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Bad Blood (2004)
Encyclopedia
Bad Blood was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), which took place on June 13, 2004 at the Nationwide Arena
in Columbus, Ohio
. It was the third and final annual Bad Blood
event.
The main event was a Hell in a Cell match, in which Triple H
defeated Shawn Michaels
in a ring surrounded by a steel structure of metal. Two bouts were featured on the undercard. In respective singles matches, World Heavyweight Champion
Chris Benoit
defeated Kane
to retain his title and WWE Intercontinental Champion
Randy Orton
defeated Shelton Benjamin
to retain his title.
The event marked the third time the Hell in a Cell format was used by WWE in a Bad Blood event; the first was at In Your House: Badd Blood in 1997. Bad Blood grossed over $
494,000 ticket sales from an attendance of 9,000 and received 264,000 pay-per-view buys, and was instrumental in helping WWE increase its pay-per-view revenue by $4.7 million compared to the previous year. When the event was released on DVD
, it reached a peak position of third on Billboard
's DVD Sales Chart.
were scheduled on the event's card
beforehand, 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 Raw's brand – a storyline expansion
in which WWE assigned its employees. Wrestlers portrayed either a villainous
or fan favorite
gimmick, as they followed a series of events which generally built tension, leading to a wrestling match.
The main event scripted into Bad Blood was fought in a Hell in a Cell match between Triple H
and Shawn Michaels
, a match where the ring is surrounded by a structure of metal. The buildup to the match began after Backlash
, WWE's previous pay-per-view event, where a standard match involving three wrestlers, Chris Benoit
, Shawn Michaels and Triple H all competed for the World Heavyweight Championship
, with Benoit successfully retaining his title. On the May 3 episode of Raw
, one of WWE's primary television programs, General Manager Eric Bischoff
, a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer, promoted a standard wrestling match, also called a singles match, World Heavyweight Championship match for that episode, between Benoit and Michaels. The title match saw Benoit successfully retain the title after interference by Triple H, one of the opponents in the Triple Threat match at Backlash. On the May 10 episode of Raw, at the start of the program, a singles match between Triple H and Shelton Benjamin
resulted in a no contest after Michaels attacked Triple H; this resulted in a storyline suspension of Michaels from WWE by Bischoff. The following week on Raw, a number one contender's Battle Royal
, an elimination style match where the last person remaining in the ring would be the winner, was scheduled, in which the winner would go on to face Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight title at Bad Blood. During the match, Triple H, a participant in the match, was eliminated by Michaels, who was not a participant in the match. On the May 24 episode of Raw, Bischoff scheduled Michaels and Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match at the Bad Blood event.
One of the featured matches was contested for the World Heavyweight Championship, in which Chris Benoit defended the title against Kane. On the May 17 episode of Raw, Kane won a battle royal to receive a match against Benoit for his World Heavyweight title at Bad Blood. The following week, Kane held a promotional interview, in which he revealed that he envied Benoit for having the World Heavyweight Championship and concluded that he would win the championship. On the May 31 episode of Raw, Kane was scheduled in a match against Eugene
. The match ended in a disqualification, after Kane hit Eugene with a folding chair
. After the match ended, Kane lifted Eugene by the throat and slammed him down to execute a chokeslam
, which prompted Kane to further the assault. Benoit, however, came down to the ring to Eugene's aid. The following week, a handicap match, where one wrestler faces a combination of wrestlers, was scheduled, in which Benoit and Edge faced off against La Résistance (Sylvain Grenier
and Robért Conway) and Kane. The match saw Kane perform a chokeslam and pin Benoit for the win.
