• Home
  • Movies
  • Music
  • TV
  • Video Games
  • Wrestling
  • Topics
  • Latest Comments
Search
Cult of Whatever logo
  • Movies
    Featured
    • The Living Daylights: Timothy Dalton as James Bond

      The Living Daylights is still awesome, thirty-five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 28, 2022
      Movie Blogs
    Recent
    • Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers Poster

      REVIEW: Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a fever dream of family fun

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 22, 2022
    • Doctor Strange Multiverse of Madness: Benedict Cumberbatch, Xochitl Gomez and Rachel McAdams as Steven, America Chavez and Dr. Christine Palmer

      REVIEW: Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is Sam Raimi’s Sam Ramiest movie in ages!

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 7, 2022
    • Full Metal Jacket: Vincent D'Onofrio

      Full Metal Jacket is still awesome thirty-five years later

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 5, 2022
    • Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore: Jude Law as Albus

      REVIEW: Fantastic Beasts 3 (The Secrets of Dumbledore) is a gloomy sequel with little pizzaz

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 18, 2022
    • Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Sonic voiced by Ben Schwartz

      REVIEW: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – Best video game film yet?

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 9, 2022
    • Legend Of Zelda

      Can a Legend of Zelda movie work?

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 6, 2022
  • Music
    Random
    • Led Zeppelin 1977 Promo

      Fifty years of Led Zeppelin

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 4, 2019
      Music
    Recent
    • The Beatles: Get Back

      What GET BACK reveals about the Beatles

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 15, 2021
    • Simon And Garfunkel at Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam1982

      The Boxer is a song about being conned

      By Matthew Martin
      | July 4, 2021
    • Lady Gaga: Chromatica Album Cover

      Lady Gaga’s discography is totally out of order

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 3, 2021
    • Michael Jackson Thriller Album Cover

      Thirty years ago music fans said “Nevermind” to Michael Jackson

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 21, 2021
    • Queen II Album Cover

      On Queen’s The Miracle, and the importance of track ordering

      By Matthew Martin
      | February 16, 2021
    • Linda Paul Mccartney 1976

      50 years ago, McCartney dropped “Lennon” and went solo…

      By Matthew Martin
      | June 5, 2020
  • TV
    Featured
    • Nancy Drew S03e01: Kennedy McMann as Nancy

      Nancy Drew S03E01 Review: The Warning of the Frozen Heart - Uh-oh!

      By Salome G
      | October 10, 2021
      TV Blogs
    Recent
    • Big Sky S02e18: Katheryn Winnick and Jensen Ackles as Jenny Hoyt and Beau Arlen

      Big Sky S02E18 Review: Catch a Few Fish – Solid finale

      By Salome G
      | May 22, 2022
    • The Flight Attendant S02e07: Griffin Matthews and Kaley Cuoco as Shane and Cassie

      The Flight Attendant S02E07 Review: No Exit – Huh?

      By Salome G
      | May 22, 2022
    • Star Trek Strange New Worlds S01e02 Celia Rose Gooding and Ethan Peck as Uhura and Spock

      Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Episodes 2-3 review (Good stuff!)

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 21, 2022
    • Riverdale S06e14: Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge

      Riverdale S06E14 Review: Venomous – Spider-Woman?

      By Salome G
      | May 16, 2022
    • The Flight Attendant S02e06: Sharon Stone as Lisa Bowden

      The Flight Attendant S02E06 Review: Brothers & Sisters – Compelling

      By Salome G
      | May 14, 2022
    • Big Sky S02e17: Bernard White and Vinny Chhibber as Veer and Jag Buller

      Big Sky S02E17 Review: Family Matters – Ends in blood…

      By Salome G
      | May 14, 2022
  • Video Games
    Featured
    • Arkham Knight

      Batman: Arkham Knight - A fitting end to a trilogy

      By Tom Farr
      | July 18, 2015
      Video Game Reviews
    Recent
    • Legend Of Zelda

      Can a Legend of Zelda movie work?

