One MIND-BLOWING Secret For Every WWE SummerSlam

23. 2003 | SummerSlam Basically Happened One Month Late

Randy Orton Shawn Michaels Survivor Series
WWE.com

Provisionally, WWE had planned to book Triple H Vs. Goldberg for the World Heavyweight title at SummerSlam 2003. It was a worthy main event, but, faced with zero competition, the so-called Ruthless Aggression Era kickstarted WWE’s now-standard booking habits of delay and filler. WWE thus opted to bring back the Elimination Chamber gimmick at SummerSlam, pushing back the singles meeting to the September special, Unforgiven, in order to pop two PPV buys. While it made boring financial sense, this dithering was key in slowing down Goldberg’s momentum. What, then, did WWE originally have planned for the remaining Chamber participants? 

According to the June 23, 2003 issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Randy Orton was set to go one-on-one with Shawn Michaels. This was good, forward-thinking booking; in this timeline, before plans changed again, early conversations around WrestleMania 20 centred around a Triple H Vs. Randy Orton main event. Orton needed a big, statement-making win to legitimise him to the audience. A suddenly job-happy Shawn Michaels, who didn’t think his schedule aligned with that of a World champion, was the ideal opponent. WWE also delayed that match to Unforgiven - to its cost. 

Unforgiven, basically the original SummerSlam card in many respects, drew 360,000 buys - down from the two most recent B-level PPVs Vengeance (July 27, 365,000) and Badd Blood (June 15, 385,000). 

Fans attach a certain sense of prestige to the big four/five PPV events. Goldberg and Orton winning at SummerSlam would have declared a more emphatic vision of WWE’s short and long-term future. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!