The other featured preliminary match was Randy Orton
versus Shelton Benjamin in a singles match for Orton's Intercontinental Championship
. On the May 17 episode of Raw, Randy Orton, who was a villain
, was giving a speech. Shelton Benjamin interrupted Orton's speech and challenged Orton to an Intercontinental Championship match. The challenge, however, was denied by Orton, in which prompted Benjamin to attack Orton. The following week, an all-out brawl ensued between Orton and Chris Jericho
. The brawl brought out fellow Evolution member
, a group of wrestlers, Batista, to Orton's aid. Benjamin also made his way to the ring and evened the sides. As a result of the brawl, Bischoff announced a tag team match, in which Benjamin and Jericho defeated Orton and Batista. On the May 31 episode of Raw, it was announced that Orton would defend the Intercontinental Championship against Benjamin at Bad Blood.
) in a match taped for Heat
, one of WWE's secondary television programs.
After Heat, the pay-per-view began with a tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship, where La Résistance (Sylvain Grenier and Robért Conway) defended the title against Chris Benoit and Edge. La Résistance gained the early advantage when Conway grabbed Edge and rammed him onto the security wall, back first. At one point, Benoit applied a crossface submission hold on Grenier. Kane's pyrotechnics went off and made his way to the ring, as he entered the ring he hit Benoit with a big boot knocking him down, prompting the referee to end the match in a disqualification, thus La Résistance retaining the World Tag Team title.
The second match was Tyson Tomko
, accompanied
by Trish Stratus
, versus Chris Jericho in a singles match. In the early stages both competitors wrestled inconclusively, reversed each other's attacks, before Tyson backed Jericho into the ring corner and hit him numerous times with his elbows. Afterwards, Jericho attempted to springboard of the middle rope to perform a backflip, but Tomko rolled out of the way, sending Jericho to crash down to the mat. The match concluded as Jericho kicked Tyson in the back of the head to perform an enzuigiri and pinning Tomko for the win.
The next match was for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, in which Randy Orton defended the championship against Shelton Benjamin. The match began with Benjamin performing a drop kick
on Orton, which knocked him out to the outside of the ring. Benjamin proceeded to knock Orton over the security barricade into the crowd. Orton got the advantage, after Ric Flair made his way to the ring, distracting Benjamin in the process. The match came to an end when Benjamin went off the top rope and dove onto Orton, but Orton rolled through and hooked Benjamin's tights to pin Benjamin for the three count and retaining the Intercontinental Championship.
The match that followed was a standard match involving four wrestlers for the WWE Women's Championship
, in which Victoria
defended the title against Trish Stratus, Lita
, and Gail Kim
. The start of the match saw Victoria and Lita double team Stratus, however, Stratus avoided the assault, as she rolled out of the ring. Lita and Victoria went on to double team Kim, however, Stratus pulled Lita out of the ring, afterward Victoria performed a backflip and landed on Kim's torso. Lita then drove Kim's head into the mat
. Stratus grabbed Lita's legs and positioned her on her shoulders to gain a pinfall victory, thus Stratus' becoming Women's champion for a fifth time.
The fifth match was between Eugene and Jonathan Coachman
in a standard match. The match started with Eugene hitting an arm drag on Coachman and hitting numerous headbutts. An unknown woman in a bikini came out to the ringside area with some cookies, Coachman offered cookies to Eugene. The woman lured Eugene out of the ring and Eugene went over and grabbed some cookies. As Eugene went to grab more cookies, Coachman slammed Eugene's head into the cookie tray. A spot in the match saw Garrison Cade
come out to ringside with a stuffed animal, which prompted Cade to tore up toy animal. Cade tried to hold Eugene so Coachman could get the advantage, however, Eugene was able dodge the attack, as Coachman ended up hitting Cade instead. Eugene grabbed Coachman and lifted him by holding his back horizontally and slamming it down, termed as a side slam. Eugene pinned Coachman for the three count for the win.
The featured preliminary match was for the World Heavyweight Championship, in which Chris Benoit defended the championship against Kane. Benoit started the match by hitting Kane numerous times with slaps to the chest. Mid-way in the match, Benoit charged towards Kane, but Kane hit a variation of the side slam and tossed him over the top rope to the arena floor, Kane then stepped out of the ring and grabbed Benoit, in which he wanted to launch Benoit into the ring post, but Benoit was able to reverse Kane's attack and slammed him into the ring post. After blocking a crossface attempt, Kane chokeslammed Benoit for a two count. The match concluded with Kane headed to the top rope and coming off to attempt and hit Benoit with his forearm by jumping off the top rope but Benoit went for another crossface, but Kane fought out of it and Benoit rolled Kane up in a pin to get a three count, and thus retaining the World Heavyweight Championship.
