10 shocking moments from WWE 2003

With the Attitude Era officially in the WWE's past, a new cohort of stars would take centre stage over the course of the next few years. 2002 and 2003 are seen very much as transitional years for the company, but with Vince now fully in control of the wrestling business, the urgency to follow ratings and PPV buys was no longer as prominent as it once was.

That being said, 2003, very much like 2002 before it, did deliver some intriguing and entertaining storylines. This certainly wasn't the low point of 1993-1996 following the end of the Hogan Era as many big time names like Triple H, Brock Lesnar, and Shawn Michaels were still around to prop the company up.

2003 was also not without its share of shocking moments. Here is a look at 10 of the best:

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#1 Steve Austin retires from in-ring wrestling

Whenever professional wrestling goes through a boom period, the sad reality eventually sets in that sooner or later, all good things must come to an end. For those who loved the 1980s Hulk Hogan era, 1993 was a difficult year to sit through considering most of that era's talent had left or were in the process of leaving the company.

In many ways, 2003 is a similar year to 1993 as a lot of the aspects that went into making WWF's Attitude Era such a success were also diminishing. Both The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin were on their way out, at least in terms of consistent in-ring action, and fans had to face the reality of having to embrace a new cohort of main event stars.

It is fitting therefore that Austin's last match with WWE was against his main Attitude Era rival. Having defeated him on two previous occasions on the biggest stage, Rock finally earned a victory at Wrestlemania 19 over The Rattlesnake. Soon after, Austin shockingly announced that he would not be wrestling again, and much to the displeasure of wrestling fans worldwide, this is a promise he still upholds today.

Austin had been struggling with injury ever since his match with Owen Hart at Summerslam 1997. He has since admitted that from 2001 onwards he consistently ignored his doctor's advice and continued to wrestle through quite a bit of discomfort and pain.

Thankfully, Austin wouldn't be going very far, as later on in 2003 he became a joint GM of RAW alongside Eric Bishoff, but the sight of him tearing it up in the ring is now sadly a distant memory.

#2 Kane tombstones Linda McMahon

While his kayfabe older brother, The Undertaker, is normally viewed as one of the greatest WWE performers of all time, many also recognise the contribution Kane has made on the business. After a shaky start, the career of Glenn Jacobs really took off when he was given the responsibility of playing the Deadman's long lost evil brother, and for a period of time from 97 onwards, he remained in the thick of the action in WWF's main event scene.

2003 was a rollercoaster year for the Big Red Machine. For reasons we will come to later, his character took a dramatic turn, many think for the worst, but that doesn't mean his year was a total bust.

Despite being a serious, down the line heel, Kane has often flirted with the more farcical storylines of WWE. For example, at Wrestlemania 14, the Devil's Favourite Demon came to the ring and delivered a tombstone to baseball legend Pete Rose.

In 2003, Kane delivered another unexpected and shocking tombstone, this time to Vince McMahon's wife Linda. In 2017, the very idea of inter-gender violence is seen as a huge taboo for the WWE, but back in the Ruthless Aggression Era, much more was permitted. Kane delivered the attack as a result of being denied the Number One Contendership by Linda and was met with huge approval from the sadistic WWE Universe.

This incident has always plagued the political career of Linda McMahon, as her opponents and various satire TV shows often use the clip to belittle her as a serious politician. Whether or not Linda has been able to shake off that image today is up for debate, but looking back, maybe she wouldn't have taken the tombstone if she'd have known where it was going to lead.

#3 Hogan and Vince go head to head

The 1980s saw an unprecedented boom period of professional Wrestling, first with the Rock n' Wrestling connection and then with the first incarnation of Wrestlemania. Another consistent and related feature of 1980s wrestling was Hulkamania — a phenomenon in its own right.

Before Steve Austin and John Cena, Hogan was the go-to guy who allowed the WWF to sell tickets and fill out arenas at will. His legendary feuds with Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Warrior and others gave the company free licence to print money in a way that has only really been replicated by the Attitude Era in the late 90s.

As much as Hogan deserves credit for this movement, it most likely would not have gotten very far without the mastermind of sports entertainment, Vince McMahon, behind it. Vince was a genius when it came to booking characters and storylines and was able to operate in an environment he felt comfortable with back in the 80s.

Of course, the partnership between Hogan and Vince took a sour turn after the former decided to leave the WWF and sign with WCW. Hogan nearly eliminated the company he had helped to build after the success of his heel turn at Bash at the Beach and the formation of the NWO.

With Hogan returning to WWE in 2002, fans knew that he was set on a collision course with his former employer. One of the signature matches at the following year's Wrestlemania was a Street Fight between the two, but not before some much heated and semi-shoot promos were sent back and forth.

