| Date: July 27, 2003
| Venue: Pepsi Centre | City: Denver, Colorado
| Attendance: 9,500 | Buys: 365, 000

| tweet me: @BastionBlogger

Tonight the superstars of Smackdown will be looking for Vengeance as the blue brand present their first pay per view. In the main event Brock Lesnar who won the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania will defend the title against Kurt Angle who returns to pay per view for the first time since Wrestlemania and The Big Show in a triple threat match. Originally the main event was set to be Lesnar vs. Angle but Vince McMahon added The Big Show to the match after he had done the bidding for McMahon. Big Show had been teaming with The World’s Greatest Tag Team in handicap matches against Lesnar and Angle.

Vengeance will see the return of the United States Championship as Stephanie McMahon made a tournament to decide a new champion. In the first round Chris Benoit beat Rhyno, Matt Hardy beat Rikishi, Billy Gunn beat John Cena and Edie Guerrero beat Ultimo Dragon. Then in the semi finals Chris Benoit beat Matt Hardy and Eddie Guerrero beat Billy Gunn setting up Guerrero vs. Benoit in the final. Last week on Smackdown Eddie attacked Benoit, blinding him in the process. Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman teamed up for the first time since their wCw days and beat The Basham Brothers, The APA and The FBI in a fatal four way match to become number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team titles that had been won back by The World’s Greatest Tag Team of Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas.

Two McMahons will be in action tonight, both in matches made by Vince McMahon. Vince himself will be in action as he takes on Zach Gowan. Gowan won himself a contract with help from Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle when he defeated The Big Show. After becoming an official employee of Smackdown, Vince McMahon made the match with himself for Vengeance. Vince also made a match between his daughter Stephanie McMahon and her recently appointed assistant, Sable. The Undertaker will also be in action as he takes on John Cena. John Cena recently made an open challenge that was accepted by newcomer Orlando Jordan. Cena beat Jordan by grabbing onto the tights. The Undertaker would praise Jordan but was later disrespected by Cena. John has cut some awesome raps on Undertaker and even went as far to piss on a grave. Tonight the two meet on PPV for the very first time.

Also tonight, The APA has been handing out invitations to the Smackdown roster for the first ever bar room brawl. The likes of Sean O’Haire, Spanky, The Bashams, The FBI and even The Brooklyn Brawler are expected to show up. On Heat before the show began, Ultimo Dragon defeated Chris Kanyon.

A cheesy video package kicks us off with Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Zach Gowan and Stephanie McMahon saying they’ve wanted to be in the WWE all their life. Vince McMahons voice then takes over saying he wants control and with The Big Show and Sable he will take it. Michael Cole then welcomes us to Vengeance, he’s joined by Tazz for this Smackdown exclusive PPV.

Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero – United States Championship Match

This match for the vacant United States Championship is between two men who have wrestled once on pay per view before and it was Chris Benoit who got the victory. This is the finals of a tournament. Chris Benoit beat Rhyno and Matt Hardy to get to the final whilst Eddie Guerrero beat Ultimo Dragon Billy Gunn. The referee reads out the rules and tells the men to shake hands but they both refuse. These two men actually teamed up at last years Vengeance pay per view in a losing effort against The Dudley Boyz. I expect some classic wrestling in the early going and it is Eddie Guerrero with a hammerlock to get things going. Benoit takes Guerrero off his feet and Eddie retreats out of the ring. Benoit is looking for his first PPV victory since February where he teamed with Brock Lesnar. Eddie hasn’t actually won a singles match on PPV since Unforgiven last September.