The main event was the Hell in a Cell match between Shawn Michaels and Triple H. The match began with Michaels jumping and knocking Triple H over. This was followed with Michaels' slamming Triple H's head onto the steel cage, resulting in Triple H being scripted to bleed from the forehead, the blood loss results from a cut that the wrestler performs during the match called blading
. Triple H got the advantage, as he was able to counter a Piledriver
and performed a back body drop on Michaels. Another attack saw Triple H bring the steel steps and hit Michaels with them, which resulted in Michaels also being scripted to bleed from the forehead. A spot in the match saw Michaels lay Triple H on a table, as he climbed onto a ladder
that he took out from under the ring, and performed a dive with his elbow cocked onto Triple H's chest, thus breaking the table and enhancing the maneuver. Afterwards, Triple H gained the advantage and performed a Pedigree on Michaels. Triple H covered Michaels for the win via pinfall. After the match, Michaels staggered to his feet and was given a standing ovation by the audience.
tried making amends between Shawn Michaels and Triple H by making them shake hands. Michaels and Triple H extended their hands to shake, however, Kane came out and attacked Michaels, which resulted in Kane, in storyline
, crushing Michaels' throat
with a wedged chair. Michaels was then taken out in an ambulance for medical attention. Lita being pregnant was scripted into a storyline. On the June 21 episode of Raw, it appeared that Lita's, boyfriend at that time, Matt Hardy
was going to propose to Lita, who found out she was pregnant, but he was interrupted by Kane, who claimed to be the father of Lita's child. Two months later, it was revealed that Kane was, indeed, the father. At SummerSlam
, the staged rivalry between Kane and Hardy intensified, when they were booked in a "Till Death Do Us Part" match, with the stipulation that Lita would be obliged to marry Kane should Hardy lose. Kane won the match, leading to he and a reluctant Lita marrying one another on an episode of Raw. On the August 30 episode of Raw, Kane revealed that Eric Bischoff's wedding gift to them was to name any match he wanted for at the September annual event, Unforgiven
. Continuing with the scripted angle, Lita informed Kane that his opponent at the event was Shawn Michaels. At Unforgiven, Michaels defeated Kane in a no disqualification match, a match where neither wrestler can be disqualified, allowing for weapons and outside interference.
On the June 21 episode of Raw, a number one contender's match between Eugene and Triple H was scheduled in which the winner would face Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship. The match, however, ended in a No Contest. On the June 28 episode of Raw, a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship between Benoit and Kane took place. A stipulation was placed that Benoit had to win the match by submission, as Kane could've won by pinfall, submission, disqualification or countout. Benoit won the match, after he made Kane submit to a crossface, and thus defending the World Heavyweight Championship at Vengeance
against Triple H. At Vengeance, Benoit defeated Triple H to retain his Championship.
A heated confrontation between Randy Orton and Edge was seen. This angle led Edge to perform a shoulder block takedown on Orton, this is seen as an attack where the attacking wrestler charges towards the opponent and tackling, thus forcing the opponent down to the mat. The following week, it was announced that Orton would defend the Intercontinental Championship against Edge at Vengeance. Weeks leading to the event, both men took the upper hand over one another. At the scheduled event, Orton lost the Intercontinental Championship to Edge.
usually can accommodate 19,500, but the capacity was reduced for the event. This event grossed over $494,000 from an approximate attendance of 9,000 which was the maximum allowed. It also received 264,000 pay-per-view buys. Bad Blood helped WWE earn $21.6 million in revenue from pay-per-view events versus $16.9 million the previous year, which was later confirmed by Linda McMahon
, the CEO
of WWE, on September 7, 2005 in a quarterly result. Canadian Online Explorer
's professional wrestling section rated the event a five out of 10 stars. The rating was higher than the Bad Blood event in 2003
, which rated a four out of 10 stars. The World Heavyweight Championship match between Chris Benoit and Kane was rated an eight out of 10 stars. Additionally, the match between Eugene and Jonathan Coachman was rated zero out of 10 stars.
