Smackdown
September 18th, 2003 (taped September 16th)
RBC Center
Raleigh, North Carolina
 
Note: This episode was billed as the “Season Premiere” of Smackdown.
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Jamie Noble defeats Kendo Kashin.
2. Sean O’Haire and A-Train defeat Brian Kendrick and Paul London.
 
9/20 Velocity taping:
 
1. The Big Show defeats Murray Happer and Pat Cusick in a handicap match.
2. Matt Hardy pins Joey Matthews.
3. Billy Kidman pins Shannon Moore.
4. Orlando Jordan pins Chuck Palumbo.
 
Actual Show:
 
Vince McMahon says that whether you are an avid WWE fan or not, tonight we will see two world class athletes raise the bar on their predecessors and though who dare to follow, and he says that tonight everyone will see Kurt Angle defend the WWE Title against Brock Lesnar in a 60-Minute Ironman match. Just then, the Undertaker walks up to him and says that he’s not here to interfere in the Ironman match as he respects the title too much for that, and he says that he doesn’t respect Vince and he knows Vince sent Lesnar in their title match as he doesn’t forgive or forget.
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
1. Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio defeat Tajiri and Rhyno when Mysterio pins Rhyno at 3:15.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first tag match of the night. Mysterio and Benoit have continued having issues with Tajiri and Rhyno, and they face off here in a tag match to settle their issues. Benoit and Mysterio get a big pop from the crowd while Tajiri and Rhyno had solid heat as heels. Benoit starts off the match with Tajiri and they lock up with Benoit hooking a headlock and he knocks Tajiri down, and he slides under Tajiri and pounds on him as he knocks him down and stomps on him in the corner. He whips Tajiri into the other corner and Tajiri avoids a charge as he hooks the Tarantula on Benoit and Rhyno comes in, and he hits a spinebuster on Benoit for a two count and stomps on him repeatedly as he whips him into the corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs for a two count. Benoit battles back only for Rhyno to reverse a whip into the corner and he gets a shot in as Benoit falls on top of a back suplex attempt for a two count, and Benoit ducks a shot and hits a back suplex on Rhyno as Mysterio gets the hot tag and he hits a springboard seated senton on Rhyno. He pounds on Rhyno who reverses a whip into the corner and Mysterio catches him with a back elbow, and he hits a springboard moonsault on Rhyno and knocks Tajiri down as Rhyno gets a kick in and Mysterio catches him ducking with a swinging DDT for a two count with Tajiri breaking it up. Benoit knocks Tajiri down and stomps on him repeatedly in the corner as Rhyno gets a kick in and Mysterio escapes a powerbomb attempt, and he pounds on Rhyno as Tajiri attempts to spit the mist at him though Mysterio ducks it and Rhyno takes the mist to the face. Tajiri ducks a shot and goes behind Mysterio only for Benoit to grab him from behind and he hits a German suplex, and Tajiri grabs the ropes to block a second one only for Mysterio to hit the 619 and Benoit hits another German suplex. Mysterio then hits the 619 on Rhyno and then he hits the springboard legdrop which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Both teams looked good together and they still had good chemistry as Mysterio and Benoit get the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Benoit and Mysterio when they won. Benoit and Mysterio get the win over Rhyno and Tajiri as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
Commercial break
 
2. Shaniqua defeats Torrie Wilson and Nidia (w/ Dawn Marie) in a handicap match when she pins Nidia at 1:33.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Wilson and Nidia have been having issues with Shaniqua for the last few weeks and now they team up here to face Shaniqua in a handicap match. Wilson and Nidia get a good pop from the crowd while Shaniqua had decent heat as a heel. Wilson and Nidia waste no time and attack Shaniqua to start the match as they send her to the outside and hit a double baseball slide, and they go outside and stomp and pound on Shaniqua as they throw her back into the ring and Nidia continues to stomp on her. She pounds on Shaniqua and kicks at her only for Shaniqua to hit a powerslam and she hits a clothesline in Wilson, and she gets a two count on Nidia and Wilson catches Shaniqua with a jawbreaker as Nidia hooks a rollup for a two count. Shaniqua hits a double clothesline on both women and then she slams Wilson onto Nidia as she throws Wilson to the outside, and she hits a powerbomb on Nidia which gets the three and she wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as Wilson and Nidia got a few shots in, but they put Shaniqua over strong in 93 seconds. The crowd was into the match and Wilson and Nidia, but are not happy when Shaniqua wins. Shaniqua gets the win over Wilson and Nidia as all three women move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Marie gets in the ring and checks on Nidia only for Shaniqua to hit a big boot and she throws her to the outside, and she goes outside as well and hoists Marie up as she rams her into the post.
 