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 6, 2022
    • Super Mario 64

      Which system had the better launch: A battle of four Nintendo consoles

      By Matthew Martin
      | December 1, 2021
    • Luigi's Mansion

      Happy twentieth to Nintendo’s underrated gem, the Gamecube

      By Matthew Martin
      | November 18, 2021
    • Metroid Dread

      Metroid Dread – Post Game analysis and sequel needs

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 29, 2021
    • Mario Headphones

      The SNES Turns 30: A look at some of the system’s best soundtracks

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 22, 2021
    • Metroid Dread Poster

      REVIEW: Metroid Dread reawakens the old gamer in me

      By Matthew Martin
      | October 11, 2021
  • Wrestling
    Featured
    • Wwe Payback 2017 Poster 2

      Your SO OF COURSE preview of WWE Payback 2017

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 30, 2017
      WWE Blogs
    Recent
    • Raw 210501: Triple H and Stephanie McMahon

      May 21, 2001 – A (forgotten) date that will live in WWE infamy

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 20, 2022
    • WWE WrestleMania 39 Logo

      Your WAY TOO EARLY predictions for WWE WrestleMania 39!

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 20, 2022
    • WWE WrestleMania 38 Poster

      Your SO OF COURSE preview of WWE WRESTLEMANIA 38!

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 30, 2022
    • Wrestlemania 31 Paige Aj Lee 2

      BOOK REVIEW: The Women of WrestleMania is a balanced take on an under-valued slice of history

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 16, 2022
    • ROH Proving Ground 2009: El Generico aka Sami Zayn

      In buying ROH, AEW has a chance to redo history (the right way)

      By Matthew Martin
      | March 14, 2022
    • Cody Rhodes Tnt Title Belt 220720

      Cody Rhodes is gone from AEW. What does that mean for wrestling?

      By Matthew Martin
      | February 16, 2022
  • Topics
    • site logo
    Latest
    • Big Sky S02E18 Review: Catch a Few Fish - Solid finale
    • REVIEW: Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a fever dream of family fun
    • The Flight Attendant S02E07 Review: No Exit - Huh?
    • Star Trek: Strange New Worlds - Episodes 2-3 review (Good stuff!)
    • May 21, 2001 - A (forgotten) date that will live in WWE infamy
    • Riverdale S06E14 Review: Venomous - Spider-Woman?
    • Latest Comments

    WWE Royal Rumble 2003 Review

    By Dan
    | September 4, 2003
    WWE DVD Reviews
    This page contains affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, we may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more

    Hello once again, its time for another review of the WWE’s latest VHS and DVD releases. In this instalment I’ll be looking at one of the most popular PPV’s in the WWE calendar, the Royal Rumble! The Royal Rumble is the annual event that sees 30 Superstars battle it out for that prestigious place in the main event at WrestleMania. Past winners of the Royal Rumble have included greats like Steve Austin, The Rock, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan, but who would be triumphant this time round? Would this years Royal Rumble be something that will stick in our minds for being great, or would this Royal Rumble be a “Royal Cock-Up” by the WWE? Find out…

    Wwe Royal Rumble 2003 Cover

     Cert: 15

    Length: (VHS) 156 mins (DVD) 191 mins

    Lets a have a look at this PPV card:

    Matches

    • 30-Man Royal Rumble: 15 RAW Superstars & 15 Smackdown Superstars.
    • WWE Championship Match: Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit
    • World Heavyweight Championship Match: Triple H vs. Scott Steiner
    • First-Ever Stepdaughter vs. Stepmother Match: Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie
    • World Tag Team Championship Match: Lance Storm & William Regal vs. Dudley Boyz
    • Winner Advances to Royal Rumble Match: Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show

    The 2003 Royal Rumble was quite special as it was the first rumble which saw the superstars of the WWE representing their respective brands as we seen 15 of both Raw and Smackdown superstars compete for the prize spot at WrestleMania. On RAW’s side we see the likes of Chris Jericho, Kane, Booker T and RVD all compete with the Smackdown superstars such as Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, Edge and Matt Hardy. Plus even before the Rumble match had begun, two Smackdown giants would do battle as Brock Lensar and The Big Show would compete against one another with the winner getting a spot in the Royal Rumble.

