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SummerSlam (2004)
Encyclopedia
SummerSlam was the seventeenth annual SummerSlam
professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE). It took place on August 15, 2004 at the Air Canada Centre
in Toronto, Ontario
and featured talent from the Raw
and SmackDown! brands
.
The main match on the Raw brand was Chris Benoit
versus Randy Orton
for the World Heavyweight Championship
, which Orton won by pinfall after performing an RKO
. The predominant match on the SmackDown! brand was John "Bradshaw" Layfield
(JBL) versus The Undertaker for the WWE Championship
, which JBL won after Undertaker was disqualified. The featured matches on the undercard included Kurt Angle
versus Eddie Guerrero
and Triple H
versus Eugene
.
heading into SummerSlam on the Raw
brand
was between Chris Benoit
and Randy Orton
, with the two feuding over the World Heavyweight Championship
. At Vengeance
, Benoit defeated Triple H
to retain the title. On the July 26 edition of Raw, Orton won a 20-man battle royal
, last eliminating Chris Jericho
, to become the number one contender to the title at SummerSlam. Also that night, Benoit defeated Triple H in a 60-minute Iron Man match
to retain the title with the help of Eugene
. The following week on Raw, Evolution
(Orton, Batista, and Ric Flair
) defeated Benoit, Edge
, and Chris Jericho. Evolution won the match after Orton pinned Benoit following an RKO. On the August 9 edition of Raw, Benoit defeated the team of Orton and Triple H in a Handicap match by disqualification.
The primary feud on the SmackDown! brand was between John "Bradshaw" Layfield
(JBL) and The Undertaker, both of whom wanted the WWE Championship
. JBL had won the title two months prior at The Great American Bash
by defeating then-champion Eddie Guerrero
in a Texas Bullrope match. One month later, on the July 22 edition of SmackDown!, JBL defeated a jobber
to retain the title. After the match, Undertaker came out and challenged JBL to a match at SummerSlam. On the August 5 edition of SmackDown!, as JBL called out The Undertaker, a midget
wrestler came out and began to imitate the real Undertaker. The real Undertaker came out shortly afterwards and attacked JBL, until Orlando Jordan
came out to help him. The following week, Undertaker defeated Jordan by disqualification after JBL interfered and executed a Clothesline from Hell on Undertaker.
The secondary feud on the SmackDown! brand was between Kurt Angle
and Eddie Guerrero
. The feud first started at WrestleMania XX
, when Guerrero defeated Angle to successfully retain the WWE Championship. Guerrero lost the title to John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) in June, when Angle, then-SmackDown! General Manager, screwed Guerrero and declared JBL the winner. Three weeks later, on the July 15 edition of SmackDown!, JBL defeated Guerrero in a Steel Cage match to retain the title. Towards the end of the match, El Gran Luchadore
(portrayed by Angle) interfered, giving JBL enough time to escape the cage and win the match. After the match ended, Guerrero attacked Luchadore and pulled off his mask, revealing him to be Kurt Angle. On the following edition of SmackDown!, Vince McMahon
scheduled a match between Angle and Guerrero for SummerSlam.
The secondary feud on the Raw brand was between Triple H and Eugene
. The feud first started, when on the May 17 episode of Raw, during an in-ring segment with The Rock, Eugene revealed that is favorite wrestler was in fact Triple H due to Eugene's adoration of "playing games" . Capitalizing on this opportunity, Triple H began to befriend the star-struck and naive Eugene even making the young wrestler an honorary member of Triple H's stable Evolution. However, Triple H soon revealed that this was all a calculated ploy and that he planned to utilize Eugene to help him win back the World Heavyweight Championship from Chris Benoit. Yet, Triple H's plan failed miserably when during his title match with Benoit at Vengeance, Eugene inadvertently hit him with a steel chair costing him the match and the championship. The following night on Raw, Triple H responded by brutally assaulting Eugene in the ring after falsely implying that he had forgiven him for the preceding night's events. On the July 26 episode of Raw, Eugene would return to exact a degree of revenge by costing Triple H his re-match with Benoit. This led to an infuriated Triple H demanding a match between the two at SummerSlam, to which Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff consented.
