Smackdown
April 3rd, 2003 (taped April 1st)
Spokane Arena
Spokane, Washington
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Sean O’Haire pins Sylvain Grenier at 4:30.
 
4/5 Velocity taping:
 
1. Matt Hardy (w/ Shannon Moore) pins Funaki at 5:00.
2. Chavo Guerrero pins Shannon Moore at 4:00.
3. Tajiri pins Buddy Wayne at 4:15.
4. The F.B.I. defeat Tony Gordina and Jay Holenback at 4:00.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
Stephanie McMahon comes out on the stage and says that WrestleMania was one of the greatest of all-time as the Superstars left their body and soul on the mat, including Kurt Angle and the new WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. She says that neither man are here due to injuries suffered in their match as Angle could be out for two months and Lesnar will be back next week, and she says that injuries are the price the Superstars pay to become WWE Champion and the question now is who Lesnar’s next challenger will be. She says that the Smackdown Superstars will fight it out as she reveals the tournament bracket and says it will play out over the next 3 weeks, and she says the winner will face Lesnar for the WWE Title at Backlash and the tournament begins now.
 
1. The Undertaker pins Rey Mysterio with the Last Ride at 3:23.
 
Note: This is a quarterfinal match in the WWE Championship Number One Contender’s tournament
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first tournament matchup. Taker was coming off a big win at WM and looks to keep the momentum going against Mysterio, who was coming off a tough loss at WM and looks to get a huge upset win. Both men get a big pop from the crowd and they are pretty split for the whole match. The two men square off to start with Mysterio avoiding Taker twice until Taker grabs him and tosses him into the corner, but Mysterio slides under him and Taker avoids a dropkick to the knee as he tosses Mysterio into the corner only for Mysterio to slide under him again. He kicks at Taker’s legs and hits a springboard dropkick that sends him over the top to the floor with Taker landing on his feet, and Mysterio hits a baseball slide which Taker no-sells as he gets back in the ring and hits a big boot on Mysterio. He splashes him in the corner and knocks him down as Mysterio catches him in a jawbreaker and pounds on Taker, and Taker grabs Mysterio by the throat though Mysterio escapes the chokeslam by getting on Taker’s shoulders and he spins around into a DDT. He hits the 619 on Taker for a two count and goes out to the apron as he attempts the West Coast Pop, but Taker blocks it and hits the Last Ride which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as Mysterio got a few shots in, but Taker pretty much dominated him for the entire match. The crowd was into the match and popped for Taker when he won. Taker gets the win over Mysterio and advances in the tournament as both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Taker stands over Mysterio and looks like he’s going to punch him though he grabs his hand and pulls him to his feet as they embrace out of respect.
 
We see Vince McMahon arrive to the arena and he asks a security guard if Hulk Hogan is here as the guard says he isn’t, and Vince tells the guard to let him know when Hogan arrives before walking away.
 
Commercial break
 
Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore come out to do commentary for the next match.
 
2. Brian Kendrick pins Jamie Noble (w/ Nidia) with the Sliced Bread #2 at 2:33.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. Kendrick was slowly gaining steam since earning a contract and looks to get a win here over Noble, who was floating in the Cruiserweight division and looks to get back on track here. Kendrick gets a decent pop from the crowd while Noble had decent heat as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Noble getting a knee in and he pounds on Kendrick as he rams him into the buckle, and he stomps on him repeatedly in the corner and chokes him with his boot as he rams him into the buckle again and stomps on him. Kendrick counters a whip and gets a boot in as he hits a dropkick that sends Noble through the ropes to the outside, and he hits a double springboard crossbody onto Noble on the floor and throws him back into the ring as he goes up top. Nidia grabs at Kendrick’s leg and Kendrick kicks her to the floor as Noble leaps up top only for Kendrick to shove him to the mat, and Kendrick sets himself on the top rope and hits a crossbody on Noble for a two count as Noble reverses a whip into the corner. Kendrick lands on his feet on a German suplex attempt only for Noble to catch him in a powerslam for a two count, and Noble goes up top only for Kendrick to get a shot in and he goes up himself as he hits a hurricanrana though Noble rolls through into a sunset flip for a two count. Noble hits a clothesline on Kendrick for a two count and Kendrick battles back though Nidia pulls the ropes open and Kendrick falls to the outside, and she holds him from behind only for Kendrick to avoid a baseball slide from Noble who hits Nidia by mistake. Kendrick gets back in the ring and hits Sliced Bread #2 on Noble which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a pretty basic match. Kendrick was slowly getting into a groove while Noble was hitting his groove, and they had good chemistry as Kendrick overcomes the odds and gets the win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Kendrick when he won. Kendrick gets the win over Noble and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Matt gets in the ring and throws Kendrick to the outside as Moore hands him a mike and he says that he is Matt Hardy, Version 1 and the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion, and he says that he’s issuing a challenge to Brock Lesnar and if Lesnar can get over his fake concussion, they should have a match next week to see who the better champion is. Kendrick gets back in the ring and pounds on Matt as he hits a side dropkick on Moore only for Matt to get a kick in and he hits the Twist of Fate on Kendrick.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the F.B.I.
 
