Smackdown
July 3rd, 2003 (taped July 1st)
Blue Cross Arena
Rochester, New York
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. The Ultimo Dragon defeats Chaz Wicks.
2. Ben Dunn and Mike Lehan defeat Joe E. Legend and Sean Lamowski.
 
7/5 Velocity taping:
 
1. Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) defeats Brian Kendrick.
2. Sean O’Haire pins Funaki.
3. Chris Kanyon pins Mike Bell.
4. Matt Hardy pins Shannon Moore.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Vince McMahon says that tonight, he will personally seal the fate of Mr. America and he will also present a special handicap match where Stephanie McMahon and Zach Gowen will face the Big Show.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
We see Billy Kidman in the crowd.
 
1. Rey Mysterio pins Nunzio with the West Coast Pop at 6:50 to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first title match of the night. Mysterio has been rolling as Cruiserweight Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Nunzio, who was cruising as part of the F.B.I. and looks to become champion. Mysterio gets a big pop from the crowd while Nunzio had solid heat as a heel. Nunzio goes behind Mysterio and takes him to the mat to start the match as he hooks a front facelock until Mysterio escapes, and he works on the arm until Nunzio takes control and Mysterio tries to flip out only for Nunzio to get a knee in. Mysterio lands on his feet on a snapmare attempt and Nunzio leaps over him as Mysterio knocks him down, and he blocks a hiptoss attempt with a sunset flip for a two count and Nunzio gets a knee in as he whips Mysterio into the corner and Mysterio catches him with a boot to the face. He leaps onto Nunzio’s shoulders and hits a hurricanrana as Nunzio rolls outside to regroup and Mysterio hits a slingshot somersault senton onto Nunzio, and he throws Nunzio back into the ring and goes up top as Nunzio gets a shot in and goes up himself. They trade blows until Mysterio knocks Nunzio to the mat and he sets himself on the top rope only for Nunzio to catch him in a powerbomb for a two count, and he pounds on Mysterio and catches him on a springboard attempt as he hits a flapjack for a two count and hooks a submission on. Mysterio fights to his feet only for Nunzio to get a knee in and Mysterio escapes a back suplex attempt as he hooks a rollup for a two count, and Nunzio hits a sidewalk slam for a two count and goes back to the submission as Mysterio fights to his feet and breaks the hold. Nunzio hits a backbreaker on Mysterio and hooks another submission on as Mysterio escapes with a headscissors, and Nunzio gets a knee in and Mysterio catches him ducking with a tornado DDT as he ducks a shot and gets a kick in before pounding on Nunzio. He hits a flapjack and low dropkick on Nunzio who backdrops Mysterio over the top with Mysterio landing on the apron, and he hits a springboard seated senton on Nunzio and then he hits a standing moonsault for a two count. He whips Nunzio into the corner and Nunzio catches him with a knee to the ribs as he goes up to the middle rope and hits a bulldog for a two count, and Mysterio counters a whip and pounds on Nunzio who blocks a monkey flip only for Mysterio to send both of them over the top to the floor. He throws Nunzio back into the ring only for the F.B.I. to come out as Stamboli whips Mysterio into a clothesline from Palumbo, and they head up the aisle as Nunzio pulls Mysterio back into the ring and gets a two count. Just then, the APA come out and brawl with the F.B.I. as they head to the back and Nunzio holds the ropes on a whip, and he catches Mysterio on a leap only for Mysterio to hit a headscissors that sends Nunzio into the middle rope. Mysterio hits the 619 on Nunzio and then he hits a legdrop to the back of the head which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a solid title match. Mysterio has been in a groove by this point while Nunzio was also getting into a groove, and they had good chemistry as Mysterio gets a clean title defense. The crowd was into the match and popped for Mysterio when he won. Mysterio retains the title over Nunzio and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Kidman gets in the ring and celebrates with Mysterio.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle at a table backstage as a lady says hi to them and they argue who she was talking to, and Lesnar says he beat Angle at WM and Angle says that he will beat Lesnar at Vengeance to become champion again. Lesnar says that Angle better keep drinking his milk as Angle goes up to the lady and tries to talk to her while taking a drink of milk, but then Lesnar slaps him on the back causing Angle to spit the milk all over her face.
 
