World Wrestling Entertainment – Summerslam 2004 – 15th August 2004
I’ve not heard good things about this particular instalment of WWE’s annual summer bash. Whilst I’m not one who lets the opinions of others sway me too easily, the fact that I watched this show live back in 2004 and can remember absolutely nothing about it at all doesn’t bode well. A cursory glance at the card won’t immediately send shivers down your spine though. Sure the sight of Eugene in a prominent match against Triple H isn’t exactly promising, but there are plenty of potentially very good contests too. Of course Angle/Eddie leads that pack, but Benoit/Orton, Edge/Jericho/Batista, Cena/Booker, Kane/Hardy and even JBL/Undertaker could all be very good if booked and wrestled to the maximum capabilities of all involved. Here’s hoping that this show is considerably better than I (don’t) remember it being. Jim Ross, Michael Cole, Tazz and Jerry Lawler are your announcers in Toronto, ONT.
Dudley Boyz vs Rey Mysterio/Billy Kidman/Paul London
Holy sh*t, Paul London still works here! The reason I’m surprised is that, despite being half of the WWE Tag Champions (with Kidman), I’ve not seen him on a pay-per-view in forever…yet somehow Coach has a match at every Raw ppv. The deal here is that Spike Dudley has been reunited with his estranged half brothers, and is now referred to as ‘the boss’ of the Dudley crew. With the help of Bubba and D-Von, Spike first assaulted Mysterio then took his Cruiserweight Title over a two week period. Mysterio has called for back-up in the form of his old WCW tag partner Billy Kidman, along with BK’s current colleague. Since all three are part of the cruiserweight division they will know a win here puts them in pole position for a shot at Spike’s belt.
D-Von starts with Billy, keen to stake his claim for yet another title shot for he and Bubba of course. Kidman flips London at him with a standing moonsault, followed by the dropsault for 2. Bubba doesn’t like cool flippy moves so jerks London to the mat by the hair. Spike double stomps Paul’s stomach then spits at his other opponents whilst Bubba Ray hits him in the nuts. London is isolated in Dudleyville, continually having to survive cheap shots from the apron as well as a real beating from whomever he is in the ring with. At last Mysterio gets a hot tag and he makes a beeline for Dudley. He Drops Da Dime for 2 and follows it with a springboard super rana for another nearfall. Springboard senton on Bubba! Kidman tags and hits the BK Bomb on the Cruiserweight Champion! All six guys are in the ring now…but not for long as London jumps OFF KIDMAN’S BACK INTO A SOMERSAULT PLANCHA TO THE FLOOR! 619 on Spike! SHOOTING STAR PRESS BY KIDMAN! D-Von breaks the count! REY EATS GUARDRAIL WITH A SPRINGBOARD SUICIDE DIVE TO THE FLOOR! LARIAT ON THE FLOOR from D-Von to London! 3-D ON KIDMAN! Spike marches in and triumphantly picks up the win for his team at 08:06
Rating - *** - Maybe I was dazzled by the sight of Paul London on ppv, but I thought this was an exciting way to start a major show. London and Mysterio were world class at this point, and Kidman still had enough gas in the tank to throw some spots around too. The Dudley Boyz were complete veterans of course, and more than comfortable bullying some smaller cruiserweights as they tried to flip and fly all around them. Spike as a heel worked fairly well, and the crowd really came to life as they started hitting all the high spots at the end. For a throwaway ppv undercard encounter this actually had a lot going for it.
Matt Hardy vs Kane – ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ Match
The stipulation here is fairly simple – the winner gets to marry Lita. After Lita slept with Kane to stop him victimising her boyfriend Matt Hardy, we thought the matter might have been settle at Vengeance when Matt survived a serious beating to scrape a victory over the Big Red Machine. But there was still the matter of the child Lita is currently carrying…which paternity tests eventually revealed to be Kane’s. The taunts of the monster and the frustration at his girlfriend carrying another man’s baby proved too much for Hardy, who finally signed the paperwork to agree to this match…before laying Kane out with a metal briefcase. Will his luck hold tonight or his Lita going to be forced into marrying the father of her child?