We see a shot outside the Spokane Arena.
 
We see still photos from the Kurt Angle/Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania XIX.
 
We see footage from after WrestleMania XIX ended of Brock Lesnar being tended to by officials and EMTs.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the return of Piper’s Pit next week.
 
3. Chris Benoit forces A-Train to tap out at 6:55.
 
Note: This is a quarterfinal match in the WWE Championship Number One Contender’s tournament
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second quarterfinal match. Both men were coming off tough losses at WM and face off here to see who will advance in the tournament. Benoit gets a big pop from the crowd while A-Train was pretty hot as a heel. The two men square off to start with Benoit avoiding A-Train’s shots and he grabs at A-Train’s leg before going behind him, and A-Train hits a pair of back elbows on Benoit and knocks him down as he rams the knee into Benoit’s ribs repeatedly. Benoit rolls outside to regroup and A-Train goes after him as he throws him back into the ring and gets a knee in, and he yanks him to the mat by his hair and rides him until Benoit escapes and looks for the Crossface as A-Train blocks it. A-Train fights to his feet and hoists Benoit up though Benoit escapes a slam attempt and takes A-Train to the mat as he hooks the Crossface on, and A-Train rolls through to escape the hold and he hooks a wheelbarrow submission on Benoit as he lifts him up and slams him to the mat. Benoit rolls outside to regroup and A-Train goes outside as well as he throws Benoit back into the ring for a two count, and he stomps on Benoit and tears at his face as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him hard into the other corner. He hooks a submission on Benoit who fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he pounds on A-Train who gets a knee in and he throws Benoit over the top to the floor, and Benoit gets on the apron and pounds on A-Train who grabs him by the throat and attempts to bring him into the ring. Benoit attempts a sunset flip though A-Train blocks it by stomping on Benoit and he slingshots him throat first into the middle rope, and he chokes Benoit with his boot and Benoit rams the shoulder into A-Train’s ribs twice only for A-Train to get a shot in. He tosses Benoit into the corner only for Benoit to battle back until A-Train gets a knee in though Benoit escapes a slam attempt, and he goes behind A-Train who hits a pair of back elbows and he whips Benoit into the corner only to miss a charge. Benoit hits a trio of German suplexes on A-Train and goes up top as he hits the diving headbutt for a pair of two counts, and he stomps on A-Train who catches him with the pump kick and he hoists him up for the Derailer though Benoit escapes by taking A-Train to the mat and he hooks the Crossface on. A-Train fights to his feet and hoists Benoit up though Benoit uses the ropes to take A-Train back to the mat, and he keeps the Crossface hooked on as A-Train taps out and Benoit wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic match. Benoit was hitting his stride by this point while A-Train was hitting his groove as well, and they had good chemistry as Benoit gets the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Benoit when he won. Benoit gets the win over A-Train and advances in the tournament as both men move on. Grade: 2
 
We see Vince McMahon in his office on the phone with someone as Stephanie McMahon comes in and she asks how he’s holding up, and he says that he’ll be alright and she asks why he’s here as he says that he’s going to do something with Hogan that he should’ve done a long time ago. She says that she hopes he doesn’t do something he will regret and he thanks her as she leaves.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for Sean O’Haire.
 
We see Torrie Wilson getting ready backstage.
 