    Both brands World Championships would be on the line, but in two very different matches. On RAW’s side, Scott Steiner would compete in his WWE PPV return match taking on World Champ Triple H in a match that should be very, erm, lets be nice and say interesting. On the other side of the WWE locker room Chris Benoit would compete with Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship in a match that undoubtedly would steal the show, but to what extent? Find out!

    Highs and Lows

    The Royal Rumble is always my second favourite PPV in the WWE Calendar, the favourite being WrestleMania of course. With so many memories from past Royal Rumbles, like when Ric Flair won the Royal Rumble and the WWE Championship in 1992, the WWE Championship match from 2000 where Cactus Jack fought Triple H, as well as so many other great matches, its hard not to get excited about this PPV, however this year it was different. The PPV card looked dull and rather boring with only one match to really look forward to, that being Benoit vs. Angle.

    Anyway the PPV kicked off with Big Show vs. Brock Lesnar. This bout may not have had everyone on the edges of their seats but it sure was a decent and solid opening match. The match was pretty slow paced and the in-ring action was limited, however it was better than I expected and the match was enjoyable. Once again the WWE proved that they want to get their moneys worth out of the 500-pound giant, and they are certainly using him to his full potential in my opinion. I think the winner of this match was quite clear before the bout began, and when Brock hit the F5 it was certain. Overall nice opening match, which was overall a decent encounter.

    Next up, The Dudley Boyz vs. William Regal and Lance Storm. This match was pretty good, although it was more RAW material than PPV stuff. The brothers Dudley worked well and has some good chemistry with Storm and Regal, however the match didn’t really have anything special to offer. The ending came when Regal went to use his trusted brass knuckles but walked right into a 3-D, D-Von grabbed the brass knuckles and laid out storm to get the pin. Yet another title change for a pair of tag team belts that become even more worthless day-by-day. Dawn Marie and Torrie is next, and this is another great waste of PPV airtime. The match was extremely poor and I can’t say I want to watch that ever again.

    Talking about things not to be watched, Scott Steiner vs. Triple H. This has to go on record as being one of the worst world championship matches in WWE history. When Triple H left back in 2001 with an injury he sustained in a tag match along with Austin, Benoit and Jericho, he took he wrestling ability with him, the only thing is, when Triple H came back in 2002, he never brought any of it back, and his ring work has seriously suffered, and this match was a prime example of that. Now don’t get me wrong, its not all Triple H’s fault, in fact Scott Steiner should be the person to point the finger at, because he sucked worse than Triple H, and believe me that’s bad. Anyway the match was terrible, Triple H struggled to pull of the most basic of moves and Steiner, well he didn’t even known the most basic of moves. The match had a consistent flow of punches, slaps and horrible suplexes, not to mention a powerbomb that nearly broke Triple H in half. Steiner struggled with the match, he was exhausted early on, and Triple H wasn’t moving around fast. As for Hunter, well I don’t know what’s happened to the man, one time he could have carried Steiner to at least a watchable match, here though he was barely able to carry himself. The only reason to watch this match is to see how bad it is.

    From one extreme to the other, from dire to excellent. That’s the different between the RAW Championship match, and the Smackdown Championship match. As Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle hoisted the flag for Smackdown it became clear why these two guys are clearly two of the greatest ever wrestlers to set foot on the soils of the WWE. The Smackdown World Championship match was pure excellence as Chris Benoit battled Kurt Angle. The match was full of pure wrestling, and not just that; it was full of emotion, something that is rarely seen by WWE fans. With hold after hold, after hold this match went back and forth several times, and it was a joy to watch. This match was clearly the best Angle vs. Benoit match out of all the two encounters the pair have had. It stole the show, and the standing ovation Chris Benoit received at the end of the match is a testament to his skill and his ability as a pro-wrestler.