We see Stephanie McMahon in her office on the phone with someone while defacing a poster of Sable until Vince McMahon, Sable, and the Big Show come in, and Vince says that he was surprised with Stephanie’s decision last week in that she faced Brock Lesnar in a match rather than quit. She says that it might not have been smart, but Vince can’t make her quit and Vince says he will make her quit as she kicked him in the groin last week, and she asks why he doesn’t just fire her now and he says that he does whatever he wants when he wants. He says that he wants her to quit on her own volition and he’s going to start playing rough with her to the point that she’ll beg to quit.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the RBC Center.
 
We see a video package highlighting the previous two matches between Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle.
 
We see Los Guerreros in the locker room as Eddie asks how Chavo got them a tag title shot tonight and Chavo says that he talked to Stephanie McMahon about them being back together, and Eddie says that he’s proud of Chavo in thinking about family and Chavo says that Eddie will have two titles after tonight.
 
Commercial break
 
THQ Rewind: Eddie Guerrero defeating John Cena in the Latino Heat Parking Lot Brawl last week
 
We see a clip from earlier today of John Cena cutting a freestyle rap on top of a building about becoming a future United States Champion.
 
3. Los Guerreros defeat the World’s Greatest Tag Team when Eddie pins Charlie Haas at 13:37 to win the WWE Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our first title match of the night. The World’s Greatest Tag Team were rolling as tag champions and face a tough challenge in their old rivals Los Guerreros, who were back together when Chavo returned last week and they look to become champions again. Los Guerreros get a big pop from the crowd while the World’s Greatest Tag Team were pretty hot as heels. Eddie starts off the match with Benjamin and they lock up with Eddie going behind Benjamin who turns it around, but Eddie trips Benjamin up and hooks a front facelock as they chain wrestle with Eddie tripping Benjamin up and Chavo tags in. He stomps on Benjamin and pounds on him as he rams him into the buckle and Eddie tags in as they hit a double back elbow on Benjamin, and Benjamin rams Eddie into his corner and tags Haas who chokes Eddie in the corner and he stomps on him repeatedly. He whips Eddie hard back into his corner and stomps on him as Benjamin tags in and Eddie tries to battle back, and he hits a Northern lights suplex on Benjamin and tags Chavo as he rams Benjamin into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner. He stomps on him repeatedly and knocks Haas down as Benjamin reverses a whip and Chavo counters a hiptoss with a monkey flip, and he hits a dropkick on Haas and a spinning headscissors on Benjamin as both men roll outside to regroup. Los Guerreros hit stereo slingshot planchas onto the World’s Greatest Tag Team and Chavo rolls back into the ring as Haas returns to the ring as well, and Chavo whips him into the corner and Eddie chokes him from the apron as he tags in and pokes Haas in the eyes. He pounds on Haas and hits a back elbow as Chavo tags in and he hits a slingshot knee to Haas’ back, and Eddie hits a snapmare on Haas and Chavo hits a low dropkick for a two count with Benjamin breaking it up. Haas gets a knee in and pounds on Chavo as Benjamin tags in and he continues to pound on Chavo who kicks at Benjamin repeatedly, and he pounds on Benjamin and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and Eddie tags in. Benjamin falls on top of a back suplex attempt for a two count with Chavo breaking it up and Benjamin attempts a powerbomb, but Eddie rolls through into a sunset flip for a two count and both men clothesline each other as Chavo and Haas tag in. Chavo gets a kick in and whips Haas into the corner as Haas catches him with a pair of boots to the face and Benjamin hits a superkick on Chavo, and Haas hits a modified armbreaker on Chavo and rams the arm into the buckle as he wraps the arm around the rope and pounds on it. Benjamin snaps Chavo’s arm on the top rope and Haas hits a Northern lights suplex for a two count as Benjamin tags in, and he stomps on the arm and hooks a submission on it as Haas tags in and he stomps on Chavo repeatedly in the corner. Haas hits an armdrag and drops a knee on the arm as Chavo tries to battle back and hits a flying forearm on Haas, and Haas grabs the leg to prevent Chavo from tagging and Benjamin knocks him down as Chavo kicks Haas away and tags Eddie though the ref doesn’t see it. He forces Eddie out and the World’s Greatest Tag Team attempt a double team as Benjamin launches Chavo who hits a dropkick on Haas, and Chavo leaps over Benjamin and Eddie gets the hot tag as he hits a series of clotheslines on both men and then he hits a backdrop on Haas. He kicks at Benjamin and hits a pair of suplexes only for Haas to get a shot in and he hits a German suplex on Eddie for a two count, and he hits an atomic drop on Eddie though Eddie avoids the superkick from Benjamin who kicks Haas in the back of the head. Eddie ducks a shot and kicks at Benjamin as he grabs his arm and goes up top before hitting a double team on the World’s Greatest Tag Team, and he goes up top only for Benjamin to nail him first and he goes up himself only for Eddie to shove him to the mat. He sets himself on the top rope and Haas avoids the Frog Splash as Eddie rolls through and he sends Haas over the top to the floor, and Haas grabs a chair and the ref keeps him from bringing it into the ring as Benjamin brings another chair into the ring. Eddie ducks the swing and Benjamin catches him with a back elbow as Chavo hits a dropkick to Benjamin’s knee and Benjamin appears to have legitimately hurt his knee. He rolls out of the ring and Haas checks on him as he gets in the ring and Los Guerreros stomp on him, and they attempt a double backdrop only for Haas to land on the back of his neck in a nasty spot and Eddie goes up top. Chavo hits a brainbuster on Haas and Eddie hits the Frog Splash 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. Los Guerreros looked good in their first match in a few months while the World’s Greatest Tag Team were hitting their stride as a team, and they still had good chemistry despite the injury to Benjamin and Haas almost getting killed as Los Guerreros become champions again. The crowd was into the match and popped for Los Guerreros when they won. Los Guerreros get the win over the World’s Greatest Tag Team and are the new tag champions as both teams move on. Grade: 3
 
