12 Things You Learn Binge Watching Every WWE SmackDown From 2003

There’s something special about the early ‘Ruthless Aggression’ days looking back. WWE were on the cusp of significant change. 'Attitude Era' favourites like The Rock and Steve Austin were largely yesterday’s news (one was off to Hollywood and the other had retired), but then Triple H and Shawn Michaels were still doing their thing to keep some legacy star power intact over on Raw.

On the SmackDown side, rising names such as Brock Lesnar, John Cena and crafty veterans like Eddie Guerrero made the blue brand one of the most watchable shows going. In fact, this writer recalls greatly enjoying SmackDown over Raw around this time, and going back to binge a lot of it hammered home why. Even the worst of it remains totally watchable.

There's something for every kind of fan to enjoy.

Like the nods to Hulkamania's glory days of the 1980s and early-90s? Then Vince McMahon feuding with Hogan heading into 'Mania XIX has you covered. The Mr. America stuff tanked, but it was there if you needed a little more of that retro-fuelled chaos. Like superior in-ring action? The 'SmackDown Six' were still running rampant and putting on tidy matches weekly.

Then, there was even something for the sports entertainment crowd who just wanted silliness and soap opera. Al Wilson scratched an itch there, but so did more McMahon family melodrama later in the year. SmackDown definitely didn't rule 100% of the time in '03, but the 2 hour runtime for most episodes whizzed past more often than not.

That deserves a mention.