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No Mercy (2005)
Encyclopedia
No Mercy was the eighth annual No Mercy
professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE). It took place on October 9, 2005 at the Toyota Center
in Houston, Texas and featured wrestlers and other talent from WWE's SmackDown! brand
. Nine professional wrestling matches
were scheduled on the event's card
.
Three of the four championships exclusive to the SmackDown! brand were contested for; one was lost while the other two were retained. The main event was a standard wrestling match, in which World Heavyweight Champion
Batista defeated challenger Eddie Guerrero
to retain his title. One of the featured preliminary matches was a Casket match between The Ortons (Randy
and "Cowboy" Bob
) and The Undertaker. The Ortons won the match after placing Undertaker inside the casket
and closing it. Another primary preliminary match was a standard match between John "Bradshaw" Layfield
(JBL) and Rey Mysterio, which JBL won.
The event received 219,000 pay-per-view buys, which was greater than the 193,000 buys the previous year's event
received. The event was claimed to be "unmerciful" by Canadian Online Explorer
's professional wrestling section, as they rated none of the matches higher than a five out of ten. When the event was released on DVD
, it reached a peak position of fourth on Billboard
s DVD sales chart for recreational sports. It remained on the chart for four consecutive weeks.
were featured on the event's card
, which were planned with predetermined outcomes by WWE's script writers. The buildup to these matches and scenarios that took place before, during and after the event were also planned by the script writers. The event featured wrestlers and other talent from WWE's SmackDown! brand, a storyline expansion
in which WWE assigned its employees. Wrestlers portrayed either a villainous
or fan favorite
gimmick, an on-screen character, for the entertainment of the audience.
The main rivalry
heading into No Mercy was between Batista and Eddie Guerrero
over the World Heavyweight Championship
. On the September 16 episode of SmackDown!, Palmer Cannon
, a miscellaneous on-screen authority figure of SmackDown!, a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer, announced that Guerrero was the next challenger to Batista's World Heavyweight Championship. Guerrero, who had recently portrayed a manipulative character, came out and claimed he was now more about compassion
than manipulation. Two weeks later, on the September 30 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero, as part of the scripted events, accidentally hit Batista with a folding chair
while attempting to hit MNM
tag team member Joey Mercury
. The following week, Batista showed Guerrero the footage of him hitting Batista last week. Batista, as part of their storyline, then proclaimed that he would hurt Guerrero if he were to revert back to his villainous character.
The feud between The Undertaker and Randy Orton
and "Cowboy" Bob Orton
began at SummerSlam
. At the event, Randy faced off against Undertaker. During the match, "Cowboy" Bob (disguised as a fan) came into the ring and interrupted the match. Afterwards, Randy pinned Undertaker after he jumped and pulled Undertaker's head down over his shoulders, a move dubbed the RKO, to win. After the match, Randy peeled off the latex mask
of the fan and revealed him to be his father, "Cowboy" Bob. On the September 16 episode of SmackDown!, Undertaker defeated Randy. During the match, "Cowboy" Bob drove a U-Haul
truck down to the ring and unloaded a casket
. As Undertaker went to put Randy inside the casket, he opened it and found a mannequin
of himself inside. Despite this distraction, Undertaker pinned Randy after he drove Randy's head into the mat in an upside down position, a move called the Tombstone Piledriver. The following week, druid
s wheeled out a casket. Undertaker appeared on the TitonTron
and urged The Ortons to look inside. The Ortons opened the casket and found mannequins of themselves inside. Undertaker then proclaimed that this would be their fate at No Mercy.
At the previous SmackDown! brand pay-per-view
event, The Great American Bash
, The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal
and Heidenreich
) defeated MNM
(Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. After both teams got involved in a storyline between Melina (Melina Perez
), who was also a member of MNM, and Christy Hemme
, The Legion of Doom and Hemme versus MNM was announced for No Mercy.