Before the event went live on pay-per-view, Rob Van Dam
defeated René Duprée
in a match taped for Sunday Night Heat
. The first match that aired was a six-man tag team
match between The Dudleys
(Bubba Ray, D-Von, and Spike
), who changed their name from the Dudley Boyz following their heel turn the month before, and the team of Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman, and Paul London
. Towards the end of the match, Spike pinned Kidman after a 3D from Bubba Ray and D-Von to win the match for his team.
The next match was between Kane
and Matt Hardy
. Hardy gained control over Kane, after performing a Twist of Fate onto Kane outside of the ring and hit him with the ring bell. Kane then countered a suplex
attempt by Hardy into a chokeslam
from the top rope. Kane scored the pinfall on Hardy to win the match. As a result of the pre-match stipulation, Lita
was forced to marry Kane, as part of their on-going storyline. The third match was between John Cena
and Booker T
in a "Best of 5 series" for the WWE United States Championship
In this "series," Cena and Booker would compete in up to five matches, where the first person to win three matches would become the new United States Champion. Early in the match, Cena gained the advantage over Booker, but towards the end of the match, Booker performed a scissors kick on Cena, who retaliated by performing an FU. Cena scored the pinfall to win the match and gain the upper-hand in the "Best of 5 series."
The following match was a Triple Threat match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
involving Edge, Batista and Chris Jericho
. During the match, Edge and Jericho performed double-team maneuvers onto Batista. Toward the match's end, Edge performed a spear on Jericho to score the pinfall and retain the title. The fifth match on the card was between Kurt Angle
and Eddie Guerrero
. Angle gained control over Guerrero early on in the match. Mid-match, the referee was knocked out, and as a result, Guerrero took his boot off and used it to hit both Angle and Luther Reigns
, who was at ringside with Angle and tried to get involved in the match. The match concluded when Angle was able to counter a frog splash and perform an ankle lock on Guerrero. Angle then won the match via submission after Guerrero tapped-out.
The next match was between Triple H
and Eugene
. At the start of the match, Triple H pretended to attack the ring announcer, Lilian Garcia
, as a distraction to attack Eugene. Eugene countered Triple H's attacks by delivering a Rock Bottom. During the match, Ric Flair
came down to ringside to interfere, but he was ejected by the referee. As Flair was leaving from ringside, William Regal hit Flair with a pair of brass knuckles
. After losing focus by watching the events that took place, Triple H performed a Pedigree on Eugene and pinned him to win the match.
The following match was for the WWE Championship
between John "Bradshaw" Layfield
and The Undertaker. Immediately, JBL and Undertaker started the match outside of the ring. Mid-match, the referee was knocked out, so Orlando Jordan
, who accompanied JBL to ringside, handed JBL the title, which JBL used to hit Undertaker. In the last moments in the match, Undertaker countered and hit JBL with the title. The referee saw this and disqualified Undertaker, which resulted in JBL winning the match. Afterwards, Undertaker started to take his frustration out on JBL by delivering a chokeslam to JBL through the roof of JBL's limousine. This caused JBL to have to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher. During the match the fans did the "mexican heatwave".
The last match of the card was the main event between Chris Benoit
and Randy Orton
for the World Heavyweight Championship
. Early on in the match, Orton attempted to perform a Sharpshooter
on Benoit, but instead, Benoit performed a Sharpshooter of his own. Later in the match, Benoit performed seven German suplexes on Orton, but lost the advantage after Orton blocked a headbutt attempt. Towards the end of the match, Benoit attempted to perform a Crippler Crossface on Orton. Orton, however, was able to escape, perform an RKO, and win the match via pinfall. As a result, Orton became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history. Following the match whilst Orton was celebrating his victory, Benoit returned to the ring and offered Orton a handshake, telling him to "be a man", which Orton accepted.
On the August 16 edition of Raw, Randy Orton
defeated Chris Benoit
in a rematch to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
. After the match, Evolution
(Batista, Ric Flair
, and Triple H
), threw Orton a mock
celebration, only to reveal that they were not pleased with his new victory. While Batista had Orton propped on his shoulders, Triple H gave him a pleased thumbs up, but abruptly changed it to a thumbs-down. He then told Batista to drop Orton to the mat, and Flair and Batista attacked Orton as Triple H told him that he was nothing without Evolution. On the August 23 edition of Raw, Triple H told Orton to give him the title or "pay the price". Orton refused, and then he spit in Triple H's face and hit him with the title belt turning Orton face
. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff
then scheduled a match between Orton and Triple H for the title at Unforgiven
. At Unforgiven, Orton lost the title when he was pinned by Triple H.
