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SummerSlam (2003)
Encyclopedia
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), which took place on August 24, 2003 at the America West Arena
in Phoenix, Arizona
. It was the 16th annual SummerSlam
event and starred wrestlers from the Raw
and SmackDown! brands
.
Nine professional wrestling matches
were scheduled on the event's card
, which featured a supercard, a scheduling of more than one main event. The first was an Elimination Chamber
match featuring wrestlers from the Raw brand fighting in a ring surrounded by a steel structure of chain and girders. World Heavyweight Champion
Triple H
defeated Chris Jericho
, Goldberg
, Kevin Nash
, Randy Orton
, and Shawn Michaels
to retain his championship. The other main event featured wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand, in which defending WWE Champion
Kurt Angle
defeated challenger Brock Lesnar
in a standard wrestling match, also known as a singles match. The other main match was a No Holds Barred match between wrestlers from the Raw brand, Kane defeated Rob Van Dam
. The undercard featured a standard match involving four wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand; WWE United States Champion
Eddie Guerrero
defeated Chris Benoit
, Rhyno
, and Tajiri
.
The event marked the second time the Elimination Chamber format was used by WWE; the first was at Survivor Series 2002
. Including its scripted buildup, SummerSlam (2003) grossed over $
715,000 ticket sales from an attendance of 16,113 and received about 415,000 pay-per-view buys, more than the following year's event
. This event helped WWE increase its pay-per-view revenue by $6.2 million from the previous year.
The event featured nine professional wrestling matches
with outcomes predetermined by WWE script writers. The matches featured wrestlers portraying their characters in planned storylines that took place before, during and after the event. All wrestlers were from either one of the WWE's brands - SmackDown or Raw
- the two storyline divisions
in which WWE assigned its employees.
Wrestlers from the Raw
brand
were featured in the main event at SummerSlam: an Elimination Chamber
match, in which the ring is surrounded by a steel structure of chain and girders. The match was contested for the World Heavyweight Championship
, in which Triple H
defended the title against Chris Jericho
, Goldberg
, Kevin Nash
, Randy Orton
, and Shawn Michaels
. The buildup to the match began on July 22, 2003 during the SummerSlam press conference
, where the authority figure Eric Bischoff
, a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer, announced that Triple H would defend the championship against Goldberg in a standard wrestling match, known as a singles match, at the event. On August 4, 2003 during a television episode of Raw, Bischoff announced that the World Heavyweight Championship match would be contested in a standard match under No disqualification regulations. Later during the episode, another authority figure, Steve Austin
, altered Bischoff’s announcement, stating that the championship would be contested in an Elimination Chamber match, with Triple H defending his title against Goldberg, Chris Jericho, Kevin Nash, Randy Orton, and Shawn Michaels. Six days before SummerSlam, during an episode of Raw on August 18, 2003, the staged rivalry
among the six competitors intensified, as Jericho held a promotional interview segment in the ring, which he called the Highlight Reel. During this segment, each participant in the Elimination Chamber discussed the match and taunted the other wrestlers. As a part of the storyline, later on the show during the main event of Orton versus Goldberg, Nash interfered in the match and attacked Goldberg. Michaels then came down to the ring, but as he was about to hit Triple H with the World Heavyweight Championship belt, Jericho ran into the ring and hit Michaels with a steel chair
.
The other predominant match at SummerSlam featured wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand fighting in a standard match for the WWE Championship
, in which Kurt Angle
defended the title against Brock Lesnar
. The hype to the match began on July 31, 2003 on an episode of SmackDown!, the other main television program for WWE. During an interview promotion in the ring, Lesnar challenged Angle to a rematch of their bout at Vengeance
, WWE's previous pay-per-view event. The WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon
, announced from the ring that Lesnar would have to earn his rematch by competing in a match in which a steel cage would enclose the ring. The match would be against McMahon himself, and would take place on SmackDown! the following week, with Angle officiating as a special guest referee. The Steel Cage match resulted in neither wrestler winning the match, after McMahon and Lesnar attacked Angle. On August 14, 2003 during an episode of SmackDown!, McMahon announced that Angle would defend the championship against Lesnar at SummerSlam.
Rob Van Dam
versus Kane, wrestling under No disqualification regulations, was the main preliminary match that featured wrestlers from the Raw brand. The events leading up to this match began on the June 23, 2003 edition of Raw, when Kane took his mask off and exposed his face in front of RVD and the crowd after he lost to Triple H
during a World Heavyweight Championship
match. Then on July 7, 2003 when, in accordance with the scripted events, Kane attacked Van Dam backstage during an episode of Raw. The following week on an episode of Raw, Bischoff granted Van Dam a standard match against Kane. The match took place the following week on Raw, which ended in neither wrestler winning the match. On August 4, 2003, Shane McMahon
, the son of Mr. McMahon, announced that Kane and Van Dam would wrestle in a No Disqualification match at SummerSlam.