Matt Hardy’s repulsive silk baggy pants seem completely out of place in a match like this. He nearly grabs an early win by jumping off the second rope into a Side Effect...and emphasises the importance of the match by declining to needlessly point and holler before hitting the second rope leg drop. Tornado DDT of total death gets 2! After two minutes of uninterrupted Hardy offence a single punch from Kane floors him. Lita distracts him (with fans chanting ‘slut’ at her), allowing Matt to hit a pescado. TWIST OF FATE ON THE FLOOR! Next she tosses the ring bell to Hardy, before distracting the ref so he can HAMMER Kane with it. Still the Big Red Machine won’t be counted down and once again floors his opponent with a single strike. AVALANCHE CHOKESLAM BY KANE! He wins at 06:09
Rating - ** - Still nothing to write home about, but definitely more robust and energetic than the Vengeance match. Although they got screwed for time, the structure suited them far more here with Hardy able to carry it along at a quick pace, before taking a huge bump at the end to put Kane over. Having committed to this comically warped soap opera storyline, the only logical place for this to go was a Kane win so we can watch his demented wedding/family planning play out.
Randy Orton tells Todd Grisham that he plans on making history tonight by becoming the youngest ever World Heavyweight Champion. In a rather neat glimpse of a future main event rivalry, John Cena crashes his promo and makes fun of how unpopular he is.
Booker T vs John Cena – WWE United States Title Best Of 5 Series Match 1
Cena’s reign as US Champion was brought to an end when he was stripped of the title following an assault on then-Smackdown GM Kurt Angle. Booker would go on to win it in an 8-man match to crown a new champion, but after Angle was fired and replaced by Teddy Long, this Best Of 5 Series was booked between the current champion and the man that was never beaten for the belt. This series is expected to last several weeks (and I believe is scheduled to conclude at the next Smackdown ppv in October if it goes the distance). Who will strike the first blow and score the first win?
Tazz predicts that the winner of this match will go on to win the series. Cena hits the Throwback for an early nearfall…but then takes a nasty fall to the floor as Booker knocks him off the top rope. BT is the one pushing for a slow, methodical pace and looks to press home his advantage with plenty of close-range striking. Cena wisely looks to create some distance but has already sustained some damage and walks blindly into a spinebuster. Axe Kick misses…but Book hits the flapjack seconds later just as John looks to build some momentum. F-U scores from nothing, giving Cena a 1-0 lead at 06:25
Rating - * - I have this down as a major disappointment. I wasn’t expecting Misawa/Kawada levels of greatness, but I would expect that this would have been far more energetic and lively considering how little time they had in the ring. Given just over six minutes, watching Booker work a plodding, slow-paced, resthold-heavy style was the last thing anybody wanted. Both are capable of far better.
Teddy Long congratulates himself on the Best Of 5 Series, before meeting Raw GM Eric Bischoff for the first time. Eric points out that he has already outlasted three previous Smackdown General Managers and isn’t expecting Teddy to still be around by the time the two brands reconvene at Survivor Series.
Edge vs Batista vs Chris Jericho – WWE Intercontinental Title Match
We don’t get a video package, so I’m not sure what has built to this one I’m afraid. Batista will be looking to bring the IC Title back to Evolution after Edge took it from Randy Orton at Vengeance. Edge and Jericho also have a rivalry which goes back to the early days of the roster split so there is plenty of familiarity there too. It seems that Evolution are using their stroke and forcing Edge to pay a heavy price for vowing to take them out one-by-one.