Commercial break
 
Clearasil Smack of the Night: Brock Lesnar facing Stephanie McMahon in a match last week
 
We see members of the Smackdown roster in the locker room watching the monitor with the F.B.I. taking bets on the Ironman match.
 
We see several Superstars with the APA in their office as they hype the Ironman match and place their own bets.
 
4. Brock Lesnar defeats Kurt Angle in an Ironman match to win the WWE Championship.
 
Decisions:
1. Lesnar disqualified at 8:32 (Angle – 1, Lesnar – 0)
2. Lesnar pins Angle at 10:21 (Angle – 1, Lesnar – 1)
3. Angle taps out at 12:09 (Angle – 1, Lesnar – 2)
4. Angle counted out at 19:56 (Angle – 1, Lesnar – 3)
5. Angle pins Lesnar at 25:55 (Angle – 2, Lesnar – 3)
6. Lesnar pins Angle at 30:27 (Angle – 2, Lesnar – 4)
7. Lesnar pins Angle at 45:00 (Angle – 2, Lesnar – 5)
8. Angle pins Lesnar at 50:29 (Angle – 3, Lesnar – 5)
9. Lesnar taps out at 56:11 (Angle – 4, Lesnar – 5)
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. These two men fought at WrestleMania and SummerSlam and each hold a victory over the other, and now they face off here in an Ironman match to determine who truly is the better man and champion. Angle gets a big pop from the crowd while Lesnar was red hot as a heel. Lesnar wastes no time and kicks at Angle to start the match as he pounds on him and stomps on him repeatedly in the corner, and he chokes him with his boot on the mat and stomps on him repeatedly as he whips him into the other corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs. He chokes him with his boot in the corner again and stomps on him as he rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly, and he hits a hiptoss out of the corner and kicks at him as Angle tries to battle back until Lesnar gets a knee in. He whips Angle into the other corner and Angle catches him with a back elbow as he hits a pair of clotheslines which Lesnar no-sells, and Angle ducks a shot and hits a dropkick to Lesnar’s knee as he hits a clothesline and belly-to-belly suplex on Lesnar. Lesnar rolls outside to regroup before returning to the ring though he feigns a knee injury as he gets a kick in and pounds on Angle, and he stomps on him in the corner and pounds on him as Angle reverses a whip and hits a trio of armdrags. Lesnar slides outside again to regroup and grabs the steps though he tosses them aside and continues to stall, and he looks to get in the ring twice only for Angle to scare him back to the floor and Lesnar finally returns to the ring. They square off as Angle goes for the leg only for Lesnar to again retreat outside to stall and he gets on the apron, and he hotshots Angle on the top rope and gets back in the ring as he gets a kick in and pounds on Angle. He stomps on him and chokes him with his boot on the mat as he pounds on Angle who counters a whip and hits another belly-to-belly suplex, and he clotheslines Lesnar over the top to the floor and goes outside as well as he pounds on Lesnar and stomps on him. He rams Lesnar into the steps and pounds on him until Lesnar gets a knee in and pounds on Angle as he rams him into the apron, and he hoists Angle up and rams his back into the post as he throws him back into the ring and then he brings a chair into the ring. He hits Angle in the head with the chair which draws the DQ and Angle gets a fall as Lesnar beats on Angle with the chair, and the ref takes the chair from Lesnar who goes outside and takes a drink from a bottle of water as he returns to the ring. He taunts Angle and stomps on him as he pounds on him and hoists him onto his shoulders before hitting the F-5 which gets the three and Lesnar ties it up, and he stomps on Angle and kicks at him as he continues to taunt him and stomps on him again before kicking at him. He hooks the Ankle Lock on Angle who