A standard match between four wrestlers for the WWE United States Championship
was the other main preliminary match. The match featured wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand, where Eddie Guerrero
defended the title against Chris Benoit
, Rhyno
, and Tajiri
. The buildup to the match began with two different staged rivalries, one between Guerrero and Tajiri, and the other between Benoit and Rhyno. On August 7, 2003 during an episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero and Benoit were scripted to wrestle in a standard match. However, during the match, Rhyno and Tajiri interfered as part of the storyline, which ended in neither wrestler winning the match. Sgt. Slaughter
, a WWE official, promoted a tag team match between the team of Guerrero and Benoit and the team of Rhyno and Tajiri, which Guerrero and Benoit won. The following week on an episode of SmackDown!, it was announced via a SummerSlam advertisement that Guerrero would defend the WWE United States Championship against Benoit, Rhyno, and Tajiri.
Before the event began and aired live
on pay-per-view
, an episode of Sunday Night Heat
, one of the secondary television programs for WWE, was taped live. The first scheduled match was Matt Hardy
versus Zach Gowen
. Gowen, however, was unable to participate in the match due to legitimate injuries he sustained on the August 21, 2003 episode of SmackDown!. As a result, Hardy was declared the winner via forfeit. The other scheduled match for Sunday Night Heat was a standard match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
, where Rey Mysterio defended the title against Shannon Moore
. Mysterio defeated Moore via pinfall to retain the title after he performed a 619 on Moore.
and Sylvain Grenier), defended their titles against The Dudley Boyz
(Bubba Ray and D-Von). Throughout the match, both teams performed many offensive maneuvers, though The Dudley Boyz were able to gain the upper hand when they executed a 3D on Duprée. As D-Von covered Duprée, Rob Conway was disguised as a cameraman and hit D-Von with a camera while the referee
was distracted. Duprée then covered D-Von for a successful pinfall, in the process retaining the World Tag Team Championship for his team.
The following bout was The Undertaker versus A-Train in a standard match. In the early stages both competitors wrestled inconclusively before The Undertaker gained the advantage. He attempted to lift A-Train Tombstone piledriver. A-Train countered it, in the process knocking the referee down. He attempted to take advantage of the situation by trying to hit The Undertaker with a steel chair
. The Undertaker, however, countered the attack by hitting the chair with his boot, resulting in the chair hitting A-Train in the face. The Undertaker then chokeslam
A-Train. This was followed by the referee recuperating and officiating a cover by Undertaker on A-Train for the pinfall.
The third contest had Shane McMahon against Eric Bischoff in a standard match. McMahon and Bischoff began by brawling on the arena ramp, as Jonathan Coachman
appeared from the backstage area and hit McMahon with a folding chair. Bischoff grabbed a microphone and announced that the match would be contested under no disqualification, falls count anywhere regulations, where Falls Count Anywhere match as a result, Bischoff could not be disqualified for Coachman's interference. Coachman and Bischoff followed up on the announcement by performing double-team
attacks on McMahon. Steve Austin then interfered by performing a Stone Cold Stunner
on Coachman and then on Bischoff, executed by Austin grabbing their heads and forcefully pulling them down over his shoulders. After Austin's interference, McMahon positioned Bischoff on the television commentators' table and Leap of Faith onto Bischoff's chest, in the process breaking the table. McMahon followed up by covering Bischoff for the pinfall.
The next match was the featured preliminary match from the SmackDown brand: a standard match involving four wrestlers for the WWE United States Championship, where Eddie Guerrero defended the title against Chris Benoit, Rhyno, and Tajiri. The match began with Guerrero wrestling with Tajiri, while Benoit wrestled with Rhyno. During the encounter Guerrero applied a Lasso From El Passo on Tajiri, while Benoit employed a Crippler Crossface on Rhyno. Afterwards, Tajiri applied a Tarantula on Benoit. The hold distracted the referee, which allowed Guerrero to hit Rhyno with the United States Championship belt. Tajiri then attempted to hit Benoit with a Buzzsaw Kick
, but Benoit countered the maneuver by lifting and sitting Tajiri onto his shoulders. Tajiri, however, countered by tossing both himself and Benoit over the top rope onto the arena floor. Capitalizing on the situation, Guerrero then performed a Frog splash on Rhyno, which he followed with a cover and a pinfall, thus retaining the WWE United States Championship.
and Angle Slam. He then applied an ankle lock on Lesnar. During this tussle, Lesnar countered the hold, in the process knocking down the referee. Angle applied a Guillotine Choke on Lesnar, which brought Lesnar down onto his knees and allowed Angle to perform another ankle lock. Mr. McMahon, who was managing Lesnar, came into the ring and hit Angle's back with a folding chair to break the submission hold. Because the referee was incapacitated, Lesnar could not be disqualified for the interference. Afterwards, Lesnar attempted twice to lift Angle onto his F-5. During the second attempt, however, Angle countered the throw into another ankle lock, which forced Lesnar to submit. As a result, Angle retained the WWE Championship.
