at WrestleMania 19 under one condition. If Hogan lost, he would be forced to retire. The Hulkster agreed, and their date was set in Seattle.
The match would end up being a Street Fight, and with the history of this match in past WrestleManias, you had a sense of how this would be: bloody and violent.
Chairs would be used, slamming the other onto the commentary table. Even poor Spanish commentator Hugo Savinovich would be hit with a chair from Hogan.
Eventually, Vince would take control, and when he couldn't connect with a pinfall, he would go outside to the ring and grab a lead pipe. When he came up to look at Hogan, he had one of the evilest faces that the WWE had ever seen.
A few moments later, a random individual suddenly came into the ring with a long trench coat. Fans immediately began to erupt in joy when they realized that the man was "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
Piper made his first WrestleMania appearance since WrestleMania 12, and it didn't make any sense.
Next thing you know, Piper picked up the pipe and began to attack Hogan with it. Once again, nothing makes any sense.
But Hogan is everybody's superhero. He would recover from all his attacks, get McMahon with his big boot and leg drop, and got the win.
Hogan may have avoided retirement, but that didn't even matter as on the SmackDown after WrestleMania, McMahon fired him anyway. It was a fun match, but if Hogan would leave (again), why even bother?
Here comes the pain
After WrestleMania 18, a giant, rampaging fighter made his debut in the WWE with his advocate Paul Heyman. Not to mention, within a year, he would become the youngest WWE Champion when he defeated The Rock at SummerSlam just five months later.
His name was Brock Lesnar.
Before Lesnar became the man that today's WWE fans seriously hate for rarely showing up and having a world title, he was a full-time employee who quickly rose to the top.
At the 2003 Royal Rumble, Lesnar would win the annual battle royal and booked his ticket to Seattle.
As Lesnar was climbing back up to the top, Kurt Angle won the WWE Championship at Armageddon 2002 from the Big Show. Because the WWE Championship belonged on SmackDown thanks to the brand split and a new rule stating that the Royal Rumble winner must face their brand's champion, Lesnar/Angle, was confirmed for WrestleMania.
In the lead up to Mania, Angle told everybody that he is the best competitor in WWE and would continuously mess with Lesnar. A few weeks before their encounter, Angle decided to be nice and give him the Championship opportunity early.
Before the match started, Kurt switched out with a body double (who would be his brother Eric) to avoid losing. As Lesnar was attacking who he thought was Kurt, he realized that something was odd. After Kurt's teammates Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Hass began to distract Brock, Kurt switched back into the ring and rolled him up to retain his title.
After that, SmackDown General Manager Stephanie McMahon stated that should Angle try something to get himself disqualified or counted out, he would instantly lose the title to Lesnar.
To Seattle, we go, and the WWE Championship would be closing the show yet again, as tradition.
This was one of the best main events in the history of WrestleMania. They went back and forth, exchanging their finishers frequently. When one thought that they had the advantage, the other quickly reversed it in their favor. The match could have gone to anybody.
As always (which is a theme with my reviews), it's the final moment of the match that was more significant than the match itself in both a good and bad way.
Brock Lesnar is not known to be a high-flyer. You don't expect him to get on the top rope with his muscular build and perform an aerial maneuver. He's very athletic on the ground, especially with his history of NCAA wrestling.
But when Angle was on the ground, Lesnar said, "Hey, let's try this!" and proceeded to climb to the top turnbuckle, to the amazement of everybody.
At this point, we're all wondering, "what the heck could he possibly do? An elbow drop? A frog splash?". Keep in mind, Angle was practically on the other side of the ring, making this a very long jump.
Whoever had "Shooting Star Press" in their pool would have won a ton of money. Lesnar flipped inside out in the air and barely reached Angle. The camera angle that the producers cut to when Lesnar finished the jump didn't give a decent look at how he landed, but you got the hint.
Lesnar landed on his head and nearly broke his neck with the Shooting Star Press. Had Angle been closer to the center of the ring, the move would have been fine. He had such a blank stare as he stood up; you knew that something was wrong in a heartbeat.
He managed to pick Angle up, perform his signature "F-5," and win his 2nd WWE Championship. As referee Mike Chioda tried to hand him the title, he continued to look lost and unaware of what was going around him.
The closing image of WrestleMania 19 was Angle getting back up and hugging Lesnar to congratulate him as fireworks went off in Safeco Field.
The medical report that came out after WrestleMania stated that Lesnar suffered a concussion and was unresponsive to medical personnel. In a documentary that showed a backstage look of WrestleMania 19, Lesnar was seen swearing and pushing paramedics aside.
It was a gusty move that seriously could have impacted his career and was only out thankfully for a month. Still, he had his crowning WrestleMania moment in the main event. If only he were 100%.
Act III
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin was the most popular guy in the wrestling industry in the late '90s. You couldn't find a single person who hated the Attitude Era's rebellious leader and saw an "Austin 3:16" shirt everywhere you went.
He was on top of the world, and nothing could have brought him down. That was until he came down himself.
Shortly after WrestleMania 18, he left the company without notice and left everybody hung out to dry. Austin stated that he was burned out and needed a break from everything. Personally, who can blame him since taking care of yourself is extremely important.
That being said, I'm sure it's also smart and respectful to let your boss know that you're taking time off and not show up without notice.
Whatever the reason was, Vince was pissed, and tension grew between him and one of his best stars (and closest friend) in the company.
Meanwhile, The Rock had some time off to promote his new movie, "The Scorpion King." Dwayne Johnson began his Hollywood career, and frankly, he liked it.
