Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Dec 1, 2005 19:42:19 GMT -5
I'm working on a year review which I shall post here. It probably won't be finished until after Armageddon, the last PPV of the year. Here's what I've done so far. Enjoy!
v1 Started it, got to Great American Bash
v2 Updated it to after SummerSlam
The Year That Was 2005 (Long Read so sit down!)
As we come to the end of another year of WWE wrestling, let's reflect on the year that was 2005. It was a mixed year, the soaring highs, mixed with some devastating lows. The fall of a mighty faction, the rise of John Cena and all the while three people would steal the spotlight, both in ring and out.
We begin at January. Literally days into the new year, the 3rd Elimination Chamber match was held for a vacant World Heavyweight Championship at the inaugural New Year's Revolution PPV in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Triple H pinned Randy Orton in this match to reclaim the title in a match that also featured Batista, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit and Edge. Shawn Michaels was the special referee for this match. Also at NYR, Muhammad Hassan defeated Jerry Lawler, Shelton Benjamin defeated Maven (twice) and Lita and Eugene suffered injuries in their matches. Eugene didn't return to in-ring action until August, Lita is yet to do so. But as the year continued, one of the big stories of the year would feature her as the focus.
From a January debutant, to the January classic, the Royal Rumble, held in Fresno, CA. RAW's Batista eliminated SmackDown!'s John Cena, the then US champion, after a simultaneous elimination, similar to the Hitman/Luger incident at the 1994 Royal Rumble. This time, Vince McMahon ordered a restart, all the while childishly sitting in the ring with torn quadriceps. Notable moments include the first of many RAW vs SmackDown! confrontations, the mass elimination of Muhammad Hassan, and a 30-second piece of rapid fire wrestling by Kurt Angle, who after being eliminated by Shawn Michaels, eliminated him and brutally attacked him with the steel steps. Also at the Royal Rumble, Triple H defeated Orton to retain the Heavyweight strap, The Undertaker defeated the bizarre Heidenreich in a Casket match and JBL defeated Big Show and Angle in a triple threat to retain the WWE Championship, which he had held since June the previous year.
For the 2 and a half months between the Rumble and WrestleMania, the RAW half of the card was beginning to take shape. Batista, after winning the Rumble, was weighing up his options. Stay on RAW and fight his mentor, Triple H? Or jump to SmackDown! and fight the self-proclaimed 'wrestling god' JBL? Shawn Michaels accepted Kurt Angle's challenge for WrestleMania, and Women's Champ Trish Stratus spent weeks harrassing RAW Diva Search winner and Playboy covergirl, Christy Hemme, who challenged her to a title match, surprisingly since she was a rookie and had received no previous training. A revolutionary six-man ladder match for a year-long number one contendership contract, 'Money in the Bank' as it was called, would feature IC Champ Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Edge, Christian and Kane.
Meanwhile, on the SmackDown! side of things, they had their No Way Out PPV, held in the Steel City, Pittsburgh, PA. JBL would once again scrape through a title defense, even while being confined to a Barbed Wire Steel Cage with the Big Show. John Cena defeated hometown boy Kurt Angle to gain a title shot at JBL at WrestleMania, Chavo Guerrero won a 6-way match to retain the Cruiserweight Championship and the unlikely, but strong pairing of former WWE champ Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio defeated the Basham Brothers to win the WWE Tag Team Champioship.
Meanwhile, on the red show, Batista made his choice. After discovering that Triple H was trying to palm Batista to SmackDown! and keep RAW to himself, Batista sealed the deal with a powerbomb and the words, 'Hunter, I'm staying right here on RAW, and I' coming for your title!'.
Also on RAW, Christy Hemme was receiving training for her WrestleMania match against Trish Stratus from a wide range of sources, mainly Lita, William Regal and Tajiri and she even scored a pinfall victory over Molly Holly using the Twist of Fate! The debut of the muscle-bound Chris 'The Masterpiece' Masters sent shockwaves through RAW, and sent Steven Richards to the injury bench with facial injuries. And, after Kurt Angle proclaimed he was going to emulate his career in a month, Shawn Michaels brought back none other than old Rockers partner Marty Jannetty for a one night reunion match versus La Resistance. The chemistry was still there, and a Rocker Dropper and Sweet Chin Music later, the Rockers stood tall.
In the blue corner, JBL was starting to play mind games with John Cena. GM Theodore Long was enforcing a no-contact clause between the two, and JBL did everything to unsettle the Dr of Thuganomics. Even costing him his coveted US title in a match against 'Chief of Staff' Orlando Jordan! Kurt Angle was embarking on his 'HBK-in-a-month' journey. From defeating Marty Jannetty one-on-one, to singing 'Sexy Boy' with Sensational Sherri to winning a ladder match in his Angle Invitational series, Kurt had his sights set on the Showstopper. And the tag champs, and good friends, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, decided to compete in a match in the spirit of competition, as would Big Show and Japanese sumo star, Akebono, in a sumo match. And another cross-town feud was brewing, between The Undertaker and Randy Orton, who was reverting to his arrogant, cocky 'Legend Killer' state of mind. A match was penciled in, with Undertaker a big chance of getting his 'Taker's Dozen' and getting a 13-0 undefeated record at WrestleMania. Meanwhile, Paul London would win an over-the-top battle royal to win his first Cruiserweight title. Sadly, they didn't put this on the WrestleMania card.