The feud between John "Bradshaw" Layfield
(JBL) and The Undertaker continued. The next few weeks on SmackDown!, JBL wore a neck brace, to signify that he was recuperating from Undertaker's chokeslam. On the August 26 edition of SmackDown!, Orlando Jordan
defended the WWE Championship
for JBL against The Undertaker. Undertaker won the match via disqualification following interference from JBL; as a result, JBL retained the title. The following week on SmackDown!, General Manager Theodore Long
scheduled a Last Ride match at No Mercy
between JBL and Undertaker. At No Mercy, JBL retained the title after interference by Heidenreich
.
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced annually in August by professional wrestling promotion WWE. The inaugural SummerSlam took place on August 29, 1988 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and was broadcast via pay-per-view, unlike the Royal Rumble of that...
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 August 15, 2004 at the Air Canada Centre
Air Canada Centre
The Air Canada Centre is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located on Bay Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The arena is popularly known as the ACC or the Hangar ....
in Toronto, Ontario
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and featured talent from the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
and SmackDown! brands
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...
.
The main match on the Raw brand was Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
versus 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...
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...
, which Orton won by pinfall after performing an RKO
Cutter (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a cutter is a common term that refers to the three-quarter facelock bulldog maneuver. The move is also described as an inverted neckbreaker, though it is not one, it only bears an inverted style to it...
. The predominant match on the SmackDown! brand was 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) versus The Undertaker for the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
, which JBL won after Undertaker was disqualified. The featured matches on the undercard included Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
versus 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...
and Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
versus Eugene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
.
Background
The main feudFeud (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 SummerSlam on the Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
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...
was between Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
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...
, with the two feuding 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...
. At Vengeance
Vengeance (2004)
Vengeance was the fourth annual Vengeance professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion, World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Benoit defeated Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
to retain the title. On the July 26 edition of Raw, Orton won a 20-man battle royal
Battle royal (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a battle royal is a multi-competitor match type in which wrestlers are eliminated until one is left and declared winner...
, last eliminating Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, to become the number one contender to the title at SummerSlam. Also that night, Benoit defeated Triple H in a 60-minute Iron Man match
Iron Man match
An Iron Man match is a professional wrestling match type that is set to go a specific amount of time, usually 30 or 60 minutes, with the competitor with the most falls at the end of that time named the victor...
to retain the title with the help of Eugene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
. The following week on Raw, Evolution
Evolution (professional wrestling)
Evolution was a villainous professional wrestling stable on WWE's Raw brand between 2003 and 2005. At the height of its existence, the group consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista and briefly Eugene....
(Orton, Batista, and Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
) defeated Benoit, Edge
Adam Copeland
Adam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
, and Chris Jericho. Evolution won the match after Orton pinned Benoit following an RKO. On the August 9 edition of Raw, Benoit defeated the team of Orton and Triple H in a Handicap match by disqualification.
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 The Undertaker, both of whom wanted the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. JBL had won the title two months prior at The Great American Bash
The Great American Bash (2004)
The Great American Bash was the 1st Great American Bash professional wrestling pay-per-view event, and the first produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on June 27, 2004 at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia and was a SmackDown! brand-exclusive event...
by defeating then-champion 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...
in a Texas Bullrope match. One month later, on the July 22 edition of SmackDown!, JBL defeated a jobber
Job (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling slang, the term job describes a losing performance in a wrestling match. It is derived from the euphemism "doing one's job", which was employed to protect kayfabe. As professional wrestling is scripted, inevitably a wrestler will be required to lose to an opponent.The term...
to retain the title. After the match, Undertaker came out and challenged JBL to a match at SummerSlam. On the August 5 edition of SmackDown!, as JBL called out The Undertaker, a midget
Midget
A midget is a short person with relatively average bodily proportions in comparison with other human beings. The term is often improperly used to describe a person with the medical condition dwarfism. The two terms are often used synonymously because both terms originate as words defining small...
wrestler came out and began to imitate the real Undertaker. The real Undertaker came out shortly afterwards and attacked JBL, until 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....
came out to help him. The following week, Undertaker defeated Jordan by disqualification after JBL interfered and executed a Clothesline from Hell on Undertaker.