The featured preliminary match from the Raw brand was Kane versus Rob Van Dam in a No Disqualification match. Both wrestlers used a ladder to their advantage early in the match. After Kane used the ladder on Van Dam, he attempted to hit Van Dam with a flying clothesline. Instead of hitting Van Dam, though, Kane landed on the arena barricade after Van Dam moved out of the way. Van Dam performed a variation of a rolling thunder on Kane using a folding chair. Following this, Van Dam attempted to hit Kane with the with a Van Daminator with a chair, but Kane rolled out of the ring to avoid the attack. Van Dam then attempted an aerial technique from inside the ring towards Kane, but Kane caught Van Dam in mid-air and executed a tombstone piledriver, which he followed with a cover and a pinfall.
The main event from the Raw brand was the Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship, where Triple H defended the title against Chris Jericho, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Randy Orton, and Shawn Michaels. The match began with Jericho and Michaels in the ring, while Goldberg, Nash, Orton, and Triple H were locked in the chambers. Michaels and Jericho wrestled, with neither of them gaining the advantage over the other. Orton and Nash were the third and fourth entrants into the match, respectively. Nash was the first wrestler eliminated from the match after Michaels executed a Sweet Chin Music and Chris Jericho covered him for a pinfall. Triple H and Goldberg were the fifth and sixth entrants. Michaels performed a Sweet Chin Musoc on Triple H as soon as he exited his chamber, and as a result, Triple H was knocked back into his chamber. As soon as Goldberg entered the match, he performed a spear for a pinfall to eliminate Orton. Next, Goldberg performed a Jackhammer on Michaels and Jericho. Michaels and Jericho were both eliminated via pinfall, leaving only Goldberg and Triple H in the match. During this time, Triple H remained inside the chamber, although after Jericho and Michaels were eliminated, Goldberg performed a spear on him through the glass of the chamber, in the process pushing him out of the chamber. Ric Flair
, who was managing both Triple H and Orton, then handed a sledgehammer
to Triple H through the cage. Goldberg attempted another spear on Triple H, who countered the maneuver by hitting Goldberg with the sledgehammer. This attack led to a cover and a pinfall by Triple H, who therefore retained the World Heavyweight Championship.
During an episode of Raw after SummerSlam, Goldberg challenged Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. This bout took place at the Unforgiven
pay-per-view on September 21, 2003 with a stipulation that, should he lose, Goldberg would retire from WWE. However, Goldberg defeated Triple H to become the new champion. The rivalry between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar halted, as Angle began a staged rivalry with The Undertaker over the WWE Championship. A bout between Angle and The Undertaker took place during an episode of SmackDown! on September 4, 2003. Neither wrestler won, as Lesnar attacked both wrestlers with a folding chair. As a result of the attack, Angle and Lesnar fought in a Iron man match
. Lesnar won five falls during the match, while Angle won four, and as a result Lesnar won the title.
The staged rivalry between Kane and Rob Van Dam also stopped, as Kane engaged in a feud against Shane McMahon. In a scenario on the August 25, 2003 episode of Raw, Kane attempted to throw McMahon into a dumpster that was set on fire, but McMahon avoided it and threw Kane into the dumpster. On September 8, 2003 during an episode of Raw, Eric Bischoff announced a match between Kane and McMahon at Unforgiven, in a Last Man Standing match. Kane defeated McMahon at Unforgiven after McMahon was unable to respond to a ten count. After SummerSlam, Eddie Guerrero began a staged rivalry with John Cena
over the WWE United States Championship. Guerrero retained the title in two championship defenses that took place on SmackDown!. Guerrero then engaged in a feud with The Big Show
. At No Mercy
, Big Show defeated Guerrero via pinfall to win the WWE United States Championship.
