15 MORE Incredible WWE Ruthless Aggression Era Moments Nobody Ever Talks About
9. Stephanie McMahon Main Events With A-Train
Yes, this was an actual match WWE put in the ring as a headliner on the 14 August 2003 SmackDown. No, that it not a joke. Stephanie McMahon vs. A-Train was part of the ongoing power struggle story between Steph and her dad. How odd, but it does make for one hell of a screenshot if nothing else!
It's often forgotten/ignored that Stephanie was actually well received as a babyface General Manager in 2002-2003. Her music claimed she was "all grown up" and didn't answer to anyone else, but Vince had something to say about that. Infamously, he'd take a steel pipe to his own flesh and blood at No Mercy '03 (which is still awkward to revisit), but not before feeding her to big Lord Tensai.
Or, in this instance, a man pretending to be a train.
Some top headliners on the blue brand from this era include Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle in a 60-minute 'Iron Man' match (the backstory behind that one is crazy) and other treats like Angle and Big Show working a 'Street Fight' on the 21 August edition. Then, one week prior to that, there was A-Train vs. McMahon.
Fans in St. Louis certainly didn't think the final 3 bouts they'd see on that evening's show would be Cena vs. Zach Gowen, Lesnar vs. Spanky and A-Train vs. Steph when they bought tickets. How could anyone predict that kind of lineup?! It's the sort that'd be spewed out by a random match generator.
What a 450 splash Steph hit from atop the old SmackDown fist, right enough. Only kidding.