Shot of Nostalgia: The SmackDown Six Era continues with your host Acefield Retro as we revisit the stretch where SmackDown quietly became the best wrestling show in the world. Episode 4: The Golden Age of Tag Team Wrestling covers November 2002 through January 2003, the period when Paul Heyman’s system reached perfect balance. Every story connected, every match mattered, and SmackDown had evolved into a complete wrestling ecosystem that thrived on craft, chemistry, and trust.
It begins on the November 7 episode of SmackDown when Edge and Rey Mysterio finally defeated Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit in a two out of three falls match for the WWE Tag Team Titles. The match ran twenty four minutes and delivered a level of teamwork and precision that elevated the entire division. Just ten days later at Survivor Series 2002, Los Guerreros seized the spotlight by outsmarting both teams in one of the most celebrated triple threat tag matches of the decade. Their victory represented everything that made this era special. Eddie and Chavo’s mix of wit, charisma, and timing made them the emotional center of SmackDown. This week’s episode includes a special watch along of that match as we relive every moment of how they captured gold and redefined tag team storytelling.
From there the show only gained momentum. On December 5, Angle, Benoit, Edge, and Eddie Guerrero met in a fatal four way elimination match that tied every rivalry together and showed how deeply Heyman’s creative system was working. By the end of December, Team Angle had arrived. Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin debuted on December 26 as Kurt Angle’s chosen proteges, a pair of amateur wrestling standouts who brought a new layer of technical excellence to the brand. That arrival carried the SmackDown philosophy into the next year. The run reached its peak in January when Benoit and Edge faced Team Angle and Kurt, leading directly into the Royal Rumble 2003 where Kurt Angle defended the WWE Championship against Chris Benoit in a match that remains one of the most respected in company history.
We also look at the wider picture through the Wrestling Observer newsletters from late 2002 that captured just how different SmackDown’s approach was compared to Raw. While Raw was relying on shock segments that turned viewers away, SmackDown was earning loyalty through clarity and consistency. The Observer also documented the behind the scenes chaos surrounding Hulk Hogan’s negotiations with Vince McMahon. Hogan had been planned to return for Survivor Series against Brock Lesnar but refused to lose to him again. The standoff left Lesnar without his expected opponent and forced creative to shift focus, which in turn gave SmackDown’s tag division more room to shine. It was the kind of unintended consequence that helped the blue brand rise even higher. Fans made their preference clear. Ratings climbed, crowd reactions intensified, and SmackDown became the heartbeat of WWE’s weekly television.
By early 2003, SmackDown was not competing with Raw anymore. It had become its own force. Every match carried meaning, every performer felt essential, and every story flowed naturally. This was the golden age of tag team wrestling, a time when structure, emotion, and athletic storytelling defined an entire generation of WWE television.
Shot of Nostalgia: The SmackDown Six Era Episode 4 premieres Saturday, November 29, 2025, wherever you listen. Like, subscribe, and leave a review to help the show grow. Visit TurnbuckleTavern.com for merch, archives, and the full network schedule, and support the project at Patreon.com/TheTurnbuckleTavern for just 2.99 a month to keep these deep dives alive. Powered by G FUEL and Dick Lazers, use code TAVERN at checkout for 20 percent off your order.