Batista attacks the champion during his entrance, and his size is too much for Jericho to cope with too meaning big Dave is absolutely rampant in the early minutes. Edge saves Jericho from the Batista Bomb as he officially enters the ring for the first time. Despite being in his hometown, Toronto is sh*tting on Edge and chanting ‘We Want Christian’…a timely reminder that before the Lita scandal his career was going nowhere fast. He and Jericho seem to be discussing the oddly hostile crowd as they face off. They roar Y2J on as he dodges the Edge-cution and puts him in the Walls Of Jericho. Batista breaks the hold and launches Jericho shoulder-first into the ringpost. Even Batista is more over than Edge! He is boo’d again as he hits the Edge-cution for 2. Jericho stops Edge from giving Batista the Spear (not sure why)…and Dave shows his gratitude by giving him a spinebuster for 2. Jericho lines up a Lionsault on Edge…then spins in MID-AIR to give Batista a springboard dropkick instead! That spot rocked! Edge hits the Spear on Y2J for an unpopular win at 08:24
Rating - ** - Like the US Title Match, this got nowhere near enough time to develop into anything particularly significant. But having said that at least all three participants realised they didn’t have much time in the ring and duly worked fast to get as much excitement in as possible. Batista is still improving, Jericho was in autopilot, but the unexpected highlight here was the Toronto fans rejecting Edge as a hometown hero. Edge dealt with it well and even gave us a few glimpses of the heel persona he’d go on to perfect in the years to come. However, the response really does highlight again that shagging Lita saved his career. The guy is a much-heralded Hall Of Famer now…but generally any career retrospective of his tends to skip right over this period (post neck injury, pre-Lita) of his career with good reason. He just wasn’t connecting with the fanbase at all
Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero
At WrestleMania Eddie used some of his signature morally questionable tactics to retain the WWE Championship against Angle. He faked an injury, loosened his shoelaces, then capitalised with a flash pin when Kurt was caught off-guard trying to attempt an Anklelock. For the second year running Kurt was leaving WrestleMania having failed in a WWE Title Match…and for the second year running Kurt needed time off afterwards. Although the reality was he needed more neck surgery, this time the WWE covered it with a kayfabe ‘broken leg’ – then installed him as Smackdown General Manager to keep him on television. Whilst in the GM role, Kurt didn't forget about that loss to Guerrero. He made the spiteful, cruel but ultimately correct decision to reverse the referee’s decision in the Great American Bash main event, costing the WWE Championship against JBL in a bloody Texas Bullrope Match. He then took more direct action to ensure Guerrero couldn’t win the rematch on Smackdown, dressing up as a generic luchador to cost him the match (whilst protect his anonymity to preserve his role as Smackdown GM). Eddie exposed Kurt, ultimately leading to his termination as GM – and his replacement Theodore Long promptly booked these guys into a WrestleMania rematch. At Summerslam 2003 Kurt avenged his WrestleMania 19 loss to Brock Lesnar. Will he repeat that feat with Eddie in 2004?
Every time I see Luther Reigns I’m like ‘oh yeah, I’d forgotten that guy exists’. Kurt’s snake-like limbs waste no time in ensnaring Guerrero. The crowd are cheering for Angle too as this show gets more and more strange. Eddie has his moments but is almost always on the defensive against the Olympian…and pretty soon he is being hauled into the first German suplex of the match. ANKLELOCK BY EDDIE! The crowd are booing! Kurt rakes the eyes…and hits a LIMPING ANGLE SLAM! Now he slaps on the Anklelock. Guerrero grabs at the ankle he just attacked though, leading to STEREO ANKLELOCKS! Angle is the master of the hold, so his wins out and as Guerrero crawls to the ropes he finds himself getting punched in the face by Luther. It’s full-on ankle-assault mode by Kurt – ramming it into the ringpost then cranking on it again with an STF. He also unlaces Eddie’s boot which is an interesting play on the WrestleMania finish. Still the STF is applied even with Guerrero’s boot hanging off and blood trickling from a minor facial wound. Amazingly Eddie works his way to a vertical base and counters with an Olympic Slam! Three Amigos nailed even with a bad ankle, and he seems on the brink of the Frog Splash. ROPE RUN BELLY TO BELLY by Angle! Angle Slam COUNTERED to a DDT! FROG SPLASH MISSES! Kurt rips the boot off and looks for the Ankle Lock again, but this time Eddie escapes by kicking him into referee Brian Hebner! He grabs his boot and blasts Kurt (and Reigns) in the face…then drops to the mat alongside him so the ref doesn’t suspect him of cheating! FROG SPLASH! FOR 2! ANKLELOCK! EDDIE ROLLS THROUGH! KURT HOLDS ON! LEG GRAPEVINE ANKLELOCK! EDDIE TAPS! It’s over at 13:37
Rating - **** - For the second year running Kurt uses the Summerslam stage to avenge a WrestleMania loss, and for the second year running I loved the match WAY more than most people seemed to. At the time this one seemed to disappoint a lot of people. The crowd was weird and it’s sad they couldn’t have more time – but I thought the electric pace they went at, plus the usual Angle formula of thrilling counters and false finishes made for great viewing. I particularly loved how he ripped Eddie’s boot off, giving him a massive ‘f*ck you for WrestleMania’ message. Luther’s involvement was kept to a bare minimum and even the ref bump was solely used for some classic Guerrero shenanigans. Considering both men were struggling physically at this point this really had no right to be as athletic or exciting as it was. It seems strange to call Kurt under-rated, but at this point he was churning out insane matches for fun despite his body being a complete mess. This is just another example of his amazing talent.