The storyline over the WWE United States Championship
began when Booker T
, Orlando Jordan
, and Christian each explained why they thought they deserved a title match against the champion, Chris Benoit
. Theodore Long
, SmackDown!'s on-screen general manager/authority figure, then announced that Benoit could choose who he wanted to face for the title. After Jordan won a standard wrestling match between three wrestlers, also involving Booker and Christian, Benoit decided that he would face all three men in a match between the four at No Mercy.
of the event began, William Regal and Paul Burchill
defeated Paul London and Brian Kendrick
in a tag team
match that aired on the Sunday Night Heat
pre-show.
The first match of the event was The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Heidenreich) and Christy Hemme versus MNM (Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro, and Melina) in a six-person tag team match. After a match predominately controlled by MNM, Hemme pinned Melina after executing a Doomsday Device
, performed by one wrestler hoisting the opponent on their shoulders as another wrestler climbs the ring post to the top turnbuckle and delivers a flying attack onto the opponent, to win the match for her team. The next match on the card
was Bobby Lashley, who was making his WWE pay-per-view debut, versus Simon Dean
. Lashley won the match in under two minutes after pinning Dean following an inverted powerbomb, which is performed by lifting an opponent over one's shoulders and slamming them down in a forward position. After the match, Lashley forced Dean to eat twenty double cheeseburger
s.
The third contest was a match between four wrestlers for the WWE United States Championship. Chris Benoit defended his title against Booker T, Christian, and Orlando Jordan. After a match evenly controlled by all four men, Benoit forced Christian to submit with the sharpshooter
submission hold
to win the match and retain the title. The match that followed saw Mr. Kennedy face off against Hardcore Holly
. Kennedy controlled most of the match, as he attacked and applied various submission holds on Holly's arm. Kennedy pinned Holly after he performed a Green Bay Plunge off the top rope. The following match was between John "Bradshaw" Layfield
(JBL) and Rey Mysterio. The match went back and forth, as each man was able to gain the advantage numerous times. JBL pinned Mysterio following a Clothesline from Hell to win.
in his eyes. Randy then hit Undertaker with a folding chair and placed him in the casket. The Ortons closed the casket to win the bout. After the match, The Ortons, as part of the scripted events, locked Undertaker in the casket and hit it numerous times with an axe
. They then poured gasoline
on the casket and lit it on fire. The next match saw WWE Cruiserweight Champion
Nunzio
defend his title against Juventud
. After a back and forth match between the two, Juventud pinned Nunzio after a sit-out body slam to win the match and the Cruiserweight Championship.
Next was the main event, which saw Batista defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Eddie Guerrero. Towards the end of the match, Guerrero executed three vertical suplexes, a move that is performed by vertically rotating the opponent 270° and slamming them onto the mat, and attempted to perform a Frog Splash. Batista, however, rolled out of the way and performed a Spinebuster. Batista pinned Guerrero afterwards to win the match and retain the World Heavyweight Championship. After the match, Batista and the crowd at the arena sang "Happy Birthday
" to Guerrero.
The Undertaker would not be seen on-screen until Survivor Series
after being burned inside a casket at the event. After being the sole survivor in his elimination match, Randy Orton celebrated his victory with his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand. During the celebration, druids brought out a casket and set it up in an upright position. Lightning then struck the casket and set it on fire. Undertaker emerged from the flaming casket and attacked the SmackDown wrestlers. The Ortons, however, escaped the attack. This set up a Hell in a Cell match, a match that is contested in a roofed cage inside the ring, between Randy and Undertaker at Armageddon
. Undertaker defeated Randy and ended their storyline that had lasted nearly one year.