There were 7 inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff, 'Cowboy' Bob Orton, The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, 'The Mouth of the South' Jimmy Hart, 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan, who was inducted by Sylvester Stallone.
WrestleMania, in it's 21st edition, would be held in Los Angeles, CA, literally a hop, step and jump away from Hollywood. In keeping with that theme, the titantron and stage area would resemble an old-style movie theatre front, complete with marquee and red carpet. Parody promos were created, with the WWE superstars performing roles in famous movies. The most famous of these was Batista's role in the 'You talkin' to me?' scene of Taxi Driver. Undertaker made a great Dirty Harry, and Christy Hemme put Meg Ryan to shame in When Harry Met Sally.
In match results, Rey Mysterio defeated Eddie Guerrero, Edge won the 6-way ladder match to gain No. 1 contendership in a match full of exciting spots, mainly provided by the incredibly athletic Shelton Benjamin. Undertaker got the 'Taker's Dozen', Trish retained the title over Christy, Big Show tried hard, but couldn't defeat Akebono at his own game, and Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle provided what could be one of the top 5 WrestleMania matches of all time. This match was fried gold, an outstanding contest between two great wrestlers. Kurt finally got the win by Ankle Lock submission, and with blood dripping a mouth wound, he had defeated the Heartbreak Kid.
Now to the big title matches. JBL accompanied by police escort and promotional currency falling from the roof, made a grand entrance with title, but left the Staples Center with no title after falling to John Cena and the [sarcasm]mighty[/sarcasm] FU. The West Newbery, MA native got his first WWE Championship. In the main event, the Game met the Animal, and Triple H, sleazy 70's porno mo and all, lost the title to Batista after a brutal Batista Bomb. It's not like he didn't try, he physically couldn't put Batista in the Pedigree.
In a non-televised battle royal, SmackDown!'s Booker T eliminated RAW's Chris 'The Masterpiece' Masters to win some pride for the blue team.
The in ring action had plenty of people talking, but it was a growing situation on the outside that would wreck the credibility of a Diva, make a monster of a man, and cost a man his love and nearly, his career, which would leave tongues wagging.
The story goes like this. Both in-ring and out-ring, Amy 'Lita' Dumas and Matt Hardy were an item. Then a chokeslam by 'husband' Kane would put Matt on the injured list. While Matt was cooped up at home in Cameron, NC, Amy would travel to WWE events with Matt's friend, Adam 'Edge' Copeland. It was during this time that a romance was formed between the two. Matt found out and he lashed out on his website. When this reached Wrestlecrap, it spread like wildfire, and every man and woman in the forum had their opinions. And when Matt Hardy was released as part of WWE's nearly annual release season, the rumour was that he was fired because he spoke out.
On screen, Kane and Lita were still an item, and this lasted until a No. 1 contenders tournament final, where Lita turned on Kane, and aligned with, none other than old mate Edge. Now the IWC was angry. The general opinion was that this was just rubbing it in Matt's face.
And so started one of the biggest Internet movements of all time. Rehire Matt Hardy.
Petitions were signed, WWE boycotts were planned, and Edge and Lita were flaunting ther romance on screen like it was going out of fashion.
Until, some time in July or August, Matt started interfering in Edge's matches. At this time, he was just some nut attacking him from the crowd. Finally, Vince McMahon offered Matt Hardy a new contract and a no-DQ match against Edge at SummerSlam. The IWC went nuts.
I'll get to SummerSlam later, but we now go to Manchester, NH, and Backlash. Batista would dispose of Triple H in his first title defence, Kane defeated Viscera in a match where both Lita and Trish Stratus were at ringside, Hulk Hogan made a return to partner Shawn Michaels and defeat Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari, Chris 'The Masterpiece' Masters made his PPV debut with the 'Masterlock Challenge' and The Hurricane and Rosey would win a Tag Team Turmoil match to become the new World Tag Team Champions.
On the blue show, however, the former tag team champions, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, were on the verge of a bitter breakup. They had lost the titles to debutants MNM and Eddie felt that Rey was letting him down. A couple of weeks later, Eddie snapped. He brutally beat Rey, ripping his mask, busting him open and ended the bloody display with a suplex on the steel steps. For the next few weeks, he delivered eerie promos with Rey's torn and bloody mask.
