4/5 ?
  by I. Koster
How come this says Bad Blood 2003 but has the cover of Bad Blood 2004?

4/5 "RAW" Meddles In Mediocrity / "SmackDown" Scores Big Time!
  by R.A. McKenzie (New York)
WWE is about to release another "Tagged Classics" release. Just like their previous pairings, there's some good and some bad. This is actually a pretty easy review to write:

"BAD BLOOD 2003 is average, but VENGEANCE 2003" is awesome!"

That about sums it up. But if you want more detail than that, here's my two cents:

* BAD BLOOD 2003
---RAW's first exclusive PPV wasn't received very well back 5 years ago. But oddly enough, everyone seems to have a different opinion on where this card went wrong. The Redneck Triathlon - a trio of "competitions" between RAW GMs Stone Cold Steve Austin and Eric Bischoff - is dumb comedy. Some people find it to be a guilty pleasure, while others think it was ridiculous waste of time. The Hell-In-A-Cell main event pitting Kevin Nash against World Heavyweight champion Triple H (with Mick Foley as referee) has been called one of the worst, but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. Goldberg's best WWE match was arguably against Chris Jericho on this very night. Some of us were thoroughly entertained with the match, but nay-sayers still aren't impressed. The only part where most fans seem to agree is Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair's impressive one-on-one affair. While not as emotional as their WRESTLEMANIA 24 showdown, the action is just as entertaining. But even though I think your reasons will be different than mine, I don't think BAD BLOOD 2003 is anything to go out of your way to see.

* VENGEANCE 2003
---SMACKDOWN's first brand-exclusive PPV, on the other hand, is an oustanding card from start to finish. The opener pits Eddie Guerrero against Chris Benoit for the new United States Title; what results is a 20-minute wrestling clinic that has all the ingredients of a classic (slow build-up, comedy, false finishes, etc.). John Cena may have gotten a title shot months earlier, but I think this grudge match against The Undertaker was more a push. A good showing from both men, indeed. The triple threat main event features Big Show, Kurt Angle, and Brock Lesnar (WWE champion) in a wild, fast-paced showdown. While not the best match on the card (in my opinion), all three men looked like championship material. Even Vince McMahon has a decent match against the one-legged Zach Gowen. If for no other reason, just watch Vince take one of the bloodiest chairshots in recent memory - it's priceless! But the greatest gift from VENGEANCE 2003 is what I consider to be the greatest Tag Team Match of all time! Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin defend their WWE Tag Team Titles against Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman in a flawless presentation. It's filled with high-risk spots and incredible athleticism. I can't think of any reason to dislike the match. Not. One. Reason.

OVERALL
---Now that I'm done drooling over VENGEANCE 2003, my recommendation is that you should only buy this combo if you're very - and I mean "VERY" - interested in BAD BLOOD 2003. If you're just curious, then skip this set and pick up the individual VENGEANCE DVD.

3/5 The First RAW & SmackDown Pay Per Views
  by D.P. (California)
The "Tagged Classic" series are old WWE PPV events that they package together & release as a set together for those who didn't catch them back when they originally were released. And to answer the big question surrounding every release of a PPV since July of last year is that Chris Benoit has not been edited out of the events. These are just re-releases of the original PPV DVD events.

Bad Blood 2003 was the first RAW only PPV (if you don't include the U.K. only Insurrextion PPV) & it was just really bad as nothing was really clicking here. It featured the Triple H/Kevin Nash HITC match which goes down as one of the worst ones due to Nash's lack of inring ability & just not being over with the crowd to the point where they brought in Mick Foley as the referee at the last min. & switched the focus from HHH/Nash to HHH/Foley. Flair & Michaels had a disappointing match since it wasn't given enough time to the point where I remember HBK did an interview on the WWE website right afterwards being upset that the match only got 15 mins. Chris Jericho tried but his match against Goldberg just wasn't anything special either. The only thing really worth watching here was the segments featuring the "Redneck Triathlon" between Steve Austin & Eric Bischoff. The other matches featured La Resistance vs. World Tag Team Champions RVD & Kane (who was beginning his "unmasked" storyline), Booker T vs. Intercontinental Champion Christian, Scott Steiner vs. Test for Stacy Keilber's managerial services, and the Dudleys vs. Rodney Mack & Chris Nowinski.

Vengeance 2003 was the first SmackDown only PPV & is the better card of these two events. The standout matches include the main event featured a triple threat match between Kurt Angle vs. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Big Show in what turned out to be just a great main event with everyone look strong & putting forth a great effort, Undertaker vs. John Cena which saw Cena & Taker go back & forth in a very hard hitting encounter, Eddie Guerrero & Chris Benoit in the finals of the U.S. Title tournament delivering the wrestling clinic they're known to do, a nice undercard match in the WWE Tag Team Champions Hass & Benjamin vs. Mysterio & Kidman, and an entertaining "A.P.A. Bar Room Brawl" hardcore match featuring the rest of the SmackDown roster along with some cameos by Doink The Crown & Brooklyn Brawler & Brother Love & The Easter Bunny (yes, you read that right). The rest of the card however is very passable as Vince McMahon took on the handicapped Zach Gowen, Sable vs. Stephanie McMahon, and Jamie Noble vs. Billy Gunn in a "indecent proposal" match surrounding Torrie Wilson.

In the end, if your looking for quality then your best bet is to try to find a copy of Vengeance at a cheaper price but if you can't then go ahead & grab this one.

As a side note for those looking for certain matches available elsewhere:
The Hell In A Cell Match is scheduled to be on the "Complete Hell" DVD
Eddie Guerrero vs. Chris Benoit is on Eddie Guerrero's DVD
Undertaker vs. John Cena is on Undertaker's anthology.