After successfully retaining the WWE United States Championship at the event, Chris Benoit started a rivalry with Booker T. Booker defeated Benoit for the title on the October 21 edition of SmackDown! to begin their feud. The following month, on the November 24 edition of SmackDown!, a match between Benoit and Booker for the title ended in a no-contest after both men's shoulders were on the mat while pinning one another. Theodore Long then vacated the title and announced that the two would face off against one another in a "Best of Seven series" for the title, in which the winner would be the man who won four matches over the other first. Booker defeated Benoit in the first match at Survivor Series, and eventually won the vacant title after Randy Orton, Booker's replacement due to an injury portrayed as real as part of their storyline, defeated Benoit in the seventh and final match in January. Booker began his fourth reign as United States Champion.
received. The promotion's revenue was $18.8 million, which was greater than the previous year's revenue of $18.5 million. Canadian Online Explorer
's professional wrestling section claimed the event was "unmerciful" and that it left fans "begging for mercy". They rated the overall event, as well as the main event, a five out of ten. None of the matches received a rating higher than a five out of 10. The match between Bobby Lashley and Simon Dean was rated a three out of 10, the lowest overall.
The event was released on DVD
on November 8, 2005. The DVD reached a peak position of fourth on Billboard
s DVD sales chart for recreational sports on December 3, 2005. It remained on the chart for four consecutive weeks, until December 24, when it ranked ninth.
WWE No Mercy
No Mercy was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The first No Mercy was held on May 16, 1999 in Manchester, England. No Mercy was held every year in October and from 2003 to 2006 the event was exclusive to the SmackDown! brand...
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWE). It took place on October 9, 2005 at the Toyota Center
Toyota Center (Houston)
The Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in downtown Houston, Texas. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Rockets of the National Basketball Association, the principal owners of the building, and the Aeros of the American Hockey League.Rockets...
in Houston, Texas and featured wrestlers and other talent from WWE's SmackDown! brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
. Nine professional wrestling matches
Mock combat
Mock combat involves the execution of combative actions without intent to harm. Participants can engage in such sparring for ritual, training, recreational or performance reasons...
were scheduled on the event's card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
.
Three of the four championships exclusive to the SmackDown! brand were contested for; one was lost while the other two were retained. The main event was a standard wrestling match, in which World Heavyweight Champion
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
Batista defeated challenger Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
to retain his title. One of the featured preliminary matches was a Casket match between The Ortons (Randy
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
and "Cowboy" Bob
Bob Orton, Jr.
Robert Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He is the father of wrestler Randy Orton, who is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment...
) and The Undertaker. The Ortons won the match after placing Undertaker inside the casket
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
and closing it. Another primary preliminary match was a standard match between John "Bradshaw" Layfield
John Layfield
John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News...
(JBL) and Rey Mysterio, which JBL won.
The event received 219,000 pay-per-view buys, which was greater than the 193,000 buys the previous year's event
No Mercy (2004)
No Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 3, 2004 at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was the fifth annual No Mercy event, and featured eight professional wrestling matches...
received. The event was claimed to be "unmerciful" by Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer is a bilingual online news and information site from Canada.A subsidiary of Quebecor Media, Canoe.ca is a leading local and national interactive media provider of news, entertainment and services, helping to inform and connect Canadians...
's professional wrestling section, as they rated none of the matches higher than a five out of ten. When the event was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, it reached a peak position of fourth on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s DVD sales chart for recreational sports. It remained on the chart for four consecutive weeks.
Background
Nine professional wrestling matchesMock combat
Mock combat involves the execution of combative actions without intent to harm. Participants can engage in such sparring for ritual, training, recreational or performance reasons...
were featured on the event's card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
, which were planned with predetermined outcomes by WWE's script writers. The buildup to these matches and scenarios that took place before, during and after the event were also planned by the script writers. The event featured wrestlers and other talent from WWE's SmackDown! brand, a storyline expansion
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
in which WWE assigned its employees. Wrestlers portrayed either a villainous
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or fan favorite
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
gimmick, an on-screen character, for the entertainment of the audience.