Something a bit more disturbing was going on between Kurt Angle and Booker T, however. After being eliminated from a No. 1 contenders battle royal by Booker, Kurt made his intentions clear. However, this would involve the repeated terrorising of Booker T's wife/valet, Sharmell. Kurt pledged that he wanted 'bestiality sex' with her, and even chose to have a match against her one week. Booker, however, was always there help out his woman.
This led to a match at Judgement Day, this year being held in Minneapolis, MN. Rey would win by DQ after Eddie hit him with a chair. Also at Judgement Day, John Cena defeated JBL in a return of the 'I Quit' match to retain the WWE Championship, which had now been customised to match Cena's rap persona. And Sharmell got a measure of revenge on Kurt Angle for the previous few weeks. After Booker T won their match, he handcuffed Kurt to the ropes. Sharmell took aim and... kicked him in the grapefruits.
Now, it was draft time. This year, 11 WWE superstars would trade places. The first of these was an absolute shock. WWE Champ John Cena was the first to go from SmackDown! to RAW, making an appearance on Chris Jericho's 'Highlight Reel'. Christian had had problems with Cena since the Royal Rumble, and felt that now was the time to show him 'how he rolls'. He got an FU for his troubles. The first to go from RAW to SmackDown! was Chris Benoit, who immediately found himself on the wrong side of JBL. The No. 2 RAW draftee was none other than Kurt Angle, who wanted another shot at Shawn Michaels. SmackDown!'s second draft pick was Randy Orton, who kept his feud with the Undertaker alive, costing him a match against JBL. No. 3 RAW pick was Carlito, who, in his first RAW match, defeated Shelton Benjamin for the IC title, which Shelton had had since October. The No 3 picks for SmackDown! were Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari, who found themselves in The Undertaker's bad books.
During the draft, the Vengeance PPV was held in Las Vegas, NV. This was the first PPV outside of the main four (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series) in two years to have both major titles on the card. Jericho had recently turned heel on John Cena and found himself in a triple threat match for the title with Cena and Christian. Cena got the win. Batista won a brutal Hell in a Cell against Triple H, the first time he had lost what was considered his specialty. Shawn Michaels defeated Kurt Angle to even their score for the year at 1-1. Carlito retained the IC title over Shelton Benjamin, a recently turned heel Victoria defeated Christy Hemme, and a jilted Kane defeated Edge, who now had Lita by his side.
After this PPV the final drafts took place. Rob Van Dam and Big Show were 4 and 5 for RAW, while Christian and Heavyweight Champion Batista were 4 and 5 for SmackDown!. A series of trades also took place. From RAW to SmackDown! came Sylvain Grenier, Steven Richards, Simon Dean, Candice Michelle and William Regal. From SmackDown! to RAW came Doug Basham, Rene Dupree, Kenzo Suzuki, Hiroko Suzuki, Mark Jindrak and Chavo Guerrero. This became somewhat pointless, though, when the Suzukis and Jindrak were released almost the next day. Chavo would temporarily be repackaged as Kerwin White, only to change after Eddie's death, Candice would come back to RAW later in the year, Dupree and Richards are injured, Grenier, Regal and Dean are being jobbed out and Basham hasn't been seen since.
Now for one of the more controversial storylines of the year, possibly of all time. Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari were never well liked. They often spoke out on how they were being prejudiced against based on religion. But in this case, they may have taken it a bit too far.
After a match between Daivari and the Undertaker, Hassan ordered a group of masked men to the ring to attack the Undertaker. After the assault, they carried Daivari out almost as a sacrifice. Now, they did resemble what could be defined as a terrorist, but it probably would have blown over is there wasn't an actual terorist attack in London that week. UPN, the host broadcaster of the SmackDown! program, demanded that Hassan be booted off the show. WWE made the uncharacteristic move of giving in and pulling the Hassan character at the Great American Bash PPV in Buffalo, NY.
Somewhat unnoticed, the Guerrero/Mysterio feud reached a new level. Apparently, Eddie had a secret, a secret that involved Mysterio's family. This secret would be told if Guerrero defeated Mysterio in a match at the GAB.
Also at the Great American Bash, Batista would have his first SmackDown! title defence, against JBL, and the unlikely pairing of Animal, of the Road Warriors, and Heidenreich would challenge MNM for their titles.
The Heidenreich/Animal pairing began when Heidenreich was feuding with MNM. He had been looking for friends after a change of heart around March. Anyway, after MNM refused to be his friends, he asked Animal to help him take care of business. Reluctant at first, he grew to like the guy, apparently seeing a lot of his late Road Warrior partner, Hawk, in him.
The new friends would shock MNM and win the Tag Team titles at the GAB. Also, the Mexicools, a stable featuring cruiserweights stars Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy and Psicosis, made their PPV debut. Rey Mysterio defeated Eddie Guerrero, the Undertaker put Muhammad Hassan out of commission and Batista retained the Heavyweight Title.
