From The Shelf – WWE Survivor Series 2004

WWE Survivor Series 2004
11-14-04
Cleveland, OH

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler for Raw and Michael Cole and Tazz for Smackdown.

WWE Cruiserweight Championship- Spike Dudley © vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Billy Kidman vs. Chavo Guerrero
Mysterio and Chavo are on the attack to start but Spike catches Rey with a slam into a standing double stomp. Kidman catches Spike with a dropkick and Rey catches him with the X-Factor. He clotheslines Kidman to the floor and Rey catches Chavo with a hurricanrana. Spike nails Rey from behind and he stomps away on Mysterio. Spike and Chavo clothesline each other as Kidman and Mysterio fight on top. Mysterio fights Kidman off and hits a hurricanrana taking Kidman off the apron and to the floor!!! Chavo blocks the wheelbarrow and he dumps Rey onto Kidman on the floor!!! Slingshot pescado to the floor by Chavo. Spike goes for one but everyone moves sending him crashing onto the floor. Back in, Chavo cleans house and hits a back suplex on Kidman for 1 as Spike saves. Inverted atomic drop into a clothesline by Spike gets 2 as Rey saves. Spike slides Mysterio all the way to the floor and he goes up. Chavo stops him and follows up but Kidman brings everyone down with the TOWER OF DOOM~!!!! BK Bomb on Rey and he goes up but Chavo shoves him to the floor. Battery ram by Spike knocks Chavo to the floor and he hits one onto Rey. Rey blocks the Dudley Dog and he hits the 619. Kidman blocks the West Coast Pop and Chavo hits the Gory Bomb for 2 as Kidman breaks with a slingshot leg drop. Mysterio headscissors Kidman to the floor as Spike rolls into the cover on Chavo for 3.
Winner and Still WWE Cruiserweight Champion- Spike Dudley *** (Not a fan of the cheap sneaky win for Spike but this was a solid opener that was packed with action to get the crowd warmed up for the rest of show. )

Paul Heyman pumps up Heindereich for his match and leaves to get his jacket. Gene Snitsky appears and complements on Heidenreich’s poetry while Heidenreich enjoys what Snitsky does to babies.

WWE Intercontinental Championship- Shelton Benjamin © vs. Christian w/Tyson Tomko
Feeling out process to start and Christian keeps going to the ropes to force Benjamin off. Christian slaps Benjamin so Benjamin knocks him down and rams his head off the mat a few times. Springboard Blockbuster by Benjamin gets 2. Benjamin presses Christian to the mat and he catches Christian with a cradle for 2. Christian bails and Tomko blocks Benjamin’s way. He catches Christian trying to sneak up on him and Christian knocks Benjamin off the apron when he attempts to go after Tomko. Back in, Benjamin catches Christian with a crossbody for 2. Neck breaker by Christian gets 2. Christian rakes the face of Benjamin and he goes to the chin lock. Benjamin starts to fight out so Christian pulls him to the floor, allowing Tomko to ram him into the apron. Back in, Christian covers for 2 and he hits a tornado reverse DDT for 2. Christian chokes Benjamin in the ropes but Benjamin sends Christian hard into the corner sternum first to come back. Benjamin cleans house and hits a side Russian leg sweep for 2. Benjamin pulls Christian out of the ropes into the jackknife roll-up for 2. Slingshot reverse suplex by Benjamin gets 2. Stinger Splash misses and Christian hits the Impailer for 2!!! Christian goes to use the belt but the ref blocks, allowing Benjamin to catch Christian with a clothesline off the top for 2. Tomko catches Benjamin with a big boot as the ref was getting rid of the belt allowing Christian to cover for 2!!! Benjamin knocks Tomko off the apron with a spinning heel kick and he trade reversals with Christian until catching him with the Exploder suplex for 3!!!
Winner and Still WWE Intercontinental Champion- Shelton Benjamin ***1/4 (Benjamin was really coming into his own as a single’s performer around this time, continually improving in the ring and showcasing his amazing athleticism. Christian was a great opponent for him here, giving Benjamin a strong win in a competitive name to help continue his push. )

Kurt Angle confronts Edge backstage about some things Edge wrote in his book and mocks Edge for never winning a championship. Edge says when his team wins, he’ll get his title shot and says he did something Kurt could never do and that’s take Shawn Michaels out. Eugene appears and starts singing “You Suck” to Kurt.