The event was released on DVD
on July 13, 2004. The DVD was distributed by the label, Sony Music Entertainment
. The DVD reached third on Billboard
's DVD Sales Chart for recreational sports during the week of August 28, 2004, although falling thereafter. It remained in the chart for two consecutive weeks, until the week of September 25, 2004, when it ranked 19th.
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), which took place on June 13, 2004 at the Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in Columbus, Ohio, USA. It opened in 2000 and is the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, of the NHL....
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. It was the third and final annual Bad Blood
WWE Bad Blood
WWE Bad Blood was a World Wrestling Entertainment professional wrestling pay-per-view event that was held in 1997, 2003, and 2004. Bad Blood 1997 was originally titled In Your House: Badd Blood and took place on October 5. In 2003 and 2004, it was an exclusive event for the Raw brand...
event.
The main event was a Hell in a Cell match, in which 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...
defeated Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
in a ring surrounded by a steel structure of metal. Two bouts were featured on the undercard. In respective singles matches, 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...
Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
defeated 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....
to retain his title and WWE Intercontinental Champion
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...
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 Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
to retain his title.
The event marked the third time the Hell in a Cell format was used by WWE in a Bad Blood event; the first was at In Your House: Badd Blood in 1997. Bad Blood grossed over $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
494,000 ticket sales from an attendance of 9,000 and received 264,000 pay-per-view buys, and was instrumental in helping WWE increase its pay-per-view revenue by $4.7 million compared to the previous year. 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 third 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.
Background
Seven 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 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,...
beforehand, 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 Raw's 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, as they followed a series of events which generally built tension, leading to a wrestling match.
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 Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
, a match where the ring is surrounded by a structure of metal. The buildup to the match began after Backlash
Backlash (2004)
Backlash was the sixth annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 18, 2004 at the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta and was a Raw brand-exclusive event...
, WWE's previous pay-per-view event, where a standard match involving three wrestlers, Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
, Shawn Michaels and Triple H all competed 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...
, with Benoit successfully retaining his title. On the May 3 episode of Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, one of WWE's primary television programs, 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...
, a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer, promoted a standard wrestling match, also called a singles match, World Heavyweight Championship match for that episode, between Benoit and Michaels. The title match saw Benoit successfully retain the title after interference by Triple H, one of the opponents in the Triple Threat match at Backlash. On the May 10 episode of Raw, at the start of the program, a singles match between Triple H and Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
resulted in a no contest after Michaels attacked Triple H; this resulted in a storyline suspension of Michaels from WWE by Bischoff. The following week on Raw, a number one contender's 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...
, an elimination style match where the last person remaining in the ring would be the winner, was scheduled, in which the winner would go on to face Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight title at Bad Blood. During the match, Triple H, a participant in the match, was eliminated by Michaels, who was not a participant in the match. On the May 24 episode of Raw, Bischoff scheduled Michaels and Triple H in a Hell in a Cell match at the Bad Blood event.
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
. The match ended in a disqualification, after Kane hit Eugene 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...
. After the match ended, Kane lifted Eugene by the throat and slammed him down to execute 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...
, which prompted Kane to further the assault. Benoit, however, came down to the ring to Eugene's aid. The following week, a handicap match, where one wrestler faces a combination of wrestlers, was scheduled, in which Benoit and Edge faced off against La Résistance (Sylvain Grenier
Sylvain Grenier
Sylvain Grenier is a Canadian professional wrestler, who is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment in the La Résistance tag team. He is currently a French language announcer for TNA Impact! on RDS....
and Robért Conway) and Kane. The match saw Kane perform a chokeslam and pin Benoit for the win.