2. Chris Benoit and Rhyno defeat the Basham Brothers (w/ Shaniqua) when Danny taps out at 5:13.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our first tag match of the night. Benoit and Rhyno have been having issues for the last few weeks though seemingly are back on track as they face the Bashams, who have been gaining steam as a team and look to get a big win here. Benoit and Rhyno get a big pop from the crowd while the Bashams had decent heat as heels. The Bashams waste no time and attack Benoit and Rhyno to start the match as Doug pounds on Rhyno in the corner and Danny slams Benoit’s head into the mat repeatedly, and Benoit and Rhyno battle back until Doug gets a kick in on Rhyno and Danny sends Benoit to the outside. Doug stomps on Rhyno repeatedly and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner until Rhyno gets a kick in, and he pounds on Doug and whips him into the corner as he drives the shoulder into the ribs and continues to pound on him. Doug gets a knee in and Danny tags in as he pounds on Rhyno who counters a whip and hits a short clothesline, and he hooks a Boston crab on Danny and avoids a shot from Doug as he knocks him off the apron and he catches a kick attempt only for Danny to hit an enzurgiri. He drops an elbow on Rhyno and chokes him on the mat as he rams him into the buckle and tags Doug before hitting a slam, and Doug hits a springboard elbow on Rhyno for a two count and pounds on him for a two count as Danny tags in and he continues to pound on Rhyno. He drops an elbow on Rhyno for a two count and hooks a submission on as Rhyno fights to his feet only for Danny to get a knee in, and Rhyno ducks a shot and hits a back suplex on Danny as Doug comes in and he holds Rhyno from behind only for Rhyno to avoid a charge from Danny who hits Doug by mistake. Benoit gets the hot tag and dropkicks Doug in the knee as he knocks Danny down and kicks at Doug before hitting a snap suplex, and he ducks a shot and hits a German suplex on Danny as Doug gets a shot in and they attempt a double suplex. Rhyno comes over and pounds on Doug as Benoit takes Danny to the mat and hooks the Crossface on only for Doug to break it up, and Rhyno kicks at Doug and sends him to the outside as Benoit whips Danny into the corner and hits another German suplex. He goes up top and hits the diving headbutt on Danny for a two count with Doug breaking it up as Rhyno gets in the ring, and he looks for the Gore only for Danny to trip him up from the floor and Benoit knocks Doug down. Danny gets in the ring and hits a clothesline on Benoit as they set up a double team only for Rhyno to get in the ring and he hits the Gore on Doug, and Benoit takes Danny to the mat and hooks the Crossface back on as Danny taps out and Benoit and Rhyno get the win. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Benoit and Rhyno were hitting their stride as a team while the Bashams were growing as a team, and they had decent chemistry as Benoit and Rhyno get the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Benoit and Rhyno when they won. Benoit and Rhyno get the win over the Bashams as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Vince McMahon in Stephanie McMahon’s office acting like he’s playing the drums as Stephanie comes in and she asks if he’s serious about her facing Big Show tonight, and he says that she looks nervous and is wondering if he put her in harm’s way like she did to him last week. She says that she might have encouraged Gowen to give Vince a low blow though that’s not the same as having to face a giant, and she says that Gowen’s only been trained for a few weeks and she’s not a wrestler as Show is a giant which he agrees with. He says that there’s an old saying in sparing the rod, but spoiling the child as she begs him to reconsider, and he says that he thought she was Daddy’s little girl and wishes her luck as he tells her not to get hurt and he leaves.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Stephanie in her office as Sable comes in and says she heard about the match and can’t believe Vince is doing it, and she says that Stephanie could really get hurt and Vince wouldn’t forgive himself if something happens to Stephanie. Stephanie asks what she really wants and Sable says that she’ll be watching as she wants to wish her luck, and she says that if something were to happen to Stephanie, she’ll be able to satisfy Vince by being the new GM of Smackdown.
 
We see footage from earlier today of Jamie Noble and Nidia arriving to the arena via limo and they talk about their new wealth as she produces a new mink coat that she bought for herself.
 