The secondary feud on the SmackDown! brand was between Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
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...
. The feud first started at WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX was the twentieth WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 14, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York....
, when Guerrero defeated Angle to successfully retain the WWE Championship. Guerrero lost the title to John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) in June, when Angle, then-SmackDown! General Manager, screwed Guerrero and declared JBL the winner. Three weeks later, on the July 15 edition of SmackDown!, JBL defeated Guerrero in a Steel Cage match to retain the title. Towards the end of the match, El Gran Luchadore
El Gran Luchadore
El Gran Luchadore is the name of a masked Mexican professional wrestling character in World Wrestling Entertainment, seen on its SmackDown! brand in 2004...
(portrayed by Angle) interfered, giving JBL enough time to escape the cage and win the match. After the match ended, Guerrero attacked Luchadore and pulled off his mask, revealing him to be Kurt Angle. On the following edition of SmackDown!, Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
scheduled a match between Angle and Guerrero for SummerSlam.
The secondary feud on the Raw brand was between Triple H and Eugene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
. The feud first started, when on the May 17 episode of Raw, during an in-ring segment with The Rock, Eugene revealed that is favorite wrestler was in fact Triple H due to Eugene's adoration of "playing games" . Capitalizing on this opportunity, Triple H began to befriend the star-struck and naive Eugene even making the young wrestler an honorary member of Triple H's stable Evolution. However, Triple H soon revealed that this was all a calculated ploy and that he planned to utilize Eugene to help him win back the World Heavyweight Championship from Chris Benoit. Yet, Triple H's plan failed miserably when during his title match with Benoit at Vengeance, Eugene inadvertently hit him with a steel chair costing him the match and the championship. The following night on Raw, Triple H responded by brutally assaulting Eugene in the ring after falsely implying that he had forgiven him for the preceding night's events. On the July 26 episode of Raw, Eugene would return to exact a degree of revenge by costing Triple H his re-match with Benoit. This led to an infuriated Triple H demanding a match between the two at SummerSlam, to which Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff consented.
Event
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentator Sportscaster In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator... |
Jerry Lawler Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional... |
| Jim Ross Jim Ross James William "Jim" Ross is a professional wrestling commentator, former professional wrestling referee, restaurateur, occasional wrestler, and former company executive of WWE, where he currently works as a commentator on the WWE Raw brand... |
|
| 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... |
|
| 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... |
|
| Interviewer | Jonathan Coachman Jonathan Coachman Jonathan William Coachman , also known as "The Coach", is a former professional wrestling color commentator and authority figure. He is also a former college basketball player, and football play-by-play announcer... |
| Todd Grisham Todd Grisham Todd Grisham is an American presenter/announcer who is best known for his time in the WWE as a backstage interviewer, play-by-play commentator and occasional ring announcer... |
|
| Ring announcer Ring announcer A ring announcer is a paid in-ring employee for a boxing, professional wrestling, or mixed martial arts event or promotion... |
Lilian Garcia Lilian Garcia Lilian Annette García , is a Spanish-American singer. She is best known as the former ring announcer for WWE's Raw brand. During her time in WWE, she became the first Diva to remain with the promotion for ten years.-Early life and career:... |
| Howard Finkel Howard Finkel Howard Finkel is a professional wrestling ring announcer currently working with WWE in a variety of roles. Hired in 1975 by Vincent J. McMahon's World Wide Wrestling Federation, "The Fink" was the first person brought in to Vincent K... |
|
| 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 Referee (professional wrestling) A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring... |
Chad Patton |
| Jack Doan Jack Doan John Michael "Jack" Doan is a veteran professional wrestling referee currently signed with WWE.-Career:Doan joined WWE in October 1991 as a truck driver. From there, he took robes from Superstars at ringside, played music at shows, worked as part of the ring crew, and continued to drive the... |
|
| Earl Hebner Earl Hebner Earl William Hebner is a professional wrestling referee currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and the twin brother of Dave Hebner... |
|
| Mike Chioda Mike Chioda Michael Joseph "Mike" Chioda, is a senior referee who is currently signed to WWE. While not refereeing, Chioda, as well as the other referees in WWE, help set up the arena before shows, constructing the ring and stage areas.-WWF:... |
|
| 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 |
Before the event went live on pay-per-view, Rob Van Dam
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
defeated René Duprée
René Goguen
René Goguen better known by his ring name René Duprée, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Goguen is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Sylvain Grenier as the tag team La Résistance and a one time WWE Tag Team...
in a match taped for Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
. The first match that aired was a six-man 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 between The Dudleys
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
(Bubba Ray, D-Von, and Spike
Matt Hyson
Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time...