Even though he lost the match, Guerrero told the secret anyway. Apparently, Rey's son, Dominic, was not Rey's! He was actually Eddie's! This was one of the most far-fetched storylines in recent memory, and custody papers were placed on the line at SummerSlam.
But before that, a magical night, where the cult wrestling group, ECW, took over WWE for one night, with the One Night Stand PPV. Even with Eric Bischoff leading a group of wrestlers to gatecrash the night, ECW stood tall at the end. After the Tommy Dreamer/Sandman vs Dudley Boyz match, the renegade WWE wrestlers crashed the ring and started an all-in brawl. It was when SmackDown! commentator and ECW alumnus Tazz locked Kurt Angle in the Tazzmission that ECW took control. Afterwards Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was holding a beer bash for ECW, stunnered Bischoff.
A major story came out of that brawl. JBL, who was one of the leaders of the renegade group, specifically seeked out the Blue Meanie, and really started laying into him. Blue Meanie would have the last laugh, defeating JBL in a match on SmackDown!.
On RAW meanwhile, a major dream match was taking place. Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels had been tagging on and off since Backlash, but one night, after Carlito fell to the [sarcasm]mighty[/sarcasm] Atomic Leg Drop, the moment that may now well be known as 'The Kick Heard 'Round The World'. During the post-match posedown, HBK gave Hogan some major Sweet Chin Music. This set up the dream match at SummerSlam. For the next 6 weeks, HBK did some of the best promos of his career, from dressing up as Hulk and mocking his age, to ripping possibly the best heel promo in years in Montreal (and we all know what happened there *cough*Screwjob*cough*), where he actually taunted the crowd with the entrance theme of the legendary Bret Hart, knowing the reaction.
Also set for SummerSlam, were title matches. John Cena vs Chris Jericho, Batista vs JBL and Orlando Jordan vs Chris Benoit. Another prized item was up for stakes as well. Kurt Angle's gold medal was in the possesion of Eugene after he defeated him in the Angle Invitational, and a rematch was set.
In the background of all this, however, was everyone's favourite bimbo contest, the RAW Diva Search! Last year brought us Christy Hemme, who didn't wrestle properly until March this year, but this year's winner, Ashley Massaro, was thrown into the ring almost straightaway.
**to be continued**
Champions:
World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H
Batista
WWE Championship
JBL
John Cena
Intercontinental Championship
Shelton Benjamin
Carlito
Ric Flair
US Championship
John Cena
Orlando Jordan
Chris Benoit
Booker T
World Tag Team Championship
Eugene and William Regal
La Resistance
William Regal and Tajiri
The Hurricane and Rosey
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch
Kane and Big Show
WWE Tag Team Championship
The Basham Brothers
Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio
MNM
Animal and Heidenreich
MNM
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Funaki
Chavo Guerrero
Paul London
Nunzio
Juventud Guerrera
Nunzio
Juventud Guerrera
WWE Women's Championship
Lita
Trish Stratus
Import/Export WWE Style
In
Chris 'The Masterpiece' Masters
Sharmell
Johnny Nitro
Joey Mercury
Melina
Romeo
Antonio
Matt Striker
Frankie Kazarian
Matt Morgan
Johnny Parisi
Ken Kennedy
Bobby Lashley
Nick Nemeth
Trevor Murdoch
Chad Dick
James Dick
Animal
Paul Birchill
Jillian Hall
Palmer Canon
Juventud Guerrera
Psicosis
Super Crazy
Vito
Kid Kash
Brian Kendrick
The Boogeyman
Ashley Massaro
Mickie James
Krystal
Out
Luther Reigns
Rhyno
Molly Holly
Charlie Haas
Kenzo Suzuki
Hiroko Suzuki
Amy Weber
Joy Giovanni
Rochelle Lowren
Lauren Jones
Dawn Marie
Jesus
Muhammad Hassan
Frankie Kazarian
Mark Jindrak
Matt Morgan
Bubba Ray Dudley
D-Von Dudley
Spike Dudley
Maven
Billy Kidman
Akio
Shannon Moore
Christian
Christy Hemme
Eddie Guerrero (RIP)
Wrestlecrap Fads of 2005
At the start of the year, Snitskymania was runnin' wild! A thread was stickied for 'HAIL SNITSKY' salutations, and at one time, I posed as Brian Griffin (the talking dog from Family Guy) to do so. The Triple H hate was still there, as was a rapidly growing movement of Cena hate. Bagging on Lita's um... sexuality is a big thing now too. For a brief period, Lance Hoyt was cool, the Rob Conway entrance made everyone go 'left foot, right foot, zzzzzz', and Ken Kennedy made repetition the in thing. I said it made repetition the in thing. And right now, Dennis Stamp is a popular thing. But it was one little NWA promo that changed signature pictures forever. The now infamous Lex Luger 'I DON'T KNOOOOOOOOOW' jobbing to a t-shirt.