Triple H vs Eugene
There comes a point where a storyline featuring HHH persistently beating up a guy with a severe mental handicap becomes quite repulsive, and we probably crossed that line a while ago. Although it made no sense at all, HHH pretending to befriend Eugene and make him part of Evolution in an odd plan to help him beat Benoit and regain the World Title was quite amusing. Certainly anything involving Flair and Eugene was solid gold. Of course, the plan backfired and an errant chair shot from Bischoff’s nephew wound up costing him the World Title at Vengeance. A furious Game vented his frustration with a bloody attack on Eugene…only for the lovable underdog to get some revenge by costing HHH the belt again – this time intentionally at the end of the Benoit/HHH World Title Iron Man Match on Raw. Triple H had seen enough (his frustrations were even greater as he realised that Randy Orton, his Evolution stable-mate, would now be getting a World Title shot instead of him) – and took decisive action. He viciously assaulted Eugene’s mentor William Regal, and now plans to use this Summerslam match to end Eugene’s career for good.
Apparently Eugene is yet to be pinned, which I think speaks more for how lame the booking was than it does for his wrestling skill. This rebellious crowd doesn’t disappoint, and are booing the sh*t out of Eugene – to the point that sections actually cheer when HHH uses Lillian Garcia as a human shield against him. The cheers intensify as Helmsley readies the Spanish announce table for action…and the heat then duly intensifies against Eugene when he blocks his attempts to use it. ‘Eugene sucks’ – Toronto. Rock Bottom by Eugene, who deserves a lot of credit for not even remotely breaking character even as the whole building hates on him. People’s Elbow is countered with a spinebuster. We’re approaching the ten minute mark (which is probably five minutes too long at least) with the Game looking to squeeze the life out of his opponent with a sleeper. He can’t do enough to set him up for the Pedigree, and Eugene starts to Hulk Up. Stunner knocks HHH out of the ring! Ric Flair struts out…just in time to see Eugene get 2 with the Big Boot/Leg Drop combo. Pedigree by Eugene but Flair puts Hunter’s foot on the ropes. William Regal is out! POWER OF THE PUNCH ON FLAIR! Sadly as Eugene cheers for that he eats Pedigree, and loses the match at 14:05
Rating - DUD - Even if you remove the fact that the Eugene gimmick is terrible, this match sucked. It was slow, it went on too long, and it felt like they had nothing laid out at all. In fact it felt like fifteen minutes of stalling and generic house show horseplay…which is simply not good enough for the marquee matches on the second biggest pay-per-views of the year. And the entire layout seemed to purposely get Eugene more and more heat. Setting up the table, if they had no plans to use it, was a sh*tty thing to do. Having him start doing Rock, Hogan and Austin spots just reminded the crowd how much they liked those guys and therefore hated Eugene even more as a result. Even peeling all of that away, there just isn’t a market for this. If we believe the gimmick that Eugene has learning difficulties – this doesn’t work on ANY level. Either HHH is a sicko for beating up someone with disabilities, or his entire ‘Cerebral Assassin’ moniker is totally destroyed because he got out-worked for ten minutes by the same disabled guy. Like I said, some of the Eugene/Evolution skits were sort of fun – but the gimmick was getting old fast by this point.