715,000 in ticket sales from an attendance of 16,113, the maximum allowed. This was later confirmed by Linda McMahon
, WWE CEO
, in a press release on August 26, 2003. The event resulted in 415,000 pay-per-view buys (a 0.88 pay-per-view buyrate). The promotion's pay-per-view revenue was $24.7 million. Canadian Online Explorer
s professional wrestling section rated the entire event a 7 out of 10 stars. The rating was higher than the SummerSlam event in 2004
, which was rated a 5 out of 10 stars. The Elimination Chamber main event match from the Raw brand was rated an 8.5 out of 10 stars, with an additional rating of 1 out of 10 stars for the process in which the match ended. The SmackDown! brand's main event, a standard match for the WWE Championship, was rated a 9 out of 10 stars, a better reception than the Raw brand's main event. The event was released on DVD
on September 23, 2003 by Sony Music Entertainment
.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE), which took place on August 24, 2003 at the America West Arena
US Airways Center
US Airways Center is a sports and entertainment arena located in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It opened in 1992, and is the home of the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association, the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena...
in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. It was the 16th annual SummerSlam
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced annually in August by professional wrestling promotion WWE. The inaugural SummerSlam took place on August 29, 1988 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and was broadcast via pay-per-view, unlike the Royal Rumble of that...
event and starred wrestlers from the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
and SmackDown! brands
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
.
Nine professional wrestling matches
Mock combat
Mock combat involves the execution of combative actions without intent to harm. Participants can engage in such sparring for ritual, training, recreational or performance reasons...
were scheduled on the event's card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
, which featured a supercard, a scheduling of more than one main event. The first was an Elimination Chamber
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE promotion. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure or "chamber" which encloses the ring. The chamber's floor is platformed over the ringside area which elevates it to ring level and within...
match featuring wrestlers from the Raw brand fighting in a ring surrounded by a steel structure of chain and girders. World Heavyweight Champion
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
defeated Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, Goldberg
Bill Goldberg
Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft....
, Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
, Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
, and Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
to retain his championship. The other main event featured wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand, in which defending WWE Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
defeated challenger Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
in a standard wrestling match, also known as a singles match. The other main match was a No Holds Barred match between wrestlers from the Raw brand, Kane defeated Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. The undercard featured a standard match involving four wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand; WWE United States Champion
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
defeated Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, Rhyno
Terry Gerin
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, and Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
.
The event marked the second time the Elimination Chamber format was used by WWE; the first was at Survivor Series 2002
Survivor Series (2002)
Survivor Series was the sixteenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on November 17, 2002 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and featured talent from both the Raw and SmackDown! brands...
. Including its scripted buildup, SummerSlam (2003) grossed over $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
715,000 ticket sales from an attendance of 16,113 and received about 415,000 pay-per-view buys, more than the following year's event
SummerSlam (2004)
SummerSlam was the seventeenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
. This event helped WWE increase its pay-per-view revenue by $6.2 million from the previous year.
Background
Mock combat
Mock combat involves the execution of combative actions without intent to harm. Participants can engage in such sparring for ritual, training, recreational or performance reasons...
with outcomes predetermined by WWE script writers. The matches featured wrestlers portraying their characters in planned storylines that took place before, during and after the event. All wrestlers were from either one of the WWE's brands - SmackDown or Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
- the two storyline divisions
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
in which WWE assigned its employees.
Wrestlers from the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
were featured in the main event at SummerSlam: an Elimination Chamber
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE promotion. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure or "chamber" which encloses the ring. The chamber's floor is platformed over the ringside area which elevates it to ring level and within...
match, in which the ring is surrounded by a steel structure of chain and girders. The match was contested for the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
, in which Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
defended the title against Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, Goldberg
Bill Goldberg
Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft....
, Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
, Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
, and Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
. The buildup to the match began on July 22, 2003 during the SummerSlam press conference
News conference
A news conference or press conference is a media event in which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and, most often, ask questions. A joint press conference instead is held between two or more talking sides.-Practice:...
, where the authority figure Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer, announced that Triple H would defend the championship against Goldberg in a standard wrestling match, known as a singles match, at the event. On August 4, 2003 during a television episode of Raw, Bischoff announced that the World Heavyweight Championship match would be contested in a standard match under No disqualification regulations. Later during the episode, another authority figure, Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
, altered Bischoff’s announcement, stating that the championship would be contested in an Elimination Chamber match, with Triple H defending his title against Goldberg, Chris Jericho, Kevin Nash, Randy Orton, and Shawn Michaels. Six days before SummerSlam, during an episode of Raw on August 18, 2003, the staged rivalry
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
among the six competitors intensified, as Jericho held a promotional interview segment in the ring, which he called the Highlight Reel. During this segment, each participant in the Elimination Chamber discussed the match and taunted the other wrestlers. As a part of the storyline, later on the show during the main event of Orton versus Goldberg, Nash interfered in the match and attacked Goldberg. Michaels then came down to the ring, but as he was about to hit Triple H with the World Heavyweight Championship belt, Jericho ran into the ring and hit Michaels with a steel chair
Folding chair
A folding chair is a light, portable chair that that folds flat, and can be stored in a stack, row, or on a cart.-Uses:Folding chairs are generally used for seating in areas where permanent seating is not possible or practical. This includes outdoor and indoor events such as funerals, college...
