WWE SmackDown #197 - What's Your Story? With Steph McMahon (PILOT)
🎧 Listen to the full episode on Cultaholic Wrestling
Stone Cold Steve Austin return
There's a lot of talk about Stone Cold Steve Austin maybe doing one last match at WrestleMania 20 in MSG. He talks a bit more as a possibility than a probability. He does say that he's retired, but he is not saying no to the idea of having one more match.
Crash Holly WWE release
This was Crash Holly's last televised SmackDown match. He'd make more appearances on Velocity throughout the next few weeks, and then he'd get released.
WWE business struggles
There was a SmackDown house show on the Saturday after this episode that was cancelled because nobody wanted to go. It's just a sign of the times that in 2003, WWE ain't really hot.
Kurt Angle return
Kurt Angle returns to SmackDown in two weeks time.
William Regal career update
Triple H has suggested making William Regal an agent. It looks like his career was going to come to an end at one point because he was very poorly at the start of the year, so Triple H had gone to management and said look, we want to keep Regal on, he's got a great mind for wrestling, let's make him an agent.
Eddie Guerrero character development
I think this is the first appearance of the Eddie Guerrero chair shenanigans. It's the first time with Team Angle, and because it led to a DQ, I feel like if it had been debuted before, they wouldn't have had it lead to a DQ.
New wrestling promotion concept
John Peewee Moore is working with Scott DeMore on something a little interesting. They're attempting a dry run of an entirely new concept of pro wrestling, a champion carnival style tournament where each match will have points and stats awarded to it. Moore's ultimate concept is to present pro wrestling as a sport similar to gymnastics or figure skating.
Bill DeMott gimmick change
The Observer says DeMott is going back to the Hugh Morris gimmick. Before his Velocity match, he got on the mic and asked who are the three most famous guys who got shot in the head. His answer was Lincoln, Kennedy, and the guy who sat in front of Pee-wee Herman in the theatre.