The Coach is at the Toronto Raptors training gym – which is playing host to the first ever Diva Dodgeball event. One of the teams features a load of Diva Search ladies I’ve never heard of, plus a very young-looking Maria Kanellis, Michelle McCool and a surprisingly old-looking Christy Hemme. Their opposition is the existing diva roster, so Trish Stratus, Stacy Keibler, Gail Kim, Nidia, Jazz, Molly Holly and Victoria. The Diva Search girls win, prompting Trish Stratus to start picking fights with her own team. Meanwhile everyone at home wonders why we couldn’t have put this on Heat and had five minutes more of Angle and Guerrero on our pay-per-view.
John Bradshaw Layfield vs Undertaker – WWE Title Match
So despite not being able to score a clean, satisfactory win over Eddie Guerrero at any point, JBL emerged from that feud with the WWE Championship around his waist. The perennial midcarder and established tag team act had surprised plenty of people with a brash new persona that went someway to cementing his spot as a top tier player (on the B-show). Just when he thought he could stand tall atop the Smackdown mountain, the Phenom decided he wanted back into the main event scene, and the WWE Title back around his waist. Bullying a plucky underdog champion like Eddie is one thing. Now Bradshaw truly is playing with the big boys. This could be the night he stamps his legacy and ratifies his spot as a genuine main eventer…or it could be the night Undertaker relegates him back to the midcard (as he has done to so many before). This is right after Orlando Jordan’s appointment as JBL’s ‘Chief Of Staff’ so he is stationed at ringside – most likely as cannon fodder for later in the match.
Undertaker isn’t up for any of Layfield’s games and immediately throws him out of the ring to assault him on the floor. The champ takes flight for a flying football tackle…but continually finds Taker trying to pick apart his left arm. And that strategy actually makes the Old School walk relevant for once! Jordan involves himself early to assist his boss, allowing Bradshaw to chopblock the leg after Taker boots the Chief Of Staff off the apron. CHAIR SHOT TO THE LEG! Nick Patrick didn’t see that as he was detained in another argument with OJ. The mischievous, rebellious crowd are at it again – with a lengthy Mexican wave starting up because they’re bored of the action in the ring. It’s actually a little mean because the match itself hasn’t been all that bad thus far. It would be more effective if Taker put any effort into actually selling the leg. He’s soon back to walking around like nothing happened and throwing around faux-MMA spots for the fun of it. ‘He’s able to mask that pain’ – Michael Cole, putting a candy-coated gloss on ‘he’s burying his opponent’. Undertaker hits a guillotine leg drop on the apron then gives us a token half-hearted limp afterwards. Nice work Mean Mark. Layfield is able to exploit the bum wheel for long enough to counter the Last Ride at least. Diving clothesline scores for the Phenom, followed by running clotheslines. HITTING YOUR MOVES LIKE THEY ARE NO PROBLEM, THEN DOING A SILLY LITTLE LIMP AFTERWARDS IS SH*T SELLING! Chokeslam scores and gets 2…and brings Orlando Jordan running to the rescue again. Clothesline From Hell for 2! The ref gets bumped…then both combatants join him on the canvas as they hit simultaneous boots. Jordan passes the belt to JBL who duly waffles the challenger with it, but of course the ref is knocked out so can’t count. Clothesline From Hell nailed again…which Undertaker sells by getting up instantly then hitting the Last Ride. Having not bothered to sell for JBL all match, Undertaker can’t be bothered to do a clean J-O-B for him either – and loses by picking up the WWE Title and belting him with it right in front of the ref for a nonsensical DQ. 17:36 is your time
Rating - ** - The most annoying thing about this match is that I didn’t hate it anywhere near as much as I thought I would, and there was so much potential there to do something decent. I really liked the idea of Undertaker working the arm (although I’d have preferred if it was the right, Clothesline From Hell wielding arm), and JBL did a great job of working his opponent’s leg. Unfortunately the usual assortment of bullsh*t from Undertaker stopped this from being any good. His selling of Layfield’s work was beyond woeful, and not doing a clean job (or indeed being pinned by him in any way at all) was a horrendous finish. Eddie Guerrero busted his ass to put JBL over, and Layfield had some initial credibility from that feud. What he needed here was a major win over a ‘top name’ to really cement himself as a top guy. What we got was the typical Undertaker non-WrestleMania, crush a midcarder’s credibility schmoz. I’m glad the crowd crapped all over this, although I’m sure it was attributed to JBL not being over rather than the almighty, untouchable Undertaker. The truth is that had the Deadman put ANY effort into helping his opponent look good maybe they wouldn’t have been so bored.
