Vengeance was the first of the SmackDown-exclusive shows and needless to say, there were some very real concerns on the part of WWE fans. After all, Bad Blood (the first Raw exclusive event) had been a total disaster, with bad wrestling and awful vignettes really hammering home just how big a mess that the A-show had become by that point. SmackDown, while a superior product to Raw, had its fair share of issues, including Vince and Stephanie McMahon becoming the centerpieces of the brand. That, coupled with a considerable lack of depth on the roster, was cause for concern among fans hoping that the blue brand had a much better and more entertaining venture into the land of brand-exclusive events. Boy, did they ever. Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman and the World's Greatest Tag Team of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin delivered a bona fide show-stealer for the WWE Tag Team Championships. Eddie Guerrero continued his meteoric rise, capitalizing on interference from Rhyno to defeat Chris Benoit and become the first United States champion in nearly two years in the sizzling opener. Even Vince and Stephanie turned in solid performances, the former wearing a crimson mask to put over the offense of the one-legged wonder Zach Gowen while the latter pummeled Sable before dropping the fall to her courtesy of interference from A-Train. With a roster of performers determined to prove that Raw may be the premiere show of WWE but SmackDown was the best program the company produced, they banded together to deliver one of the best second tier pay-per-views of all-time.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
