WrestleMania XX - Aftermath

Aftermath

Despite the effort from WWE to promote the Brock Lesnar versus Goldberg contest, some critics expressed disappointment with the match, with many in Madison Square Garden booing both competitors and only cheering for Steve Austin because of the fact that both participants were set to leave the WWE after the event.

At Backlash, the original main event match was between Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship. Though, on the March 29 edition of Raw, after being traded to SmackDown! and brought back to Raw, Triple H demanded that the intended match at Backlash be changed to Benoit and Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff liked the idea of the match, but concluded with adding that he made a promise to Michaels for granting him a World title match at Backlash; instead Bischoff booked a Triple Threat match between Benoit, Michaels and Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. At Backlash, Benoit retained the World title, after he forced Michaels to submit to the Sharpshooter.

The feud between Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero continued. On the March 25 edition of SmackDown!, Angle was made the on-screen General Manager of SmackDown!, as part to the storyline of Angle's legitimate neck problems. This angle would also play on the April 15 edition of SmackDown!, when he attributed injuries suffered after The Big Show chokeslammed Angle off a ledge. In reality Angle announced that he would be having neck surgery in May and would be out of action until August. At The Great American Bash, Angle cost Guerrero the WWE title in a Texas Bull Rope match against John "Bradshaw" Layfield, after Angle reversed the outcome of the match when Guerrero appeared to have retained the title. In the same month, Angle's position as General Manager of SmackDown! came to an end when he was fired by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, after McMahon had exposed that Angle was not really injured. At SummerSlam, Angle and Guerrero were booked in a match, in which Angle defeated Guerrero after he forced Guerrero to submit to the Ankle lock.