Speaking of pictures, the Guinness scientists invaded Wrestlecrap a while ago, and it usually inhabits RAW threads and my signature. The response to that can only be one thing,
'BRILLIANT'!
A picture of a room of random cheering guys also popped up here and there.
So, in conclusion, what will the next year of WWE bring?
I DON'T KNOOOOOOOOOW!
EoE
v1 Started it, got to Great American Bash
v2 Updated it to after SummerSlam
The Year That Was 2005 (Long Read so sit down!)
As we come to the end of another year of WWE wrestling, let's reflect on the year that was 2005. It was a mixed year, the soaring highs, mixed with some devastating lows. The fall of a mighty faction, the rise of John Cena and all the while three people would steal the spotlight, both in ring and out.
We begin at January. Literally days into the new year, the 3rd Elimination Chamber match was held for a vacant World Heavyweight Championship at the inaugural New Year's Revolution PPV in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Triple H pinned Randy Orton in this match to reclaim the title in a match that also featured Batista, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit and Edge. Shawn Michaels was the special referee for this match. Also at NYR, Muhammad Hassan defeated Jerry Lawler, Shelton Benjamin defeated Maven (twice) and Lita and Eugene suffered injuries in their matches. Eugene didn't return to in-ring action until August, Lita is yet to do so. But as the year continued, one of the big stories of the year would feature her as the focus.
From a January debutant, to the January classic, the Royal Rumble, held in Fresno, CA. RAW's Batista eliminated SmackDown!'s John Cena, the then US champion, after a simultaneous elimination, similar to the Hitman/Luger incident at the 1994 Royal Rumble. This time, Vince McMahon ordered a restart, all the while childishly sitting in the ring with torn quadriceps. Notable moments include the first of many RAW vs SmackDown! confrontations, the mass elimination of Muhammad Hassan, and a 30-second piece of rapid fire wrestling by Kurt Angle, who after being eliminated by Shawn Michaels, eliminated him and brutally attacked him with the steel steps. Also at the Royal Rumble, Triple H defeated Orton to retain the Heavyweight strap, The Undertaker defeated the bizarre Heidenreich in a Casket match and JBL defeated Big Show and Angle in a triple threat to retain the WWE Championship, which he had held since June the previous year.
For the 2 and a half months between the Rumble and WrestleMania, the RAW half of the card was beginning to take shape. Batista, after winning the Rumble, was weighing up his options. Stay on RAW and fight his mentor, Triple H? Or jump to SmackDown! and fight the self-proclaimed 'wrestling god' JBL? Shawn Michaels accepted Kurt Angle's challenge for WrestleMania, and Women's Champ Trish Stratus spent weeks harrassing RAW Diva Search winner and Playboy covergirl, Christy Hemme, who challenged her to a title match, surprisingly since she was a rookie and had received no previous training. A revolutionary six-man ladder match for a year-long number one contendership contract, 'Money in the Bank' as it was called, would feature IC Champ Shelton Benjamin, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Edge, Christian and Kane.
Meanwhile, on the SmackDown! side of things, they had their No Way Out PPV, held in the Steel City, Pittsburgh, PA. JBL would once again scrape through a title defense, even while being confined to a Barbed Wire Steel Cage with the Big Show. John Cena defeated hometown boy Kurt Angle to gain a title shot at JBL at WrestleMania, Chavo Guerrero won a 6-way match to retain the Cruiserweight Championship and the unlikely, but strong pairing of former WWE champ Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio defeated the Basham Brothers to win the WWE Tag Team Champioship.
Meanwhile, on the red show, Batista made his choice. After discovering that Triple H was trying to palm Batista to SmackDown! and keep RAW to himself, Batista sealed the deal with a powerbomb and the words, 'Hunter, I'm staying right here on RAW, and I' coming for your title!'.
Also on RAW, Christy Hemme was receiving training for her WrestleMania match against Trish Stratus from a wide range of sources, mainly Lita, William Regal and Tajiri and she even scored a pinfall victory over Molly Holly using the Twist of Fate! The debut of the muscle-bound Chris 'The Masterpiece' Masters sent shockwaves through RAW, and sent Steven Richards to the injury bench with facial injuries. And, after Kurt Angle proclaimed he was going to emulate his career in a month, Shawn Michaels brought back none other than old Rockers partner Marty Jannetty for a one night reunion match versus La Resistance. The chemistry was still there, and a Rocker Dropper and Sweet Chin Music later, the Rockers stood tall.