Plenty of smooth wrestling between the two in the early going. Eddie hits a hurricanrana and then there’s a few pinfalls. Both men hit arm drags and this time Benoit heads to the outside. Guerrero gets a decent reaction from the crowd and there are sporadic “Eddie” chants. He takes Benoit down with a headlock but Benoit gets out of it and hits a shoulderbreaker. Benoit then goes for the Crossface but Eddie gets to the ropes. Eddie escapes the ring but Benoit flies to the outside with a suicide dive. Back in the ring and Benoit looks on a half nelson which Eddie gets out of knocks Benoit down in the corner. Guerrero then pops Benoit on the top and hits him with a hurricanrana off the top! Eddie hooks the leg for the first near fall of the night. Tazz and Cole say there are some technical difficulties but I’m not sure why they’re referring to. Guerrero hits a back suplex for a two count.

Eddie stomps away at Benoit and hope around the ring. He then applies an arm bar. Benoit gets to his feet and the two men chop away at each other. Benoit hits a back body drop and then takes Eddie off his feet with shoulder charges. I feel like this match should have been on later. They could’ve kicked things off with the tag team title match. Benoit hits a back suplex off the top rope and both men are down. Benoit gets a near fall. Chris Benoit grabs Eddie by the waist and hits him with two German suplexes before locking on the crippler crossface! Eddie gets a foot on the bottom rope which breaks the hold. Benoit hits a backbreaker for another near fall. Eddie counters a second backbreaker and hits Benoit with two suplexes before popping Benoit on the top rope and hitting him with a superplex.

Eddie goes to the top and flies off with his frog splash but Benoit gets out of the way. Benoit then hits a powerbomb which earns him a near fall. Benoit goes for the crossface again and again Eddie gets to the bottom rope. The referee has to literally rip Benoit off Guerrero to break the hold. Eddie then rams Benoit into the referee, knocking him down before going outside and grabbing the US title! Guerrero gets in the ring and smashes Benoit with the title before heading to the top and hitting the frog splash. Guerrero pins Benoit and the referee slowly counts but Benoit kicks out! Eddie exits the ring and grabs the US title again but this time he hits the referee with the belt. Guerrero then puts the championship belt on Benoit and lays on the mat. He tries to wake up the referee but the ref doesn’t wake up.

Benoit grabs Guerrero from behind and locks on the crippler crossface! Eddie taps out but the referee is still down. Benoit breaks the hold and wakes up the referee. Eddie swings the US title at Benoit who ducks it and hits a German suplex. Benoit then heads to the top but Eddie is still holding onto the title. Eddie pulls the referee in the way and Benoit nails the referee with a flying headbutt. Rhyno then shows up and looks to Gore Guerrero but instead Rhyno Gores Chris Benoit! Eddie heads to the top and hits the frog splash on Benoit! The referee counts the pin and Guerrero gets the 3! Eddie wins the United States Championship with help from Rhyno!

Rating: 8.5/10

Vince McMahon is backstage sniffing some roses when his daughter Stephanie comes in. Vince isn’t happy that Kane chokeslammed his wife Linda on Raw and Vince will be on Raw this week. Vince then hands his daughter a pathetic handful of flowers that he bought her.

There’s a video package for Jamie Noble and Billy Gunn next. Noble has offered Torrie money to sleep with him, offers she keeps turning down. Gunn beat Noble on Smackdown but Noble wanted a re-match. Torrie then said that she would sleep with Noble if he can beat Billy Gunn at Vengeance. What’s in it for Gunn?

Billy Gunn vs. Jamie Noble

Jamie Noble has a very good record on pay per view. He’s won 4 of his previous 5 PPV matches. But only 5 men in history have won more PPV matches than Billy Gunn (The Undertaker, Triple H, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bret Hart). Jamie Noble walks out with a case that he says is full of toys for Torrie. Gunn grabs it off him and reveals various sex toys. The match finally gets started and Gunn misses with a splash in the corner. Noble dropkicks Billy out of the ring and then attempts a plancha but Billy Gunn catches him. Gunns knee then buckles and he falls to the floor. Nidia then walks out from the back unbeknown to Noble. In the ring, Noble works away at Billy Gunns left knee. This is the 60th PPV that Billy Gunn has wrestled on. Gunn from nowhere hits the one and only but both men are down.