Survivor Series Elimination Match- Kurt Angle, Mark Jindrak, Luther Reigns, and Carlito Caribbean Cool w/Jesus vs. Big Show, Rob Van Dam, Eddie Guerrero, and John Cena
Cena attacks Jesus as Carlito backs his way to the back to get away from Cena. Cena and Jesus continue to brawl backstage and Carlito and Jesus find a car to drive away from Cena!!! So Carlito is out before the match even begins!!!
Everyone else brawls on the floor and Show tosses Jindrak back in. Show works over Jindrak and RVD tags in. Spinning heel kick by RVD and he tags Eddie. Hilo by Eddie into Rolling Thunder by RVD gets 2. Belly to belly suplex by Guerrero gets 2 and he hits a tilt-a-whirl head scissors. He catches Reigns coming in with a dropkick and Angle attacks from behind. Angle fires away on Eddie in the corner and Reigns tags in. Back breakers by Reigns and he finishes off with a sidewalk slam for 2. Tag to Jindrak and he hits a back elbow for 2. Rear full nelson by Jindrak but Eddie runs into the corner to break. Tag to Angle and he hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Tag to Reigns and he hits a butterfly suplex. Tag to Jindrak and he goes to the chin lock. Eddie breaks with a jaw breaker and he hits a flap jack. Angle prevents Eddie from getting the tag and Jindrak tags in. Slam by Jindrak gets 2. Elbow drops by Jindrak gets 2 as Cena saves. Eddie catches Jindrak with a hurricanrana and RVD tags in. He fires away on Angle and hits a monkey flip. Spin kick by RVD and he goes up. He catches Jindrak with the Five Star Frog Splash and Angle rolls him up while holding the ropes for 3!!! Rob Van Dam is eliminated.
Guerrero rolls Jindrak up and he puts his feet on the ropes for 3!!! Mark Jindrak is eliminated.
Show works over Reigns in the corner but Reigns clips him to come back. Show catches Reigns with the Chokeslam for 3. Luther Reigns has been eliminated.
Angle counters the Chokeslam into the Ankle Lock. Show rolls out of it and the momentum sends Angle to the floor. Angle starts to walk out but RVD blocks his way. Angle walks into Show and Show brings Angle back in. FU by Cena and Eddie goes up. Frog Splash by Guerrero gets 3.
Winners- Big Show, Eddie Guerrero, and John Cena ** (This match was essential a long beat down segment on Eddie before they rushed into the final eliminations, so it just came off as a huge mess. It only served to put heat on Cena and Carlito going forward and Angle’s squad ended up looking like a bunch of geeks. )

Maven says he belongs in the main event but he gets attacked by Gene Snitsky. Maven is busted open as WWE officials try to help him to his feet.

Video package for Undertaker/Heidenreich airs.

Heidenreich w/Paul Heyman vs. The Undertaker
Taker fires away to start and he catches Heidenreich with a big boot. Elbow drops by Taker get 2. Takes goes to work on the shoulder of Heidenreich and he looks to go Old School but Heidenriech goes low after Heyman distracted the ref. Heidenreich posts Taker and Heidenreich works him over on the floor. Taker fights back and he works over Heidenreich on the apron before connecting with the leg drop. Back in, Taker covers for 2 and he goes OLD SCHOOL~!!!! Flatliner by Taker gets 2. Taker misses the Yakuza kick in the corner and Heidenreich works him over on the apron. He knocks Taker off the apron and fires away on him on the floor. Back in, Heidenreich goes to the chin lock but Taker fights out. Lariat by Heidenreich gets 2 and he hits another one when Taker attempts to fight back again. Suplex by Taker and they slug it out. Heidenreich dumps Taker to the floor and Taker snaps his neck off the ropes to come back. Taker goes up and hits a flying clothesline off the top for 2. Snake eyes by Taker and he hits a big boot. Leg drop by Taker gets 2. Heidenreich blocks the Chokeslam and he hits the Black Hole Slam for 2. Punches in the corner by Heidenreich but Taker comes out with the Last Ride for 2 as Heidenreich grabs the rope to break!!! Sleeper by Heidenreich but Taker breaks with a back suplex. Leaping clothesline by Taker and he hits the Chokeslam. Tombstone by Taker gets 3.
Winner- The Undertaker **1/4 (This is pretty good for a Heidereich match. That being said, this was still pretty dull as Heidenreich was never viewed as any real threat for Undertaker and Taker took care of him with relative ease. Unfortunately, they dragged this feud out all the way to the Royal Rumble when this should have killed off Heidenreich for good. )