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
heading into No Mercy was between Batista and Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero
Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
over the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
. On the September 16 episode of SmackDown!, Palmer Cannon
Brian Mailhot
Brian Mailhot is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter, better known for his short stint in World Wrestling Entertainment's SmackDown! brand under the ring name of Palmer Canon.-Early career:...
, a miscellaneous on-screen authority figure of SmackDown!, a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer, announced that Guerrero was the next challenger to Batista's World Heavyweight Championship. Guerrero, who had recently portrayed a manipulative character, came out and claimed he was now more about compassion
Compassion
Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...
than manipulation. Two weeks later, on the September 30 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero, as part of the scripted events, accidentally hit Batista with a folding chair
Folding chair
A folding chair is a light, portable chair that that folds flat, and can be stored in a stack, row, or on a cart.-Uses:Folding chairs are generally used for seating in areas where permanent seating is not possible or practical. This includes outdoor and indoor events such as funerals, college...
while attempting to hit MNM
MNM
MNM was a villainous professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Joey Mercury , Johnny Nitro, and their manager Melina Perez....
tag team member Joey Mercury
Adam Birch
Adam Birch is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment , and training in WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling, as Joey Mercury...
. The following week, Batista showed Guerrero the footage of him hitting Batista last week. Batista, as part of their storyline, then proclaimed that he would hurt Guerrero if he were to revert back to his villainous character.
The feud between The Undertaker and Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
and "Cowboy" Bob Orton
Bob Orton, Jr.
Robert Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He is the father of wrestler Randy Orton, who is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment...
began at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2005)
SummerSlam was the eighteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 21, 2005 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C...
. At the event, Randy faced off against Undertaker. During the match, "Cowboy" Bob (disguised as a fan) came into the ring and interrupted the match. Afterwards, Randy pinned Undertaker after he jumped and pulled Undertaker's head down over his shoulders, a move dubbed the RKO, to win. After the match, Randy peeled off the latex mask
Latex mask
Latex mask generally refers to a full-head enclosure or disguise, often worn by someone as a part of a costume and usually made from natural latex rubber, though some masks can be made of vinyl, silicone rubber or foam latex. Latex masks are particularly popular around holidays such as Halloween,...
of the fan and revealed him to be his father, "Cowboy" Bob. On the September 16 episode of SmackDown!, Undertaker defeated Randy. During the match, "Cowboy" Bob drove a U-Haul
U-Haul
U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation...
truck down to the ring and unloaded a casket
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
. As Undertaker went to put Randy inside the casket, he opened it and found a mannequin
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
of himself inside. Despite this distraction, Undertaker pinned Randy after he drove Randy's head into the mat in an upside down position, a move called the Tombstone Piledriver. The following week, druid
Druid
A druid was a member of the priestly class in Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, and possibly other parts of Celtic western Europe, during the Iron Age....
s wheeled out a casket. Undertaker appeared on the TitonTron
Jumbotron
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
and urged The Ortons to look inside. The Ortons opened the casket and found mannequins of themselves inside. Undertaker then proclaimed that this would be their fate at No Mercy.
At the previous SmackDown! brand pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event, The Great American Bash
The Great American Bash (2005)
The Great American Bash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment .It was the second annual event and took place on July 24, 2005, at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York...
, The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal
Road Warrior Animal
Joseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior...
and Heidenreich
Jon Heidenreich
Jon Heidenreich is an American professional wrestler, better known simply as Heidenreich. He is best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one time WWE Tag Team Champion with Road Warrior Animal as a part of the Road Warriors.-Early career:Prior to professional...
) defeated MNM
MNM
MNM was a villainous professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Joey Mercury , Johnny Nitro, and their manager Melina Perez....
(Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro) to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. After both teams got involved in a storyline between Melina (Melina Perez
Melina Perez
Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina....
), who was also a member of MNM, and Christy Hemme
Christy Hemme
Christina Lee "Christy" Hemme is an American actress, singer, model, professional wrestling valet and former professional wrestler. Hemme is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, as a backstage interviewer and ring announcer.-Early life:Hemme was born in Poway, California, but she...