Fans have always been made aware of the professional and personal difficulties between Hogan and McMahon, and with this feud, we got to see those grievances displayed publically. During the storyline, Vince suggested that he never needed Hogan and could have made the WWF what it was with anybody as his main star.

The shock value probably reached its climax during the contract signing in which Vince made Hogan sign in his own blood after attacking him with a steel chair.

#4 Brock Lesnar aligns with Mr McMahon

After an explosive debut for Brock Lesnar in 2002, 2003 was set to be the year in which 'the Next Big Thing' would firmly cement his place at the top of the wrestling mountain. The year started off perfectly with the Beast winning the 2003 Royal Rumble match. He then went on to main event Wrestlemania 19 and had even gone through a face turn following the events that transpired at the previous year's Survivor Series.

Despite being positioned as the top guy of the company in 03, Lesnar generally works better as a heel due to his size and aggression, and this was true even back then. Fans simply believe him more when he is bullying smaller guys or making a mockery of his fellow main event competitors by annihilating them with ease.

That's why, on an episode of Smackdown in August 2003, Lesnar swerved the WWE Universe and turned heel once again, this time aligning himself with the evil Mr McMahon.

The two were initially set to face each other in a steel cage match with Lesnar's Wrestlemania 19 opponent Kurt Angle as the special guest referee. After Angle refused to allow Vince to win the match with underhand tactics, Lesnar attacked the Olympian and celebrated with Vince as a result.

Given the fact that the Beast was gone from the company less than a year later, it's difficult to say whether he and Vince would have had many storylines together, but given the boss's preference for including himself in storylines that involve top performers, it does seem quite likely.

Alas, all we have of such a story angle is this shocking incident from 2003 which unfortunately didn't lead to anything significant.

#5 Kane electrocutes Shane McMahon

As previously mentioned, 2003 was a significant year for the career of Kane. Many of his more shocking incidents involved members of the McMahon family, first tombstoning Linda and then taking on her son, Shane.

During a promo segment on RAW involving Shane and Eric Bishoff, Kane would interrupt the pair and attack Shane from behind with the lights turned down. Kane then dominated the boss's son, attacking him all around the arena with the steel steps before tying him to the ring post.

Things then took on a rather sinister feel, which is quite the statement considering the two men involved. With Shane O Mac helplessly wedged in by the steel steps, the Devil's Favourite Demon lived up to his name and hooked Shane's testicles up to jumper cables and set about electrocuting the McMahon family jewels.

To the relief of many sympathetic males in attendance, RVD came to make the save, setting up a steel cage match between the two on the following week's episode of Raw.

This incident has always been alluded to over the years, even during WWE's PG era. In a video segment during Kane and Daniel Bryan's anger management sessions, Kane listed his many dark and disturbing moments as a WWE superstar, with this torturing of Shane featuring highly.

#6 Chris Jericho kicks Shawn Michaels following their Wrestlemania Match

Another superstar who had a fairly strong year in 2003 was the former WCW high flyer Chris Jericho. After moving to RAW early on in the year, Jericho soon found himself in a rivalry with the man he claimed to have idolized for most of his career, Shawn Michaels.

Given the move set, ring attire and hairstyle, the similarities between Jericho and Shawn were very much recognised by the fans. Rather than denying it, Jericho embraced the fact that HBK was a hero of his growing up, but in true heelish fashion, Y2J suggested that he had surpassed the legend and become a bigger and better star.

The feud caught some momentum during the 2003 Royal Rumble match after Jericho chose to enter in at number 2 in order to face Michaels one on one. Jericho lasted a good amount of time in the match, but both men failed to get the win.

Following some highly entertaining spots between the two, Jericho and Michaels met at Wrestlemania 19 in a match many believed stole the show from the two world title matches. The bout was an extremely enjoyable affair with two of the company's greatest in-ring performers going at it.

At the conclusion of the match, with Jericho coming up short in his attempts to beat the master, it appeared as though Jericho had broken character, embracing Shawn after HBK mouthed the word 'awesome' at him. The crowd were on their feet in appreciation and the whole thing looked to be ending on a happy note.

That is until Jericho reminded us all what kind of a person he was, kicking Shawn in the groin and throwing his body to the mat. This moment has almost become as iconic as the match itself and reminds us all what a gem this feud was back in 03.

#7 Brock botches a Shooting Star Press

Despite being a rather underrated show, Wrestlemania 19 has always had a bit of an unfortunate association attached to it. With wrestling reaching such high points of notoriety following the success of the Attitude Era, the profession came more and more under the spotlight, particularly due to the extent of the physical impact on the bodies of the sports entertainers.

WrestleMania 19 marked the final match of Stone Cold Steve Austin after it was made apparent that his long list of injuries was becoming harder and harder to ignore. The event itself also ended with another set of injuries, this time suffered by the star of the show, Brock Lesnar.