4. John Cena pins Eddie Guerrero with the Death Valley Driver at 4:51.
 
Note: This is a quarterfinal match in the WWE Championship Number One Contender’s tournament
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our third quarterfinal match. Eddie was coming off a tough loss at WM and looks to get back on track here against Cena, who was still having issues with Brock Lesnar and looks to get the win here. Eddie gets a good pop from the crowd while Cena had decent heat as a heel. Cena wastes no time and attacks Eddie to start the match as he rides him on the mat and continues to pound on him, and he stomps on him repeatedly in the corner and chokes him as he hits a delayed suplex for a two count. Eddie gets a pair of back elbows in only for Cena to get a shot in and he hooks a bearhug on Eddie who tries to fight out of the hold, and Cena rams him into the corner and hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count as he hooks a submission on Eddie. Eddie fights to his feet and Cena transitions back into the bearhug as Eddie escapes the hold with a series of headbutts, and Eddie hits a drop toehold that sends Cena face first into the middle buckle and he ducks a shot as he fires up on Cena. He hits a flying forearm on Cena and gets a kick in as he pounds on him and hits a pair of clotheslines, and he gets a kick in and hits a trio of suplexes on Cena for a two count as he goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Cena rakes the eyes and hoists Eddie onto his shoulders as Eddie pounds on him and Cena hits an electric chair drop, and Cena grabs his chain only for Eddie to hit a dropkick and he grabs the chair though the ref takes it away from him. Cena attempts a press slam though Eddie escapes and hits a back suplex on Cena as he goes up top only to roll through on a Frog Splash attempt, and he hits a hurricanrana on Cena who catches him on a charge by hoisting him onto his shoulders and he hits the Death Valley Driver which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a decent match. Eddie was hitting his groove by this point while Cena was also getting into a groove as well, and they had good chemistry as Cena gets a clean win over Eddie. The crowd was into the match and Eddie, but are not happy when Cena wins. Cena gets the win over Eddie and advances in the tournament as both men move on. Grade: 2
 
We see a limo pull into the arena and we see Hulk Hogan, his son Nick, and Jimmy Hart get out of it as they head into the arena.
 
We see highlights from WrestleMania XIX of Limp Bizkit playing the Undertaker to the ring.
 
Torrie Wilson comes down to the ring as we see her Playboy cover unveiled and she says that she wanted to say thank you to the fans as she never thought they would want to see her naked, and she says that even though this is her coming out party, she wants to know if they want to see a “coming out” right now and get a peek of what’s in the magazine. Just then, Sable comes down to the ring and takes the mike from Wilson as she says that she is sorry to interrupt, and she says that she’s having a coming out party of her own because as of tonight, she is back in WWE. She says that even though she’s been gone for a long time, there are some things that never change as she says all the men still come to see her and all the women still want to be her, and she says that includes Wilson since she was the first WWE Diva to pose for Playboy though she knows this is Wilson’s night. She says that she is happy for her and wanted to let her know that a lot of people think that Smackdown isn’t big enough for the both of them, and she says that she wanted to let her know that they are going to be the best of friends as she plants a small kiss on Wilson and heads to the back.
 