When The Rock returned, he bragged about how big a star he was becoming and how he didn't need WWE. He would then get a rematch against Hogan at No Way Out, which he won.
The same night, Austin would return to WWE from that sudden hiatus while winning "Superstar of the Decade" in the process. A few weeks later on Raw, The Rock confronted Austin, saying how much he hated receiving the honor rather than himself.
That's when Rock vented at how frustrated he was that he came up short in their first two WrestleMania matchups. When he challenged Austin at Mania, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff gave The Rock an option.
If he beat Booker T the following week, Rock could choose between facing Austin at Mania or Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship.
When the time came, The Rock convinced Bischoff to let him face The Hurricane instead of Booker T. Just as Rock was about to win, Austin came down to the ring, and Hurricane rolled him up for the win.
The third and final act of the Rock/Austin trilogy at WrestleMania was set, and it nearly didn't happen.
The night before WrestleMania, Austin was rushed to the hospital with his best friend Jim Ross by his side. Austin believed he had a heart attack after drinking an excessive amount of coffee and energy drinks. Thankfully, it was a false alarm, and as a precaution, he stayed overnight in a Seattle hospital.
It wasn't the main event, as it went on before the WWE Championship. Despite that, it was still a matchup that everybody was ready for, and the crowd let them both hear it.
After The Rock made his entrance, the glass shattered, and Austin entered Safeco Field to a roar of screaming fans. The camera followed Austin from behind as he made his way down the ramp, giving the fans at home one epic shot of "The Rattlesnake" surrounded by his fans.
The fight was on, and these two did what they did in their first two fights at WrestleMania 15 and 17, give everything they had.
With no title on the line this time around, the fight was personal. Both were giving each other the finger, taking it to ringside and slamming the other onto the steel steps, and performing each other's finishing maneuvers.
Even at one point in the match, The Rock wanted to make fun of Austin by putting on his vest and walking around pretending he was Stone Cold. Once again, this was very personal.
Austin continued to fight back, performing a few of his stunners and nearly coming close to the win. Eventually, The Rock was able to gain momentum and not lose it again.
As I mentioned, The Rock was desperate to win this match. It ate him alive he couldn't defeat his longtime rival at WrestleMania.
He gave Austin two of his signature Rock Bottoms, kicking out of both of them. He took one long look at Austin with a look of disbelief and picked him up for a third.
Before he slammed him, his eyes were wide open, realizing he's within reach of that win and delivered the third Rock Bottom. He went for the cover, referee Earl Hebner counted to three, and The Rock achieved his goal.
It took six years, but The Rock finally beat "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania. With his mother at ringside, Rock hopped over the ring barrier to hug her in celebration. It certainly felt as if a monkey was off his back.
However, immediately after the three-count, The Rock hovered over to Austin and began to talk to him. When Hebner went to go check up on the two, Rock shoved the referee to leave them alone, twice.
He tapped Austin's chest and left the ring. As he climbed up the ramp, he took one more look at the ring and pointed at him in what looked like a sign of respect.
Austin then sat up, walked around the ring, and began making his way up the ramp. He consistently looked around Safeco Field to the fans, with a small look of sadness.
As he made it to the stage, Austin went to salute the crowd with his middle fingers in the air and exited.
The next day on WWE.com, Austin formally announced his retirement. It looked like The Rock said his goodbye in the middle of the ring and knew that was the case. To this day, neither man had revealed what was said at that moment. Personally, I'd like to leave it that way.
Sure, Austin's final year in the WWE as an in-ring performer had a bumpy road. And sure, you may argue that it nearly crushed his legacy.
But this is Stone Cold Steve Austin. This is a man who helped lead the way to the demise of WCW. This was the man who told his boss, "I won't do what you tell me to do." He gave it his all in the ring for our entertainment, and he did it in a damn good way.
The Austin era had ended, and what better way to go out than on the grand stage of WrestleMania.
Final thoughts
When I was a kid, I annoyed my dad when I begged him to rent WrestleMania 19 on DVD from Blockbuster. He must have rented the show (I think) 5-7 times for me (maybe more). Regardless, I had one angry father who didn't understand why I wanted to keep watching this.
This was an awesome WrestleMania! That's why dad! I think WrestleMania 19 can enter the argument of "best of all time," and rightfully so. This was yet another show that was entertaining from start to finish.
Everything about it screamed "the biggest show" of the year as it should. It left such a lasting legacy that it's one that you can rewatch again and still feel as happy as you did the first time you saw it.
Of course, it is sad that Stone Cold did say good-bye as he was such a big part of WWF childhoods. He would eventually be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009 when WrestleMania returned to Texas.
Of course, with a Mania this good, how could next year top it off? Where could they possibly go for what will be the 20th WrestleMania?
Simple. They would go back to where it all began, again.
Results:
- Matt Hardy (c) def. Rey Mysterio - WWE Cruiserweight Championship
- The Undertaker def. A-Train and Big Show - Handicap match
- Trish Stratus def. Victoria (c) and Jazz - Triple threat match for the WWE Women's Championship
- Team Angle (Charlie Hass and Shelton Benjamin) (c) def. Los Guerreros (Eddie and Chavo) and Chris Benoit and Rhyno - Triple threat match for the WWE Tag Team Championship
- Shawn Michaels def. Chris Jericho
- Triple H (c) def. Booker T - World Heavyweight Championship
- Hulk Hogan def. Vince McMahon - Street fight
- The Rock def. Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Brock Lesnar def. Kurt Angle (c) - WWE Championship
Rating: A+
Thanks for reading. Look for tomorrow when I take a look at WrestleMania 20.
16 days away until WrestleMania 35.
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