The other featured preliminary match was 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...
versus Shelton Benjamin in a singles match for Orton's 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...
. On the May 17 episode of Raw, Randy Orton, who was a villain
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...
, was giving a speech. Shelton Benjamin interrupted Orton's speech and challenged Orton to an Intercontinental Championship match. The challenge, however, was denied by Orton, in which prompted Benjamin to attack Orton. The following week, an all-out brawl ensued between Orton 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...
. The brawl brought out fellow Evolution member
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....
, a group of wrestlers, Batista, to Orton's aid. Benjamin also made his way to the ring and evened the sides. As a result of the brawl, Bischoff announced a tag team match, in which Benjamin and Jericho defeated Orton and Batista. On the May 31 episode of Raw, it was announced that Orton would defend the Intercontinental Championship against Benjamin at Bad Blood.
Event
Before the event went live on pay-per-view, Batista defeated Maven (Maven HuffmanMaven Huffman
Maven Klint Huffman is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment between October 2001 and July 5, 2005 under the name Maven. In 2008 he became a guest expert on the Home Shopping Network.-Early life:Maven was born to an African-American...
) in a match taped for Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, one of WWE's secondary television programs.
Preliminary matches
The second match was Tyson Tomko
Travis Tomko
Travis David Tomko is an American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Tomko, who most recently worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he previously was a member of Christian's Coalition and the Angle Alliance and often worked alongside A.J. Styles. He was also notable for his...
, accompanied
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
by Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus
Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....
, versus Chris Jericho in a singles match. In the early stages both competitors wrestled inconclusively, reversed each other's attacks, before Tyson backed Jericho into the ring corner and hit him numerous times with his elbows. Afterwards, Jericho attempted to springboard of the middle rope to perform a backflip, but Tomko rolled out of the way, sending Jericho to crash down to the mat. The match concluded as Jericho kicked Tyson in the back of the head to perform an enzuigiri and pinning Tomko for the win.
The next match was for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, in which Randy Orton defended the championship against Shelton Benjamin. The match began with Benjamin performing a drop kick
Drop kick
A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground. It contrasts to a punt, wherein the player kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first....
on Orton, which knocked him out to the outside of the ring. Benjamin proceeded to knock Orton over the security barricade into the crowd. Orton got the advantage, after Ric Flair made his way to the ring, distracting Benjamin in the process. The match came to an end when Benjamin went off the top rope and dove onto Orton, but Orton rolled through and hooked Benjamin's tights to pin Benjamin for the three count and retaining the Intercontinental Championship.
WWE Women's Championship
The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification...
, in which Victoria
Lisa Marie Varon
Lisa Marie Varon , is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and fitness competitor of Puerto Rican and Turkish descent...
defended the title against Trish Stratus, 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....
, and Gail Kim
Gail Kim
Gail Kim is a Canadian professional wrestler of Korean descent, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is the current TNA Women's Knockout Champion and one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions with Madison Rayne...
. The start of the match saw Victoria and Lita double team Stratus, however, Stratus avoided the assault, as she rolled out of the ring. Lita and Victoria went on to double team Kim, however, Stratus pulled Lita out of the ring, afterward Victoria performed a backflip and landed on Kim's torso. Lita then drove Kim's head into the mat
DDT (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
. Stratus grabbed Lita's legs and positioned her on her shoulders to gain a pinfall victory, thus Stratus' becoming Women's champion for a fifth time.
The fifth match was between Eugene and 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...
in a standard match. The match started with Eugene hitting an arm drag on Coachman and hitting numerous headbutts. An unknown woman in a bikini came out to the ringside area with some cookies, Coachman offered cookies to Eugene. The woman lured Eugene out of the ring and Eugene went over and grabbed some cookies. As Eugene went to grab more cookies, Coachman slammed Eugene's head into the cookie tray. A spot in the match saw Garrison Cade
Lance Cade
Lance Kurtis McNaught was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment where he performed under the ring names Garrison Cade and Lance Cade....
come out to ringside with a stuffed animal, which prompted Cade to tore up toy animal. Cade tried to hold Eugene so Coachman could get the advantage, however, Eugene was able dodge the attack, as Coachman ended up hitting Cade instead. Eugene grabbed Coachman and lifted him by holding his back horizontally and slamming it down, termed as a side slam. Eugene pinned Coachman for the three count for the win.