Commercial breaks
 
5. Team Angle defeat Tajiri and Funaki when Funaki taps out at 5:07.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our lone tag match of the night. Team Angle retained the tag titles at WM and look to get another win here over the makeshift team of Tajiri and Funaki. Tajiri and Funaki get a decent pop from the crowd while Team Angle were red hot as heels. Team Angle waste no time and attack Tajiri and Funaki to start the match as Benjamin hits a clothesline on Funaki and Haas stomps on Tajiri, and Benjamin hits a short clothesline on Funaki as Haas sends Tajiri to the outside and Benjamin hits a modified suplex on Funaki. He mocks Funaki by bowing to him as Tajiri gets in the ring and kicks Benjamin in the butt before kicking him in the leg, and Tajiri and Funaki do a set of jumping jacks to mock Benjamin and bow to him as they kick and pound on him. Benjamin reverses a whip and Funaki hits a headscissors as he hits a drop toehold on Haas and Tajiri hits a low dropkick to Haas, and Benjamin kicks Funaki down and pounds on him as Haas tags in and they hit a double back elbow on Funaki. Haas tells Funaki to tag Tajiri which he does and Haas gets a kick in as he pounds on Tajiri and rams him into the buckle, and he whips Tajiri into the other corner and catches him on a leap attempt though Tajiri slides off his shoulder and hits a spin kick for a two count. He pounds on Haas who reverses a whip and Benjamin gets a shot in from the apron only for Tajiri to hit a superkick to knock him to the floor, and Tajiri ducks a shot and hits a superkick on Haas as he sets him up only for Benjamin to grab his leg and Haas knocks him down. He hits a back suplex on Tajiri for a two count and pounds on him as he whips him into the corner and hits a belly-to-belly suplex, and he chokes Tajiri on the ropes and Benjamin tags in as they hit a double team for a two count and he hooks a submission on. He transitions into a Boston crab on Tajiri until Funaki hits a dropkick on Benjamin to break it up and Haas tags in, and Tajiri ducks a double clothesline and hits a double handspring elbow on Team Angle as Funaki gets the hot tag. He hits a clothesline on Haas and knocks Benjamin down as he knocks both men down and hits a pair of backdrops on both men, and Haas backdrops Funaki over the top with Funaki landing on the apron and he yanks Haas to the mat by his hair. He goes up top and hits a crossbody on Haas for a two count as Benjamin breaks it up and Tajiri kicks Benjamin in the back, and Benjamin reverses a whip into the corner and Tajiri avoids a charge as he hooks the Tarantula on Benjamin while Haas and Funaki trade blows. Haas reverses a whip into the corner and Funaki catches him with a boot to the face as he goes up to the middle rope and gets a shot in, but Haas blocks a tornado DDT by tossing Funaki off and Benjamin hits a chop block on Funaki as Haas hooks the Haas of Pain on and Funaki taps out to give Team Angle the win. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Team Angle were gelling well as a team while Tajiri and Funaki looked decent as a team, and they had decent chemistry as Team Angle get the clean win. The crowd was into the match and Tajiri and Funaki, but are not happy when Team Angle win. Team Angle get the win over Tajiri and Funaki as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see the F.B.I. backstage as they say they are going to have a talk with the Undertaker who will listen to what they have to say or else.
 
Commercial break
 
We see an ad for Sunday Night Heat.
 
Josh Matthews interviews John Cena, who says that next week his chances of winning are slim and Taker belongs in the Hall of Fame, and he says that he’s not going to back down and anything can happen on Smackdown as he will shock the world.
 
We see the Undertaker getting coffee as the F.B.I. come up to him and Nunzio says they have to discuss a problem as Taker tells them to sit down while joking if any of them are wearing a wire, and Nunzio says that the only reason he helped the Big Show and A-Train take out Nathan Jones at WrestleMania was because of what Jones did to Chuck Palumbo last week. He says that they were hoping to talk to Taker like men and bury the hatchet as Taker says that he appreciates it, and he says that Jones is new to Smackdown though he agrees that everyone should be held accountable for their actions. Taker says that the problem is that they chose WM to take out Jones who was supposed to be his partner and he almost got his head kicked in, and he says that there is no burying the hatchet because in his eyes, they have a problem and Nunzio says that they had no choice. Just then, Nathan Jones comes in and asks if there’s a problem as Nunzio says there is and they’ll deal with it when the time is right before walking away and Taker says they aren’t hard to find.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for Bill Goldberg.
 
6. Rhyno defeats the Big Show by disqualification at 4:14.
 
Note: This is a quarterfinal match in the WWE Championship Number One Contender’s tournament
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Both men were coming off tough losses at WM and face off here to see who will be the last to advance in the tournament. Rhyno gets a good pop from the crowd while Show was pretty hot as a heel. The two men square off to start with Rhyno avoiding a shot and he pounds on Show in the corner until Show tosses him into the corner, and he pounds on Rhyno and steps on his back as Rhyno tries to battle back only for Show to get a knee in. He knocks Rhyno down and chokes him with his boot as he hits a headbutt and then he hits a hiptoss out of the corner, and he steps on the rope to choke Rhyno who tries to battle back only for Show to knock him down and he slaps him in the face repeatedly. Rhyno again tries to battle back only for Show to hit a sidewalk slam for a two count and he rams him into the buckle, and he pulls the pad off the buckle and hoists Rhyno onto his shoulder though Rhyno slides off and pounds on Show. Show hits a headbutt on Rhyno and then he hits a hiptoss out of the corner only to miss a charge as he hits the exposed buckle, and Rhyno rams the shoulder into Show’s ribs as he drives him into the exposed buckle and then A-Train runs down to the ring only for Rhyno to knock him to the floor. He hits the Gore on Show only for A-Train to get in the ring and he stomps on Rhyno which draws the DQ and Rhyno gets the win. The match itself was nothing much as Show dominated most of it until the end when A-Train saves him though also costs him the match. The crowd was into the match and Rhyno, but are not happy with the ending. Rhyno gets the win over Show by DQ and advances in the tournament as both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, A-Train hits the pump kick on Rhyno and holds his legs down as Show hits a legdrop on Rhyno and they head to the back.
 