), who changed their name from the Dudley Boyz following their heel turn the month before, and the team of Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman, and Paul London
Paul London
Paul Michael London is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
. Towards the end of the match, Spike pinned Kidman after a 3D from Bubba Ray and D-Von to win the match for his team.
The next match was between Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
and Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. Hardy gained control over Kane, after performing a Twist of Fate onto Kane outside of the ring and hit him with the ring bell. Kane then countered a suplex
Suplex
A suplex is an offensive move used in professional sport wrestling . The move consists of one wrestler picking up his or her opponent off the ground and then using a large portion of his or her own body weight to drive the opponent down on the mat. Nearly all suplexes have the attacker going down...
attempt by Hardy into a chokeslam
Chokeslam
A chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
from the top rope. Kane scored the pinfall on Hardy to win the match. As a result of the pre-match stipulation, Lita
Amy Dumas
Amy Christine Dumas , known by her primary stage name Lita, is the lead singer for the band The Luchagors as well as a retired professional wrestler and WWE Diva active from 1999 to 2006....
was forced to marry Kane, as part of their on-going storyline. The third match was between John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and 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...
in a "Best of 5 series" 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....
In this "series," Cena and Booker would compete in up to five matches, where the first person to win three matches would become the new United States Champion. Early in the match, Cena gained the advantage over Booker, but towards the end of the match, Booker performed a scissors kick on Cena, who retaliated by performing an FU. Cena scored the pinfall to win the match and gain the upper-hand in the "Best of 5 series."
The following match was a Triple Threat match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
involving Edge, Batista and Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
. During the match, Edge and Jericho performed double-team maneuvers onto Batista. Toward the match's end, Edge performed a spear on Jericho to score the pinfall and retain the title. The fifth match on the card was between Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
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...
. Angle gained control over Guerrero early on in the match. Mid-match, the referee was knocked out, and as a result, Guerrero took his boot off and used it to hit both Angle and Luther Reigns
Matt Wiese
Matthew R. "Matt" Wiese is an American actor and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Luther Reigns, where he performed on its SmackDown brand....
, who was at ringside with Angle and tried to get involved in the match. The match concluded when Angle was able to counter a frog splash and perform an ankle lock on Guerrero. Angle then won the match via submission after Guerrero tapped-out.
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
and Eugene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
. At the start of the match, Triple H pretended to attack the ring announcer, Lilian Garcia
Lilian Garcia
Lilian Annette García , is a Spanish-American singer. She is best known as the former ring announcer for WWE's Raw brand. During her time in WWE, she became the first Diva to remain with the promotion for ten years.-Early life and career:...
, as a distraction to attack Eugene. Eugene countered Triple H's attacks by delivering a Rock Bottom. During the match, Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
came down to ringside to interfere, but he was ejected by the referee. As Flair was leaving from ringside, William Regal hit Flair with a pair of brass knuckles
Brass knuckles
Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckledusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
. After losing focus by watching the events that took place, Triple H performed a Pedigree on Eugene and pinned him to win the match.
The following match was for the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
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...
and The Undertaker. Immediately, JBL and Undertaker started the match outside of the ring. Mid-match, the referee was knocked out, so 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....
, who accompanied JBL to ringside, handed JBL the title, which JBL used to hit Undertaker. In the last moments in the match, Undertaker countered and hit JBL with the title. The referee saw this and disqualified Undertaker, which resulted in JBL winning the match. Afterwards, Undertaker started to take his frustration out on JBL by delivering a chokeslam to JBL through the roof of JBL's limousine. This caused JBL to have to be taken out of the arena on a stretcher. During the match the fans did the "mexican heatwave".
The last match of the card was the main event between Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
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...
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...