Eric Bischoff says doctors believe that Maven won’t be able to compete tonight. He says if he is hours away from his vacation and he doesn’t need to hear complaints from Triple H if he allowed a replacement, so Maven is in the match regardless.

Video package for Stratus/Lita airs.

WWE Women’s Championship- Trish Stratus © vs. Lita
Lita clocks Trish right away and she fires away on Trish. Trish bails to recover but Lita follows out. Lita pulls Trish face first into a chair and she nails Trish a few times with the chair for the DQ!!! Trish is bleeding from the nose as officials have to restrain Lita.
Winner by DQ and Still WWE Women’s Champion- Trish Stratus NR (Can’t really rate this as it was more of an angle, but this was an effective ass kick from Lita, letting her emotions get the best of her and setting the stage for their famous Raw main event a few weeks later. )

Teddy Long congratulates Team Guerrero on the win tonight and he speaks to Cena alone. Cena wants his hands on Carlito so Long makes the match for Smackdown. Carlito must appear and defend the championship, or he will be strip of the title.

Video package for JBL/Booker T airs.

WWE Championship- JBL w/Orlando Jordan © vs. Booker T
If JBL loses the championship, he must leave Smackdown. Booker fires away at JBL and JBL returns the favor. Booker clotheslines JBL and he hits a side kick, forcing JBL to bail. Back in, JBL catches Booker with a swinging neck breaker for 2. Backdrop by Booker and he clotheslines JBL to the floor. JBL tosses Booker over the announce table but Booker sweeps JBL’s legs as he was coming after him. Jordan attacks Booker from behind and back in, JBL covers for 2. Cobra Clutch by JBL but Booker is able to fight out. JBL catches Booker with a knee and he hits a big boot. Elbow drops by JBL gets 2. Rear chin lock by JBL but Booker fights out again so JBL catches him with a back elbow. JBL goes up but Booker T follows up. Superplex by Booker and both men are down. JBL pulls Booker to the floor and Jordan goes after him but Booker fights him off. Booker catches JBL with the Book End on the floor!!! Booker drops Jordan on the barricade and he tosses JBL into the steps. Back in, Booker goes up and hits a missile dropkick on JBL for 2 as JBL grabs the rope!!! Sidewalk slam by Booker and he goes up. Harlem Hangover misses and JBL covers for 2. JBL grabs the sleeper but Booker breaks with a back suplex. Booker cleans house and he catches JBL with a spin kick. Bicycle kick by Booker gets 2. Orlando trips up Booker, allowing JBL to hit a DDT for 2. Booker sends JBL into the ref in the corner and he catches JBL with a super kick. Jordan attacks again and he grabs a chair but Josh Matthews prevents him from using it. JBL nails Matthews with a big boot and a short arm clothesline. Leg lariat by Booker and he hits the Scissors Kick. He covers and a second ref counts 2 as Jordan pulls him out in time!!! Jordan charges with the belt but Booker catches him with the Book End. JBL nails Booker with the belt for 3!!!
Winner and Still WWE Champion- JBL **3/4 (This was pretty solid but the JBL leaving Smackdown stipulation blocked any belief that Booker could win. It took all the overbooking in the final minutes to finally get the crowd hot so while the work prior to the overbooking was solid, the crowd had no real reason to get engaged. )

Triple H and Batista discuss Evolution running Raw for two weeks after they win and Triple H promises to put Edge and Snitsky through hell. Batista tells Flair he is excited for his week to run the show.

Video package for Team Triple H/Team Orton airs.

