No Mercy 2003 Review
Sorry it's taken me a while to do another review of an older show, I've just been working on other things at the same time such as a three re-dos (History of the WWE Title, CM Punk DVD, Brock Blu Ray) and the History of the World Title DVD. For those who would like to know, the next PPV I plan to review will be Armageddon 2003. For now here's No Mercy 2003.
This is an event that I've never watched before, except for the McMahon family soap opera match, so I'm looking forward to seeing some matches I've never watched before. After their first amazing PPV, would Smackdown be able to replicate another one? Let's find out.
Rey Mysterio vs Tajiri
The Cruiserwight Title is on the line. This is how you start off a show, with some high-flying cruiserweight action. This one might put some people off though, as it was slower paced compared to most cruiserweight matches, but that doesn't make it boring as there's some nice arm work by Tajiri, and Mysterio brought the high-flying action. The pace definitely picked up towards the end with some nice nearfalls and innovative moves. Great opener. ***1/2
A-Train vs Chris Benoit
I know that these two had a ton of matches in 2003, probably because Benoit was the only guy that could give him a good match. The match was pretty boring when A-Train was on offense, but it got rolling once Benoit was on the attack. Benoit took a nasty head bump right onto a steel chair. Damn that looked painful. A-Train taps to the sharpshooter to end the match. Pretty good stuff here. **3/4
Matt Hardy vs Zach Gowen
This would be Zach's last PPV match in the WWE. After Zach's feud with Vince McMahon, they really didn't have anything for him and this was proof of it. This match is taking place because Zach wants a win. Zach didn't get much of a reaction from the crowd during his entrance. It was a pretty entertaining match while it lasted though, and gave Zach his first win. **
Backstage Vince makes the rule that Stephanie can with the I Quit match by pinfall and submission, while Vince can only win by submission. And it's also No Holds Barred.
The APA vs The Bashams
The Bashams challenged the APA to this match on Sunday Night Heat. The Basham's got no reaction at all during their entrance. This was obviously just a filler match but it was actually quite fun while it lasted, which I wasn't expecting. Shaniqua interferes to give the Bashams the win. **1/4
Next up it's McMahon time! The only one you won't see is Shane who was on Raw taking on Kane.
Vince McMahon vs Stephanie McMahon : I Quit
I think this might be the only mixed gender I Quit match in history. I don't think it's technically an I Quit match though since Stephanie can pin Vince. Vince was sick of Stephanie as the general manager of Smackdown, and so wanted to get rid of her like any normal boss would do. Try and beat her to death. Apparently this was 6 days before Stephanie's wedding, so they had to be extra careful here. I have to admit, the nearfalls were very well done. Unexpectedly good match here. Linda throws in the towel for Stephanie to give Vince the win. **1/4
John Cena vs Kurt Angle
This was just before Cena would turn face and his career would skyrocket to the top. This match was based on respect and some funny rap battles between the two. Cena got quite a face reaction here. Cena still seemed a little inexperienced here, but Angle still managed to pull a great match out of him, and made him look good in the process. It looked like Angle hurt his neck on that powerbomb in the corner. Angle kicked out of the FU, and barely anyone gets to do that now. Great match here and the best match of the night so far. ***3/4
Eddie Guerrero vs Big Show
US Title on the line. Show wasn't having very good matches at this time, but if anyone could get one out of him, it would be Eddie. I don't get the point of Show winning the Title since he would defend it about three times between this PPV and Wrestlemania XX. He's like a very long transitional champ. Show got most of the offense here and it was pretty dull. When Eddie was on offense it was entertaining. He used his Lie, Cheat and Steal mentality to make it fun. Solid match overall I'd say. **1/4
Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker: Biker Chain Match
WWE Championship on the line. I'm pretty sure the show would have a lower buyrate if the words 'on a pole' were added to the match gimmick, even if that's essentially what is it. I'm a fan of the matches these guys had in 2002, so I was looking forward to this. Cole says it's ironic that Stephanie made this match and this led to her match. In what way is that ironic? Sadly I was disappointed by this match, thanks to the gimmick of it and because of the run-ins from the FBI and Vince McMahon to set up the Buried Alive match at Survivor Series. The action was pretty boring at times too. The piledriver on the steps was pretty cool though. Decent match. **1/2
5/10. This was nowhere near as good as Vengeance was. Just not a very good show here, as their was nothing terrible, but there was nothing worth watching outside of the opener and the Cena/Angle match. The I Quit match might be worth a watch, but it wasn't spectacular.
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