Ditching all pretence of pretending that he has a leg injury, Undertaker bloodies up Layfield then slams him through the windshield of his limo. A Chokeslam through the roof of the vehicle closes the scene.
SIDENOTE – Clearly WWE learned nothing from the horrible Unforgiven 2002 main event, when a self-serving Undertaker did immeasurable damage to Brock Lesnar’s momentum, credibility and title reign by refusing to do a clean job, giving us a BS finish then assaulting him afterwards. This was exactly the same sh*t and is even more damaging to Bradshaw – since he doesn’t have the skill and talent that Brock had to fall back on.
Chris Benoit vs Randy Orton – World Heavyweight Title Match
Given their form thus far tonight, I’m expecting the Toronto fans to shun the Canadian champion and firmly route for the heel challenger here. History is waiting to be made by Randy Orton, who could become the youngest World Champion ever (perhaps to erase Brock Lesnar’s claim to that record) if he wins this evening. Having watched his mentor Triple H try unsuccessfully to get the World Title back from Benoit for months, Orton now finds himself as #1 contender – replacing Helmsley as the top challenger after Hunter lost his last shot, an Iron Man Match, on Raw. The self-proclaimed Legend Killer now stands as one of the most dominant Intercontinental Champions of all time, but does Randy have it in his locker to unseat one of the greatest mat technicians in the sport? Can he succeed where HHH failed?
Orton is keenly aware that Benoit will want to grapple with him, so his first offensive strike a simplistic punt to the stomach as the Wolverine lunges in for a hold. It isn’t necessarily exciting but I really like the opening minutes with Benoit bossing it whenever they tie up and Randy trying to keep his distance and lay in the strikes when he can. The struggle for Orton is that Benoit also seems quicker than him. Perhaps, then, it is over-confidence which sees the Wolverine leave himself vulnerable to a Sharpshooter by Orton! He can’t compete with Benoit trading submissions though and soon enough Chris pounces to counter to his own Sharpshooter. Randy moves to the ropes…CROSSFACE INSTEAD! Orton escapes by rolling out of the ring then drop toeholding him shoulder-first into the ringpost! With an obvious injury to target at last the challenger is able to compete with his opponent on the canvas. For the first time it is he that dominates the lengthy mat sequences, looking to snap the left arm at every turn. DDT ON THE APRON by Benoit! I think he even used his good arm to do that! Randy collapses to the floor...but dives to the side CAUSING TO BENOIT TO EAT GUARDRAIL ON AN ELBOW SUICIDA! That leaves Benoit with a neck injury to rival his bad shoulder, which Orton BRILLIANTLY exploits by wrenching onto a rear chinlock with the arm captured too. GUTWRENCH NECKBREAKER gets 2! STIFF FOREARMS! Benoit goes for a German, and as Orton pivots trying to attack his neck to free himself Benoit sublimely reacts to that and delivers a northern lights instead. He really is a phenomenal wrestler. FLYING CROSSBODY BY ORTON – right across the neck and shoulders. RKO blocked…Sharpshooter blocked! RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX! But no rolls and no bridge! Hey Undertaker, that’s called modifying your offence to sell! Benoit finally locks in the Sharpshooter (using his good arm – again, he’s THAT good) and comes desperately close to making the challenger pass out in pain. ROLLING GERMANS! Orton grabs the shoulder to counter…only for Benoit to duck through him into MORE GERMAN SUPLEXES! BOTH MEN DOWN! FLYING WOLVERINE COUNTERED WITH A KNEE TO THE FREAKING FACE! A fatigued Orton lunges into a cover, only to sloppily collapse into the CROSSFACE! He grabs the neck and shoulder to escape! RKO! OUT OF NOWHERE! ORTON WINS! New champion at 20:08!