We see Orlando Jordan warming up backstage as the Undertaker walks up to him and introduces himself, and he says that he wanted to talk about what happened last week and says that as a rookie, Jordan is going to have to pay his dues and he has to earn his victories. He says that the beating Jordan took after the match doesn’t fly with him and if he lets guys like Cena do that, he won’t earn respect and won’t go anywhere so he has to go up to guys like Cena and show them he has a set. He says that when Jordan does that, he’ll earn everyone’s respect including his and the fans’ as John Cena walks up to them and says that Taker did something with him last year, and he says that Taker dropped him like a bad habit and he tells Jordan not to be brainwashed by Taker. He says that Taker is forgetting he’s a veteran now and he has advice for him as he needs to watch who’s business he sticks his nose in, and he walks away as Taker says that some people have to learn the hard way.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Billy Gunn (w/ Torrie Wilson) pins John Cena with a small package at 5:53.
 
Note: This is a quarterfinal match in the WWE United States Championship tournament
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our next match in the US Title tournament. Gunn has been gaining steam since returning and looks to get a win here over Cena, who was also gaining steam and looks to get a win here. Gunn gets a good pop from the crowd while Cena was pretty hot as a heel. Gunn chases Cena into the ring to start the match and Cena ducks a shot as Gunn hits a back elbow and pounds on him, and he rams Cena into the buckle and stomps on him in the corner as he chokes him with his boot and continues to choke him. Cena reverses a whip into the other corner and Gunn fires out with a clothesline for a pair of two counts as he pounds on him, and Cena holds the ropes on a whip and rolls outside to regroup as Gunn goes outside and rams Cena into the barricade. Cena reverses a whip and sends Gunn into the post as both men roll back into the ring and Cena kicks at Gunn, and he stomps on Gunn repeatedly and hits a suplex for a two count as he hooks a submission on and Gunn fights to his feet. Cena yanks him to the mat by his hair and stomps on him repeatedly as he drops an elbow on him for a two count, and he pounds on Gunn and kicks him down for a two count as Gunn tries to battle back only for Cena to hit a sidewalk slam for a two count. He goes back to the submission on Gunn who fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he ducks a shot and hits a powerslam, and Gunn ducks a shot and fires up on Cena who counters a whip only for Gunn to hit a cutter for a two count. Cena avoids a charge in the corner and Gunn hits the post as Cena hits the Throwback for a two count and rolls outside, and he brings the chain into the ring as the Undertaker drives his motorcycle around the ring and distracts Cena with Gunn hooking a small package which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Gunn was getting back into a groove by this point while Cena was hitting his groove, and they had good chemistry as Taker ends up costing Cena. The crowd was into the match and popped for Gunn when he won. Gunn gets the win over Cena and advances in the tournament as both men move on. Grade: 2
 
We see Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle in the dressing room as Lesnar is still laughing about what happened earlier and Angle says he got him good, and they slap each other hard as Angle says Lesnar has to make everything a competition and Lesnar says he’s a competitive guy. Angle says they should have a competition tonight with a pushup contest and whoever does 300 will win, and Angle says Lesnar can go first as Lesnar gets on his knees and says now he knows what it’s like to be at Angle’s level. Lesnar starts doing pushups as Angle keeps track though he intentionally miscounts much to Lesnar’s anger.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Lesnar continuing to do pushups as Angle keeps counting and despite some struggles, Lesnar does 300 pushups though he does one more for Angle before collapsing to the ground and Angle applauds as Lesnar says it’s Angle’s turn though Angle admits Lesnar won and walks away as Lesnar complains he can’t feel his arms.
 
4. Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin defeat Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri when pins Eddie at 13:39 to win the WWE Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second and final title match of the night. Eddie and Tajiri have been rolling as tag champions and face a tough challenge in Haas and Benjamin, who seem to have gotten back on track and look to become champions again. Eddie and Tajiri get a big pop from the crowd while Haas and Benjamin were pretty hot as heels. Tajiri starts off the match with Haas and they lock up with Haas going behind Tajiri and he hooks a submission on, and Tajiri gets a knee in and pounds on Haas who reverses a whip and Tajiri catches him ducking with a kick. He takes Haas to the mat with a snapmare and Haas fights to his feet as he escapes and they engage in a test of strength, and Haas tries to force Tajiri to the mat and Tajiri bridges up as he hits an armdrag and drop toehold before going back to the arm. Eddie tags in and continues to work the arm as Haas reverses a whip and hits a back elbow before hooking a front facelock, and Benjamin tags in though Eddie escapes and hits an armdrag as he works on Benjamin’s arm and Benjamin battles back. He does a springboard backflip and takes control of Eddie’s arm as Eddie rolls through and retakes control of the arm, and Benjamin gets a pair of knees in though Eddie lands on his feet on a snapmare attempt and hits a dropkick. Haas comes in and Eddie hits a powerslam on him as he grabs Benjamin’s arm and goes up top before hitting a double team on Haas and Benjamin, and he pounds on Benjamin who counters a whip and hits a modified powerslam on Eddie as he stomps on him and tags Haas. He pounds on Eddie and hits a back suplex backbreaker as he pounds on him on the mat and hits a snap suplex for a two count, and he chokes Eddie on the ropes and tears at his face as he pounds on him in the corner and gets a knee in. He whips Eddie into the other corner and Eddie catches him with a back elbow as he hits a belly-to-belly suplex and tags Tajiri, and he hits a spin kick on Haas and kicks Benjamin down as Haas gets a kick in and whips him into the corner. He catches Tajiri on a leap only for Tajiri to hit a modified inverted DDT for a two count as Haas ducks a shot, and Tajiri lands on his feet on a German suplex attempt and leaps onto Haas’s shoulders though Benjamin holds Haas to block a hurricanrana attempt. They hit a double team on Tajiri for a two count with Eddie breaking it up and Benjamin tags in as they hit another double team on Tajiri for a two count, and he hooks a submission on Tajiri who fights to his feet and breaks the hold only for Benjamin to hook an abdominal stretch on. Tajiri escapes with a hiptoss and Benjamin goes behind him as he hooks the abdominal stretch back on, and the ref gets distracted by Eddie messing with the tag rope as Haas comes in and puts the abdominal stretch back on Tajiri. The ref forces a break with Haas not being the legal man as Benjamin comes back in and stomps on Tajiri, and Tajiri tries to battle back until Benjamin gets a knee in and he forces Tajiri to the mat as he rides him and pounds on him. He pulls Tajiri to his corner and Haas tags in as he stomps on Tajiri repeatedly and whips him hard into the corner for a two count, and he pounds on Tajiri on the mat as Eddie comes in and gets a shot in only for the ref to force him back out. Haas hooks a front facelock on and Benjamin tags in as they hit a double team on Tajiri for a two count with Eddie breaking it up, and Tajiri tries to battle back only for Benjamin to get a knee in and he hoists Tajiri onto his shoulder though Tajiri slides off and hits a superkick to the back of the head. Eddie gets the hot tag and hits a pair of clotheslines as he hits a pair of dropkicks and kicks at Haas before hitting a backdrop, and he hits a suplex on Benjamin only for Haas to nail Eddie and Eddie escapes a powerbomb attempt as he gets a kick in. He hits a pair of suplexes on Haas and goes up top as Benjamin pounds on Eddie and goes up himself before hitting a superplex, and Tajiri gets in the ring and kicks at Benjamin who reverses a whip and Tajiri hits the handspring elbow. Benjamin rolls outside and he avoids a baseball slide from Tajiri who slides outside and Benjamin hits a clothesline, and Haas gets a two count and Eddie escapes a suplex attempt as he goes behind Haas who hits a pair of back elbows. Eddie hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Haas for a two count with Benjamin breaking it up and he suplexes Eddie over the top to the floor, and Tajiri comes in and kicks at Benjamin until Haas nails him and they whip Tajiri into the corner only for Haas to miss a charge. Tajiri ducks a shot and hits a superkick on Benjamin as Haas gets a kick in and whips Tajir into the corner, and Tajiri avoids a charge and hooks the Tarantula on Haas as Eddie goes up top only to miss the Frog Splash on Benjamin. Benjamin hits a superkick that knocks Tajiri off the apron onto the hood of Eddie’s truck as Eddie hits a drop toehold that sends Benjamin into the middle buckle, and he gets distracted when he sees Tajiri on the truck and Haas and Benjamin hit a double team which gets the three and we have new champions. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid title match. Eddie and Tajiri had gelled well as a team while Haas and Benjamin were hitting their groove as a team, and they still had great chemistry as Haas and Benjamin regain the titles. The crowd was into the match and Eddie and Tajiri, but are not happy when Haas and Benjamin win. Haas and Benjamin get the win over Eddie and Tajiri and are tag champions again as both teams move on. Grade: 3
 
We see Zach Gowen warming up backstage as the Big Show walks up to him and holds him down as he says Gowen is already missing one leg, and he says that he only has one left and laughs before walking away.
 