, The Legion of Doom and Hemme versus MNM was announced for No Mercy.
The storyline over the WWE United States Championship
WWE United States Championship
The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
began when Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
, Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan
Orlando Jordan is an American professional wrestler, most recently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Jordan is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time United States Champion....
, and Christian each explained why they thought they deserved a title match against the champion, Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
. Theodore Long
Theodore Long
Theodore R. "Teddy" Long is an American professional wrestling manager and former referee who currently works for WWE on its SmackDown brand as its General Manager.-National Wrestling Alliance / World Championship Wrestling:...
, SmackDown!'s on-screen general manager/authority figure, then announced that Benoit could choose who he wanted to face for the title. After Jordan won a standard wrestling match between three wrestlers, also involving Booker and Christian, Benoit decided that he would face all three men in a match between the four at No Mercy.
Event
Before the live broadcastLive television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
of the event began, William Regal and Paul Burchill
Paul Burchill
Paul Birchill , better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance in his home country.-Frontier Wrestling Alliance...
defeated Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Paul London and Brian Kendrick are a professional wrestling tag team best known for their time together in World Wrestling Entertainment . The team never had an official team name, but were just referred to as "the tag team of London and Kendrick." In 2006 London and Kendrick put the tag team name...
in a tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
match that aired on the Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
pre-show.
Preliminary matches
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Tazz Tazz Peter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz... |
| Michael Cole Michael Cole Michael Sean Coulthard , better known by his ring name Michael Cole, is an American professional wrestling commentator, currently signed to WWE on both its Rawand SmackDown brands. Coulthard is a former news journalist.... |
|
| Carlos Cabrera Carlos Cabrera Carlos Rodrigo Cabrera is a former newsman and currently employed with WWE, where he is one half of the company's Spanish announce team in which he is the play-by-play announcer. His longtime broadcast partner was the former Ecuadorian professional wrestler Hugo Savinovich, who was the color... (Spanish) |
|
| Hugo Savinovich Hugo Savinovich Hugo Savinovich is a former Ecuadorian professional wrestler, formerly employed with WWE, where he was one half of the Spanish announce team for the company's TV shows and pay-per-view events. He was a color commentator and partner of Carlos Cabrera and occasionally Marcelo Rodríguez. When he... (Spanish) |
|
| Interviewer | Steve Romero Todd Romero Todd Romero, from Denver, Colorado, is a former employee of World Wrestling Entertainment, who worked as a backstage interviewer and a back-up commentator for the SmackDown brand under the name Steve Romero... |
| Ring announcer | Tony Chimel Tony Chimel Anthony "Tony" Chimel is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, currently employed by WWE working as the ring announcer for SmackDown brand.-WWE :... |
| Referee | Brian Hebner |
| Jim Korderas Jim Korderas __FORCETOC__Demetrius Korderas , better known by his referee name, Jim "Jimmy" Korderas is a Canadian professional wrestling referee who worked for World Wrestling Entertainment for over 22 years.-Early career:... |
|
| Nick Patrick Nick Hamilton Joseph Nicholas "Nick" Patrick Hamilton Jr. , better known by his ring name Nick Patrick, is a professional wrestling referee. He is a former referee for World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment... |
|
| Charles Robinson Charles Robinson (referee) Charles Shane Robinson is an American professional wrestling referee currently signed to WWE.- Beginnings and World Championship Wrestling :... |
The first match of the event was The Legion of Doom (Road Warrior Animal and Heidenreich) and Christy Hemme versus MNM (Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro, and Melina) in a six-person tag team match. After a match predominately controlled by MNM, Hemme pinned Melina after executing a Doomsday Device
Doomsday Device
Doomsday Device, often shortened to Device, is a term used in professional wrestling to reference a tandem move in which one wrestler hoists the opponent on their shoulders so that they are facing in the same direction in what is known as the electric chair position, while another wrestler climbs...
