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Unforgiven (2004)
Encyclopedia
Unforgiven was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE), which took place on September 12, 2004 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon
. It was the sixth annual (seventh overall) Unforgiven
event. The show's seven matches showcased prominent WWE wrestlers, who acted out the franchise's stories in and out of the ring. The event starred talent from the Raw
brand
.
The main event
was Randy Orton
versus Triple H
for the World Heavyweight Championship
, which Triple H won by pinfall after executing a Pedigree onto a steel chair
. One of the predominant matches on the card
was Shawn Michaels
versus Kane
in a No Disqualification match, which Michaels won after performing Sweet Chin Music. Another primary match on the undercard was Chris Jericho
versus Christian in a Ladder match
for the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship
, which Jericho won by retrieving the suspended belt.
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 feud
heading into the event was between Randy Orton
and Triple H
over the World Heavyweight Championship
. At the August pay-per-view event, SummerSlam
, WWE's previous pay-per-view event, Orton defeated Chris Benoit
to win the World Heavyweight Championship, thus making Orton the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history. On the August 16, 2004 edition of Raw
, one of WWE's primary television programs, Orton successfully retained the title in a rematch with Benoit. After the match, Evolution
(Batista, Ric Flair
, and Triple H), Orton's fellow stablemates, threw him a fake
celebration, only to reveal that they were not pleased with his new victory. While Batista had Orton propped on his shoulders in elation, Triple H gave him a pleased thumbs up; Triple H, however, abruptly changed the thumbs up to a thumbs-down and told Batista to drop Orton to the mat. Flair and Batista then began to beat Orton in the ring as Triple H claimed that Orton was nothing without Evolution. Orton's break-up with Evolution began a new storyline for him as a fan favorite
when he continued to feud with his former group members. On the August 23 edition of Raw, after Orton refused to give Triple H the World title, Orton spat in Triple H's face and hit him with the title belt. General Manager Eric Bischoff
then scheduled a match between the two for the World Heavyweight title at Unforgiven. The following week on Raw, Eugene
defeated Triple H in a singles match after Orton interfered and performed an RKO on Triple H. On the September 6 edition Raw, Orton defeated Kane
in a Steel Cage match, which Orton won by escaping the cage. Shortly after the match ended, Ric Flair and Batista came out and, along with Triple H, began attacking Orton. In an interview with the Daily Star in 2006, Orton revealed that WWE chairman, Vince McMahon
, came up with the idea of having Orton be a fan favorite the day of SummerSlam. According to Orton, transforming into a fan favorite was "tough" because "no one bought it".
The second main feud heading into the event was between Kane and Shawn Michaels
. This feud began the night after Bad Blood
, when Michaels lost a Hell in a Cell match to Triple H. Raw commentator Jim Ross
tried making amends between Michaels and Triple H by making them to 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. On the June 28, 2004 edition of Raw, Ross interviewed Kane and asked him to explain his actions towards Michaels; Kane explained that he was robbed of the World Heavyweight Championship at Bad Blood against Chris Benoit, as Michaels got in his way, which angered him. On the August 30 edition of Raw, Kane revealed that Eric Bischoff's wedding gift to him and Lita
, who married the week before, was to name any match he wanted for the September pay-per-view, Unforgiven. Lita then informed Kane that Bischoff's present was for both of them, where they were able to pick Kane's opponent for Unforgiven, which resulted in Michaels being picked.
The third main feud heading into the event was between Chris Jericho
and Christian over the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship
. On the September 6, 2004 edition of Raw, Eric Bischoff stripped Edge of the Intercontinental Championship, after Edge suffered a legitimate injury. Christian interrupted Bischoff and stated that all his peeps would riot the streets if Bischoff did not award him the vacant championship. Jericho suggested that he and Christian wrestle in a match on Raw over the vacant championship. Bischoff, however, scheduled a Ladder match
at Unforgiven between Christian and Jericho.
, Maven
and Rodney Mack
(with Jazz
) faced off in a dark match, that took place during a taping of Sunday Night Heat
. Maven pinned Mack with a roll-up after Mack collided with Jazz.
