The 2004 Armageddon was the fifth

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

(PPV) event produced by

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...

(WWE). It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's SmackDown! brand division. The event took place on December 12, 2004, at the

Gwinnett Center Gwinnett County ( ) is located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. It forms part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In 2020, the population was 957,062, making it the second-most populous county in Georgia (after Fulton ...

in the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

suburb of

Duluth, Georgia Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 census, Duluth had a population of 31,873, and the United States Census Bureau estimated the po ...

. Nine

professional wrestling matches Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

were scheduled on the event's

card Card or The Card may refer to: * Various types of plastic cards: **By type *** Magnetic stripe card ***Chip card ***Digital card **By function *** Payment card **** Credit card ****Debit card **** EC-card **** Identity card **** European Health Ins ...

. All four championships exclusive to the SmackDown! brand were contested for; one was lost while the other three were retained. The

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

was a Fatal-Four Way match for the

WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDo ...

involving

Eddie Guerrero Eduardo Gory Guerrero Llanes (October 9, 1967 – November 13, 2005) was an American professional wrestler. He was a prominent member of the Guerrero wrestling family, being the son of first-generation wrestler Gory Guerrero. Eddie Guerrero is ...

, champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL),

Booker T Booker T or Booker T. may refer to * Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), African American political leader at the turn of the 20th century ** List of things named after Booker T. Washington, some nicknamed "Booker T." * Booker T. Jones (born 1944 ...

and

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...

, which JBL won after pinning Booker. One of the predominant matches on the

undercard In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to t ...

was The Big Show versus

Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Actio ...

Mark Jindrak Mark Robert Jindrak (born June 26, 1977) is an American businessman, former professional wrestler, and actor. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Mark Jindrak and ...

, and

Luther Reigns Matthew Robert Wiese (born September 22, 1971) is an American former professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Luther Reigns. Professional wrestling ca ...

in a

Handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. Big Show won the match after pinning Jindrak following an F-5. Another primary match on the

was

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...

versus Jesús in a Street Fight for the

WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along with the WWE ...

, which Cena won by pinfall after executing an FU.

Production

Background

was established in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

's (WWE) December

(PPV) and was held every year except in 2001. The 2004 event was held on December 12 at the

in the

suburb of

. It was the fifth event in the Armageddon chronology. While the previous year featured wrestlers exclusively from the Raw

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create a ...

, the 2004 event was SmackDown!-exclusive.

Storylines

The main

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one pa ...

heading into Armageddon was between John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL),

, and

over the

. At

Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the s ...

, JBL faced Booker for the WWE Championship. Before the match began, JBL announced that if he lost the match he would

leave Leave may refer to: * Permission (disambiguation) ** Permitted absence from work *** Leave of absence, a period of time that one is to be away from one's primary job while maintaining the status of employee *** Annual leave, allowance of time a ...

professional wrestling forever. JBL won the match and retained the title after hitting Booker with the WWE Championship belt. On the November 18 episode of ''SmackDown!'', JBL, Guerrero, Booker and Undertaker were all arguing over who should be the next number one contender for the WWE Championship. SmackDown!

general manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all ...

Theodore Long Theodore Robert Rufus Long (born September 15, 1947) is an American former professional referee and manager known for his work for WWE and WCW serving as an on-screen authority figure. Long began his career in the National Wrestling Alliance a ...

then announced that JBL would be defending the WWE Championship against Guerrero, Booker and Undertaker at Armageddon. be On the November 25 episode of ''SmackDown!'', JBL and

Orlando Jordan Orlando Ruben Jordan (born April 21, 1974) is an actor/stuntman and retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE on its SmackDown brand, where he was a one-time United States Champion and for his time with Impac ...

faced Booker and Guerrero in a

tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. JBL and Jordan won the match following interference from the

Basham Brothers The Basham Brothers were a professional wrestling tag team, composed of Doug Basham and Danny Basham. The team is best known for their work with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). History Ohio Valley ...

. When the match was over, Undertaker came out and attacked JBL's

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

followed by executing a Tombstone Piledriver to JBL. On the December 9 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Long booked JBL, Jordan, and The Basham Brothers to face, Guerrero, Booker and Undertaker in a 7-man handicap tag team match in the main event. Undertaker, Booker and Guerrero won the match. Long announced that The Cabinet would not be at ringside and if they interfered in the match then JBL would be stripped of the WWE Championship. A secondary feud heading into Armageddon was between

and Jesús over the

. The feud started on the October 7 episode of ''SmackDown!'', when Cena was interrupted by the debuting Carlito. Carlito stated that he wanted a United States title shot, which Cena agreed to. Later that night, Cena lost the United States Championship to Carlito after being hit in the head with his signature chain. On the October 14 episode of ''SmackDown!'', SmackDown! General Manager Therdore Long announced that Cena had been involved in an after hours bar fight. Long said that Cena had been (

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...

