Vengeance (2003)
The 2003 Vengeance was the third annual Vengeance professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's SmackDown! brand division. The event took place on July 27, 2003, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
Eight professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card. The main event was a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship, in which Kurt Angle defeated reigning champion Brock Lesnar and Big Show to win the championship. Two featured bouts were scheduled on the undercard where WWE Chairman Vince McMahon defeated Zach Gowen and The Undertaker defeated John Cena.
Vengeance had an attendance of approximately 9,500 and received about 322,000 pay-per-view buys. This event helped WWE increase its pay-per-view revenue by $6.2 million from the previous year.
Production
Background
was an annual pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment since 2001. While the 2002 event had featured wrestlers from both the Raw and SmackDown! brands, the 2003 event, however, was promoted as a SmackDown!-exclusive PPV, only featuring wrestlers from that brand. The 2003 event was the third event in the Vengeance chronology and was held on July 27 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.Storylines
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 the SmackDown! brand - a storyline division in which WWE assigned its employees, with storylines produced on the brand's weekly television show, SmackDown!.The main event at Vengeance featured WWE Champion Brock Lesnar defending the title against Big Show and Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat match. The buildup to the match began four months prior at WrestleMania XIX, where Lesnar defeated Angle and won the WWE Championship, as Angle underwent neck surgery afterwards. Two months later at Judgment Day, Lesnar defeated Big Show in a stretcher match to retain the title. On the May 29 episode of SmackDown!, Big Show teamed up with Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli and defeated The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar. On the June 5 episode of SmackDown!, Angle returned and Big Show attacked him, but Lesnar came to save him and challenge Big Show to a title match. On the June 12 episode of SmackDown!, during the match between Lesnar and Big Show, the ring collapsed, causing the match to end in a no contest. On the June 19 episode of SmackDown!, the two had a rematch but The World's Greatest Tag Team attacked Lesnar, making Angle and Mr. America to run for the save, only for Big Show to chokeslam all of them. On the June 26 episode of SmackDown!, the six men fought in a tag match where Big Show pinned Mr. America to win the match for his team. On the July 3 episode of SmackDown!, Lesnar and Angle cost Big Show a handicap match against Stephanie McMahon and Zach Gowen. On the July 10 episode of SmackDown!, Big Show chokeslammed Angle and teamed up with The World's Greatest Tag Team to defeat Lesnar. On the July 17 episode of SmackDown!, Angle defeated The World's Greatest Tag Team and Big Show by help from Zach Gowen. On the July 24 episode of SmackDown!, Gowen teamed with both Lesnar and Angle against Big Show and The World's Greatest Tag Team, and Big Show won for his team by chokeslamming both Lesnar and Angle.
One of the featured preliminary matches was Zach Gowen versus Vince McMahon in a singles match. The hype to this match began on the May 22 episode of SmackDown!, where Gowen, whose left leg was amputated when he was eight years old due to cancer, said that he wanted to wrestle for the WWE. McMahon, however, ordered police to arrest him. On the June 5 episode of SmackDown!, McMahon challenged Gowen to get a WWE contract by beating him in an Arm Wrestling contest. On the June 12 episode of SmackDown!, McMahon kicked Gowen's leg in order to win the contest. On the June 26 episode of SmackDown!, McMahon agreed to give Gowen a contract, but only if Gowen joined McMahon's "Kiss My Ass" club. Gowen low blowed McMahon. McMahon attacked Gowen and booked him and Stephanie McMahon against Big Show, with Gowen getting a WWE contract if they won. On the July 3 episode of SmackDown!, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle helped Gowen and Stephanie win the match and earn his contract. On the July 10 episode of SmackDown!, while Gowen signed his contract, McMahon made a match between Gowen and himself for Vengeance. On the July 24 episode of SmackDown!, McMahon attacked Gowen during his match with Lesnar and Angle against Big Show and The World's Greatest Tag Team.
The other featured preliminary match was The Undertaker versus John Cena in a singles match. The buildup to the match began on the June 26 episode of SmackDown!, where Cena celebrated a year in the WWE. He fought Orlando Jordan and defeated him, but attacked him after the match, making The Undertaker run down for the save. On the July 3 episode of SmackDown!, The Undertaker cost Cena his match against Billy Gunn in the WWE United States Championship tournament. On the July 17 episode of SmackDown!, Cena and The Undertaker brawled in the ring. On the July 24 episode of SmackDown!, Cena taunted The Undertaker, rapping about him in a cemetery.
