by WrestleMania XIX: The Goat Part II
WrestleMania X7 is widely regarded as the greatest night in wrestling history. Now, while I’d have to agree that WrestleMania X7 is the greatest WrestleMania of all time, I would argue tooth and nail that it is actually tied for the top spot with WrestleMania XIX, just two years later. This was smack dab in the middle of the Ruthless Aggression Era, and was absolutely incredible, hitting on all cylinders like X7 did.
The event was held on March 30, 2003 from Seattle’s Safeco Field in front of 54,097 passionate and involved fans. This was a night that not only wrestling needed, but also the United States who was entrenched in a war in Afghanistan at this same time. If everyone needed a distraction, the WWE gave them one in a major way as this card was stacked and delivered from top to bottom!
It was seen as a first in many ways, as WrestleMania XIX was the first WrestleMania promoted under the WWE name, following the company being renamed from World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to WWE in May 2002. It was also the first WrestleMania to be held under the first brand extension that began in March 2002, which split the roster between the Raw and SmackDown brands, where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform; WrestleMania XIX featured wrestlers from both brands.
It was also the first WrestleMania to feature the World Heavyweight Championship that was introduced for Raw in September 2002 after the WWE Undisputed Championship became exclusive to SmackDown! and renamed to the WWE Championship.
All of these factors had it feeling like the original WrestleMania all over again and clearly the higher ups at WWE knew this. A documentary entitled The Mania of WrestleMania was filmed live during the event and released the following year. It was the first sole production from WWE Films.
As of this writing in July of 2022, this card had 17 current Hall of Famers on it, and a strong chance that 9 more will be added to the Hall of Fame at some point as well. The WWE was well over the failed invasion angle by this point, and absolutely cruising! Just to show everyone how loaded this card was, despite being members of the active roster, Batista, John Cena and Randy Orton weren’t even on the card. Not to mention Edge, who was out from neck surgery. Lita too for that matter. The card was loaded!
The card centered around 4 big Main Events. All of which, could have made a serious case for the final match of the evening.
Hulk Hogan vs Mr. Vince McMahon
World Champion HHH vs Booker T
The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
WWE Champion Kurt Angle vs Brock Lesnar
Many feel, including myself, that even though all four of those matches were absolutely incredible and over-delivered, that the best match of the night was Chris Jericho losing to Shawn Michaels in HBK’s first WrestleMania match in 5 years.
The Old Lion vs Young Lion theme was once again used to get everyone ready for this match. Jericho cut numerous promo’s in the lead up to the match about how he looked up to smaller more athletic guys such as Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage and Ricky The Dragon Steamboat. He let everyone know that one day he stopped trying to be the next Shawn Michaels, and focused on becoming the first Chris Jericho.
There was also a lot of drama behind this match because who knew if Shawn Michaels could do it again. He was known for having the best match on the card, but that as many years ago. Chris Jericho had gotten the better of him for the months leading up to this feud, including eliminating and bludgeoning Michaels at the Royal Rumble as the feud just kept heating up. This was the perfect stage for HBK to finally get his sweet revenge.
The match ended up going 22:34 and being the longest match of the 4 hour show. There wasn’t a slow moment as Michaels found the fountain of youth, and Jericho proved he could handle the big moments. Each man hit big time moves showing off their incredible athletic ability. They also kicked out of each other’s finishing moves as the fans sat in aw.
As the match reached its climax, Jericho attempted a suplex that Michaels countered into a roll-up that gave Michaels the successful pinfall victory. After the match, Jericho offered to shake Michaels’s hand and they hugged before Jericho attacked Michaels with a low blow. For the briefest of moments, it looked like Jericho was turning face and Shawn Michaels would mentor him, and then within seconds cheers turned to toxic heat on Y2J.
This match certified Shawn Michaels status as one of the all-time greats, while also building Chris Jericho as a mega heel. In fact, I would argue that this loss did more for Jericho then his world title loss from the year before. While he and HHH had been overshadowed by Hogan vs Rock at X8, he and Michaels stole the show at XIX.
The night started off with two of the fastest rising stars in the company as Matt Hardy defended his WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Rey Mysterio. Many fans looked at this as a sure thing as Mysterio was already one of the greatest Cruiserweights of all time, only a few years into his career while Hardy was still seen as a tag team wrestler trying his hand at singles.