We see Vince McMahon walking backstage.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the return of Piper’s Pit next week.
 
Vince McMahon comes down to the ring and says that he would appreciate everyone’s attention as some might be surprised by what he says, and he says that everyone knows what happened at WM and tonight, he’s here to admit that he misjudged Hogan and underestimated the power of Hulkamania. He says that he shouldn’t have insulted Hogan’s name and he wants to set the record straight as he would like Hogan to come down to the ring, and he says that he’s not here to fight as they had their fight and he wants to publicly apologize to Hogan. He asks Hogan to come out as he admits this isn’t easy and then Hulk Hogan comes down to the ring, and he says that he’s listening and Vince says that it is hard for someone like him to admit defeat and it’s hard for a man like him to deal with that humility. He says that he doesn’t like the taste of it though he is a realist and he’s dealing with the outcome of their match, and he says that Hogan beat the hell out of him and he accepts it though he doesn’t like it as he wants to put this behind him. He says that he wants to let bygones be bygones and he wants to turn the clock back 20 years as he doesn’t blame Hogan for doubting him, and he says that if Hogan can find it in his heart to forgive him, then maybe they can be friends again and he offers a handshake though Hogan hesitates and Vince says he understands. He says that he doesn’t blame him and goes to leave as Hogan says that if Vince is serious, he then offers the handshake which Vince accepts and he heads to the back though Hogan stops him and thanks him, and Vince continues up the ramp and stops on the stage as he says from the bottom of his heart, thank you to Hogan and the Hulkamaniacs for the memories. He says that the memories are all they have left because they are looking at Hogan in the ring for the last time, and he says that he promised to kill Hulkamania at WM and he has though Hogan doesn’t even know it. He says that Hogan may have pinned him, but he never loses and he will honor Hogan’s contract though he will pay him every dollar to stay home, and he says that he’s going to deny the fans the privilege of seeing Hogan again and it doesn’t matter what it costs him. He says that with Hogan staying at home for the rest of his contract, he's going to rot and Hulkamania will rot day after day as the Hulkamaniacs will forget all about him since they won’t see him. He says that when Hogan’s contract is finally up, Hulkamania will have died a slow, painful death by leprosy and if he doesn’t like it, he’ll wait for him in the parking lot as he heads to the back and then Hogan heads to the back. He makes it to the parking lot where Vince is waiting by Hogan’s limo and he challenges Hogan who walks up to him, but then numerous cops step between them as we see Nick Hogan and Jimmy Hart in the limo. Vince says that he’s going to have the cops step aside and he’s going to let Hogan get in the limo and get out of his life forever, and he says that Hogan is done forever and he was going to kill Hulkamania as Nick pleads for his dad to get in. Vince tells Hogan to get in or he will kick his ass in front of his family as he tells him to get out of his life forever, and Hogan gets in the limo and it drives off as Vince yells for him to stay out of life and that he never loses as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown coming off a historic WM was a pretty solid show that focused a lot on in-ring action and already beginning the build to Backlash. Unlike RAW which felt like it was more about continuing some loose threads from WM, this show felt like it was ready to move onto the next big show. We had no title matches as Taker, Kendrick, Benoit, Cena, Team Angle, and Rhyno get big wins, and the matches were pretty standard for TV as the memorable moments were Sable’s surprise return and Vince seemingly getting the last laugh on Hogan by sending him home. 2003 has been an interesting year to this point and WM ended up being a fantastic show as Smackdown showed off strong there, and we will see if they can keep the momentum going into Backlash. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show with a few big moments and essentially closes the book on WrestleMania XIX. Final Grade: B