. Early on in the match, Orton attempted to perform a 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...
on Benoit, but instead, Benoit performed a Sharpshooter of his own. Later in the match, Benoit performed seven German suplexes on Orton, but lost the advantage after Orton blocked a headbutt attempt. Towards the end of the match, Benoit attempted to perform a Crippler Crossface on Orton. Orton, however, was able to escape, perform an RKO, and win the match via pinfall. As a result, Orton became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history. Following the match whilst Orton was celebrating his victory, Benoit returned to the ring and offered Orton a handshake, telling him to "be a man", which Orton accepted.
Aftermath
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
defeated Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
in a rematch to retain 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...
. After the match, Evolution
Evolution (professional wrestling)
Evolution was a villainous professional wrestling stable on WWE's Raw brand between 2003 and 2005. At the height of its existence, the group consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista and briefly Eugene....
(Batista, Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, and Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
), threw Orton a mock
Mock
Mock may refer to:* In geography: Mock, California, in Inyo County* In programming: Virtual mock or Mock object, simulated objects that mimics the behavior of real objects in controlled ways* In mathematics: Mock modular form, mathematical function...
celebration, only to reveal that they were not pleased with his new victory. While Batista had Orton propped on his shoulders, Triple H gave him a pleased thumbs up, but abruptly changed it to a thumbs-down. He then told Batista to drop Orton to the mat, and Flair and Batista attacked Orton as Triple H told him that he was nothing without Evolution. On the August 23 edition of Raw, Triple H told Orton to give him the title or "pay the price". Orton refused, and then he spit in Triple H's face and hit him with the title belt turning Orton face
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...
. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff
Eric Bischoff
Eric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
then scheduled a match between Orton and Triple H for the title at Unforgiven
Unforgiven (2004)
Unforgiven was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on September 12, 2004 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. It was the sixth annual Unforgiven event. The show's seven matches showcased prominent WWE wrestlers, who acted...
. At Unforgiven, Orton lost the title when he was pinned by Triple H.
The feud 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 The Undertaker continued. The next few weeks on SmackDown!, JBL wore a neck brace, to signify that he was recuperating from Undertaker's chokeslam. On the August 26 edition of SmackDown!, 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....
defended the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
for JBL against The Undertaker. Undertaker won the match via disqualification following interference from JBL; as a result, JBL retained the title. The following week on SmackDown!, General Manager 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:...
scheduled a Last Ride match at No Mercy
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...
between JBL and Undertaker. At No Mercy, JBL retained the title after interference by 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...
.
Results
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Van Dam Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski , better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam , is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... defeated René Duprée René Goguen René Goguen better known by his ring name René Duprée, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Goguen is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Sylvain Grenier as the tag team La Résistance and a one time WWE Tag Team... |
Singles match | 09:38 | |
| 1 | The Dudleys Dudley Boyz Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals... (Bubba Ray, D-Von, and Spike Matt Hyson Matthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time... ) defeated Rey Mysterio, Billy Kidman, and Paul London Paul London Paul Michael London is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment .... |
Six-Man Tag Team match | 08:07 |
| 2 | Kane Kane (wrestler) Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury.... defeated Matt Hardy Matt Hardy Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... (with Lita Amy Dumas Amy Christine Dumas , known by her primary stage name Lita, is the lead singer for the band The Luchagors as well as a retired professional wrestler and WWE Diva active from 1999 to 2006.... ) |
"Till Death Do Us Part" match | 06:08 |
| 3 | John Cena John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand.... 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... |
Match 1 of a "Best of 5" series 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.... |
06:26 |
| 4 | Edge (c) defeated Chris Jericho Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer... and Batista |
Triple Threat match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand... |
08:26 |
| 5 | Kurt Angle Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion... (with Luther Reigns Matt Wiese Matthew R. "Matt" Wiese is an American actor and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Luther Reigns, where he performed on its SmackDown brand.... ) 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... via submission |
Singles match | 13:37 |
| Triple H Triple H Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley... (with Ric Flair Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world.... ) defeated Eugene Nick Dinsmore Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler... |
Singles match | 14:06 | |
| 7 | 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... (c) (with 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.... ) defeated The Undertaker by disqualification |
Singles match for the WWE Championship WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963... |
17:37 |
| 8 | 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... defeated Chris Benoit Chris Benoit Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide... (c) |
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... |
20:08 |