Main event matches
The main event was the Hell in a Cell match between Shawn Michaels and Triple H. The match began with Michaels jumping and knocking Triple H over. This was followed with Michaels' slamming Triple H's head onto the steel cage, resulting in Triple H being scripted to bleed from the forehead, the blood loss results from a cut that the wrestler performs during the match called blading
Blading (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, blading is the practice of intentionally cutting oneself to provoke bleeding. It is also known as juicing, gigging, or drawing color. Similarly, a blade is an object used for blading, and a bladejob is a specific act of blading...
. Triple H got the advantage, as he was able to counter a Piledriver
Piledriver (professional wrestling)
A piledriver is a professional wrestling driver move in which the wrestler grabs his opponent, turns him upside-down, and drops into a sitting or kneeling position, driving the opponent head-first into the mat. The most common piledrivers are the basic belly-to-back, or Texas piledriver, and the...
and performed a back body drop on Michaels. Another attack saw Triple H bring the steel steps and hit Michaels with them, which resulted in Michaels also being scripted to bleed from the forehead. A spot in the match saw Michaels lay Triple H on a table, as he climbed onto a ladder
Ladder
A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rope ladders that are hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or stiles . Rigid ladders are usually...
that he took out from under the ring, and performed a dive with his elbow cocked onto Triple H's chest, thus breaking the table and enhancing the maneuver. Afterwards, Triple H gained the advantage and performed a Pedigree on Michaels. Triple H covered Michaels for the win via pinfall. After the match, Michaels staggered to his feet and was given a standing ovation by the audience.
Aftermath
Following Bad Blood, Raw commentator Jim RossJim 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...
tried making amends between Shawn Michaels and Triple H by making them shake hands. Michaels and Triple H extended their hands to shake, however, Kane came out and attacked Michaels, which resulted in Kane, in storyline
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
, crushing Michaels' throat
Larynx
The larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles and mammals involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume...
with a wedged chair. Michaels was then taken out in an ambulance for medical attention. Lita being pregnant was scripted into a storyline. On the June 21 episode of Raw, it appeared that Lita's, boyfriend at that time, 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 ....
was going to propose to Lita, who found out she was pregnant, but he was interrupted by Kane, who claimed to be the father of Lita's child. Two months later, it was revealed that Kane was, indeed, the father. At SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2004)
SummerSlam was the seventeenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, the staged rivalry between Kane and Hardy intensified, when they were booked in a "Till Death Do Us Part" match, with the stipulation that Lita would be obliged to marry Kane should Hardy lose. Kane won the match, leading to he and a reluctant Lita marrying one another on an episode of Raw. On the August 30 episode of Raw, Kane revealed that Eric Bischoff's wedding gift to them was to name any match he wanted for at the September annual event, 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...
. Continuing with the scripted angle, Lita informed Kane that his opponent at the event was Shawn Michaels. At Unforgiven, Michaels defeated Kane in a no disqualification match, a match where neither wrestler can be disqualified, allowing for weapons and outside interference.
On the June 21 episode of Raw, a number one contender's match between Eugene and Triple H was scheduled in which the winner would face Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship. The match, however, ended in a No Contest. On the June 28 episode of Raw, a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship between Benoit and Kane took place. A stipulation was placed that Benoit had to win the match by submission, as Kane could've won by pinfall, submission, disqualification or countout. Benoit won the match, after he made Kane submit to a crossface, and thus defending the World Heavyweight Championship at Vengeance
Vengeance (2004)
Vengeance was the fourth annual Vengeance professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion, World Wrestling Entertainment...
against Triple H. At Vengeance, Benoit defeated Triple H to retain his Championship.