.
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
, in which Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
defended the title against Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
. The hype to the match began on July 31, 2003 on an episode of SmackDown!, the other main television program for WWE. During an interview promotion in the ring, Lesnar challenged Angle to a rematch of their bout at Vengeance
Vengeance (2003)
Vengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on July 27, 2003 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. It was the third annual Vengeance event and starred wrestlers from the SmackDown brand.Eight professional wrestling...
, WWE's previous pay-per-view event. The WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
, announced from the ring that Lesnar would have to earn his rematch by competing in a match in which a steel cage would enclose the ring. The match would be against McMahon himself, and would take place on SmackDown! the following week, with Angle officiating as a special guest referee. The Steel Cage match resulted in neither wrestler winning the match, after McMahon and Lesnar attacked Angle. On August 14, 2003 during an episode of SmackDown!, McMahon announced that Angle would defend the championship against Lesnar at SummerSlam.
Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
versus Kane, wrestling under No disqualification regulations, was the main preliminary match that featured wrestlers from the Raw brand. The events leading up to this match began on the June 23, 2003 edition of Raw, when Kane took his mask off and exposed his face in front of RVD and the crowd after he lost to Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
during a World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
match. Then on July 7, 2003 when, in accordance with the scripted events, Kane attacked Van Dam backstage during an episode of Raw. The following week on an episode of Raw, Bischoff granted Van Dam a standard match against Kane. The match took place the following week on Raw, which ended in neither wrestler winning the match. On August 4, 2003, Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
, the son of Mr. McMahon, announced that Kane and Van Dam would wrestle in a No Disqualification match at SummerSlam.
A standard match between four wrestlers for the WWE United States Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
was the other main preliminary match. The match featured wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand, where Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
defended the title against Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, Rhyno
Terry Gerin
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, and Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
. The buildup to the match began with two different staged rivalries, one between Guerrero and Tajiri, and the other between Benoit and Rhyno. On August 7, 2003 during an episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero and Benoit were scripted to wrestle in a standard match. However, during the match, Rhyno and Tajiri interfered as part of the storyline, which ended in neither wrestler winning the match. Sgt. Slaughter
Sgt. Slaughter
Robert Remus , better known by his ring name Sgt. Slaughter, is an American former WWE personality and semi-retired professional wrestler. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Slaughter had success in the National Wrestling Alliance, American Wrestling Association, and World Wrestling...
, a WWE official, promoted a tag team match between the team of Guerrero and Benoit and the team of Rhyno and Tajiri, which Guerrero and Benoit won. The following week on an episode of SmackDown!, it was announced via a SummerSlam advertisement that Guerrero would defend the WWE United States Championship against Benoit, Rhyno, and Tajiri.
Event
| Other on-screen talent | |
|---|---|
| Role: | Name: |
| Commentator | Jerry Lawler Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional... |
| Jim Ross Jim Ross James William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator, former professional wrestling referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a commentator on the WWE Raw brand... |
|
| Michael Cole Michael Cole Michael Sean Coulthard , better known by his ring name Michael Cole, is an American professional wrestling commentator, currently signed to WWE on both its Rawand SmackDown brands. Coulthard is a former news journalist.... |
|
| Tazz Tazz Peter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz... |
|
| Referee | Mike Chioda Mike Chioda Michael Joseph "Mike" Chioda, is a senior referee who is currently signed to WWE. While not refereeing, Chioda, as well as the other referees in WWE, help set up the arena before shows, constructing the ring and stage areas.-WWF:... |
| Jack Doan Jack Doan John Michael "Jack" Doan is a veteran professional wrestling referee currently signed with WWE.-Career:Doan joined WWE in October 1991 as a truck driver. From there, he took robes from Superstars at ringside, played music at shows, worked as part of the ring crew, and continued to drive the... |
|
| Brian Hebner | |
| Earl Hebner Earl Hebner Earl William Hebner is a professional wrestling referee currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and the twin brother of Dave Hebner... |
|
| Nick Patrick Nick Hamilton Joseph Nicholas "Nick" Patrick Hamilton Jr. , better known by his ring name Nick Patrick, is a professional wrestling referee. He is a former referee for World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment... |
|
| Chad Patten | |
| Charles Robinson Charles Robinson (referee) Charles Shane Robinson is an American professional wrestling referee currently signed to WWE.- Beginnings and World Championship Wrestling :... |