Survivor Series Elimination Match- Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Maven vs. Triple H, Batista, Gene Snitsky, and Edge w/Ric Flair
Winning team controls Raw for a month and Maven is not out for the start of the match. Benoit and Edge start. Back elbow by Benoit and Edge bails. Tag to Snitsky and Orton. Orton fires away on Snitsky and Jericho tags in. Clothesline by Snitsky and HHH tags in. Back elbow by Jericho and Orton tags in. High knee by HHH and Batista tags in. Shoulders to the midsection by Batista and he hits a running powerslam for 2. Tag to Edge and he drop toe holds Orton for 2. Dropkick by Edge and Orton comes back with a clothesline. Tag to Benoit and he cleans house. Benoit throws suplexes on everyone and he hits the rolling German suplexes on HHH. Benoit suplexes Edge onto HHH and he goes up. Diving head butt onto BOTH HHH and Edge gets 2 as Snitsky saves. Benoit grabs the Sharpshooter on HHH but Snitsky breaks it up. Benoit grabs the Crippler Crossface on Edge but Batista breaks it up. HHH catches Benoit with the Pedigree and Edge covers for 3. Chris Benoit is eliminated.

HHH nails Jericho from behind allowing Edge to hit a swinging neck breaker. He tags Snitsky and HHH who argue about who got the tag. Snitsky shoves HHH down and Batista gets in his face. Jericho catches HHH in the Walls of Jericho but Batista breaks it up. Orton shoves Batista into Snitsky and Jericho catches HHH with a bulldog. Flair trips on Jericho on the Lionsault attempt and Flair is tossed!!! Jericho and Orton double team Batista but he comes back with a double clothesline. Batista catches Jericho with a spine buster but Orton nails him with the belt, allowing Jericho to hit the enzuigiri for 3!!! Batista is eliminated.

Back elbow to HHH and he knocks Edge off the apron with a springboard dropkick. Batista nails Jericho with a lariat before he leaves for good. Snitsky backdrops Jericho and he chokes away. Edge tags in and Jericho catches him with the Sleeper Driver. Tag to Snitsky and he dumps Orton to the floor when comes in to attack. Jericho catches Snitsky with a DDT and Maven makes his way back out!!! Tag to Maven and he fires away on Snitsky. Flying forearm by Maven and he cleans house. Maven goes up and he hits the flying bulldog on HHH. Snitsky nails Maven with a chair for the DQ. He nails Jericho and Orton in the back with a chair as well. Gene Snitsky has been DQed and eliminated.

HHH covers Maven for 3. Maven is eliminated.

Edge covers Jericho for 2. Jericho backdrops out of the Pedigree but Edge catches him with the Spear for 3. Chris Jericho has been eliminated.

Edge and HHH double team Orton in the corner and Edge hits a back suplex for 2. More double teaming on Orton and HHH catches him with a DDT for 2. Orton fights out of the heel corner and he catches Edge with a powerslam. Orton dropkicks Edge into HHH and he rolls Edge up for 2. HHH catches Orton with a spine buster and Edge goes for the Spear but misses and hits HHH!!! RKO by Orton gets 3. Edge is eliminated.

HHH goes low to block the RKO and he goes for the Pedigree but Orton counters into the RKO for 3!!!
Winner- Randy Orton ***1/2 ( Really good main event. They gave Orton the comeback kid finish and gave him a strong win to try and salvage his babyface run. However, early one you can tell from the energy and aura that he was giving off that Batista was going to eventually thrive better in the role than Orton was. )

5.0

The final score: review Not So Good

The 411

This ended up being a totally forgettable show and it's no wonder no one really talks about it when the topic of Survivor Series comes up. This was during a pretty dim period for the WWE, as this was just months before the rise to Batista and John Cena as the big stars of the promotions and you can see the lack of depth on the roster at this point. Most of the card is filled up with guys like Luther Reigns, Gene Snitsky, and Heidenreich who were green as hell and really had no right to be in the positions they were in and it caused the midcard to be dry and boring. They were phasing out guys like Benoit, Jericho, and Guerrero and trying to set up for the future so this was just a whatever show during a transitional period. Feel free to skip this one but maybe check out the main event as I'm sure some people will like it more than I did.