• WWE VIDEO HISTORY (July 3, 2003) – WWE SmackDown!
On this day in 2003, World Wrestling Entertainment aired another episode of their weekly TV show ‘WWE SmackDown!’.
This episode was broadcasted from the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York and featured matches, interviews & storyline segments on the road to the ‘WWE Vengeance 2003’ PPV.
Here’s the card:
1. WWE Cruiserweight Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Nunzio
2. Basham Brothers vs. Chris Benoit & Rhyno
3. US Title Tournament – Round 1: Billy Gunn vs. John Cena
4. WWE Tag Titles: Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri vs. Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin
5. Orlando Jordan vs. A-Train
6. Handicap Match: The Big Show vs. Stephanie McMahon & Zach Gowen
• Kevin Owens Says He Didn’t Enjoy His Universal Title Reign, Comments On WWE Rejecting His Ideas
During a recent appearance on Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast, former Universal Champion Kevin Owens talked about not enjoying his Universal Title reign, his ideas getting rejected in WWE & more.
Below are the highlights:
On not enjoying his Universal Title reign:
“Personally I barely appreciate the moments as they go by. Like my wife will tell me all the time, ‘You were the Universal Champion and I had never seen you more stressed’ and then now I look back and I think yeah I would have probably done things differently when I was Universal Champion if it had been up to me.
Some storylines would have been different or I would have done different things or I would have loved to have this match or stuff like that, but ultimately I was still Universal Champion and I don’t remember, I honestly don’t remember enjoying it which sucks.”
On WWE rejecting his ideas:
“The thing about me is I’m always looking to contribute to the show as good as I can, and I guess that would be true of anybody else — or almost everyone else. I don’t know if everyone thinks about this the way I do, but I think a lot of the most passionate performers we have think about how to contribute to the show or how to, you know, bring the best they can to the product. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s what [WWE] needs or their vision.
You know the ideas I’ve brought forward some of them have worked and some of them weren’t used, stuff like that. That’s all contingent on them seeing me the way I see myself and a lot of times that’s not for certain situations and it can be so many other factors like there can be someone else or another story we’re telling right now which makes it so we can’t tell that story because it’s too similar or it’s taking elements from something we’re already doing or we’re going to be doing or ‘it’s not right for you.’ So there’s so much you have to contend with.
So maybe the growth I did achieve thought all that, the adversity or the switch is I learned to accept things better. It doesn’t mean I agree with everything. It doesn’t mean it sits well with me, but I’ve learned to kinda get over it better.”