taps out and Lesnar goes up 2-1 as he hits the Angle Slam on Angle for a pair of two counts, and Angle tries to battle back and ducks a shot only for Lesnar to catch him with a knee to the ribs and he whips Angle hard into the corner. He rams the shoulder into Angle’s ribs repeatedly and hits a pair of headbutts as he stomps on him repeatedly in the corner and whips him into the other corner, but Angle avoids a charge and Lesnar rams his shoulder into the post as Angle pounds on him and Lesnar reverses a whip. Angle ducks a shot and hits a flying forearm on Lesnar as he ducks a shot and hits a trio of German suplexes on Lesnar, and Lesnar sends Angle to the outside and goes outside himself as he whips Angle into the barricade and Angle gets a kick in. He pounds on Lesnar who gets a knee in and he hoists Angle onto his shoulders as he hits the F-5 on the floor, and he rolls back into the ring as Angle is counted out and Lesnar goes up 3-1 as Angle rolls back into the ring. Lesnar pounds on him and Angle reverses a whip into the corner as he hits a pair of belly-to-belly suplexes on Lesnar and continues to pound on him, and Lesnar reverses a whip and knocks Angle down as Angle rolls outside to regroup before returning to the ring. Lesnar pounds on Angle and stomps on him repeatedly in the corner as he chokes him with his boot and drops a pair of elbows on him for a two count, and he pounds on Angle and stomps on him in the corner as Angle counters a whip and ducks a shot before getting a kick in. He hits the Angle Slam on Lesnar which gets the three and he cuts the lead to 3-2 as he pounds on Lesnar on the mat, and he stomps on him repeatedly and hits a legdrop as he hits a suplex on Lesnar for a two count and stomps on him repeatedly. He pounds on Lesnar in the corner and Lesnar gets a trio of knees in as Angle ducks a shot and hits a German suplex, and he gets a kick in though Lesnar escapes the Angle Slam as he gets a kick in and hosts Angle onto his shoulders. Angle escapes the F-5 and trips Lesnar up as he hooks the Ankle Lock on though Lesnar rolls through and Angle barely avoids hitting the ref, and he avoids a clothesline as Lesnar takes out the ref and Angle hits the Angle Slam though the ref is still down. Angle checks on the ref and Lesnar hits a low blow as he goes outside and brings the belt into the ring before hitting Angle in the face with the belt, and he grabs the ref and brings him over as he gets the three and goes up 4-2 with Angle rolling outside to regroup. He trips Lesnar up and pulls him outside as he pounds on him and whips him into the steps before rolling back into the ring, and he goes up top and hits an axehandle on Lesnar as he throws him back into the ring and gets a two count. He goes up top again and hits a missile dropkick on Lesnar for a two count as he hits a slam and goes up top again, but he misses the moonsault and both men get to their feet as Angle ducks a shot and hooks a rollup for a two count. Lesnar hits a clothesline on Angle and then he hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count as Angle blocks a second belly-to-belly by tripping Lesnar up, and he hooks the Ankle Lock back on as Lesnar rolls through to escape and he sends Angle to the outside. Lesnar goes outside and kicks at Angle as he whips him into the steps and throws him back into the ring for a two count, and Lesnar goes outside and grabs the steps as he puts them on the apron only for Angle to hit a baseball slide which drives the steps back into Lesnar. Angle goes outside and throws Lesnar back into the ring for a pair of two counts as he pounds on him and stomps on him repeatedly in the corner, and he chokes him with his boot and hits a back elbow for a two count as he goes up top only for Lesnar to crotch him on the top rope. He