WWE Judgment Day
May 18, 2003
Live from the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina
Before I begin today, I would like to welcome a new writer in Shawn Stinson to the website.
With a PPV split coming next month, ambivalence and frustration within the company over its aimlessness, but with a new booking approach, the fifth ever Judgment Day was broadcast live on PPV as this month’s WWE offering. By the end of the show, the main thing that was clear was that the Raw and SmackDown brands, going into what will be a harrowing new PPV picture, are establishing different appearances as brands and distancing themselves from past approaches. With Steve Austin being one of the driving forces, Raw has become a much more entertainment-oriented product with matches shorter and funny segments longer. It’s an approach that worked, although differently, in 1999.
Response to the PPV was mixed and with buildup will likely lead to a low buyrate to account for internally. That’s not to say the approach won’t work, but rather that introduction has been shaky.
The undercard was average in terms of wrestling, with the best being a good ladder match with Team Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri by default. The rest were good TV matches, but nothing close to what we’ve come to expect on WWE PPVs. The toning down of the style and wrestlers adopting is only one of many facets to the problem. The return of the IC title put Christian over in a battle royal the rest of the final four being Booker T, Chris Jericho, and Goldust in an average match.
The show was marked mainly by the return of Kevin Nash to a main-event position to feud with world champion Triple H in a feud not well responded to live, and if any informal polls prior to the show will tell us, the buyrate will, in general, reflect the non-responsiveness of WWE fans, most especially. Nonetheless, what originally was going to be a short program was continued on this PPV, with an inconclusive finish to the match. Goldberg/HHH should be the summer program, and until then Goldberg had no opponent for Judgment Day and HHH will continually feud with Nash into the first RAW PPV (horrible marketing).
Due to the finish of the match, WWE decided to book a positive ending to the PPV with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar going over The Big Show in what WWE called the first stretcher match since 1986’s Killer Khan vs. Andre the Giant. First of all, the match happened November 14, 1981 not in ’86 and second of all, there have been at least five main feuds revolving around a stretcher match since then (not to mention WCW).
Another of the main points of this show was Mr. America vs. Roddy Piper to continue Hogan/McMahon. The problem was the match was horrible and was booked only days before the show, thanks to a Roddy Piper contract dispute with WWE (he’s signed a few days before the show).
{3/10 (3/10 for work; 5 for entertainment; 2.5 for booking)}
I have eliminated the match results. Tell me what you think. Please send your feedback and comments: THunnicutt@aol.com and include your name.
~Trevor
What do you think? Head over to The X-Forums to let your opinion be heard!
– E-mail feedback to THunnicutt@aol.com
– Read more of Figure Four Leglock!