The WWE booked this brilliantly by having Mysterio put Hardy over for the win. Rey was already over the moon and back and didn’t need the win nearly as badly as Hardy did. Hardy was still seasoning his heel gimmick and played it perfectly, allowing Shannon Moore to cheat and help him win. Hardy cemented his position as a top heel champion while Mysterio helped get a young competitor over while still looking good. The match itself, was short at just under 6 minutes, but packed with action.
Oddly enough, the entire card only had one dud on it, and it shockingly came from The Undertaker. This was the last WrestleMania for The Undertaker in full biker gimmick as he took one The Big Show and The A Train in a handicap match. The Undertaker was originally supposed to have Nathan Jones by his side but the WWE pulled Jones last minute, as he simply wasn’t ready. That loomed over the match that ended up being a bit clunky, as The Undertaker walked away with the win.
While 2015 is always listed as the year the WWE Women’s Revolution took place because of the hashtag Give Divas A Chance, you can look back to this night where the women were given plenty of time to shine, and ended up doing exactly that. Trish Stratus took the Women’s title from Victoria in a 7:17 instant classic. This was also the night in which fans finally stopped looking at Trish as just eye candy, and began to realize she all the talent and potential in the world to become one of the greats. The match was incredible as each women kept it fast paced, suspenseful and fun. Stratus proved she was much more than bra and panties matches talent.
Fans were no longer watching two beautiful women, hoping for a wardrobe slip, they were watching intently for all the right reasons this time. Victoria was extremely athletic and had done a great job as a heel, while Trish had fought so long and hard for the championship. In the end, it was Stratus giving the fans a feel-good moment as she won the belt and then got emotional in the post-match interview. I’ll say it again, it was one of the best Female Matches in WrestleMania history.
Up next was another title match as the Smackdown Tag Team Champions, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas defended their belts against Los Guerreros as well as Chris Benoit & Rhyno. While the team of Benoit & Rhyno was a bit thrown together, anytime you have Benoit sharing a ring with Eddie Guerrero, you knew that you were in for magic as the two had incredible chemistry. Mix in the fact that you had two world class athletes in Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin and it was no shock this match delivered!
Eddie was on the losing end this time as the champions would defend and retain, but this night sparked an incredible year long run for Guerrero that would see him hoisting WWE Championship Gold at the end of WrestleMania XX. Eddie was becoming a megastar in WWE, and despite them trying to cast him as a heel, the fans made their voice heard in their love of Eddie!
The same exact thing can be said for Chris Benoit on this night. Despite being on the losing team, Benoit would also begin a run that vaulted him as well towards the World Heavyweight Championship by the time the following years WrestleMania concluded. There was something about Benoit and Guerrero that the fans could no longer ignore and neither could the WWE fans.
Following the Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels Five Star Classic, HHH knew he and Booker T needed to keep it going. This was now the second year in a row, that HHH had to follow an absolute gem, and this year he and his dance partner Booker T came through. The knock on Booker T was that he was only a champion in WCW and that company was a joke, this was his chance to prove he belonged on the grandest stage.
All the pressure was on both men to deliver and shake previous failures. HHH took every big shot Booker T could give him and just kept coming. This included an incredible off the top rope spin kick that was a sight to see, and one of the lasting images from this night. Booker T proved he belonged, and HHH proved he could work with the very best from the WCW Era. Both men were sensational as HHH barely hung on to the championship with a pedigree and then delayed cover.
Had this match been on last, there is not a doubt in my mind that Booker T goes over for the strap. But, all things considered where this was on the card, and what the WWE had planned next for HHH, it made sense to keep the belt with him, and begin to plant the lasting seeds of Evolution. An incredible run in itself. I also want to point out that Booker T was the first 100% African American to compete for a world title at WrestleMania as well. A trailblazer in many ways!
For many years, fans would argue over who was responsible for the success of the original WWF WrestleMania. Many argued Hulkamania, others would say that Vince McMahon created the rage, not Hulk Hogan who was simply playing a role. Hogan carried the company through the mid to late 80’s and into the early 90’s until finally leaving for good in 1994.
The bad blood was thick between the two once Hogan left, so much so, that in 1994 Hogan testified against Vince McMahon in the steroid trial he stood trial on. No one thought Hogan would come back to the WWF, and when he did in 2002, it was only a matter of time before this showdown went on.
