Intro:
WrestleMania XIX took place on March 30, 2003 at Safeco Field in Seattle, WA. The main event was Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar but the main draw for the show was for a battle 20 years in the making, Vince McMahon vs Hulk Hogan. This is the only time that a WrestleMania event was held in the Northwest part of the country.
20 Years in the Making:
Hulk Hogan returned to the WWF and immediately found himself in a feud with Vince McMahon. The match was billed as being 20 years in the making and both men were debating over who was most responsible for the growth of the WWF in the 80’s. Was it Hulk’s brawn or Vince’s brain? Even though it was billed as being 20 years in the making, no fan in the 1980’s was holding their breath to see Hulk Hogan battle the guy in the ugly sports coat doing the announcing.
The Match:
The match was a violent affair which saw Vince McMahon sport a major gusher from his forehead. In a surprise, Roddy Piper came out to interfere and hit his longtime rival Hulk Hogan. It has to be noted that Piper was very out of shape at this point. In what should not be considered a shocker, Hulk won this match with the leg drop.
Two World Title Matches:
By this point, the WWE had two titles of equal value. The World Heavyweight title match featured Triple H beat Booker T. There were some serious racial overtones going into this match. In addition, part of the storyline exploited Booker T’s criminal past. Triple H won this match against the former-5 time WCW World Champion.
Did He Break his Neck?:
The WWE title match featured Brock Lesnar try to regain the title from Kurt Angle. This was a great match with a very scary ending. Lesnar attempted a shooting star press and missed. He landed very badly and busted his head open on the canvas. Lesnar went on to win the match, but needed medical attention as soon as he got to the back.
The Rock vs Austin part 3:
Steve Austin and The Rock had their final WrestleMania match at this event. The Rock was the bad guy for this match and he finally got over the hump and pinned Steve Austin. This was Austin’s final match due to the physical problems stemming from his neck injury. The night before the match, Austin had to be hospitalized due to an ephedra related issue.
The Aftermath:
The very next night, Goldberg made his WWE debut and started a feud with The Rock. Kurt Angle had to miss several months due to neck surgery. Hulk Hogan and The Rock both left the company soon afterwards. As the next WrestleMania drew near, long time mid card stars Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero were getting the pushes they deserved.
Random Facts:
- A documentary was shown on UPN a few months later detailing the behind the scenes of many of these matches. That documentary is available on the WrestleMania XX DVD.
- This is the first WrestleMania with two equal World Championships and the first with the name WWE.
- This was the last of 3 consecutive stadium events, the longest such streak in WrestleMania history.
- Goldberg made his WWE debut the following night.
Match Results:
- Cruiserweight Title: Champ Matt Hardy beat Rey Mysterio
- The Undertaker beat The Big Show & A-Train
- Women's Title: Trish Stratus beat champ Victoria & Jazz to win the title
- WWE Tag Team Title: Champions Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas beat The Guerreros, and Chris Benoit & Rhyno
- Shawn Michaels beat Chris Jericho
- World Heavyweight Title: Champ Triple H beat Booker T
- Hulk Hogan beat Vince McMahon
- The Rock beat Steve Austin
- WWE Title: Brock Lesnar beat champion Kurt Angle to win the title