A heated confrontation between Randy Orton and Edge was seen. This angle led Edge to perform a shoulder block takedown on Orton, this is seen as an attack where the attacking wrestler charges towards the opponent and tackling, thus forcing the opponent down to the mat. The following week, it was announced that Orton would defend the Intercontinental Championship against Edge at Vengeance. Weeks leading to the event, both men took the upper hand over one another. At the scheduled event, Orton lost the Intercontinental Championship to Edge.
Reception
The Nationwide ArenaNationwide Arena
Nationwide Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in Columbus, Ohio, USA. It opened in 2000 and is the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, of the NHL....
usually can accommodate 19,500, but the capacity was reduced for the event. This event grossed over $494,000 from an approximate attendance of 9,000 which was the maximum allowed. It also received 264,000 pay-per-view buys. Bad Blood helped WWE earn $21.6 million in revenue from pay-per-view events versus $16.9 million the previous year, which was later confirmed by Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon is an American professional wrestling magnate and politician. She is notable for her career developing WWE with her husband Vince McMahon. She was in the company from 1980 to 2009. During this time, WWE grew from a small regional business in New York to a large multinational...
, the CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of WWE, on September 7, 2005 in a quarterly result. 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 rated the event a five out of 10 stars. The rating was higher than the Bad Blood event in 2003
Bad Blood (2003)
Bad Blood was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 15, 2003 at the Compaq Center in Houston, Texas. It was the second event produced under the Bad Blood name and starred wrestlers from the Raw brand...
, which rated a four out of 10 stars. The World Heavyweight Championship match between Chris Benoit and Kane was rated an eight out of 10 stars. Additionally, the match between Eugene and Jonathan Coachman was rated zero out of 10 stars.
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 July 13, 2004. The DVD was distributed by the label, Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
. The DVD reached third 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 during the week of August 28, 2004, although falling thereafter. It remained in the chart for two consecutive weeks, until the week of September 25, 2004, when it ranked 19th.
Results
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batista defeated Maven Maven Huffman Maven Klint Huffman is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment between October 2001 and July 5, 2005 under the name Maven. In 2008 he became a guest expert on the Home Shopping Network.-Early life:Maven was born to an African-American... . |
Singles match | 03:44 | |
| 1 | Chris Benoit Chris Benoit Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide... and Edge defeated La Résistance (Sylvain Grenier Sylvain Grenier Sylvain Grenier is a Canadian professional wrestler, who is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment in the La Résistance tag team. He is currently a French language announcer for TNA Impact! on RDS.... and Robért Conway) (c) by disqualification. |
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 for the World Tag Team Championship |
10:17 |
| 2 | 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... defeated Tyson Tomko Travis Tomko Travis David Tomko is an American professional wrestler, known by his ring name Tomko, who most recently worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he previously was a member of Christian's Coalition and the Angle Alliance and often worked alongside A.J. Styles. He was also notable for his... (with Trish Stratus Trish Stratus Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model.... ). |
Singles match | 06:03 |
| 3 | 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... (c) defeated Shelton Benjamin Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted... . |
Singles 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... |
15:03 |
| 4 | Trish Stratus (with Tyson Tomko) defeated Victoria Lisa Marie Varon Lisa Marie Varon , is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and fitness competitor of Puerto Rican and Turkish descent... (c), 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.... and Gail Kim Gail Kim Gail Kim is a Canadian professional wrestler of Korean descent, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is the current TNA Women's Knockout Champion and one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions with Madison Rayne... . |
Fatal Four-Way match for the WWE Women's Championship WWE Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship was a professional wrestling championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment promotion. Created in 1956, it was the oldest active professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment history until its retirement in 2010 as a result from a unification... |
04:43 |
| 5 | Eugene Nick Dinsmore Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler... defeated 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... . |
Singles match | 07:38 |
| 6 | Chris Benoit (c) defeated 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.... . |
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... |
18:20 |
| 7 | 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... defeated Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December... . |
Hell in a Cell match | 47:26 |