Both men get to their feet and Gunn hits some big right hands and a hiptoss into a neckbreaker which I’ve never seen before. That gets Gunn a near fall. Gunn then hits a diamond cutter for a near fall. Randy Orton has been using that move as his finisher as of late. Billy goes to the top but Noble goes up with him and hits him with a DDT from the top. This is Billy Gunn first PPV match as “Mr Ass” since the Right To Censor banned the name. Noble pins Gunn but Nidia puts Billy’s foot on the rope! Noble shouts at Nidia but Torrie walks round and Noble kisses her! Both women then slap Noble. Noble escapes into the ring and ends up rolling up Gunn for the three counts! Jamie Noble wins the match and gets to sleep with Torrie! Torrie, Gunn and Nidia can’t believe it! Nobles PPV record continues!

Rating: 4/10

Funaki is backstage with the APA. Bradshaw is drinking Jack Daniels out of the bottle. There’s some footage from Smackdown with The Brooklyn Brawler and a few of the Smackdown wrestlers attacking them. The APA then invite Funaki to their brawl. A 6 foot rabbit then hops past.

Bradshaw vs. Faarooq vs. Doug Basham vs. Danny Basham vs. Kanyon vs. The Brooklyn Brawler vs. Sean O’Haire vs. Funaki vs Spanky vs. Orlando Jordan vs. John Hennigan vs. Nunzio vs. Chuck Palumbo vs. Johnny “The Bull” Stamboli vs. Los Conquistadors vs. The Easter Bunny vs. Matt Hardy vs. Shannon Moore vs. Brother Love vs. Doink The Clown vs. Matt Cappotelli – Bar Room Brawl

This match is an anything goes, last man standing wins. It makes PPV debuts for The Bashams, Orlando Jordan, Nunzio, The Easter Bunny, Shannon Moore and the two Tough Enough winners John Hennigan and Matt Capottelli. There are also returns to PPV for Kanyon, The Brooklyn Brawler, The Conquistadors, Brother Love and Doink The Clown. Bradshaw does a toast before the brawl. Brother Love then grabs the mic out of his hand and proposes a prayer. Love then attacks Los Conquistadors with a stool. The Bashams throw Spanky through a table. The Brawler attacks Doink The Clown, Bradshaw hits a clothesline on Stamboli. It’s hard to keep up with this. Sean O’Haire punches the Easter bunny. Bradshaw goes to work on Kanyon and then Nunzio. O’Haire smashes Bradshaw and Faarooq with pool cues and then kicks Nunzio. Shannon Moore then comes flying off the stage on top of O’Haire.

Brother Love throw Shannon into a mirror. Bradshaw throws the Easter Bunny through a mirror. Matt Hardy just seems to be walking around. Funaki has been sat at the bar the whole time. Matt Hardy dives off the bar onto a Basham and Kanyon who are laying across a table. Funaki collapses off a bar stool. Bradshaw glasses Brother Love and we’re left with just Bradshaw and Faarooq and Bradshaw is then announced as the winner! That was fun.

Rating: 4.5/10

Jamie Noble is backstage licking a copy of Torrie Wilsons playboy. He tells a backstage worker how much he’s looking forward to next weeks Smackdown.

The World’s Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas) (c) vs. Rey Mysterio & Billy Kidman – WWE Tag Team Championship Match

It’s a first time meeting between these two tag teams. Mysterio and Kidman won a fatal four way tag team match to get this opportunity. Kidman was at Smackdown a few weeks ago and seemed more like a heel so I wouldn’t be too surprised to see him turn heel tonight. Mysterio goes into this with a years worth of PPV matches behind him and not a single PPV win. Mysterio and Shelton Benjamin kick things off and Benjamin takes Mysterio down to the canvas. Mysterio hits a dropkick to the knee of Benjamin and then a flying head scissors. Mysterio then tags Kidman who hits a low dropkick for a two count. Kidman then hits a head scissors but Benjamin gets back into it with a knee to the middle section.