, performed by one wrestler hoisting the opponent on their shoulders as another wrestler climbs the ring post to the top turnbuckle and delivers a flying attack onto the opponent, to win the match for her team. The next match on the card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
was Bobby Lashley, who was making his WWE pay-per-view debut, versus Simon Dean
Mike Bucci
Michael "Mike" Bucci is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. Bucci is probably best known for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling as Nova, Super Nova, and "Hollywood" Nova and World Wrestling Entertainment as Simon Dean...
. Lashley won the match in under two minutes after pinning Dean following an inverted powerbomb, which is performed by lifting an opponent over one's shoulders and slamming them down in a forward position. After the match, Lashley forced Dean to eat twenty double cheeseburger
Cheeseburger
A cheeseburger is a hamburger with cheese that has been added to it. Traditionally, the cheese is placed on top of the patty, but the burger can include many variations in structure, ingredients, and composition...
s.
The third contest was a match between four wrestlers for the WWE United States Championship. Chris Benoit defended his title against Booker T, Christian, and Orlando Jordan. After a match evenly controlled by all four men, Benoit forced Christian to submit with the sharpshooter
Sharpshooter (professional wrestling)
The Sharpshooter, originally named Sasori-gatame, Scorpion Hold in English, is a professional wrestling submission hold. The move is also known by several other names: cloverleaf leg-lace Boston crab, standing reverse figure-four leglock, and, the most commonly known alternative, Scorpion Deathlock...
submission hold
Professional wrestling holds
Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring...
to win the match and retain the title. The match that followed saw Mr. Kennedy face off against Hardcore Holly
Bob Holly
Robert "Bob" Howard better known by his ring name Bob "Hardcore" Holly, is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
. Kennedy controlled most of the match, as he attacked and applied various submission holds on Holly's arm. Kennedy pinned Holly after he performed a Green Bay Plunge off the top rope. The following match was between John "Bradshaw" Layfield
John Layfield
John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News...
(JBL) and Rey Mysterio. The match went back and forth, as each man was able to gain the advantage numerous times. JBL pinned Mysterio following a Clothesline from Hell to win.
Main event matches
The sixth bout on the card was a Casket match between The Ortons (Randy and "Cowboy" Bob) and The Undertaker. In order for The Undertaker to win the match, he had to put both Randy and "Cowboy" Bob in the casket, which was at ringside, and close it; for The Ortons, they had to place Undertaker in the casket and close it. Near the end of the match, Undertaker had placed "Cowboy" Bob in the casket and was attempting to place Randy in it as well. After performing a Last Ride on Randy, Undertaker went to open the casket. As he did, however, "Cowboy" Bob sprayed a fire extinguisherFire extinguisher
A fire extinguisher or extinguisher, flame entinguisher is an active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergency situations...
in his eyes. Randy then hit Undertaker with a folding chair and placed him in the casket. The Ortons closed the casket to win the bout. After the match, The Ortons, as part of the scripted events, locked Undertaker in the casket and hit it numerous times with an axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
. They then poured gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
on the casket and lit it on fire. The next match saw WWE Cruiserweight Champion
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
Nunzio
James Maritato
James Maritato is an American professional wrestler, of Italian origin, currently working on the independent circuit. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment and Extreme Championship Wrestling under the ring names Little Guido Maritato and Nunzio.-Starting out:While...
defend his title against Juventud
Juventud Guerrera
Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández , better known as Juventud Guerrera, is a Mexican professional wrestler who is best known for his work in many wrestling promotions worldwide, including all the major American wrestling promotions, such as World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship...
. After a back and forth match between the two, Juventud pinned Nunzio after a sit-out body slam to win the match and the Cruiserweight Championship.
