30 Week Journey: Wrestlemania XIX (2003)




The Lapsed Fan show

Summary: The Lapsed Fan’s 30-week WrestleMania journey reaches stop No. 19 this week, as the WWE invades Safeco Field in Seattle for a show full of forks in the road for a host of key performers, including Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar.<br><br>Hosts Jack Encarnacao and JP Sarro go deep on a show remembered for its behind-the-scenes drama as much as its in-ring drama, which was considerable. Get Lapsed on the following:<br><br>- The worm turns on Triple H, as he builds up Booker T as a proud challenger who must stand up for himself in the face of implied racism … and then pins him clean, and hard<br><br>- Lesnar’s ill-fated leap, and why he just had to hit the F5 afterwards<br><br>- Austin’s final match, and why his paranoia, pain, and panic nearly kept him from getting into the ring<br><br>- Limp Bizkit, and the moment Fred Durst has to ask the crowd, “Are you awake yet?”<br><br>- The first “dual-brand” Wrestlemania, and other distinctions without a difference<br><br>- Mysterio’s WM debut<br><br>- Shawn Michaels’ WM return<br><br>- The best version of Rock’s entrance theme<br><br>- Hogan v. Vince, a storyline that evoked Vince’s steroid trial, how it miscast Hogan’s actual testimony<br><br>- Vince peeks over the apron<br><br>All that and so much more, including excerpts from a recent chat with Jim Ross about being side-by-side with Austin during his meltdown and Dave Meltzer on what lingers from this show. The 30-week freight train keeps on rolling!