The first match of the event was the tag team
encounter of Chris Benoit
and William Regal against the team of Evolution
(Ric Flair
and Batista). The match started off with Batista and Chris Benoit, who brawled back and forth until Flair was tagged in. Flair and Benoit exchanged knife edge chops. Batista and Regal then spar, but Batista was able to gain control over Regal, until Benoit and Flair tag in to the match. Benoit and Flair spar back and forth, until Flair applied the Figure four lock only for Benoit to reverse it into the Crippler Crossface, in which Flair submitted to, giving the win to Benoit and Regal.
The next match was the encounter of Victoria
and Trish Stratus
(with Tyson Tomko
) for the WWE Women's Championship
. Victoria gained control over Stratus early into the match, however, Stratus gained control after Tomko interfered on her behalf. After Stratus gained the advantage, she hit a Stratusfaction on Victoria and got a successful pinfall, thus Stratus winning the match and retaining the Women's Championship. After the match, Tomko tried to attack Victoria, until she was saved by an unknown man in a dress. Tomko then challenged the mystery superstar into a match.
The third match was between Tyson Tomko
and Stevie Richards
, the man dressed in women's clothing. Tomko quickly gained the advantage after stripping off all of the clothes on Richards, leaving Richards left wearing a pair of woman’s underwear. Tomko continued his attack on Richards by hitting a swinging neckbreaker and winning the match via pinfall.
The fourth match was for the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship
between Christian and Chris Jericho
in a Ladder match
. The two superstars brawled early into the match, but they then retrieved ladders and used them to their advantage. Christian was then able to gain control over the match after he performed a running enziguri onto Jericho. The two superstars then continued in a back and forth match, until Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho
on Christian, on the top of the ladder, which caused Christian to fall down. Jericho failed to retrieve the title on the first attempt, but was able to set up another ladder and successfully retrieved the title on the second attempt, thus Jericho winning the match and the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
The next match was a No Disqualification match between Kane
, who was accompanied by Lita
, and Shawn Michaels
. Kane would gain the early advantage as he suplex
ed Michaels through the announcers table, which resulted in the table breaking. Kane would continue to brawl with Michaels at ringside where he hit Michaels face first onto the ringside steel steps, which resulted in Michaels bleeding from the forehead. As Kane attempted to hit Michaels with a steel chair
, Michaels would counter it with Sweet Chin Music, which gained a successful pinfall.
The following match was for the World Tag Team Championship, in which champions La Résistance (Sylvain Grenier
and Robért Conway) defended the title against Tajiri
and Rhyno
. There was back and forth action between the two teams, as all the superstars were able to participate in the match. Grenier hit Rhyno with a Quebec
flag and managed to pin him and La Resistance winning the match and retaining the World Tag Team title.
The seventh and final match was between Randy Orton
and Triple H
for the World Heavyweight Championship
. Both Orton and Triple H managed to get the upper hand in the match. During the match, Ric Flair and Batista interfered on behalf of Triple H, as they attacked Orton while the referee was knocked out. Jonathan Coachman
also took part in the match as he ran down with a referee shirt and tried to act as a guest referee. Orton managed to get the upper hand over Flair, Batista and Coachman as he hit an RKO
on all three of them. Triple H, however, managed to hit Orton with a steel chair, which proceeded with a Pedigree onto the same chair. Batista then rolled the referee into the ring, as Triple H covered Orton for the win via pinfall.
Following Unforgiven, Triple H
had a celebration thrown in his honor, complete with six women, confetti, streamers and a giant cake. Randy Orton
, however, sought revenge, as he lashed out at all three Evolution members
, as he came out of the giant cake, which was placed in the center of the ring, and humiliated the group. Orton was however ineligible to face Triple H at Taboo Tuesday
for the World Heavyweight Championship, as he was unable to win a match against Batista, which would have given Orton a championship match. On the October 4, 2004 edition of Raw, three candidates were named as potential contenders for Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship at Taboo Tuesday; Chris Benoit
and Edge were revealed as two of the candidates. Shawn Michaels
, however, competed in a qualifying match, which it saw him defeat Christian, to become the third candidate. On the October 18 edition of Raw, a Triple Threat match was scheduled between Michaels, Benoit and Edge, which Edge won after he pinned Benoit by using the ropes for leverage. During the match, Michaels injured his knee, and it was later revealed that he tore his meniscus
. At Taboo Tuesday, Michaels won the fans vote and faced Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship, however, Michaels was unable to win the match after Edge interfered and speared Michaels, allowing Triple H to pin him.