Benjamin tags in Charlie Haas who applies a headlock before getting caught with a flying forearm. Haas hammers away at the face of Kidman before Kidman returns the favour. Kidman tags in Mysterio who hits a legdrop for a near fall. Mysterio and Kidman were tag team champions back in wCw. Haas takes the advantage and hits a hard Irish whip on Mysterio and then a slam for a near fall. This is Rey Mysterio’s 8th PPV match and he’s lost his previous 7. Benjamin tags in and applies a chinlock. Mysterio gets out of it and hits a hurricanrana and then a dropkick. Mysterio tags in Kidman and Benjamin tags Haas. Kidman hits dropkicks on both tag team champions and then a back body drop and powerbomb on Haas for a two count. Haas and Benjamin go for their trademark double team but Mysterio drags Benjamin out of the ring. Benjamin then stops Mysterio from hitting a 619 on Haas. Mysterio dives out at Benjamin and then Kidman hits a shooting star press off the top rope down to The World’s Greatest Tag Team!

Back in the ring and Kidman gets a near fall on Haas. Haas the pops Kidman on the apron and Benjamin rams him into the ring post. Haas throws Kidman back into the ring and gets a two count. Haas tags in Benjamin  and the tag team champions hit a double backbreaker for a near fall. Benjamin applies a surfboard and then tags in Charlie Haas. Haas whips Kidman into the corner and then applies an arm bar. Kidman battles back and then throws Haas out of the ring. Kidman hasn’t been in PPV action since he lost the Cruiserweight title at No Way Out to Matt Hardy. Benjamin distracts the referee so he doesn’t see Kidman tag in Mysterio. Haas tags in Benjamin who hits a powerbomb for a two count. Benjamin attempts a second powerbomb but Kidman counters it. Kidman then tags in Rey Mysterio who springboards into the ring.

Mysterio hits an enzeguri on Benjamin and then disposes of Haas. He rolls Benjamin up for a two count. Mysterio hits a DDT for a two count. Haas is back in and slams Mysterio. Haas gets distracted by Kidman and Mysterio hits him with the 619 and then the west coast pop! Benjamin breaks up the cover and then clotheslines Kidman out of the ring, going with him. Mysterio hits a jawbreaker on Haas and then Kidman springboard Mysterio onto Haas, hitting him with a top rope hurricanrana for a two count. I think everyone thought that one was over. A “bullshit” chant breaks out. Benjamin kicks Kidman out of the ring and then hits a springboard clothesline on Mysterio which is enough for the three! The World’s Greatest Tag Team win the match and retain their tag team titles! Great match between these four.

Rating: 8.25/10

Stephanie McMahon vs. Sable

It’s a return to pay per view for both of these girls. Stephanie McMahon won her previous PPV match which was at No Way Out 2001 over Trish Stratus. Stephanie grabs Sable before the bell and throws her into the ring. Sable tries to escape through the crowd and Stephanie followed her and takes her back to the ring. Stephanie hits a clothesline and throws Sable back into the ring. Sable catches Stephanie as she tries to get back into the ring with a dropkick. Both women are former Women’s Champions. Sable lays into Stephanie, dragging her across the ring and pinning her for a two. Sable then grinds all over Stephanie but Stephanie rolls her up for a two count. Sable slaps Stephanie but Stephanie hits Sable with a reverse elbow.

Stephanie then hits a spear and lays into Sable with left and rights. Sable actually has a 75% PPV win record. She escapes out of the ring and Stephanie follows, smashes her into the ring apron and then grabs a steel chair but the referee takes it off her. Stephanie hits some forearms and then back in the ring she slaps Sable down to the mat. Stephanie hits more left and rights and then pins her for a two. Stephanie runs Sables face into the canvas and then hits a snapmare and kicks. Stephanie then tries to rip Sables top off but Sables escapes the ring. Stephanie then throws Sable back into the ring but the referee separates them so Sable can put her top back on. Sable takes a cheap shot on Stephanie and then the referee gives Sable his top! From nowhere A-Train comes out and splashes Stephanie in the corner! Sable crawls over and pins Stephanie and that’s it! Sable beats Stephanie tonight!