In the blue corner, JBL was starting to play mind games with John Cena. GM Theodore Long was enforcing a no-contact clause between the two, and JBL did everything to unsettle the Dr of Thuganomics. Even costing him his coveted US title in a match against 'Chief of Staff' Orlando Jordan! Kurt Angle was embarking on his 'HBK-in-a-month' journey. From defeating Marty Jannetty one-on-one, to singing 'Sexy Boy' with Sensational Sherri to winning a ladder match in his Angle Invitational series, Kurt had his sights set on the Showstopper. And the tag champs, and good friends, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, decided to compete in a match in the spirit of competition, as would Big Show and Japanese sumo star, Akebono, in a sumo match. And another cross-town feud was brewing, between The Undertaker and Randy Orton, who was reverting to his arrogant, cocky 'Legend Killer' state of mind. A match was penciled in, with Undertaker a big chance of getting his 'Taker's Dozen' and getting a 13-0 undefeated record at WrestleMania. Meanwhile, Paul London would win an over-the-top battle royal to win his first Cruiserweight title. Sadly, they didn't put this on the WrestleMania card.
There were 7 inductees into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff, 'Cowboy' Bob Orton, The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, 'The Mouth of the South' Jimmy Hart, 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan, who was inducted by Sylvester Stallone.
WrestleMania, in it's 21st edition, would be held in Los Angeles, CA, literally a hop, step and jump away from Hollywood. In keeping with that theme, the titantron and stage area would resemble an old-style movie theatre front, complete with marquee and red carpet. Parody promos were created, with the WWE superstars performing roles in famous movies. The most famous of these was Batista's role in the 'You talkin' to me?' scene of Taxi Driver. Undertaker made a great Dirty Harry, and Christy Hemme put Meg Ryan to shame in When Harry Met Sally.
In match results, Rey Mysterio defeated Eddie Guerrero, Edge won the 6-way ladder match to gain No. 1 contendership in a match full of exciting spots, mainly provided by the incredibly athletic Shelton Benjamin. Undertaker got the 'Taker's Dozen', Trish retained the title over Christy, Big Show tried hard, but couldn't defeat Akebono at his own game, and Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle provided what could be one of the top 5 WrestleMania matches of all time. This match was fried gold, an outstanding contest between two great wrestlers. Kurt finally got the win by Ankle Lock submission, and with blood dripping a mouth wound, he had defeated the Heartbreak Kid.
Now to the big title matches. JBL accompanied by police escort and promotional currency falling from the roof, made a grand entrance with title, but left the Staples Center with no title after falling to John Cena and the [sarcasm]mighty[/sarcasm] FU. The West Newbery, MA native got his first WWE Championship. In the main event, the Game met the Animal, and Triple H, sleazy 70's porno mo and all, lost the title to Batista after a brutal Batista Bomb. It's not like he didn't try, he physically couldn't put Batista in the Pedigree.
In a non-televised battle royal, SmackDown!'s Booker T eliminated RAW's Chris 'The Masterpiece' Masters to win some pride for the blue team.
The in ring action had plenty of people talking, but it was a growing situation on the outside that would wreck the credibility of a Diva, make a monster of a man, and cost a man his love and nearly, his career, which would leave tongues wagging.
The story goes like this. Both in-ring and out-ring, Amy 'Lita' Dumas and Matt Hardy were an item. Then a chokeslam by 'husband' Kane would put Matt on the injured list. While Matt was cooped up at home in Cameron, NC, Amy would travel to WWE events with Matt's friend, Adam 'Edge' Copeland. It was during this time that a romance was formed between the two. Matt found out and he lashed out on his website. When this reached Wrestlecrap, it spread like wildfire, and every man and woman in the forum had their opinions. And when Matt Hardy was released as part of WWE's nearly annual release season, the rumour was that he was fired because he spoke out.
On screen, Kane and Lita were still an item, and this lasted until a No. 1 contenders tournament final, where Lita turned on Kane, and aligned with, none other than old mate Edge. Now the IWC was angry. The general opinion was that this was just rubbing it in Matt's face.
And so started one of the biggest Internet movements of all time. Rehire Matt Hardy.
Petitions were signed, WWE boycotts were planned, and Edge and Lita were flaunting ther romance on screen like it was going out of fashion.
Until, some time in July or August, Matt started interfering in Edge's matches. At this time, he was just some nut attacking him from the crowd. Finally, Vince McMahon offered Matt Hardy a new contract and a no-DQ match against Edge at SummerSlam. The IWC went nuts.
I'll get to SummerSlam later, but we now go to Manchester, NH, and Backlash. Batista would dispose of Triple H in his first title defence, Kane defeated Viscera in a match where both Lita and Trish Stratus were at ringside, Hulk Hogan made a return to partner Shawn Michaels and defeat Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari, Chris 'The Masterpiece' Masters made his PPV debut with the 'Masterlock Challenge' and The Hurricane and Rosey would win a Tag Team Turmoil match to become the new World Tag Team Champions.
On the blue show, however, the former tag team champions, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio, were on the verge of a bitter breakup. They had lost the titles to debutants MNM and Eddie felt that Rey was letting him down. A couple of weeks later, Eddie snapped. He brutally beat Rey, ripping his mask, busting him open and ended the bloody display with a suplex on the steel steps. For the next few weeks, he delivered eerie promos with Rey's torn and bloody mask.