The WWF was now done, and this was the first WrestleMania under the WWE banner, thus, it only made sense these two would get it on. One month prior at No Way Out, during a match between Hogan and The Rock, McMahon came down to the ring, only to distract Hogan, which allowed the referee, Sylvan Grenier to give Rock a chair, which Rock used to hit Hogan and pin him for the win.
After No Way Out, McMahon proclaimed that Hulkamania was dead and proclaiming a new ‘mania; McMahonamania. On the March 6 episode of SmackDown!, Hogan informed McMahon that Hulkamania was not dead and that McMahon had nothing to do with creating it. McMahon informed Hogan that he did not hate Hulkamaniacs or Hulkamania, but he hated Hogan. He then told Hogan that he hated him for leaving WWE (then known as the WWF) for Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and for testifying against him in the steroid trial in the 1990s. McMahon proceeded by challenging Hogan to a match at WrestleMania where if Hogan lost, he would have to retire from professional wrestling. Hogan accepted his challenge later that night.
Two weeks later on the March 20 episode of SmackDown!, McMahon and Hogan had a contract signing for their match at WrestleMania. As Hogan was preparing to sign the contract, McMahon attacked Hogan with a steel chair from behind. Shortly afterward, McMahon hit Hogan several times with the chair in the head, causing him to bleed. McMahon then signed the contract and forced Hogan to sign with his blood.
The drama and build up was main event worthy, but the aging Hogan and the less than athletic McMahon, kept this at third last on the card, and also made it a street fight instead of an actual match. It was a great call because people wanted to see these two beat the crap out of each other and that is exactly what they got.
The match went for 20 minutes strong and was an absolute bloodbath! It also featured the shocking return of Rowdy Roddy Piper who had been gone from the company for 7 years. To say this match had everything would be an understatement. Piper looked awful, with his belly over his belt and barely being able to move, but it was still great to see him back in the ring.
Things got even more crazy when with both men down, Piper stood over both, trying to figure out who to crack over the skull with a lead pipe. In the end, he did what he does best, and played the magnificent heel, by bashing Hogan with the pipe and blowing snot rockets on both men.
Hulk Hogan, like he always does, “Hulked Up” and rallied to win the match with his patent leg drop on Mr. McMahon. Post-match, Shane McMahon ran down to help his father while Hogan posed for 50,000 plus screaming fans. The match was far better than anyone thought, and just kept this magical night rolling.
Few if anyone outside of the WWE had any clue that Stone Cold Steve Austin spent the night before in the hospital and this would be his final match. It made perfect sense that his last match would come against his greatest rival in The Rock, a man he had beaten in two WrestleMania Main evets in the past, ( 15 & 17), and both times, he took the title off The Rock.
This time, it wasn’t about World Championships, but a chance for The Rock to finally get done what he had never done before, and a chance for Austin to go out on top. The two had some of the best chemistry you were going to find between two legends, and had this not been the final match two Mania’s prior, I believe it would have ended the show.
The match began with Austin and The Rock brawling in the ring, which ended up at ringside. Throughout the match, The Rock worked over Austin’s leg, which included applying a Sharpshooter on Austin. The Rock then began to taunt Austin, as he put on his vest and imitated his taunts, which led both to use their finishers with unsuccessful pins.
Austin performed the Stone Cold Stunner on The Rock for a near-fall, much to Austin’s dismay. After he failed to win with the People’s Elbow, The Rock then performed two Rock Bottoms on Austin for two near-falls.
It was at this point, that fans began to sense something was different this time around. Austin would kick out, but couldn’t do anything else, and you began to realize this was it for him. The Rock performed a third Rock Bottom on Austin, winning the match and ending his career in the process. The third Rock Bottom was thunderous and just looked extra painful. Austin put The Rock over, and that is what you do when you are on your way out the door.
After the referee counted three, The Rock rolled over and told Austin him he loved him, and thank you. That right there told everyone watching that we were in fact, watching history take place. The Rock then went over to his mother and wife in the front row, hugged them and then left quickly so Austin could have his moment.
As Austin slowly got back to his feet, the emotion was written all over his face, as he knew and as we were starting to know, the end of the era arrived. As he walked up the ramp, he stopped a few times to soak it all in, and eventually gave the fans a Stone-Cold salute, one last time.
Heading into WrestleMania XIX, WWE champion Kurt Angle and number one contender Brock Lesnar were seen as the greatest amateur athletes in WWE history. They were easily the most accomplished and fans had been salivating for this dream match since Lesnar debuted, just one year earlier.
