Backlash 2003: Goldberg's WWE Arrival Could Not Carry an Uneven Card

Team Angle and Los Guerreros give Backlash its best complete wrestling match by opening with fifteen minutes of focused tag-team work rather than spectacle or storyline clutter. Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas isolate Eddie Guerrero early, Chavo's hot tag changes the pace, and the champions consistently look like the more disciplined unit even when the Guerreros begin bending the rules themselves. The closing sequence fits both teams because Eddie's illegal frog splash nearly steals the match before Benjamin trips Chavo and lets Haas secure the pin while holding the leg down. That finish is heelish without overwhelming the wrestling that came before it. The match is energetic, coherent and comfortably the strongest reason to revisit the card.

O'Haire and Rikishi are given less than five minutes, and the match never develops beyond a basic showcase for O'Haire's push alongside Roddy Piper. Rikishi gets enough offense to keep the crowd involved, including the expected attempt at the Stink Face, but the action is secondary to Piper's ringside presence and the effort to establish O'Haire as dangerous. The coconut spot provides a nostalgic callback before the distraction creates the opening for O'Haire to hit the Prophecy and win. Nothing is catastrophically executed, yet almost nothing feels consequential once the bell rings. It is a short television-style segment occupying pay-per-view space.

Kane and Van Dam against the Dudleys has enough established tag-team talent to remain watchable, but the special-referee setup with Chief Morley adds more machinery than the match needs. Van Dam supplies the pace, Kane gives the champions power, and the Dudleys create several familiar tandem sequences that keep the contest moving even when the story shifts toward officiating. Morley's low blow, Lance Storm's interference and the 3-D on the referee all pile up before a replacement official counts the champions' successful finish. The result protects Kane and Van Dam and advances the Raw tag story, but the match never escapes the feeling that the booking is doing most of the work. It is competent and overcomplicated.

Stratus and Jazz work with urgency because the match lasts under six minutes and the injured-ribs story gives Jazz an obvious target from the opening exchanges. Trish's comeback is energetic enough to create a believable chance of retaining, and the Stratusfaction near-fall gives the audience one clean moment where the champion appears to have survived the damage. Theodore Long's shoe throw and Jazz's use of the ropes on the final pin add heel shortcuts to the championship change. Those choices fit the characters, but they also prevent the match from feeling like a definitive title victory. The wrestlers do solid work inside a very small window.

Big Show and Mysterio have an obvious size-versus-speed story, but the match is so short that the contrast becomes a setup for the post-match angle rather than a fully realized contest. Mysterio lands multiple 619s and creates a brief sense that speed might overcome the size difference, only for Big Show to catch the West Coast Pop and end the match with a chokeslam. The memorable image comes afterward when Show swings the stretcher carrying Mysterio into the ring post. That attack is effective in establishing Show as a threat to Brock Lesnar, but it also confirms that the actual match exists mostly to reach the angle. The bell-to-bell value is limited.

Lesnar and Cena are historically interesting because both are becoming foundational stars of the next WWE era, but the 2003 version of their rivalry is not yet capable of producing the kind of match their names would later suggest. Cena's heel character and chain gimmick give the challenger a clear route to cheating, while Lesnar works through the recent WrestleMania concussion story with his usual power offense and physical confidence. The chain is ultimately removed before Cena can use it, allowing Lesnar to land the F-5 and retain cleanly enough. The match is solid without building a truly dramatic championship crescendo. Its historical curiosity is stronger than its immediate quality.

The six-man tag has enough star power and interconnected Raw stories to feel larger than most of the card, even though putting the World Heavyweight Championship at stake in a team match creates an awkward championship structure. Michaels and Jericho continue their WrestleMania tension, Booker remains linked to Triple H, and Nash's return gives the match a fresh heavyweight element that the crowd immediately recognizes. The action becomes increasingly chaotic as all six men spill into overlapping fights, which suits the story but also makes the championship stipulation feel secondary. Triple H ultimately uses the sledgehammer on Nash and pins him, protecting the champion through another shortcut. It is a good, busy match that advances several feuds without fully satisfying any one of them.

Rock and Goldberg have the star power to make the main event feel enormous before the bell, but the match exposes the difficulty of stretching Goldberg's explosive formula across fourteen minutes against an opponent working a deliberately evasive heel style. Rock's taunting and stalling create character moments, while Goldberg's power spots generate the strongest reactions whenever the match finally accelerates. The near-fall after the People's Elbow gives Rock one credible moment of control before Goldberg returns to the expected combination of Spears and the Jackhammer. Goldberg winning his first WWE pay-per-view match is the correct headline result. The problem is that the bout feels more like an extended debut showcase than a great dream match.