10 Fascinating WWE Survivor Series 2003 Facts
9. An Angle Related To The Show Had To Be Edited Off Of TV
Survivor Series 2003 was a notable occasion for John Cena. It was his first pay-per-view in the midst of the babyface turn that would firmly position him as WWE's next big thing. To spell out the turn, Cena was teamed with a babyface contingent led by Kurt Angle against Brock Lesnar's squadron of super-heavyweight monsters.
On the go-home SmackDown, Cena and Chris Benoit defeated Lesnar and Big Show in a tag team match. Then after the bout, without provocation, Cena jumped Benoit, hitting him with an FU (the old name of the Attitude Adjustment).
Creative veteran Michael Hayes pitched the idea as a way to maintain Cena's edge, to set him as an unpredictable loner similar to the old "D-T-A" Stone Cold. Hayes appealed his idea directly to McMahon, who ran with it, despite the reported objections of other creative staffers. Bad call: the crowd reaction was reported to be one of confusion and annoyance, and as a result, the angle was edited from the broadcast.