Rating - **** - A match that typifies Chris Benoit’s reign as World Champion. He was never the focal point, but worked extremely hard because that’s what he does…and wound up delivering an outstanding match even if nobody cares about his input. Having seen a classic Undertaker example of how not to put a rising star over, Benoit just delivered an absolute masterclass in it. He worked like a trooper to make Orton look good. His selling was phenomenal, he was one of the few wrestlers to actually hook this tempestuous crowd into the WRESTLING and deserves a host of plaudits for rescuing what has largely been a totally mundane Summerslam. Orton was excellent here too. It was clear how much he had learned from the likes of HHH, Flair, Foley, HBK and more. Gone were his boring restholds, and meandering heat segments. He was ON tonight; every move dripping in venom, purpose and poise. Of course, his title reign wound up being even more of a pitiful non-event than Benoit’s, and has largely been ignored in subsequent years. At the time this felt like poor, panicky, reckless booking...with a hint of ‘lets get rid of Brock Lesnar’s youngest champion record before giving HHH the belt back’. History has treated it as such.
Benoit completes the stellar put-over job with an emphatic, respectful handshake for the new champion.
Tape Rating - ** - 2004 was a desperately poor vintage for the WWE. The booking was short-sighted and atrocious, the queue of up and comers bumping their heads against a glass ceiling held firmly shut by the ‘old guard’ from the Attitude Era was growing, the quality of talent being recruited and debuting on television was abysmal…and the only thing consistent about the quality of ppv's throughout the year was the abject mediocrity. Setting WrestleMania 20 aside (which was a great show), almost every ppv this year has featured hours of filler and forgettable tosh saved largely by a couple of strong matches – normally featuring the likes of Guerrero, Benoit, Angle or Orton. Summerslam 2004 proved no exception to that rather bleak formula. Guerrero/Angle and Benoit/Orton were seriously good. But unfortunately everything else was a shambles. Undertaker producing another selfish display in a WWE Title Match against someone who had a real chance of being a hot main event act was sickening. Seeing Triple H and Eugene hog almost fifteen minutes of ringtime in a featured match that should never have even made it to ppv was farcical. Fair play to the Toronto fans for rebelling against the varying piles of turd that were being shovelled into the ring in front of them. I’m sure the WWE had a brief meeting, patted themselves on the back and put this down to ‘bizarro world’ and a ‘one-off’. But this wasn’t a one-off. This crowd rebellion had been in the works for a while because the product was just so frustratingly bad. People were BORED of seeing Triple H in a dominant heel faction constantly in Raw’s main events. People wanted to see Undertaker in memorable battles against worthy new foes – not squashing potential talents under his boot like cockroaches. Relegating Benoit and the World Title to a secondary focus on Raw (whilst HHH remained in the spotlight) murdered the credibility of both the belt and the wrestler. Why the hell was Eugene in a main event match, when there are popular acts like Rey Mysterio struggling to get on the show, and guys like Rob Van Dam not booked? How could they only find SIX MINUTES for Cena and Booker? I could write for paragraphs about the existential problems with this show, and the WWE’s product at this point. Frustratingly, I have to be coldly clinical in my tape rating and say that the two strong 4* matches and a fun opener mean it isn’t completely awful. But the issues are just piling up for the company right now…and rather than strategising to get themselves out of this mess all they seem to do is keep finding more and more shovels to dig themselves an even deeper hole.
Top 3 Matches
3) Dudley Boyz vs Rey Mysterio/Billy Kidman/Paul London (***)
2) Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero (****)
1) Chris Benoit vs Randy Orton (****)