Kurt Angle was a two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Champion in the heavyweight division. After graduating from college, Angle won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 1995 World Wrestling Championships. He then won the freestyle wrestling gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics with a broken neck.
He is one of four people to complete an amateur wrestling Grand Slam (Junior Nationals, NCAA, World Championships, and Olympics. In 2006, he was named by USA Wrestling as the greatest shoot wrestler ever and one of the top 15 college wrestlers of all time. He was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for his amateur accomplishments.
Coming into that night, Angle was on his third run as WWE World Champion, and seen as one of the greatest Superstars of all time , in just his third year in the business. He had also won The King of the Ring, the Intercontinental Championship, the European Championship, the WWE Tag Championship with several partners, and the WCW Championship. He had done it all and was also the flag barrier of Smackdown in the first full year of the brand extension.
His opponent, Brock Lesnar was no slouch himself as he competed in amateur wrestling for the University of Minnesota, winning the NCAA Division I national championship in 2000. He was seen as The Next Big Thing of wrestling and had already had one run with the World Championship to this point. He had wins over The Rock, Hulk Hogan and several others in the dominant year long run since debuting the night after WrestleMania X8.
Lesnar had shocked the wrestling world by defeating The Rock at the prior year’s SummerSlam. Lesnar had lost the title at Survivor Series in November 2002 after his agent, Paul Heyman, betrayed him and assisted Big Show in winning the match. Then, just one month later, Kurt Angle won the title at Armageddon by defeating then-champion Big Show with Lesnar’s help. Basically, The Big Show was a transitional champion to move the belt from Lesnar to Kurt Angle, and turn Lesnar face in the process.
At the Royal Rumble, Angle faced Chris Benoit for his championship while Lesnar was forced to wrestle Big Show for a spot in the Royal Rumble match, which guaranteed the winner a shot at his brand’s championship at WrestleMania.
Angle defeated Benoit by submission to retain his title. Lesnar defeated Big Show, despite interference from Heyman, to win his way into the Royal Rumble, which he entered at number 29 and won after last eliminating The Undertaker. The dream match everyone wanted, was finally about to happen.
Adding even more drama was that word had leaked that Angle was wrestling with a broken neck and would require major, possibly career threatening surgery after the match. Most doctors wouldn’t even clear Angle for this match, but the WWE ignored them and rolled the dice. One wrong fall, and Angle would be paralyzed for life.
For a brief moment, it looked as though the WWE would pull the plug on the match at Mania, and schedule a squash match ten days prior to get the belt off Angle, and place it on Lesnar pre-mania. From there, the thought was Lesnar would defend against either The Big Show or Chris Benoit. They knew with the other 3 main event caliber matches, they could slide any of those into the final slot if they needed to.
On the March 13 episode of SmackDown! Angle defeated Lesnar to retain the WWE Championship. Before the match began, Kurt, who was “praying” in the corner, switched with his brother Eric. Lesnar then came out and the match began.
Shortly after the match began, Benjamin and Haas came to the ring and distracted Lesnar, which gave Eric time to switch back with Kurt. As Lesnar regained his focus, Kurt was able to pin him with a small package for the win. The WWE decided to let Angle go through with the Mania match afterall.
As for the WrestleMania match, it was the mat classic we all expected as both men mixed in amateur style moves with good old fashioned brawling as well. You couldn’t even tell that Angle was wrestling with the broken neck because both men were so good in the ring.
In the end, the match is remembered for one botched move. Lesnar attempted an F-5 on Angle but Angle countered it into an Ankle Lock, that Lesnar was able to escape out of. As Lesnar escaped, Angle would hit an Angle Slam for a near fall.
He later attempted another Angle Slam, however, Lesnar countered into an F-5 for a near-fall. Lesnar performed another F-5, and instead of covering Angle, Lesnar climbed to the top rope and botched a Shooting Star Press on Angle, which Angle covered for by pinning Lesnar for a near-fall. After Lesnar kicked out, Angle picked up Lesnar only to be hit with a third F-5, Lesnar then successfully pinned Angle, winning the match and the WWE Championship. After the match, Angle and Lesnar shook hands and embraced closing the show.
The show ended with both men shaking hands and hugging, as it was clear, it would be awfully hard to boo either man moving forward. Angle left the company to have surgery, only to be back by midsummer and win the title back from Brock Lesnar in shocking fashion. An incredible night with amazing memories that wrestling fans will take with them the rest of their lives!