Randy Orton began a feud
with Ric Flair
, after Flair was the one responsible for making Orton lose the match against Batista. Orton commented on every accomplishment that Flair had made and criticized him for calling Triple H the greatest wrestler of all. Flair retaliated to Orton's comments, stating that individuals like Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley
, who Orton had previously feuded with, were not legends, therefore Orton was not a Legend Killer. Flair also stated that he and Orton would have a match at Taboo Tuesday and the fans would have the opportunity to choose what type of match they face in. At Taboo Tuesday, Orton and Flair met in a Steel Cage match, which was the fans selection. Orton won the match after delivering an RKO
to Flair. After the match, Flair shook Orton's hand.
At Taboo Tuesday, Chris Jericho
lost the Intercontinental Championship
to Shelton Benjamin
via pinfall. Benjamin won the vote to face Jericho; he also was voted over Batista, Jonathan Coachman
, Christian, Rhyno
, Maven
, William Regal
, The Hurricane
, Tyson Tomko
, Tajiri
, Steven Richards
, Val Venis
, Rosey
, Chuck Palumbo
, and Rodney Mack
.
On the October 11, 2004 edition of Raw, La Résistance had to defend the World Tag Team Championship in a match with Eugene
and William Regal. Regal hit Sylvain Grenier with a pair of brass knuckles and pinned him to the win the World Tag Team title. Eric Bischoff, however, restarted the match. The match resulted in La Résistance retaining the title, after Robért Conway jabbed Regal in the side with a flagpole. Bischoff informed La Résistance that at Taboo Tuesday they were scheduled to defend the World Tag Team title against the two individuals who were not chosen to face Triple H for the World title. Shawn Michaels won the fans choice, which gave Edge and Chris Benoit a World Tag Team title match. Edge, however, abandoned Benoit during the match, which forced Benoit to wrestle both members of La Résistance by himself. Despite this, Benoit managed to force Conway to submit to the Crippler Crossface to win the World Tag Team Championship.
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 September 12, 2004 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. It was the sixth annual (seventh overall) Unforgiven
WWE Unforgiven
Unforgiven was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment, which had been held in September since the 1999 edition. It originally started out as a In Your House pay-per-view event in April and featured the infamous Inferno match between The...
event. The show's seven matches showcased prominent WWE wrestlers, who acted out the franchise's stories in and out of the ring. The event starred 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...
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...
.
The main event
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
was 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 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...
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 Triple H won by pinfall after executing a Pedigree onto a steel 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...
. One of the predominant matches on the card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
was 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...
versus 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....
in a No Disqualification match, which Michaels won after performing Sweet Chin Music. Another primary match on the undercard was 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...
versus Christian in a Ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
for the vacant 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...
, which Jericho won by retrieving the suspended belt.
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.
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
heading into the event was between Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
and 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...
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 the August pay-per-view event, SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2004)
SummerSlam was the seventeenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, WWE's previous pay-per-view event, Orton defeated Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
to win the World Heavyweight Championship, thus making Orton the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history. On the August 16, 2004 edition 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, Orton successfully retained the title in a rematch with Benoit. 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), Orton's fellow stablemates, threw him a fake
Fake
Fake means not real.Fake may also refer to:In music:* Fake , a Swedish synthpop band active in the 1980s*Fake?, a Japanese rock band* Fake , 2010 song by Ai featuring Namie Amuro...