|
| Mike Sparks | |
| Mark Yeaton | |
| Ring announcer Ring announcer A ring announcer is a paid in-ring employee for a boxing, professional wrestling, or mixed martial arts event or promotion... |
Howard Finkel Howard Finkel Howard Finkel is a professional wrestling ring announcer currently working with WWE in a variety of roles. Hired in 1975 by Vincent J. McMahon's World Wide Wrestling Federation, "The Fink" was the first person brought in to Vincent K... |
| Tony Chimel Tony Chimel Anthony "Tony" Chimel is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, currently employed by WWE working as the ring announcer for SmackDown brand.-WWE :... |
Before the event began and aired live
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
on pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
, an episode of Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, one of the secondary television programs for WWE, was taped live. The first scheduled match was Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
versus Zach Gowen
Zach Gowen
Zach Gowen is an American professional wrestler. Gowen has competed for World Wrestling Entertainment on their SmackDown! brand, as well as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. Gowen, however, was unable to participate in the match due to legitimate injuries he sustained on the August 21, 2003 episode of SmackDown!. As a result, Hardy was declared the winner via forfeit. The other scheduled match for Sunday Night Heat was a standard match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
, where Rey Mysterio defended the title against Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore
Shannon Moore is an American professional wrestler, who is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment for several years in the 2000s.Moore befriended Matt and Jeff Hardy...
. Mysterio defeated Moore via pinfall to retain the title after he performed a 619 on Moore.
Preliminary matches
After Sunday Night Heat, the pay-per-view event began with a tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship, where the champions, La Résistance (René DupréeRené Goguen
René Goguen better known by his ring name René Duprée, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Goguen is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Sylvain Grenier as the tag team La Résistance and a one time WWE Tag Team...
and Sylvain Grenier), defended their titles against The Dudley Boyz
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
(Bubba Ray and D-Von). Throughout the match, both teams performed many offensive maneuvers, though The Dudley Boyz were able to gain the upper hand when they executed a 3D on Duprée. As D-Von covered Duprée, Rob Conway was disguised as a cameraman and hit D-Von with a camera while the referee
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
was distracted. Duprée then covered D-Von for a successful pinfall, in the process retaining the World Tag Team Championship for his team.
Folding chair
A folding chair is a light, portable chair that that folds flat, and can be stored in a stack, row, or on a cart.-Uses:Folding chairs are generally used for seating in areas where permanent seating is not possible or practical. This includes outdoor and indoor events such as funerals, college...
. The Undertaker, however, countered the attack by hitting the chair with his boot, resulting in the chair hitting A-Train in the face. The Undertaker then chokeslam
Chokeslam
A chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
A-Train. This was followed by the referee recuperating and officiating a cover by Undertaker on A-Train for the pinfall.
The third contest had Shane McMahon against Eric Bischoff in a standard match. McMahon and Bischoff began by brawling on the arena ramp, as Jonathan Coachman
Jonathan Coachman
Jonathan William Coachman , also known as "The Coach", is a former professional wrestling color commentator and authority figure. He is also a former college basketball player, and football play-by-play announcer...
appeared from the backstage area and hit McMahon with a folding chair. Bischoff grabbed a microphone and announced that the match would be contested under no disqualification, falls count anywhere regulations, where Falls Count Anywhere match as a result, Bischoff could not be disqualified for Coachman's interference. Coachman and Bischoff followed up on the announcement by performing double-team
Professional wrestling double-team maneuvers
The double-team maneuvers in professional wrestling are executed by two wrestlers instead of one and typically are used by tag teams in tag team matches. Many of these maneuvers are combination of two throws, or submission holds. Most moves are known by the names that professional wrestlers give...
attacks on McMahon. Steve Austin then interfered by performing a Stone Cold Stunner
Stunner (professional wrestling)
A stunner is a common term in professional wrestling referring to the seated three-quarter facelock jawbreaker maneuver, predominantly used by Stone Cold Steve Austin and named for his Stone Cold Stunner finisher...
on Coachman and then on Bischoff, executed by Austin grabbing their heads and forcefully pulling them down over his shoulders. After Austin's interference, McMahon positioned Bischoff on the television commentators' table and Leap of Faith onto Bischoff's chest, in the process breaking the table. McMahon followed up by covering Bischoff for the pinfall.
Roundhouse kick
A roundhouse kick is a kick in which the attacker swings his leg around in a semicircular motion, striking with the front of the leg or foot. This type of kick is utilized in many different martial arts and is popular in both non-contact and full-contact martial arts competitions...