) stabbed in the

kidney The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; bloo ...

by Carlito's

bodyguard A bodyguard (or close protection officer/operative) is a type of security guard, government law enforcement officer, or servicemember who protects a person or a group of people — usually witnesses, high-ranking public officials or officers ...

, Jesús. The feud restarted at Survivor Series, when Cena returned from his injury. On the November 18 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Cena stated that he wanted revenge on Carlito and his United States Championship back. Cena defeated Carlito (who had suffered a legitimate shoulder injury) to regain the title, but after the match Jesús attacked Cena in the injured kidney, which forced Cena to be taken out on a stretcher.

Event

Before the event went

live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music * Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of album ...

Akio Akio (written: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese politician *, Japanese mathematician * Akio Ishii (石井昭男, bor ...

and

Billy Kidman Peter Alan Gruner Jr. (born May 11, 1974) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Billy Kidman. He is currently employed by WWE as a producer. As a wrestler, Kidman is best known for his work with World Cham ...

defeated

Paul London Paul Michael London (born April 16, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his time with WWE. After being trained at the Texas Wrestling Academy, London began competing for Ring of Honor where his high risk ...

and Chavo Guerrero Jr., which was taped for

Sunday Night Heat ''WWE Heat'' (formerly known as ''Sunday Night Heat'' and also known as ''Heat'') is an American professional wrestling television program that was produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and aired from August 2, 1998 to May 30, 2008. Ori ...

Preliminary matches

The first match was for the

WWE Tag Team Championship WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, an ...

between the team of

Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

and Rey Mysterio Jr. and the team of

René Duprée René Emile Goguen (born December 15, 1983), better known by his ring name René Duprée (; ja, レネ・デュプリ, Rene Dyupuri) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to Pro Wrestling Noah where he is a former two-time GHC Tag ...

and

Kenzo Suzuki is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and in the United States with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he was a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion in the la ...

, who were accompanied by

Hiroko is a common feminine Japanese given name. Name meanings Hiroko can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *裕子, "kind child" *弘子, "Beautiful child" *寛子, " small child" *浩子, "large child" *博子, "wise child" *� ...

. The match started off with both teams getting the advantage. During the match,

Torrie Wilson Torrie Anne Wilson (born July 24, 1975) is an American former professional wrestler and model. She is best known for her time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE, previously the World Wrestling Federation). As a fitness competitor, Wilson won ...

came down and attacked Hiroko. Mysterio executed a

619 __NOTOC__ Year 619 ( DCXIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 619 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era b ...

on Dupree and Suzuki and Van Dam performed a Five-Star Frog Splash to Dupree to retain the title. In the second match

faced

Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...

. Angle forced Santa to

submit ''Submit'' is an EP by the British band Pitchshifter, released on 23 March 1992 by Earache on LP, cassette and CD. French black metal band Blut aus Nord Blut Aus Nord (, ) is a French black metal band from Mondeville, Calvados, that ...

to the

Ankle lock A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. A leglock which is directed at joints in the foot, is sometimes referred to as a foot lock and a lock at the hip as a hip lock. Leglocks are featu ...

to win the match. In the third match

Daniel Puder Daniel Puder (born October 9, 1981) is an American retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. As a mixed martial artist, Puder trained at the American Kickboxing Academy, in San Jose, California. He is undefeated in MMA competitio ...

faced Mike Mizanin in a Dixie Dog Fight for the Tough Enough Championship. The match went through every 3-minute round. Puder won the match and the Tough Enough Championship by judge's decision. The

(

Doug Basham Lyle Douglas Basham Jr. (born May 12, 1971) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment between 2002 and 2007, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Basham ...

and

Danny Basham Daniel Richard Hollie (born October 3, 1977) is an American retired professional wrestler. Hollie is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment between 2003 and 2006 under the ring name Danny Basham, and Total Nonstop Ac ...