Rating: 5/10

There’s a video package next for The Undertaker and John Cena.

The Undertaker vs. John Cena

The Undertaker becomes the first man to have wrestled on all three Vengeance pay per views. He beat Rob Van Dam in 2001 and lost his WWE Championship to The Rock in 2002. John Cena cuts a rap before Undertaker makes his entrance. Cena actually made his PPV debut at the 2002 event, beating Chris Jericho. Undertaker seems to have a bit of trouble with his bike and leaves it at the top of the entrance ramp. Cena slaps Undertaker in the early going and then lays into him with right hands. Undertaker then throws Cena into the corner and hits him with lefts and rights. Undertaker kicks Cena out of the ring and then hits him with right hands and throws him into the barricade. John Cena has a swig of water and then spits it into the face of The Undertaker. Undertaker responds by whipping Cena into the barricade. Undertaker then rams Cena into the ring post.

Undertaker continues to lay into Cena on the outside before throwing him back into the ring and hitting a legdrop on the apron. Undertaker hits a boot to the face of Cena and then pins him for a two count. Undertaker applies a wrist lock but Cena gets to the ropes. Undertaker then throws Cena out of the ring and then throws him back into the ring. I feel like a lot of tonights action has been outside the ring. Undertaker hits his old school clothesline off the top and then takes Cena down with a clothesline. Undertaker pins Cena but voluntarily picks him back up. Undertaker attempts the Last Ride but John Cena nips down and hits the dead man with a DDT. So far heels have won every match tonight except for the bar room brawl. Cena takes one of the turnbuckle pads off but gets caught with a big right hand. Undertaker then hits a big clothesline in the corner on Cena. Undertaker tries for another but this time Cena gets out of the way and Undertaker hits the exposed steel.

Cena knocks Undertaker out of the ring with a shoulder charge. Cena throws Undertaker back into the ring and the two men slug it out. Undertaker locks on a dragon sleeper but Cena gets to the ropes. Cena then hits a spinebuster for a two count. The two men go back to slugging it out and then Undertaker hits a clothesline for a near fall. Undertaker motions for the tombstone but Cena nips down and goes for the FU but Undertaker nips down. Undertaker hits a big boot and a legdrop for a near fall. Undertaker hits more right hands and then chokes John Cena. Undertaker shoves the referee out of the way which gives John Cena the opportunity to pick up his chain and smash it into Undertakers middle section. Cena then hits the FU but because Michael Cole says “what an upset” it means Undertaker is kicking out which he does.

John Cena hits some right hands on Undertaker in the corner which means he’s going to get hit with a last ride and right on cue Undertaker hits the last ride and pins Cena for the three! The Undertaker wins the match which went on way longer than I thought it would. A good showing for Cena who showed he can go with one of the best. A bit too long for my liking though.

Rating: 6/10

Next up is a video package for Vince McMahon and Zach Gowan.

Zach Gowan vs. Vince McMahon

This is a PPV debut for Zack Gowan. He only has one leg and he’s a lot smaller than Vince. Gowan takes off his prosthetic leg before the bell. The two men lock up but Vince out-powers Gowan. McMahon takes Zach to the mat and then slaps the back of his head. McMahon then hits a hiptoss, powerslam and a clothesline. Gowan fights back and back body drops McMahon out of the ring. Zach then hits a baseball slide and an asai moonsault. Back in the ring and Vince applies a leglock. Vince breaks the hold and continues to lay into Gowans leg and he smashes it into the ringpost. McMahon then drags Gowan to the middle of the ring and applies a Boston crab. Zach gets to the ropes to break the hold and the live crowd clap Gowan on.

