WWA Reckoning
| Industry | Professional wrestling |
|---|---|
| Products | Professional wrestling events |
The Reckoning marked the fifth and concluding professional wrestling pay-per-view event organized by World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA). It took place on May 25, 2003, at the North Shore Events Centre in Auckland, New Zealand, with its broadcast airing on tape delay in the United States on June 8, 2003.
The card included six matches, headlined by a championship unification contest in which Jeff Jarrett overcame Sting to merge the WWA World Heavyweight Championship with the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Furthermore, the WWA International Cruiserweight Championship was unified into the TNA X Division Championship during a four-way encounter won by reigning X Division Champion Chris Sabin. Sabin defeated International Cruiserweight Champion Jerry Lynn, along with Frankie Kazarian and Johnny Swinger.
Opening bouts
The event commenced with Rick Steiner securing a victory over Mark Mercedes, who had stirred up the local crowd through his promo. Subsequently, Puppet triumphed in a three-way midget match against Teo and Meatball by executing a tiger feint kick followed by a senton bomb.
In a hardcore stipulation match, Devon Storm emerged victorious over Konnan after performing a diving splash from the guard rail. The cruiserweight title unification four-way match ensued, where Sabin took advantage of a confrontation between Lynn and Swinger to pin Kazarian using his Future Shock finisher, thereby unifying the championships.
Shane Douglas made his debut by antagonizing both the audience and Sabu, but was replaced by Joe E. Legend for the following bout. Sabu defeated Legend with an Arabian Facebuster, only to be assaulted post-match by Douglas.
Former WWA Commissioner Bret Hart returned with an emotional promo reflecting on his career struggles and honoring late wrestling personalities such as Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Curt Hennig, and Miss Elizabeth.
Main event
The headline match featured a title unification showdown between reigning WWA World Heavyweight Champion Sting and the NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett. During the contest, Joe E. Legend attempted to strike Sting using Jarrett's guitar; however, Rick Steiner intervened and blocked the attack. Sting then delivered three consecutive Stinger Splash maneuvers and locked in a Scorpion Deathlock. In a surprising turn, Steiner betrayed Sting by striking him with the guitar, allowing Jarrett to secure victory and unify both the WWA and NWA World Heavyweight titles.
Reception
Reckoning garnered mixed reactions from critics. Crazy Max highlighted the title unification matches as standout moments but regarded the remainder of the event as average, describing it as "adequate to watch but not compelling enough to endorse."
Peter Kent of 411Mania praised the four-way title unification bout, recommending it as one of 2003’s top highlights. He also complimented the event’s production values and noted the enthusiastic response from the audience.