Commercial break
 
Eddie Guerrero is regrouping at ringside as officials check on Tajiri until Eddie pulls him off the hood to the floor and starting complaining about what happened to his truck as he tries to buff a scratch out and lays down on the hood.
 
We see a video package on Mr. America.
 
We see Eddie stewing and he turns to Tajiri as he stomps on him repeatedly and rams him into the hood twice, and he gets on the hood and hits a back suplex that puts Tajiri through the windshield as he heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of EMTs taking Tajiri to the back on a stretcher.
 
5. A-Train pins Orlando Jordan with the Train Wreck at 4:23.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty basic matchup. Jordan made his debut last week and looks to get his first win here over A-Train, who was floating in the midcard and looks to get back on track. Jordan gets a decent pop from the crowd while A-Train had decent heat as a heel. The two men lock up to start with A-Train shoving Jordan to the mat as they lock up again with Jordan sending A-Train into the corner, and he hits a dropkick on A-Train and attempts a drop toehold though A-Train blocks it and pounds on Jordan on the mat. He hoists Jordan onto his shoulder and Jordan slides off only for A-Train to knock him down and he hits a slam, and he hits a big splash on Jordan for a two count and grinds his forearm into Jordan’s face as he slingshots him throat first into the middle rope. He pounds on Jordan in the corner and splashes him as Jordan tries to battle back only for A-Train to hit a back elbow, and he whips Jordan into the corners and hoists him onto his back in a submission until Jordan escapes with a sunset flip for a two count. A-Train pounds on Jordan who holds the ropes on a whip and he avoids a pump kick with A-Train getting crotched on the top rope, and Jordan kicks at the leg repeatedly and pounds on him as A-Train catches a kick attempt and Jordan hits an enzurgiri. He pounds on A-Train who shoves him away and Jordan hits a flying forearm for a two count as A-Train reverses a whip into the corner, and Jordan leaps over him and A-Train ducks a shot as he nails Jordan in the back and whips him into the corner. He grabs Jordan by the throat and hits the Derailer for a two count as Jordan catches him with a boot to the face twice, and he hits a drop toehold that sends A-Train into the middle buckle and goes up top only to miss a crossbody. A-Train hoists Jordan onto his shoulder and hits the Train Wreck which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic match. Jordan has looked decent in these last two weeks while A-Train was hitting his groove by this point, and they had decent chemistry as A-Train gets a clean win over the rookie. The crowd was in and out of it for the match and are not happy when A-Train wins. A-Train gets the win over Jordan and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Stephanie McMahon in the hallway as the Big Show walks up to her and asks where her protector is, and he says that he hopes she knows what she’s doing and won’t get hurt as he plays with her hair and says there’s other ways he would like to hurt her and she walks away. Just then, Vince McMahon and Sable walk up and Vince reminds Show that it is his daughter he’s facing, and he wants him to listen to his announcement as it involves Show as well as Mr. America.
 
Commercial break
 
WrestleMania Recall: Alice Cooper at WrestleMania III
 
Vince McMahon and Sable come down to the ring as he asks if the fans likes his daughter’s assistant and he says it was a matter of time before sealing the fate of Mr. America, and he says that this began after WM when he sent Hogan home and never wanted him back in a WWE ring. He says that he wanted to deny Hogan and the fans the privilege of seeing him and most people would’ve taken the money, but not Hogan as he says that Hogan tried to re-invent himself by creating a new character called Mr. America. He says that it was a matter of time before he proved that Mr. America was Hogan and when he proved it, both Mr. America and Hogan’s contracts would be null and void which brings him to last week as he knew Mr. America would want to do something special. He says that he thought Mr. America might be up to something as he had the cameramen continue recording after the show went off the air, and he has some footage to show that has never been seen and we see footage of after Smackdown last week of Mr. America revealing himself to the fans to be Hulk Hogan. Vince says he wants to thank the cameramen for recording that footage because Hogan and Mr. America aren’t here tonight, and he says that the fans can chant all they want because both men are at home and will stay home as they are at the same place at the same time. He says that they will both be in the unemployment line and he’s been wanting to say this for a long time, and he wants Mr. America and Hulk Hogan to read his lips as they are both fired and now they can move to a young man who wants to win a contract tonight. He says that this man has one leg and has no business being in WWE though out of the goodness of his heart, he said Gowen could have his contract if he joined the Vince McMahon Kiss My Ass Club and he knows many would want to join the club. He says that Gowen can’t do anything the easy way and tonight, Gowen will team with Stephanie McMahon against the Big Show in a No Holds Barred Handicap match. He says that he has one more announcement regarding Vengeance and the WWE Championship as it will be defended by Brock Lesnar, and he says that Lesnar won’t face one man but rather two as he will face Kurt Angle and the Big Show in a Triple Threat match. He says that he and Sable are now going to take a seat at ringside and enjoy the handicap match as they leave the ring.
 
