10 shocking moments from WWE 2003

#7 Brock botches a Shooting Star Press

Shooting star city.

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.