Something a bit more disturbing was going on between Kurt Angle and Booker T, however. After being eliminated from a No. 1 contenders battle royal by Booker, Kurt made his intentions clear. However, this would involve the repeated terrorising of Booker T's wife/valet, Sharmell. Kurt pledged that he wanted 'bestiality sex' with her, and even chose to have a match against her one week. Booker, however, was always there help out his woman.
This led to a match at Judgement Day, this year being held in Minneapolis, MN. Rey would win by DQ after Eddie hit him with a chair. Also at Judgement Day, John Cena defeated JBL in a return of the 'I Quit' match to retain the WWE Championship, which had now been customised to match Cena's rap persona. And Sharmell got a measure of revenge on Kurt Angle for the previous few weeks. After Booker T won their match, he handcuffed Kurt to the ropes. Sharmell took aim and... kicked him in the grapefruits.
Now, it was draft time. This year, 11 WWE superstars would trade places. The first of these was an absolute shock. WWE Champ John Cena was the first to go from SmackDown! to RAW, making an appearance on Chris Jericho's 'Highlight Reel'. Christian had had problems with Cena since the Royal Rumble, and felt that now was the time to show him 'how he rolls'. He got an FU for his troubles. The first to go from RAW to SmackDown! was Chris Benoit, who immediately found himself on the wrong side of JBL. The No. 2 RAW draftee was none other than Kurt Angle, who wanted another shot at Shawn Michaels. SmackDown!'s second draft pick was Randy Orton, who kept his feud with the Undertaker alive, costing him a match against JBL. No. 3 RAW pick was Carlito, who, in his first RAW match, defeated Shelton Benjamin for the IC title, which Shelton had had since October. The No 3 picks for SmackDown! were Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari, who found themselves in The Undertaker's bad books.
During the draft, the Vengeance PPV was held in Las Vegas, NV. This was the first PPV outside of the main four (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series) in two years to have both major titles on the card. Jericho had recently turned heel on John Cena and found himself in a triple threat match for the title with Cena and Christian. Cena got the win. Batista won a brutal Hell in a Cell against Triple H, the first time he had lost what was considered his specialty. Shawn Michaels defeated Kurt Angle to even their score for the year at 1-1. Carlito retained the IC title over Shelton Benjamin, a recently turned heel Victoria defeated Christy Hemme, and a jilted Kane defeated Edge, who now had Lita by his side.
After this PPV the final drafts took place. Rob Van Dam and Big Show were 4 and 5 for RAW, while Christian and Heavyweight Champion Batista were 4 and 5 for SmackDown!. A series of trades also took place. From RAW to SmackDown! came Sylvain Grenier, Steven Richards, Simon Dean, Candice Michelle and William Regal. From SmackDown! to RAW came Doug Basham, Rene Dupree, Kenzo Suzuki, Hiroko Suzuki, Mark Jindrak and Chavo Guerrero. This became somewhat pointless, though, when the Suzukis and Jindrak were released almost the next day. Chavo would temporarily be repackaged as Kerwin White, only to change after Eddie's death, Candice would come back to RAW later in the year, Dupree and Richards are injured, Grenier, Regal and Dean are being jobbed out and Basham hasn't been seen since.
Now for one of the more controversial storylines of the year, possibly of all time. Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari were never well liked. They often spoke out on how they were being prejudiced against based on religion. But in this case, they may have taken it a bit too far.
After a match between Daivari and the Undertaker, Hassan ordered a group of masked men to the ring to attack the Undertaker. After the assault, they carried Daivari out almost as a sacrifice. Now, they did resemble what could be defined as a terrorist, but it probably would have blown over is there wasn't an actual terorist attack in London that week. UPN, the host broadcaster of the SmackDown! program, demanded that Hassan be booted off the show. WWE made the uncharacteristic move of giving in and pulling the Hassan character at the Great American Bash PPV in Buffalo, NY.
Somewhat unnoticed, the Guerrero/Mysterio feud reached a new level. Apparently, Eddie had a secret, a secret that involved Mysterio's family. This secret would be told if Guerrero defeated Mysterio in a match at the GAB.
Also at the Great American Bash, Batista would have his first SmackDown! title defence, against JBL, and the unlikely pairing of Animal, of the Road Warriors, and Heidenreich would challenge MNM for their titles.
The Heidenreich/Animal pairing began when Heidenreich was feuding with MNM. He had been looking for friends after a change of heart around March. Anyway, after MNM refused to be his friends, he asked Animal to help him take care of business. Reluctant at first, he grew to like the guy, apparently seeing a lot of his late Road Warrior partner, Hawk, in him.
