SummerSlam 2004 Thoughts
SummerSlam 2004 was the 17th annual SummerSlam event produced by the WWE. It took place August 21, 2004 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Attendence was at 17,640 with a buyrate from home at 320,000. This night we saw Randy Orton winning his first ever World title as at the time, Raw lacked a top babyface and Orton was the choice for the top. It obviously wouldn't last. Eddie Guerrero & Kurt Angle had their classic rematch from WrestleMania XX which told another unique story.
The Good - Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero was once more a terrific match. I don't think it's as good as their WM XX match but it delivered. Eddie sold his ankle really well through out this entire match. The Triple Threat for the IC title was good and I thought the main event was better than expected. While it was obvious weeks from now that Orton wasn't ready, the moment of him winning was good. Surprisingly Triple H vs. Eugene was very entertaining despite the stupid and controversial gimmick of Eugene. Also the good old Raw & SD segments were so fun to rewatch. It also cool seeing John Cena & Orton backstage talking as strangers from different brands with being in the future knowing these 2 will be legends.
The Meh - First half started pretty slow. Didn't pick up until the triple threat but it didn't tire me out fast. 6-man tag felt like a typical 6-man tag and Cena vs. Booker T was okay but not a PPV quality match.
The Bad - The WWE Championship was a snooze fest and the crowd clearly didn't care for it. It was JBL as champion so it's no question. I remember this was one of Smackdown's worst years in ratings and reviewed shows as the roster was thin after Angle being out due to injuries and Brock Lesnar leaving the WWE. Kane vs. Matt Hardy can also be described as a lackluster with the terrible storyline of Lita being pregnant of Kane and will soon be forced into marriage. Also the diva dodgeball was a waste of time and not entertaining.
Overall - Below average show. I think the most memorable thing of this show was the crowd. Fans just were all over the place in terms of reactions. Hometown star Edge being booed due to how stale he was at this point, Eugene being booed, chanting random things with the WWE Championship match, and cheering Orton but no crowd reaction to Benoit. Overrall not a top-tier SummerSlam.
Score - 5 out of 10: Mediocre
0 = Horrible: 1 = Bad/Lackluster: 2 = Decent: 3 = Good: 4 = Awesome: 5 = One of the Best of all Time:
1. Spike Dudley & The Dudleys vs. Rey Mysterio, Paul London & Billy Kidman - 2/5
2. Kane vs. Matt Hardy - 1.5/5
3. Booker T vs. John Cena: WWE United States Championship (Best of 5 Series) - 2/5
4. Batista vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge: WWE Intercontinental Championship - 3/5
5. Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle - 4/5
6. Triple H vs. Eugene - 2.5/5
7. The Undertaker vs. JBL: WWE Championship - 1/5
8. Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton: World Heavyweight Championship - 3/5
Best Match - Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero
Worst Match - Undertaker vs. JBL
Most Memorable Moment - Randy Orton title victory. Crowd exploded.
Top 5 Performers
1. Kurt Angle - Great Performance for an in-ring return
2. Eddie Guerrero - Great Performance and Selling
3. Randy Orton - Big moment
4. Chris Benoit - putting orton over
5. Triple H - made Eugene look good.
SummerSlam 2004 was the 17th annual SummerSlam event produced by the WWE. It took place August 21, 2004 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Attendence was at 17,640 with a buyrate from home at 320,000. This night we saw Randy Orton winning his first ever World title as at the time, Raw lacked a top babyface and Orton was the choice for the top. It obviously wouldn't last. Eddie Guerrero & Kurt Angle had their classic rematch from WrestleMania XX which told another unique story.
The Good - Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero was once more a terrific match. I don't think it's as good as their WM XX match but it delivered. Eddie sold his ankle really well through out this entire match. The Triple Threat for the IC title was good and I thought the main event was better than expected. While it was obvious weeks from now that Orton wasn't ready, the moment of him winning was good. Surprisingly Triple H vs. Eugene was very entertaining despite the stupid and controversial gimmick of Eugene. Also the good old Raw & SD segments were so fun to rewatch. It also cool seeing John Cena & Orton backstage talking as strangers from different brands with being in the future knowing these 2 will be legends.
The Meh - First half started pretty slow. Didn't pick up until the triple threat but it didn't tire me out fast. 6-man tag felt like a typical 6-man tag and Cena vs. Booker T was okay but not a PPV quality match.
The Bad - The WWE Championship was a snooze fest and the crowd clearly didn't care for it. It was JBL as champion so it's no question. I remember this was one of Smackdown's worst years in ratings and reviewed shows as the roster was thin after Angle being out due to injuries and Brock Lesnar leaving the WWE. Kane vs. Matt Hardy can also be described as a lackluster with the terrible storyline of Lita being pregnant of Kane and will soon be forced into marriage. Also the diva dodgeball was a waste of time and not entertaining.
Overall - Below average show. I think the most memorable thing of this show was the crowd. Fans just were all over the place in terms of reactions. Hometown star Edge being booed due to how stale he was at this point, Eugene being booed, chanting random things with the WWE Championship match, and cheering Orton but no crowd reaction to Benoit. Overrall not a top-tier SummerSlam.
Score - 5 out of 10: Mediocre
0 = Horrible: 1 = Bad/Lackluster: 2 = Decent: 3 = Good: 4 = Awesome: 5 = One of the Best of all Time:
1. Spike Dudley & The Dudleys vs. Rey Mysterio, Paul London & Billy Kidman - 2/5
2. Kane vs. Matt Hardy - 1.5/5
3. Booker T vs. John Cena: WWE United States Championship (Best of 5 Series) - 2/5
4. Batista vs. Chris Jericho vs. Edge: WWE Intercontinental Championship - 3/5
5. Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle - 4/5
6. Triple H vs. Eugene - 2.5/5
7. The Undertaker vs. JBL: WWE Championship - 1/5
8. Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton: World Heavyweight Championship - 3/5
Best Match - Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero
Worst Match - Undertaker vs. JBL
Most Memorable Moment - Randy Orton title victory. Crowd exploded.
Top 5 Performers
1. Kurt Angle - Great Performance for an in-ring return
2. Eddie Guerrero - Great Performance and Selling
3. Randy Orton - Big moment
4. Chris Benoit - putting orton over
5. Triple H - made Eugene look good.