celebration, only to reveal that they were not pleased with his new victory. While Batista had Orton propped on his shoulders in elation, Triple H gave him a pleased thumbs up; Triple H, however, abruptly changed the thumbs up to a thumbs-down and told Batista to drop Orton to the mat. Flair and Batista then began to beat Orton in the ring as Triple H claimed that Orton was nothing without Evolution. Orton's break-up with Evolution began a new storyline for him as a 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...
when he continued to feud with his former group members. On the August 23 edition of Raw, after Orton refused to give Triple H the World title, Orton spat in Triple H's face and hit him with the title belt. 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 the two for the World Heavyweight title at Unforgiven. The following week on Raw, Eugene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
defeated Triple H in a singles match after Orton interfered and performed an RKO on Triple H. On the September 6 edition Raw, Orton 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....
in a Steel Cage match, which Orton won by escaping the cage. Shortly after the match ended, Ric Flair and Batista came out and, along with Triple H, began attacking Orton. In an interview with the Daily Star in 2006, Orton revealed that WWE chairman, 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...
, came up with the idea of having Orton be a fan favorite the day of SummerSlam. According to Orton, transforming into a fan favorite was "tough" because "no one bought it".
The second main feud heading into the event was between Kane 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...
. This feud began the night after Bad Blood
Bad Blood (2004)
Bad Blood was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 13, 2004 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. It was the third and final annual Bad Blood event....
, when Michaels lost a Hell in a Cell match to Triple H. Raw commentator 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...
tried making amends between Michaels and Triple H by making them to 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. On the June 28, 2004 edition of Raw, Ross interviewed Kane and asked him to explain his actions towards Michaels; Kane explained that he was robbed of the World Heavyweight Championship at Bad Blood against Chris Benoit, as Michaels got in his way, which angered him. On the August 30 edition of Raw, Kane revealed that Eric Bischoff's wedding gift to him and 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....
, who married the week before, was to name any match he wanted for the September pay-per-view, Unforgiven. Lita then informed Kane that Bischoff's present was for both of them, where they were able to pick Kane's opponent for Unforgiven, which resulted in Michaels being picked.
The third main feud heading into the event was between 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 Christian over the vacant 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...
. On the September 6, 2004 edition of Raw, Eric Bischoff stripped Edge of the Intercontinental Championship, after Edge suffered a legitimate injury. Christian interrupted Bischoff and stated that all his peeps would riot the streets if Bischoff did not award him the vacant championship. Jericho suggested that he and Christian wrestle in a match on Raw over the vacant championship. Bischoff, however, scheduled a Ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
at Unforgiven between Christian and Jericho.
Event
Before the event aired live on pay-per-viewPay-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...
, 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...
and Rodney Mack
Rodney Begnaud
Rodney Begnaud is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment and for his work on its Raw brand under the ring name Rodney Mack.-Debut :...
(with Jazz
Carlene Begnaud
Carlene Denise Moore-Begnaud is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored under the ring name Jazz...
) faced off in a dark match, that took place during a taping of Sunday Night Heat
WWE HEAT
WWE Heat was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
. Maven pinned Mack with a roll-up after Mack collided with Jazz.
Preliminary matches
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...
encounter of Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and William Regal against the team of 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....
(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 Batista). The match started off with Batista and Chris Benoit, who brawled back and forth until Flair was tagged in. Flair and Benoit exchanged knife edge chops. Batista and Regal then spar, but Batista was able to gain control over Regal, until Benoit and Flair tag in to the match. Benoit and Flair spar back and forth, until Flair applied the Figure four lock only for Benoit to reverse it into the Crippler Crossface, in which Flair submitted to, giving the win to Benoit and Regal.
The next match was the encounter of Victoria
Lisa Marie Varon
Lisa Marie Varon , is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and fitness competitor of Puerto Rican and Turkish descent...
and 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....
(with 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...
) 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...
. Victoria gained control over Stratus early into the match, however, Stratus gained control after Tomko interfered on her behalf. After Stratus gained the advantage, she hit a Stratusfaction on Victoria and got a successful pinfall, thus Stratus winning the match and retaining the Women's Championship. After the match, Tomko tried to attack Victoria, until she was saved by an unknown man in a dress. Tomko then challenged the mystery superstar into a match.