Next was the main event, which saw Batista defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Eddie Guerrero. Towards the end of the match, Guerrero executed three vertical suplexes, a move that is performed by vertically rotating the opponent 270° and slamming them onto the mat, and attempted to perform a Frog Splash. Batista, however, rolled out of the way and performed a Spinebuster. Batista pinned Guerrero afterwards to win the match and retain the World Heavyweight Championship. After the match, Batista and the crowd at the arena sang "Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to You
"Happy Birthday to You", also known more simply as "Happy Birthday", is a song that is traditionally sung to celebrate the anniversary of a person's birth...
" to Guerrero.
Aftermath
The rivalry between Batista and Eddie Guerrero ended after Guerrero unexpectedly died due to a heart failure on November 13, 2005. Their feud was planned to continue, as Guerrero would have gone back to his villainous character.The Undertaker would not be seen on-screen until Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2005)
Survivor Series was the 19th annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
after being burned inside a casket at the event. After being the sole survivor in his elimination match, Randy Orton celebrated his victory with his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand. During the celebration, druids brought out a casket and set it up in an upright position. Lightning then struck the casket and set it on fire. Undertaker emerged from the flaming casket and attacked the SmackDown wrestlers. The Ortons, however, escaped the attack. This set up a Hell in a Cell match, a match that is contested in a roofed cage inside the ring, between Randy and Undertaker at Armageddon
Armageddon (2005)
Armageddon was the sixth Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on December 18, 2005 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island and was a SmackDown! brand-exclusive event.The main event was a Hell in a Cell...
. Undertaker defeated Randy and ended their storyline that had lasted nearly one year.
After successfully retaining the WWE United States Championship at the event, Chris Benoit started a rivalry with Booker T. Booker defeated Benoit for the title on the October 21 edition of SmackDown! to begin their feud. The following month, on the November 24 edition of SmackDown!, a match between Benoit and Booker for the title ended in a no-contest after both men's shoulders were on the mat while pinning one another. Theodore Long then vacated the title and announced that the two would face off against one another in a "Best of Seven series" for the title, in which the winner would be the man who won four matches over the other first. Booker defeated Benoit in the first match at Survivor Series, and eventually won the vacant title after Randy Orton, Booker's replacement due to an injury portrayed as real as part of their storyline, defeated Benoit in the seventh and final match in January. Booker began his fourth reign as United States Champion.
Reception
The event received 219,000 pay-per-view buys, which was greater than the 193,000 buys the previous year's eventNo Mercy (2004)
No Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 3, 2004 at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was the fifth annual No Mercy event, and featured eight professional wrestling matches...
received. The promotion's revenue was $18.8 million, which was greater than the previous year's revenue of $18.5 million. Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer is a bilingual online news and information site from Canada.A subsidiary of Quebecor Media, Canoe.ca is a leading local and national interactive media provider of news, entertainment and services, helping to inform and connect Canadians...
's professional wrestling section claimed the event was "unmerciful" and that it left fans "begging for mercy". They rated the overall event, as well as the main event, a five out of ten. None of the matches received a rating higher than a five out of 10. The match between Bobby Lashley and Simon Dean was rated a three out of 10, the lowest overall.
The event was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on November 8, 2005. The DVD reached a peak position of fourth on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s DVD sales chart for recreational sports on December 3, 2005. It remained on the chart for four consecutive weeks, until December 24, when it ranked ninth.