Zach kicks McMahon and follows that up with a dropkick. Zach Gowan then lays into McMahon with right hands before crotching him into the ringpost. Zach wraps McMahons knee into the ringpost a few times. Gowan hits a bulldog and then a dropkick off the middle rope. Zach then heads to the top and hits a moonsault but McMahon gets his foot on the bottom rope to break the pinfall. McMahon exits the ring and grabs a steel chair but the referee grabs it off him. McMahon fights the referee off and Zach Gowan then dropkicks the chair into McMahons face! Gowan picks up the chair and smashes it into McMahons back. McMahon is bleeding from the face. Gowan goes up top to hit another moonsault but McMahon gets out of the way! Vince then pins Zach and gets the three. McMahon wins the match. A terrible match.

Rating: 2/10

Eddie Guerrero is backstage and Josh Matthews about his title win. Guerrero says he doesn’t need friends and he’ll be holding the United States title for a long time.

There’s a video package next for Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar and The Big Show.

Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Kurt Angle vs. The Big Show – Triple threat match for the WWE Championship

These three men have all faced each other in singles matches on pay per view but this is the first time the three meet in a triple threat. It’s no disqualifications and the first pinfall or submission will be the winner. Kurt Angle and The Big Show have both wrestled on the other 2 Vengeance PPV’s and they’ve recorded four losses between the two of them. Brock wrestled at last years event and lost so all three men are looking for their first victory at a Vengeance pay per view. Lesnar and Angle go right for Big Show but get caught with clotheslines. Big Show then throws Angle out of the ring and chokeslams Brock Lesnar! Show pins Lesnar and Angle breaks up the cover. Lesnar slides out of the ring and Big Show hits Angle with a headbutt.

Kurt from nowhere applies an ankle lock to Big Show but Show gets out of it. Big Show kicks Angle to the mat and hits him with a legdrop before pinning Angle which Lesnar breaks up. Brock goes up to the middle rope and hits a flying forearm on Big Show before attempting an F5 but he can;t get Big Show up. Big Show hits a reverse DDT for a near fall. Kurt then gets back in the ring and hits Big Show with garbage can lids. Lesnar joins in the fun and eventually they take Big Show down. Kurt and Brock attempt a double suplex on Big Show but Big Show reverses it and suplexes both men. Big Show then tries to chokeslam both men but Brock and Kurt hit a double chokeslam on Big Show. Lesnar pins Show but Kurt pulls Lesnar off. Brock and Angle then go at it. Brock hits the F5 on Kurt but Angle rolls out of the ring. Brock then hits the F5 on Big Show! Brock pins Big Show but Kurt pull the referee out of the ring.

Lesnar goes after Angle and whips him into the ring steps. Back in the ring and Big Show drops Brock with a clothesline for a two count. Big Show looks to set Lesnar up for a superplex but instead Lesnar powerbombs Big Show across the ring. Lesnar covers Show but Angle breaks up the cover with a steel chair. Kurt then pins Big Show but Show gets his shoulder up. Angle carries on using the chair, smashing Big Show with it. Big Show manages to fight him off and then takes apart the Spanish announce table. Big Show looks to chokeslam Angle through it but Angle counters the chokeslam and Angle slams Big Show through the table! Angle and Lesnar both get into the ring and slug it out until Lesnar throws Angle out of the ring. Angle whips Lesnar into the ring steps and then the two men get back into the ring where Angle hits two German suplexes.