Commercial break
 
6. Zach Gowen and Stephanie McMahon defeat the Big Show (w/ Vince McMahon and Sable) in a No Holds Barred Handicap match when Gowen pins Show at 4:46.
 
Stipulation: If Gowen and Stephanie win, Gowen earns a WWE contract
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. After being toyed around by Vince for the last few weeks, Gowen now gets one last chance to earn his contract as he has to team with Stephanie against Show in a handicap match. Gowen and Stephanie get a good pop from the crowd while Show was red hot as a heel. Gowen wastes no time and attacks Show to start the match only for Show to shove him to the mat and he pounds on him, and Stephanie goes after Show who shoves her to the mat and Gowen rolls outside to regroup as Show goes outside as well. He chokes Gowen until Stephanie jumps off the apron onto Show’s back and chokes him only for Show to snap her to the floor, and Gowen crawls under the ring and Show pulls out his prosthetic leg as Gowen gets in the ring and hits a baseball slide on Show. He attempts a slingshot plancha only for Show to catch him and he shoves Stephanie away as he presses Gowen over the top back into the ring, and he grabs Stephanie by the throat and presses her up as he tosses her over the top back into the ring as well. He gets in the ring and Gowen tries to battle back as Show hits a headbutt and he rolls outside to regroup, and Show blocks a slap from Stephanie and presses her up as Vince gets on the apron and tells him to throw her out to the ramp. Gowen pulls Vince off the apron to the floor and gets in the ring as he hits a dropkick causing Show to drop Stephanie, and he fires up on Show who hits a clothesline and Vince gets in the ring as Show hoists Gowen up by the throat and hits the Chokeslam. Vince grinds his shoe into Gowen’s throat until Stephanie slaps him in the face and he stalks her as she backs up into Show, and he grabs her by the throat and hoists her up until Kurt Angle runs down to the ring and Show grabs him by the throat. Angle hits a low blow on Show and hooks the Ankle Lock on as Vince brings a chair into the ring and hits Angle in the back with it, but then Brock Lesnar runs down to the ring and ducks a swing as he gets a kick in and hoists Vince onto his shoulders. Show gets a kick in and grabs the chair only for Gowen to kick it back in his face and Angle hits the Angle Slam on Show, and Lesnar gets a kick in and hoists Show onto his shoulders as he hits the F-5 and Gowen hits a dropkick on Vince which sends him out of the ring. Gowen then goes up top and hits a moonsault on Show which gets the three and he and Stephanie win. The match itself was decent as Show pretty much dominated the match until Angle and Lesnar help Gowen and Stephaine win. The crowd was red hot for the match and popped big for Gowen and Stephanie when they won. Gowen and Stephanie get the win over Show and Gowen earns his contract as their issues with Vince aren’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Gowen and Stephanie celebrate with Angle and Lesnar as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty solid episode continuing this run of good shows that Smackdown has produced throughout the summer. With the eyes now on them heading into their first PPV, they were now working to make that show feel much bigger than Bad Blood and there was a lot going on since the previous week. We had two title matches as Haas and Benjamin once again rule the tag division while Mysterio still rules the Cruiserweight Division and Benoit, Rhyno, Gunn, A-Train, Gowen, and Stephanie get big wins, and in terms of the matches the tag title match was the best though the main event had the most heat and it was good seeing Gowen win on the heels of learning that Hogan was gone. 2003 has been an interesting year to this point as Smackdown was still rocking in terms of in-ring even though Vince was becoming a bigger focal point, and we will see if Vengeance ends up being a great show as the card continues to take shape. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show to continue what has been a good summer for Smackdown. Final Grade: B-