) versus

Hardcore Holly Robert William Howard (born January 29, 1963) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former auto racer and wrestling trainer/ host, better known by the ring name Hardcore Holly or Bob Holly. He is best known for his 16-year career wit ...

and

Charlie Haas Charles Doyle Haas II (born March 27, 1972) is an American professional and former amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000-2009 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010-2013. In WWE he was a me ...

was next. After Holly was distracted by

Dawn Marie Dawn Marie Psaltis (born November 3, 1970) is an American actress, nurse and a retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling valet. She is perhaps best known for her appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the Smack ...

and Miss Jackie brawling, Danny pinned Holly with an

Inside Cradle In wrestling, a pin is achieved by holding an opponent's shoulders to the mat for a three count. Pinfall is the term used in professional wrestling which is a way to win the match for that person or team. Background A pinfall is a victory condi ...

to win the match for his team. In the next match

faced Jesús in a Street Fight for the United States Championship. The match started with Cena gaining the advantage. Both men hit each other with a cane. Cena hit Jesus with a

kendo stick A is a Japanese sword typically made of bamboo used for practice and competition in ''kendo''. ''Shinai'' are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from ''kendo shinai'', and represented with different characters. T ...

, piece of metal and a trashcan lid. Cena executed an FU on Jesús to retain the title. After the match, Cena hit Carlito with his chain. The sixth match of the event was Dawn Marie versus Miss Jackie with Charlie Haas as the special guest referee. Marie won the match with a roll-up while holding Jackie's tights.

Main event matches

In the next match was The Big Show faced

and

in a

. Big Show dominated the match. Angle executed an Angle slam on Show and applied the

, but Show countered. Show executed an F-500 on Jindrak to win the match. In the next match,

Spike Dudley Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing as Spike Dudley in the 1990s with E ...

faced

Funaki Funaki (written: 船木) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Kazuyoshi Funaki (born 1975), Olympic ski jumper * Mari Funaki (1950–2010), Australian contemporary jeweller, designer, metal-smith and sculptor *Masakatsu ...

for the

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Two professional wrestling championships have been named WWE Cruiserweight Championship by WWE: * WWE Cruiserweight Championship (1996–2007) – originally established as the WCW Cruiserweight Championship by World Championship Wrestling in 1996, ...

. Spike countered a

Tornado DDT In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock/inverted headlock and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat. The classic DDT is performed by putting the opponent ...

and attempted the Dudley Dog but Funaki Bridge pinned Dudley to win the title. In the

, John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) faced

and

in a Fatal-Four Way match for the

. The stipulation was if The Cabinet interfered in the match then JBL would be stripped of the title. As the match began, JBL retreated as the other three fought each other. Undertaker performed a side slam on JBL and threw Booker T over the barricade. JBL tried to

Powerbomb A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a st ...

Undertaker through a broadcast table but Undertaker countered with a

back body drop Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...

. Undertaker executed Old School on Booker and a guillotine leg drop on Guerrero. JBL performed a JBL Bomb onto a broadcast table and an Elbow Drop through the table on Booker. Undertaker executed a Last Ride through a broadcast table on JBL. Guerrero executed two frog splashes on Undertaker but Undertaker sat up. Guerrero hit Undertaker with the ladder and executed a frog splash off the ladder but JBL pulled the referee out of the ring. Undertaker chokeslammed the other three and attempted a Tombstone Piledriver but

Heidenreich Heidenreich is a German surname which may be translated as "Land of the Heathen," or "Power of the Heathens," or "Realm of the Heathens". Notable people with the surname include: The original germanic meaning was: a person of power and wealth, see ...

attacked him. JBL pinned Booker and Eddie, who both kicked out. Heidenreich pulled Undertaker from the ring and applied a cobra clutch on Undertaker. JBL executed a Clothesline from Hell on Booker to retain the title.

Aftermath

After the pay-per-view, the feud between JBL, Undertaker, Guerrero, and Booker slowly died down. JBL went to feud with the Big Show and Kurt Angle over the WWE Championship, which would end at No Way Out. Undertaker went to feud with Heidenreich, which led to a Casket match at the

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle r ...

, which Undertaker won despite the interference by

Gene Snitsky Eugene Alan Snisky (born January 14, 1970) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Gene Snitsky, who is best known for his time spent with World Wrestling Entertainment. He played college football at ...

and Undertaker's brother Kane and ended their feud. Cena and Carlito's feud ended after the event, as Cena went on to win a tournament at No Way Out to challenge JBL for the WWE Championship at

WrestleMania WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, ...

. Cena went on to win the WWE Championship from JBL at WrestleMania, and held the title until January 2006, even after being drafted to the Raw

Results

References

External links

Official Armageddon 2004 website
{{WWEPPV, Armageddon 2004 in Georgia (U.S. state) Professional wrestling in Georgia (U.S. state) Events in Duluth, Georgia

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2004 WWE pay-per-view events December 2004 events in the United States WWE SmackDown