    The Royal Rumble Match now, with 15 competitors from RAW and 15 from Smackdown battling it out for the main event spot at WrestleMania. This was enjoyable to watch but wasn’t anything special. It was clear who was going to win as in the build-up, it was really only between Brock and Big Show, and when Big Show lost the match earlier on in the evening it was a one horse race from their. Only things worth noting is that HBK was eliminated more or less straight away by Jericho, Jericho had a small push in the Rumble only to be eliminated by Test when HBK interfered, and Undertaker made his return to the rumble, and he along with Kane, Batista and Lesnar were the remaining four men in the ring, with Brock surviving and winning his first Rumble. Overall good stuff, but nothing really special about it.

    Overall

    This was a really poor way to kick off the WWE’s PPV year, and especially for RAW. With Steiner and Triple H having one of the worst World Championship matches I have seen in a long time and with the not so impressive tag team title match there was a lot of improvement to be made. As for Smackdown, it was a fair effort, apart from the Women’s match, which I could have gladly done without. The Smackdown Championship match was first rate and clearly stole the show. Overall the PPV wasn’t to bad, but could have been a lot better.

    DVD Extras

    • Revolutionary Royal Rumble TV Spot
    • Making of the Royal Rumble TV Spot
    • Royal Rumble Moments from 18/01/03 WWE Confidential
    • Undertaker Returns at The Rumble: Teaser 1, Teaser 2 & Teaser 3
    • Extra Match: Over-The-Top-Rope Challenge Raw 1/13/03 – Rob Van Dam vs. Kane vs. Batista vs. Chris Jericho
    • Pre-Match Interviews: Dawn Marie & Eric Bischoff
    • Post Match Interviews: Paul Heyman, Eric Bischoff, Dudley Boyz, Triple H, Team Angle, John Cena & Brock Lesnar

    The DVD extras are nothing special and don’t really give you much of an incentive to purchase the DVD. Its not a must buy, but it certainly nice to have Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle in your Video or DVD collection.

    Points: 7/10

    Buy it:

    UK: £14.99 (VHS) / £15.99 (DVD)

    USA: VHS / DVD

    Share this article:

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit

    Tags

    WWE Royal Rumblewwe royal rumble 2003

    COMMENTS

    Please read our Commenting Policy before you join in with the discussion.

    Note: If you have email notifications enabled, please check your email spam folders to ensure emails are not missed.

    Subscribe
    Connect withD
    I allow to create an account
    When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
    DisagreeAgree
    Notify of
    guest
    Connect withD
    I allow to create an account
    When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
    DisagreeAgree
    guest
    0 Comments
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments

    You might also like

    • The Curse of the WWE Royal Rumble

      By John Hancock
      | January 27, 2012
    • The Power Of The WWE Royal Rumble

      By Tony Cottam
      | February 3, 2011
    • WWE Royal Rumble 2005 DVD Review

      By Adam Sibley
      | April 24, 2005
    • WWE Royal Rumble 2006 DVD Review

      By Chris Dewing
      | April 6, 2006
    • WWE Royal Rumble Match Statistics

      By Cassidy
      | January 27, 2013
    • WWE Royal Rumble: Top 10 Moments

      By Chris Blackwood
      | January 25, 2013

    FIND THE TOPICS YOU WANT...

    Wrestling Topics

    Recommended for you

    • May 21, 2001 – A (forgotten) date that will live in WWE infamy

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 20, 2022
    • Your WAY TOO EARLY predictions for WWE WrestleMania 39!

      By Matthew Martin
      | April 20, 2022
    • What we want from an AEW video game

      By Matthew Martin
      | May 31, 2021
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliate Disclosure
    • Cookie Policy and Settings
    • Terms of Use
    • Photo Credits
    • RSS
    All Cult of Whatever articles, logos, illustrations and graphics are copyright CultOfWhatever.com. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. © 2021 CultOfWhatever. All Rights Reserved.
    • facebook
    • twitter
    wpDiscuz