Another preliminary match featured SmackDown! General Manager Stephanie McMahon versus Sable in a singles match. The build up to the match begin on the June 5 episode of SmackDown!, when Stephanie's father Vince McMahon appointed Sable as Stephanie's assistant against her will. Before the Arm Wrestling Contest between Gowen and McMahon on the June 12 episode of SmackDown!, Mr America challenged McMahon to Arm Wrestling Contest instead. Sable flashed her breasts at Mr America causing him to lose against McMahon. Two weeks later on the June 19 episode of SmackDown!, Sable seduced Gowen while in Stephanie's office but dropped her act and berated him claiming he will never get with a real woman like her. McMahon stormed into the office and chased away Gowen and it was revealed to be a set up by McMahon and Sable to fool Gowen. On the July 3 episode of SmackDown!, Sable taunted Stephanie for being in the handicap match with Gowen against Big Show telling Stephanie not to worry as she can handle being General Manager instead of her. Stephanie and Gowen later won the match. On the July 10 episode of SmackDown!, as Gowen was signing his contract to officially become a WWE wrestler, McMahon and Sable interrupted and Sable took the clipboard that had Gowen's contract and hit Stephanie in the head with it. Stephanie attacked Sable backstage and her father ordered the road agents to pull her out of the room. As she was pulled out, McMahon made a match between Stephanie and Sable for Vengeance. The following weeks would see Sable and Stephanie getting into brawls before their match. Once involving a food fight and later a parking lot brawl in which Stephanie ripped Sable's top off exposing her breasts.
Another match featured was Jamie Noble versus Billy Gunn in a singles match. Gunn made his return to WWE on the June 12 episode of SmackDown! defeating A-Train in a singles match. After the match, Torrie Wilson who was the special guest ring announcer begin an on-screen relationship with Gunn and became his valet. The two begin feuding with Noble and his girlfriend Nidia. On the July 10 episode of SmackDown!, they defeated Nidia and Noble in a mixed tag team match. On the July 17 episode of SmackDown!, Noble tried to pay Wilson to spend the night with him causing Nidia to walk out on her boyfriend. This led to Noble losing his match that night to Ultimo Dragon after Torrie and Gunn distracted him. On the July 24 episode of SmackDown!, Gunn defeated Noble after using a swinging Rock Bottom like finisher. After the match, Noble demanded a rematch at Vengeance. Torrie accepted on behalf of Gunn and stipulated if Noble won she would sleep with him the following week on SmackDown!, which Noble agreed with much to Gunn's dismay.
On the July 10 episode of SmackDown!, Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio defeated Acolytes Protection Agency, The Basham Brothers and Full Blooded Italians in a fatal four-way match to become the #1 contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Vengeance.
Event
Sunday Night Heat
Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, Último Dragón faced Kanyon on Sunday Night Heat, one of WWE's secondary television programs. Dragon won after a standing shiranui on Kanyon.Preliminary matches
As the pay-per-view event began, Eddie Guerrero faced Chris Benoit for the vacant United States Championship. The match was contested evenly between both men, with both of them performing a variety of offensive maneuvers. Guerrero eventually gained the upper hand when Rhyno interfered in the match while the referee was unconscious, performing a Gore on Benoit. After this, Guerrero performed a Frog splash on Benoit to win the title.In the next match, Billy Gunn faced Jamie Noble. If Noble won, he'd get to sleep with Torrie. During the match, Noble performed a DDT from the top turnbuckle on Gunn and went for a cover, but Nidia interfered and placed Gunn's foot on the rope. Noble then angrily confronted Nidia. Torrie attempted to slap him, but he instead kissed her. After this, Nidia and Torrie both slapped Noble. Noble returned to the inside of the ring, only to be tripped by Torrie. While confronting her, Gunn attempted a Gunnslinger but Noble pushed him into Torrie. Noble then rolled-up on Gunn to win.
In the third match, Bradshaw, Faarooq, Shannon Moore, Doink the Clown, Brother Love, Nunzio, Matt Hardy, Kanyon, Danny Basham, Doug Basham, the Easter Bunny, Sean O'Haire, John Hennigan, Orlando Jordan, Funaki, Los Conquistadores, the Brooklyn Brawler, Johnny Stamboli, Chuck Palumbo, Matt Cappotelli, and Spanky fought in the APA Invitational Bar Room Brawl. During the match, Spanky was put through a table, Sean O'Haire used a pool cue and Brother Love threw Shannon Moore through a mirror. After knocking down Brother Love, Bradshaw won the match.
In the next match, The World's Greatest Tag Team faced Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Throughout the match, both teams performed many offensive maneuvers. The World's Greatest Tag Team won after a combination of a powerbomb by Haas and a diving lariat to retain the titles.