SummerSlam 2003 SummerSlam 2003 was a professional wrestling pay - per - view ( PPV ) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) , which took place on August 24 , 2003 at the America West Arena in Phoenix , Arizona . It was the 16th annual SummerSlam event and starred wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown ! brands . Nine professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event ' s card , which featured a supercard , a scheduling of more than one main event . The first was an Elimination Chamber match featuring wrestlers from the Raw brand fighting in a ring surrounded by a steel structure of chain and girders . World Heavyweight Champion Triple H defeated Chris Jericho , Goldberg , Kevin Nash , Randy Orton , and Shawn Michaels to retain his championship . The other main event featured wrestlers from the SmackDown ! brand , in which defending WWE Champion Kurt Angle defeated challenger Brock Lesnar in a standard wrestling match , also known as a singles match . Two featured bouts were scheduled on the undercard . In a No Disqualification match between wrestlers from the Raw brand , Kane defeated Rob Van Dam . The other was a standard match involving four wrestlers from the SmackDown ! brand ; WWE United States Champion Eddie Guerrero defeated Chris Benoit , Rhyno , and Tajiri . Background . The event featured nine professional wrestling matches with outcomes predetermined by WWE script writers . The matches featured wrestlers portraying their characters in planned storylines that took place before , during and after the event . All wrestlers were from either one of the WWE ' s brands – SmackDown or Raw – the two storyline divisions in which WWE assigned its employees . Wrestlers from the Raw brand were featured in the main event at SummerSlam : an Elimination Chamber match , in which the ring is surrounded by a steel structure of chain and girders . The match was contested for the World Heavyweight Championship , in which Triple H defended the title against Chris Jericho , Goldberg , Kevin Nash , Randy Orton , and Shawn Michaels . The buildup to the match began on July 22 , 2003 during the SummerSlam press conference , where the authority figure Eric Bischoff , a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer , announced that Triple H would defend the championship against Goldberg in a standard wrestling match , known as a singles match , at the event . On August 4 , 2003 during a television episode of " Raw " , Bischoff announced that the World Heavyweight Championship match would be contested in a standard match under No disqualification regulations . Later during the episode , another authority figure , Steve Austin , altered Bischoff ’ s announcement , stating that the championship would be contested in an Elimination Chamber match , with Triple H defending his title against Goldberg , Chris Jericho , Kevin Nash , Randy Orton , and Shawn Michaels . Six days before SummerSlam , during an episode of " Raw " on August 18 , 2003 , the staged rivalry among the six competitors intensified , as Jericho held a promotional interview segment in the ring , which he called the " Highlight Reel " . During this segment , each participant in the Elimination Chamber discussed the match and taunted the other wrestlers . As a part of the storyline , later on the show during the main event of Orton versus Goldberg , Nash interfered in the match and attacked Goldberg . Michaels then came down to the ring , but as he was about to hit Triple H with the World Heavyweight Championship belt , Jericho ran into the ring and hit Michaels with a steel chair . The other predominant match at SummerSlam featured wrestlers from the SmackDown ! brand fighting in a standard match for the WWE Championship , in which Kurt Angle defended the title against Brock Lesnar . The hype to the match began on July 31 , 2003 on an episode of " SmackDown ! " , the other main television program for WWE . During an interview promotion in the ring , Lesnar challenged Angle to a rematch of their bout at Vengeance , WWE ' s previous pay - per - view event . The WWE Chairman , Vince McMahon , announced from the ring that Lesnar would have to earn his rematch by competing in a match in which a steel cage would enclose the ring . The match would be against McMahon himself , and would take place on SmackDown ! the following week , with Angle officiating as a special guest referee . The Steel Cage match resulted in neither wrestler winning the match , after McMahon and Lesnar attacked Angle . On August 14 , 2003 during an episode of " SmackDown ! " , McMahon announced that Angle would defend the championship against Lesnar at SummerSlam . Rob Van Dam versus Kane , wrestling under No disqualification regulations , was the main preliminary match that featured wrestlers from the Raw brand . The events leading up to this match began on the June 23 , 2003 edition of " Raw " , when Kane took his mask off and exposed his face in front of RVD and the crowd after he lost to Triple H during a World Heavyweight Championship match . Then on July 7 , 2003 when , in accordance with the scripted events , Kane attacked Van Dam backstage during an episode of " Raw " . The following week on an episode of Raw , Bischoff granted Van Dam a standard match against Kane . On August 4 , 2003 , Shane McMahon , the son of Mr . McMahon , announced that Kane and Van Dam would wrestle in a No Disqualification match at SummerSlam . A standard match between four wrestlers for the WWE United States Championship was the other main preliminary match . The match featured wrestlers from the SmackDown ! brand , where Eddie Guerrero defended the title against Chris Benoit , Rhyno , and Tajiri . The buildup to the match began with two different staged rivalries , one between Guerrero and Tajiri , and the other between Benoit and Rhyno . On August 7 , 2003 during an episode of " SmackDown ! " , Guerrero and Benoit were scripted to wrestle in a standard match . However , during the match , Rhyno and Tajiri interfered as part of the storyline , which ended in neither wrestler winning the match . Sgt . Slaughter , a WWE official , promoted a tag team match between the team of Guerrero and Benoit and the team of Rhyno and Tajiri , which Guerrero and Benoit won . The following week on an episode of " SmackDown ! " , it was announced via a SummerSlam advertisement that Guerrero would defend the WWE United States Championship against Benoit , Rhyno , and Tajiri .