goes up himself and hits a superplex on Angle which gets the three and he goes up 5-2 as Angle rolls outside to regroup, and Lesnar goes outside as well and pounds on Angle as he rams him into the announce table and hoists him onto his shoulders. Angle slides off and sends Lesnar into the post as he hoists Lesnar onto his shoulders and hits the F-5 with Lesnar’s leg bouncing off the post, and he stomps on the knee and throws him back into the ring as he hooks a half Boston crab on Lesnar who grabs the rope to force a break. Angle transitions into the Ankle Lock and Lesnar again reaches the rope to force a break as Angle stomps on the leg repeatedly, and Lesnar catches him with a back elbow and hoists him onto his shoulders as he hits the F-5 for a two count. Lesnar goes up top only for Angle to run up top and he hits a belly-to-belly superplex which gets the three and he cuts the lead to 5-3, and they trade blows with Angle taking control as he pounds on Lesnar in the corner and hits a suplex. Lesnar escapes the Angle Slam and shoves Angle back as he gets a kick in and hits a DDT for a two count, and Angle pounds on Lesnar who ducks a shot and he hits a trio of German suplexes on Angle who blocks a fourth one. He goes behind Lesnar and hits a pair of German suplexes of his own until Lesnar blocks a third one and goes behind Angle, and Angle rolls through a German suplex attempt and hooks the Ankle Lock back on as Lesnar reaches for the ropes repeatedly before tapping out and Angle cuts the lead to 5-4. Angle hooks the Ankle Lock back on only for Lesnar to roll through to escape as he sends Angle into the ropes, and Angle stomps on the knee and hooks a submission on as Lesnar escapes with a pair of back elbows and rolls outside to regroup. Angle goes outside as well and stomps on Lesnar as he hooks the Ankle Lock back on briefly and he throws Lesnar back into the ring, and Lesnar rolls back outside and Angle goes after him as he rams Lesnar into the steps and throws him back into the ring. Angle ducks a shot and hits a series of German suplexes on Lesnar who grabs the ref and he hits a low blow on Angle, and Angle trips Lesnar up and hooks the Ankle Lock back on while also using the heel hook though Lesnar survives as time expires and we have a new champion. The match itself was excellent as both men worked hard and put on a fantastic matchup. Both men were hitting their stride by this point and they still had great chemistry as Lesnar uses some underhanded tactics to take early control, but Angle stays strong even in defeat as he just ran out of time to force overtime. The crowd was into the match and Angle, but are not happy when Lesnar wins. Lesnar gets the win over Angle 5-4 and is once again WWE Champion as both men move on. Grade: 4.5
 
After the match, Lesnar recovers in the aisle with the belt as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty great show mainly carried by the main event which was built well over the last few weeks. With RAW’s next PPV in a few days, this was a good chance for Smackdown to steal a bit of their thunder by putting on a good show and they did just that. Lesnar is once again the man while Los Guerreros now rule the tag division and Benoit, Mysterio, and Shaniqua get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was easily the best and carried the bulk of the show though the tag title match was a good addition as well. 2003 has been an interesting year to this point in that Smackdown was still putting on better shows than RAW which holds true here, and now we will see how they are able to build towards their next PPV with No Mercy. As for this show, it is a pretty memorable show best remembered for the Ironman match which goes down as one of the greatest matches in Smackdown history. Final Grade: A-