Results
| Order | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Regal and Paul Burchill Paul Burchill Paul Birchill , better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he signed after training and debuting for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance in his home country.-Frontier Wrestling Alliance... defeated Paul London and Brian Kendrick Paul London and Brian Kendrick Paul London and Brian Kendrick are a professional wrestling tag team best known for their time together in World Wrestling Entertainment . The team never had an official team name, but were just referred to as "the tag team of London and Kendrick." In 2006 London and Kendrick put the tag team name... |
Tag team match Professional wrestling tag team match types Much like singles matches, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace... |
N/A | |
| 1 | The Legion of Doom Road Warriors The Road Warriors were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Michael "Hawk" Hegstrand and Joseph "Animal" Laurinaitis. They performed under the name "Road Warriors" in the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, and World Championship Wrestling, and the name Legion... (Road Warrior Animal Road Warrior Animal Joseph Aaron "Joe" Laurinaitis is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring names, Road Warrior Animal and Road Warrior... and Heidenreich Jon Heidenreich Jon Heidenreich is an American professional wrestler, better known simply as Heidenreich. He is best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one time WWE Tag Team Champion with Road Warrior Animal as a part of the Road Warriors.-Early career:Prior to professional... ) and Christy Hemme Christy Hemme Christina Lee "Christy" Hemme is an American actress, singer, model, professional wrestling valet and former professional wrestler. Hemme is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, as a backstage interviewer and ring announcer.-Early life:Hemme was born in Poway, California, but she... defeated MNM MNM MNM was a villainous professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Joey Mercury , Johnny Nitro, and their manager Melina Perez.... (Joey Mercury Adam Birch Adam Birch is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment , and training in WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling, as Joey Mercury... , Johnny Nitro, and Melina Melina Perez Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina.... ) |
Six-person intergender tag team match | 06:28 |
| 2 | Bobby Lashley defeated Simon Dean Mike Bucci Michael "Mike" Bucci is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. Bucci is probably best known for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling as Nova, Super Nova, and "Hollywood" Nova and World Wrestling Entertainment as Simon Dean... |
Singles match | 01:55 |
| 3 | Chris Benoit Chris Benoit Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide... (c) defeated Booker T Booker Huffman Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World... (with Sharmell), Christian, and Orlando Jordan Orlando Jordan Orlando Jordan is an American professional wrestler, most recently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Jordan is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he was a one-time United States Champion.... |
Fatal four-way match for the WWE United States Championship WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand.... |
10:22 |
| 4 | Mr. Kennedy defeated Hardcore Holly Bob Holly Robert "Bob" Howard better known by his ring name Bob "Hardcore" Holly, is a American professional wrestler. He is best known for his 15-year stint with World Wrestling Entertainment .... |
Singles match | 08:49 |
| 5 | John "Bradshaw" Layfield John Layfield John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News... (with Jillian Hall Jillian Hall Jillian Faye Fletcher is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is also known for her tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Jillian Hall or simply Jillian... ) defeated Rey Mysterio |
Singles match | 13:24 |
| 6 | Randy Orton Randy Orton Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand... and "Cowboy" Bob Orton Bob Orton, Jr. Robert Keith Orton is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. He is the father of wrestler Randy Orton, who is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment... defeated The Undertaker |
Handicap Casket match | 19:16 |
| 7 | Juventud Juventud Guerrera Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández , better known as Juventud Guerrera, is a Mexican professional wrestler who is best known for his work in many wrestling promotions worldwide, including all the major American wrestling promotions, such as World Wrestling Entertainment, World Championship... (with Psicosis and Super Crazy Super Crazy Francisco Islas Rueda is a Mexican professional wrestler, or Luchador, best known by his ring name Super Crazy. Islas is most known for his three year run in the original ECW... ) defeated Nunzio James Maritato James Maritato is an American professional wrestler, of Italian origin, currently working on the independent circuit. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment and Extreme Championship Wrestling under the ring names Little Guido Maritato and Nunzio.-Starting out:While... (c) (with Vito Vito LoGrasso Vito Joseph LoGrasso is an American professional wrestler, of Italian origin, best known for his work in World Championship Wrestling as Big Vito and more recently World Wrestling Entertainment and working for their "developmental territories" Ohio Valley Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling as... ) |
Singles match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship WWE Cruiserweight Championship The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs... |
06:38 |
| 8 | Batista (c) defeated Eddie Guerrero Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions... |
Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand... |
18:40 |