, but Benoit countered the maneuver by lifting and sitting Tajiri onto his shoulders. Tajiri, however, countered by tossing both himself and Benoit over the top rope onto the arena floor. Capitalizing on the situation, Guerrero then performed a Frog splash on Rhyno, which he followed with a cover and a pinfall, thus retaining the WWE United States Championship.
Main event matches
The fifth match was the main event from the SmackDown brand, a standard match for the WWE Championship, where Kurt Angle defended the title against Brock Lesnar. The match began with Lesnar scripted to walk away from the ring, but Angle brought him back into the ring. There, Angle performed many offensive maneuvers, including DDTDDT (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
and Angle Slam. He then applied an ankle lock on Lesnar. During this tussle, Lesnar countered the hold, in the process knocking down the referee. Angle applied a Guillotine Choke on Lesnar, which brought Lesnar down onto his knees and allowed Angle to perform another ankle lock. Mr. McMahon, who was managing Lesnar, came into the ring and hit Angle's back with a folding chair to break the submission hold. Because the referee was incapacitated, Lesnar could not be disqualified for the interference. Afterwards, Lesnar attempted twice to lift Angle onto his F-5. During the second attempt, however, Angle countered the throw into another ankle lock, which forced Lesnar to submit. As a result, Angle retained the WWE Championship.
The featured preliminary match from the Raw brand was Kane versus Rob Van Dam in a No Disqualification match. Both wrestlers used a ladder to their advantage early in the match. After Kane used the ladder on Van Dam, he attempted to hit Van Dam with a flying clothesline. Instead of hitting Van Dam, though, Kane landed on the arena barricade after Van Dam moved out of the way. Van Dam performed a variation of a rolling thunder on Kane using a folding chair. Following this, Van Dam attempted to hit Kane with the with a Van Daminator with a chair, but Kane rolled out of the ring to avoid the attack. Van Dam then attempted an aerial technique from inside the ring towards Kane, but Kane caught Van Dam in mid-air and executed a tombstone piledriver, which he followed with a cover and a pinfall.
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, who was managing both Triple H and Orton, then handed a sledgehammer
Sledgehammer
A sledgehammer is a tool consisting of a large, flat head attached to a lever . The head is typically made of metal. The sledgehammer can apply more impulse than other hammers, due to its large size. Along with the mallet, it shares the ability to distribute force over a wide area...
to Triple H through the cage. Goldberg attempted another spear on Triple H, who countered the maneuver by hitting Goldberg with the sledgehammer. This attack led to a cover and a pinfall by Triple H, who therefore retained the World Heavyweight Championship.
Aftermath
Unforgiven (2003)
Unforgiven was the sixth annual Unforgiven professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on September 21, 2003 from the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania....
pay-per-view on September 21, 2003 with a stipulation that, should he lose, Goldberg would retire from WWE. However, Goldberg defeated Triple H to become the new champion. The rivalry between Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar halted, as Angle began a staged rivalry with The Undertaker over the WWE Championship. A bout between Angle and The Undertaker took place during an episode of SmackDown! on September 4, 2003. Neither wrestler won, as Lesnar attacked both wrestlers with a folding chair. As a result of the attack, Angle and Lesnar fought in a Iron man match
Iron Man match
An Iron Man match is a professional wrestling match type that is set to go a specific amount of time, usually 30 or 60 minutes, with the competitor with the most falls at the end of that time named the victor...
. Lesnar won five falls during the match, while Angle won four, and as a result Lesnar won the title.
The staged rivalry between Kane and Rob Van Dam also stopped, as Kane engaged in a feud against Shane McMahon. In a scenario on the August 25, 2003 episode of Raw, Kane attempted to throw McMahon into a dumpster that was set on fire, but McMahon avoided it and threw Kane into the dumpster. On September 8, 2003 during an episode of Raw, Eric Bischoff announced a match between Kane and McMahon at Unforgiven, in a Last Man Standing match. Kane defeated McMahon at Unforgiven after McMahon was unable to respond to a ten count. After SummerSlam, Eddie Guerrero began a staged rivalry with John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
over the WWE United States Championship. Guerrero retained the title in two championship defenses that took place on SmackDown!. Guerrero then engaged in a feud with The Big Show
Paul Wight
Paul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
. At No Mercy
No Mercy (2003)
No Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 19, 2003 at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It was the sixth event under the No Mercy chronology and starred wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand.Nine...
, Big Show defeated Guerrero via pinfall to win the WWE United States Championship.