Kurt goes for the Angle slam but Lesnar pushes him away before hitting him with a spinebuster. Brock then applies a gutwrench but it’s Big Show that breaks it up, hitting a legdrop on both men. Big Show then pins both men and they both kick out. Show hits both men with chokeslams and then pins Lesnar but Lesnar kicks out. Show pins Angle but Lesnar breaks it up. Lesnar hits a low blow on Big Show and then Angle applies the ankle lock on Brock. Angle breaks it up when Big Show comes at him. Kurt hits an Angle slam on Big Show and then an Angle slam on Lesnar! Angle pins Lesnar and Angle wins the match! Kurt is the new WWE Champion! In his first PPV match back since Wrestlemania, Kurt wins back the WWE Championship.

Rating: 7/10

And that was Vengeance 2003. Smackdowns first solo PPV showed us a couple of things. They have some of the best wrestling talent in the world with Benoit, Guerrero, Mysterio, Kidman, World’s Greatest Tag Team, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar. But matches such as Noble/Gunn, Bar Room Brawl, Vince/Gowan and Stephanie/Sable show that they do not have a lot of strength in depth. The opener was a fantastic match between Benoit and Guerrero. An improvement on their last match at Armageddon that’s for sure. I love Guerrero as United States Champion. This feud will probably continue for the gold but maybe Rhyno will get involved. There are a few midcard options for that title at the moment. Jamie Noble then beat Billy Gunn to enable him to sleep with Torrie Wilson. Live on Smackdown no less. No idea where this is heading but Billy Gunn is starting to look quite old. Jamie Noble continues to be fantastic.

The Bar Room Brawl was hard to keep track of and it’s only in hindsight that I realised it was an elimination match that when you’re knocked down, you’re out. Sean O’Haire looked really impressive in this one, he could be a huge star. Bradshaw was the man that got the victory though, he’s somebody else that could be a big star if he doesn’t get injured. And to put into perspective how long he’s been about, three of his first programmes were with Savio Vega, Jake Roberts and Terry Funk. Nice to see the Brawler, Doink and Brother Love. Benjamin and Haas retained their WWE Tag Team Championships in a fantastic match. Four really talented guys in this one and the result was the right one. I expected a heel turn from Kidman and a feud with Mysterio into Summerslam but maybe it’ll come at a later date. I wouldn’t mind seeing Ultimo Dragon get involved with the Cruiserweight division too.

Sable beat Stephanie McMahon with help from A-Train. This match was actually better than I thought it would be. It wasn’t a technical masterclass by any stretch but it was fun to watch and felt like a real fight. I think this feud will run to Summerslam where we may get a classic between the teams of Sable and A-Train and Stephanie and Zach Gowan. But I hope not. The Undertaker beat John Cena in a match that felt like it went on too long. John Cena definitely held his own in this one and looked like he might win at some points in the match but it was Undertaker that got the 3 count. I think this feud came about because neither had anything better to do. And it felt like a better match than The Undertaker and The APA against The FBI. This’ll be the end of this one I think.

Mr McMahon beat Zach Gowan and this feels like the beginning of this storyline. I’m sure the likes of A-Train and Stephanie McMahon will get involved although Mr America is now gone which probably ruins some Summerslam plans. The match itself tonight was terrible. It didn’t flow at all and was not fun to watch. The main event was a lot more fun and the three men involved have really become the main event of Smackdown as well as The Undertaker. I was surprised Kurt Angle won the WWE Championship, I didn’t see that coming at all. Going forward I can only see a Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle re-match at Summerslam so I think one of them needs to turn heel. And being that Kurt has only just switched to babyface, Brock turning heel would be good. Some really good matches on this show but let down by one terrible match and a couple of not so good ones. The Raw PPV’s (Insurrextion/Bad Blood) prove to be better overall.

Overall Rating: 56.56/100 (ranked 86th out of 154)

Match Of The Night: Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero
Worst Match Of The Night: Zach Gowan vs. Vince McMahon
Surprise Of The Night: Kurt Angle wins the WWE Championship
Worst Booking Of The Night: N/A
Superstar Of The Night: Kurt Angle
Vengeance 2003 Will Be Remembered For: Kurt Angle becoming a 4 time WWE Champion