The third match was between 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...
and Stevie Richards
Stevie Richards
Michael Manna is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Also known by his ring names, Steven Richards and Dr...
, the man dressed in women's clothing. Tomko quickly gained the advantage after stripping off all of the clothes on Richards, leaving Richards left wearing a pair of woman’s underwear. Tomko continued his attack on Richards by hitting a swinging neckbreaker and winning the match via pinfall.
The fourth match was for the vacant 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...
between Christian 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...
in a Ladder match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
. The two superstars brawled early into the match, but they then retrieved ladders and used them to their advantage. Christian was then able to gain control over the match after he performed a running enziguri onto Jericho. The two superstars then continued in a back and forth match, until Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho
Boston crab
The Boston crab is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with the opponent lying supine on the mat, with the wrestler standing and facing them. It is a type of spinal lock where the wrestler hooks each of the opponent’s legs in one of his arms, and then turns the opponent face-down,...
on Christian, on the top of the ladder, which caused Christian to fall down. Jericho failed to retrieve the title on the first attempt, but was able to set up another ladder and successfully retrieved the title on the second attempt, thus Jericho winning the match and the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Main event matches
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....
, who was accompanied by 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 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...
. Kane would gain the early advantage as he 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...
ed Michaels through the announcers table, which resulted in the table breaking. Kane would continue to brawl with Michaels at ringside where he hit Michaels face first onto the ringside steel steps, which resulted in Michaels bleeding from the forehead. As Kane attempted to hit Michaels with a steel 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...
, Michaels would counter it with Sweet Chin Music, which gained a successful pinfall.
The following match was for the World Tag Team Championship, in which champions 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) defended the title against Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
and Rhyno
Terry Gerin
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. There was back and forth action between the two teams, as all the superstars were able to participate in the match. Grenier hit Rhyno with a Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
flag and managed to pin him and La Resistance winning the match and retaining the World Tag Team title.
The seventh and final match was between Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
and 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...
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...
. Both Orton and Triple H managed to get the upper hand in the match. During the match, Ric Flair and Batista interfered on behalf of Triple H, as they attacked Orton while the referee was knocked out. 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...
also took part in the match as he ran down with a referee shirt and tried to act as a guest referee. Orton managed to get the upper hand over Flair, Batista and Coachman as he hit 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...
on all three of them. Triple H, however, managed to hit Orton with a steel chair, which proceeded with a Pedigree onto the same chair. Batista then rolled the referee into the ring, as Triple H covered Orton for the win via pinfall.
Aftermath
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...
had a celebration thrown in his honor, complete with six women, confetti, streamers and a giant cake. 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...
, however, sought revenge, as he lashed out at all three Evolution members
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....
, as he came out of the giant cake, which was placed in the center of the ring, and humiliated the group. Orton was however ineligible to face Triple H at Taboo Tuesday
Taboo Tuesday (2004)
Taboo Tuesday was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 19, 2004 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was the first annual Taboo Tuesday event, marking the first time in which the fans were given the chance...
for the World Heavyweight Championship, as he was unable to win a match against Batista, which would have given Orton a championship match. On the October 4, 2004 edition of Raw, three candidates were named as potential contenders for Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship at Taboo Tuesday; Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and Edge were revealed as two of the candidates. 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...
, however, competed in a qualifying match, which it saw him defeat Christian, to become the third candidate. On the October 18 edition of Raw, a Triple Threat match was scheduled between Michaels, Benoit and Edge, which Edge won after he pinned Benoit by using the ropes for leverage. During the match, Michaels injured his knee, and it was later revealed that he tore his meniscus
Meniscus (anatomy)
In anatomy, a meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that, in contrast to articular disks, only partly divides a joint cavity. In humans it is present in the knee, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints; in other organisms they may be present in other...
. At Taboo Tuesday, Michaels won the fans vote and faced Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship, however, Michaels was unable to win the match after Edge interfered and speared Michaels, allowing Triple H to pin him.
Randy Orton began a feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
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....