Reception
The America West Arena has a maximum capacity of 19,000, but that was reduced for SummerSlam 2003. The event grossed over $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
715,000 in ticket sales from an attendance of 16,113, the maximum allowed. This was later confirmed by Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon is an American professional wrestling magnate and politician. She is notable for her career developing WWE with her husband Vince McMahon. She was in the company from 1980 to 2009. During this time, WWE grew from a small regional business in New York to a large multinational...
, WWE CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
, in a press release on August 26, 2003. The event resulted in 415,000 pay-per-view buys (a 0.88 pay-per-view buyrate). The promotion's pay-per-view revenue was $24.7 million. Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer is a bilingual online news and information site from Canada.A subsidiary of Quebecor Media, Canoe.ca is a leading local and national interactive media provider of news, entertainment and services, helping to inform and connect Canadians...
s professional wrestling section rated the entire event a 7 out of 10 stars. The rating was higher than the SummerSlam event in 2004
SummerSlam (2004)
SummerSlam was the seventeenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, which was rated a 5 out of 10 stars. The Elimination Chamber main event match from the Raw brand was rated an 8.5 out of 10 stars, with an additional rating of 1 out of 10 stars for the process in which the match ended. The SmackDown! brand's main event, a standard match for the WWE Championship, was rated a 9 out of 10 stars, a better reception than the Raw brand's main event. The event was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on September 23, 2003 by Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
.
Results
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Hardy Matt Hardy Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... defeated Zach Gowen Zach Gowen Zach Gowen is an American professional wrestler. Gowen has competed for World Wrestling Entertainment on their SmackDown! brand, as well as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... via forfeit |
Singles match | 00:00 | |
| Rey Mysterio (c) defeated Shannon Moore Shannon Moore Shannon Moore is an American professional wrestler, who is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment for several years in the 2000s.Moore befriended Matt and Jeff Hardy... |
Singles match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship WWE Cruiserweight Championship The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs... |
02:01 | |
| La Résistance (René Duprée René Goguen René Goguen better known by his ring name René Duprée, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Goguen is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Sylvain Grenier as the tag team La Résistance and a one time WWE Tag Team... and Sylvain Grenier Sylvain Grenier Sylvain Grenier is a Canadian professional wrestler, who is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment in the La Résistance tag team. He is currently a French language announcer for TNA Impact! on RDS.... ) (c) defeated The Dudley Boyz Dudley Boyz Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals... (Bubba Ray and D-Von) (with Spike Dudley Matt Hyson Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time... ) |
Tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship | 07:49 | |
| The Undertaker defeated A-Train (with Sable Rena Mero Rena Marlette Mero Lesnar , better known as Sable, is an American model, actress, and former professional wrestler. She is primarily known for her stints in World Wrestling Entertainment.... ) |
Singles match | 09:19 | |
| Shane McMahon Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda... defeated Eric Bischoff Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... |
Falls Count Anywhere match | 10:36 | |
| Eddie Guerrero Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions... (c) defeated Chris Benoit Chris Benoit Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide... , Rhyno Terry Gerin Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... and Tajiri Yoshihiro Tajiri , is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :... |
Fatal Four-Way Match for the WWE United States Championship WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand.... |
10:50 | |
| Kurt Angle Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion... (c) defeated Brock Lesnar Brock Lesnar Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog... |
Singles match for the WWE Championship WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963... |
21:17 | |
| Kane defeated Rob Van Dam Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... |
No Holds Barred match | 12:49 | |
| Triple H Triple H Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley... (c) defeated Goldberg Bill Goldberg Goldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft.... , Chris Jericho Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer... , Randy Orton Randy Orton Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand... , Kevin Nash Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster... and Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December... |
Elimination Chamber Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE promotion. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure or "chamber" which encloses the ring. The chamber's floor is platformed over the ringside area which elevates it to ring level and within... match for the World Heavyweight Championship World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand... |
19:12 | |
Elimination Chamber entrances and eliminations
| Elimination number | Wrestler | Entered | Eliminated by | Method of elimination | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Nash | 4 | Jericho | Sweet Chin Music by Michaels, followed by a roll-up | 08:05 |
| 2 | Randy Orton | 3 | Goldberg | Spear | 13:01 |
| 3 | Shawn Michaels | 2 | Goldberg | Spear then a Jackhammer | 15:19 |
| 4 | Chris Jericho | 1 | Goldberg | Spear then a Jackhammer | 16:03 |
| 5 | Goldberg | 6 | Triple H | Sledgehammer Sledgehammer A sledgehammer is a tool consisting of a large, flat head attached to a lever . The head is typically made of metal. The sledgehammer can apply more impulse than other hammers, due to its large size. Along with the mallet, it shares the ability to distribute force over a wide area... shot to the back of the head |
19:12 |
| Triple H | 5 | N/A | N/A |