WWE No Way out 2003: Top 10 Moments on a Night WWE Returned to Montreal

WWE always brings their best to Canada. The double-edged sword is they rarely toured the country. Thus, the mere fact that No Way Out in 2003 was being held there was a huge move.

Everybody remembers the Canadian WrestleMania in 2002. This event was memorable for a few different reasons. On a night everybody was watching, all the talent delivered with a (B+ grade) nice show.

What were the highlights? Let's find out!

10. Tag Titles

Uh oh!

Two thrown together teams going at it for the gold?

What year are we in?

In 2003, William Regal and Lance Storm were the reigning champs. You could argue they were a part of the Un-Americans, but that group was long gone.

Their challengers were Kane and Rob Van Dam. Both men (rightfully) lost to Triple H in World Title attempts a few months earlier. Thus, they now wanted tag gold.

The match was decent, but I never cared for Kane and RVD as a team. They lost here but eventually got the titles. Both were made to be solo performers, not tag partners.

9. The Coach

The Coach was great in WWE. He was able to fill many roles and always delivered.

Sadly, I never believed in him as one of the main commentators. At No Way Out, Jim Ross was out "injured" from the week before. The Coach handled a lot of the commentary.

Well, it was rough at times. Jerry Lawler tried to help him out, but it just did not work.

Thankfully, Jim Ross did return for one match.

8. Matt Hardy

Billy Kidman made a great Cruiserweight Champion. He was a solid talent to have on the roster but never did anything major in WWE.

In early 2003, it was time for Matt Hardy to get some gold. By cutting weight and losing Jeff Hardy, the "Era of Mattitude" was about to begin.

After a nice 10-minute match, the world saw a new Cruiserweight Champion! Matt Hardy did well in this role and was one of the shining stars on Smackdown.

7. Opening Match

Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy (should have been Test) was the perfect match to open up the pay-per-view. Their was not much of a feud involved, but you knew they would put on a great effort.

They did just that.

With Jericho set for a huge match with Shawn Michaels the following month and Jeff Hardy inching closer to leaving the company, there was only logical outcome. Jericho had to win big time.

He did.

Since the show was in Canada, it was very loud crowd for both men. That was a nice touch to the story being told.

6. HBK Returns

After the opening match, Shawn Michaels came out to take out the heel performers. It was his big pay-per-view return to Montreal after the infamous "Screwjob" years later.

Of course, the live audience was not sure what to make of it. HBK was a face in 2003, but every wrestling fan in Canada remembers 1997 and Bret Hart.

It made for a very memorable moment.

5. Undertaker Wins

Undertaker defeated Big Show in an okay match. The two did not do much, but that was the usual for them in 2003. Their battles were good, but nothing special.

What made this great was their build up to No Way Out. I really loved it. The face played his part, while the heel played his. It was just very simple story telling.

Just watch the video.

4. World Title

Triple H was the World Champion. His opponent, for the second straight month, was Scott Steiner. What was once considered a dream match was quickly realized not to be in 2003.

With Evolution by his side, there was no way The Game was losing his gold for a long time. Steiner found out the hardy way at No Way Out.

Triple H retained and (rightfully) held the title for another seven months.

3. Extra Thoughts

First, I loved the theme song for this event. It was huge at our school in 2003. To hear it used on WWE shows each week was an added bonus.

Secondly, I really liked the poster used. It showed off Scott Steiner (new to the company) and showcased him well in a World Title match. Also, the colors really jumped off the page.

Also, the stage in the arena was excellent. The theme of being "no way out" was the main point and looked amazing on camera. WWE did a nice job here.

Finally, WWE did something on this show that really should return in 2012. They also did it a few months later at Backlash 2003.

Triple H was the World Champion and defended his title. There was also a couple of big time matches set without any gold on the line. Thus, another title match was likely not to add any more buys.

Kurt Angle was the WWE Champion and did not defend his title. He did wrestle, but I cannot comment on that match here.

WWE should bring this concept back. One of the major titles needs to be defended on every pay-per-view. However, it is fine to skip a few shows a year for the other title.

Once or twice a year, let the WWE or World Champion stay off the card or simply wrestle a non-title match. Again, it would not be done a lot. Doing this a few times a year would give more build to another title match and help the gold's prestige.

2. Austin Returns

This is how you hype up a return.

Everybody knew Stone Cold was on his way back to the company. His "walk out" from 2002 was over, and he was ready to return in February of 2003.

The company built it up for a few weeks. After a Raw taping, he even appeared just for the live crowd, but I do not count that. By the time this pay-per-view aired, it was time to see him once again!

Jim Ross was out to call the match between Eric Bischoff and Steve Austin. Just as JR said, it was definitely a moment.

The live crowd loved every second of Stone Cold returning. Him pinning and beating Bischoff for five minutes was just an added bonus.

All that anybody cared about was Austin had returned. All past feelings about him were gone. He had come back to close out his career on a high note.

He did just that a month later against The Rock.

1. The Rematch

The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan did not create a "huge" build up for WrestleMania XVIII. Many will disagree with that, but it is true. It was just a few shows and an ambulance attack.

It is like a song gaining popular years after the artist died. Or a movie (or song) bombing at the box office, yet will be called a classic many years later. It is only after the fact.

The feud was given four weeks. The match was made out of the blue, and Hogan hit Rocky with an ambulance during their story. Yeah, that was not needed. The Rock even missed a few shows after that.

Needless to say, their build up was next to nothing. They did a few promos and did battle a few weeks later at Mania. Fans only remember its greatness because of the match in Toronto.

Make no mistake, their initial feud was nothing but "past vs. present."

That all changed a year later. The Rock and Hulk Hogan finally engaged in a feud, Rocky was heel (with new music), and Hogan was back as the beloved face. Now, they could officially wrestle again!

The shows each week actually built up the huge second match. Being in Canada once again, both men were ready to deliver. A lot was riding on living up to their previous battle.

They fell short but still had a good match. Due to Vince McMahon and a screwy referee, The Rock picked up the win. It was a play on the "Montreal Screwjob" (this time for Hogan), and I loved it!

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