, after Flair was the one responsible for making Orton lose the match against Batista. Orton commented on every accomplishment that Flair had made and criticized him for calling Triple H the greatest wrestler of all. Flair retaliated to Orton's comments, stating that individuals like Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
, who Orton had previously feuded with, were not legends, therefore Orton was not a Legend Killer. Flair also stated that he and Orton would have a match at Taboo Tuesday and the fans would have the opportunity to choose what type of match they face in. At Taboo Tuesday, Orton and Flair met in a Steel Cage match, which was the fans selection. Orton won the match after delivering 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...
to Flair. After the match, Flair shook Orton's hand.
At Taboo Tuesday, 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...
lost the 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...
to 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...
via pinfall. Benjamin won the vote to face Jericho; he also was voted over Batista, 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...
, Christian, Rhyno
Terry Gerin
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, 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...
, William Regal
Darren Matthews
Darren Kenneth Matthews , is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal...
, The Hurricane
Gregory Helms
Gregory Shane Helms is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment where he wrestled as The Hurricane and Gregory Helms. He is also known for his time with World Championship Wrestling where he wrestled as "Sugar" Shane Helms...
, 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...
, Tajiri
Yoshihiro Tajiri
, is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :...
, Steven Richards
Stevie Richards
Michael Manna is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Also known by his ring names, Steven Richards and Dr...
, Val Venis
Sean Morley
Sean Allen Morley is a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name Val Venis, during his time with World Wrestling Federation, later known as World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Rosey
Matt Anoa'i
Matthew "Matt" Anoa'i is a professional wrestler, best known for his time on the independent circuit under numerous ring names, and his time in World Wrestling Entertainment , where he competed as Rosey....
, Chuck Palumbo
Chuck Palumbo
Charles "Chuck" Palumbo is an American professional wrestler, currently working for Nu-Wrestling Evolution . Palumbo is best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment...
, and Rodney Mack
Rodney Begnaud
Rodney Begnaud is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in World Wrestling Entertainment and for his work on its Raw brand under the ring name Rodney Mack.-Debut :...
.
On the October 11, 2004 edition of Raw, La Résistance had to defend the World Tag Team Championship in a match with Eugene
Nick Dinsmore
Nicholas "Nick" Dinsmore , better known by his ring names Eugene and U-Gene, is an American professional wrestler...
and William Regal. Regal hit Sylvain Grenier with a pair of brass knuckles and pinned him to the win the World Tag Team title. Eric Bischoff, however, restarted the match. The match resulted in La Résistance retaining the title, after Robért Conway jabbed Regal in the side with a flagpole. Bischoff informed La Résistance that at Taboo Tuesday they were scheduled to defend the World Tag Team title against the two individuals who were not chosen to face Triple H for the World title. Shawn Michaels won the fans choice, which gave Edge and Chris Benoit a World Tag Team title match. Edge, however, abandoned Benoit during the match, which forced Benoit to wrestle both members of La Résistance by himself. Despite this, Benoit managed to force Conway to submit to the Crippler Crossface to win the World Tag Team Championship.
Results
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Benoit Chris Benoit Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide... and William Regal defeated 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.... (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 Batista). |
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 |
15:05 |
| 2 | 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.... (c) (with 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... ) defeated Victoria Lisa Marie Varon Lisa Marie Varon , is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and fitness competitor of Puerto Rican and Turkish descent... . |
Singles 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... |
08:21 |
| 3 | Tyson Tomko defeated Steven Richards Stevie Richards Michael Manna is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Also known by his ring names, Steven Richards and Dr... . |
Singles match | 06:24 |
| 4 | 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 Christian. |
Ladder match Ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item... for the vacant 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... |
22:29 |
| 5 | 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... 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.... (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.... ). |
No Disqualification Match | 18:02 |
| 6 | 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) defeated Tajiri Yoshihiro Tajiri , is a Japanese professional wrestler, perhaps best known for his appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment. He is currently competing in SMASH as TAJIRI.-Early years :... and Rhyno Terry Gerin Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... . |
Tag team match for the World Tag Team Championship | 09:40 |
| 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 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). |
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... |
24:44 |