After a grueling match between the Beast and Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship, Lesnar decided he was going to see out his first Mania main event in style. Known mostly as a powerhouse, it was not at all common to see him attempt moves from the top rope, let alone something normally reserved for nimble high-flyers.

Much to the shock and approval of the fans in attendance, Lesnar lept off the top rope and attempted a shooting star press, a highly difficult move to land at the best of times. Lesnar had previously been accustomed to performing the move in his OVW days but had generally stayed clear of them on the main roster.

The Beast did not manage to rotate his body fully and ended up jamming his head and neck into the canvas, merely scraping his opponent in the process. With Brock suffering a concussion, the two men had to devise a finish that still allowed Lesnar to walk away with the title while looking strong.

After the match, the Beast was immediately treated by doctors, and Lesnar's high spots have thankfully been kept to a minimum ever since.

#8 Kane unmasks

As alluded to twice before in this list, Kane's career took on a bit of mixed fortune throughout 2003. His rivalry with several members of the McMahon family was entertaining and shocking in its own right, but the true shock factor moment from 03 came when Kane was forced to unmask for the first time since his debut in 97.

Following a short feud with Evolution's Triple H, Kane found himself in a match against the Game at Madison Square Garden with the mask on the line. This was, of course, the era of Hunter and Kane inevitably ended up losing the match.

With Evolution in the ring and Eric Bishoff barking directions from the stage, Kane was stood battling with what proved to be a highly difficult decision. RVD eventually came to the ring to fight off an attack by Evolution but Kane knew he still had to fulfill his duties and reveal his face to the audience.

After ripping off the mask and unearthing his burnt and scarred features, he turned on his tag team partner and delivered a chokeslam with extra venom. Rather than becoming a sympathetic babyface, as would have been preferable, Kane instead went on a tirade, attacking members of the roster out of rage.

For many, this is seen as the downfall of the Kane character. He would eventually get his mask back upon his return in early 2013, but things were just never the same.

#9 Goldberg debuts with WWE

When former WCW stars launched their invasion of WWF in 2001, fans were left fairly underwhelmed. Hogan, Nash and Hall were nowhere to be seen and didn't make their debuts until after the Invasion angle came to an end. Another big time WCW name who didn't come over to Vince's company immediately after the purchase was Bill Goldberg.

Goldberg was WCW's best answer to Stone Cold Steve Austin during much of WWF's attitude era. Fans immediately warmed to the former Pro-football player who would come to the ring and decimate his opponents in seconds.

Until NXT's Asuka came along, Goldberg had built up modern pro wrestling's greatest winning streak from 1997 - 1998. And despite this being a highly impressive feat, his short matches would actually hide his rather limited wrestling abilities. Goldberg was the ultimate example of how somebody can become a star whilst not doing a whole lot in between the ropes.

Regardless of his limitations, WWF's purchase of WCW made fans excited at the prospect of the former WCW Champion wrestling with the likes of Triple H and The Rock. We would have to wait a couple of years before it became a reality, but during a Rock promo segment the night after Wrestlemania 19, the mighty Bill Goldberg finally made his presence known.

Rock had transitioned himself into a heel after deciding to pursue a Hollywood career. While he was busy berating the WWE Universe for losing faith in him as a wrestler, Goldberg marched to the ring, introduced himself to the People's Champ and announced that he would be next.

#10 Big Show and Lesnar collapse the ring

Despite leaving the company high and dry following Wrestlemania 20, Brock Lesnar was the man during most of 2002-03. Big time Attitude Era stars like Stone Cold and the Rock were on their way out, and Triple H needed some support at the top of the billing. Therefore, most of 2003's signature moments directly or indirectly involved the Beast.

Perhaps the most memorable moment from 2003 came during a match between Brock Lesnar and The Big Show on Smackdown. Lesnar had been transitioned into a babyface while Big Show became Paul Heyman's new employee. It was a role that never really suited Lesnar as his best work was undoubtedly as a dominant heel.

When Lesnar met Show, fans knew they were in for something out of the ordinary, but might not have known exactly what was coming. As Big Show was sat on the top turnbuckle, Lesnar came up to meet his opponent and placed in him a suplex position. You could almost hear the collective sounds of the audience saying 'no way!'

As Lesnar got the 500-pound giant up, the two came crashing down to the mat causing the whole ring to fall apart under the weight and impact of the move. Michael Cole delivered an excellent piece of commentary as the referee was sent crashing to his feet. The crowd exploded with joy and excitement, aware that they had just witnessed a true first for the WWE.

The spot has since been replicated, first with Big Show and Mark Henry in 2012 and then in a recent match between Big Show and Braun Strowman on RAW. And as exciting as these moments where, nothing will beat the shock value of this explosive Smackdown highlight.

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Edited by anirudh.b