The new friends would shock MNM and win the Tag Team titles at the GAB. Also, the Mexicools, a stable featuring cruiserweights stars Juventud Guerrera, Super Crazy and Psicosis, made their PPV debut. Rey Mysterio defeated Eddie Guerrero, the Undertaker put Muhammad Hassan out of commission and Batista retained the Heavyweight Title.
Even though he lost the match, Guerrero told the secret anyway. Apparently, Rey's son, Dominic, was not Rey's! He was actually Eddie's! This was one of the most far-fetched storylines in recent memory, and custody papers were placed on the line at SummerSlam.
But before that, a magical night, where the cult wrestling group, ECW, took over WWE for one night, with the One Night Stand PPV. Even with Eric Bischoff leading a group of wrestlers to gatecrash the night, ECW stood tall at the end. After the Tommy Dreamer/Sandman vs Dudley Boyz match, the renegade WWE wrestlers crashed the ring and started an all-in brawl. It was when SmackDown! commentator and ECW alumnus Tazz locked Kurt Angle in the Tazzmission that ECW took control. Afterwards Stone Cold Steve Austin, who was holding a beer bash for ECW, stunnered Bischoff.
A major story came out of that brawl. JBL, who was one of the leaders of the renegade group, specifically seeked out the Blue Meanie, and really started laying into him. Blue Meanie would have the last laugh, defeating JBL in a match on SmackDown!.
On RAW meanwhile, a major dream match was taking place. Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels had been tagging on and off since Backlash, but one night, after Carlito fell to the [sarcasm]mighty[/sarcasm] Atomic Leg Drop, the moment that may now well be known as 'The Kick Heard 'Round The World'. During the post-match posedown, HBK gave Hogan some major Sweet Chin Music. This set up the dream match at SummerSlam. For the next 6 weeks, HBK did some of the best promos of his career, from dressing up as Hulk and mocking his age, to ripping possibly the best heel promo in years in Montreal (and we all know what happened there *cough*Screwjob*cough*), where he actually taunted the crowd with the entrance theme of the legendary Bret Hart, knowing the reaction.
Also set for SummerSlam, were title matches. John Cena vs Chris Jericho, Batista vs JBL and Orlando Jordan vs Chris Benoit. Another prized item was up for stakes as well. Kurt Angle's gold medal was in the possesion of Eugene after he defeated him in the Angle Invitational, and a rematch was set.
In the background of all this, however, was everyone's favourite bimbo contest, the RAW Diva Search! Last year brought us Christy Hemme, who didn't wrestle properly until March this year, but this year's winner, Ashley Massaro, was thrown into the ring almost straightaway.
**to be continued**
Champions:
World Heavyweight Championship
Triple H
Batista
WWE Championship
JBL
John Cena
Intercontinental Championship
Shelton Benjamin
Carlito
Ric Flair
US Championship
John Cena
Orlando Jordan
Chris Benoit
Booker T
World Tag Team Championship
Eugene and William Regal
La Resistance
William Regal and Tajiri
The Hurricane and Rosey
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch
Kane and Big Show
WWE Tag Team Championship
The Basham Brothers
Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio
MNM
Animal and Heidenreich
MNM
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Funaki
Chavo Guerrero
Paul London
Nunzio
Juventud Guerrera
Nunzio
Juventud Guerrera
WWE Women's Championship
Lita
Trish Stratus
Import/Export WWE Style
In
Chris 'The Masterpiece' Masters
Sharmell
Johnny Nitro
Joey Mercury
Melina
Romeo
Antonio
Matt Striker
Frankie Kazarian
Matt Morgan
Johnny Parisi
Ken Kennedy
Bobby Lashley
Nick Nemeth
Trevor Murdoch
Chad Dick
James Dick
Animal
Paul Birchill
Jillian Hall
Palmer Canon
Juventud Guerrera
Psicosis
Super Crazy
Vito
Kid Kash
Brian Kendrick
The Boogeyman
Ashley Massaro
Mickie James
Krystal
Out
Luther Reigns
Rhyno
Molly Holly
Charlie Haas
Kenzo Suzuki
Hiroko Suzuki
Amy Weber
Joy Giovanni
Rochelle Lowren
Lauren Jones
Dawn Marie
Jesus
Muhammad Hassan
Frankie Kazarian
Mark Jindrak
Matt Morgan
Bubba Ray Dudley
D-Von Dudley
Spike Dudley
Maven
Billy Kidman
Akio
Shannon Moore
Christian
Christy Hemme
Eddie Guerrero (RIP)
Wrestlecrap Fads of 2005
At the start of the year, Snitskymania was runnin' wild! A thread was stickied for 'HAIL SNITSKY' salutations, and at one time, I posed as Brian Griffin (the talking dog from Family Guy) to do so. The Triple H hate was still there, as was a rapidly growing movement of Cena hate. Bagging on Lita's um... sexuality is a big thing now too. For a brief period, Lance Hoyt was cool, the Rob Conway entrance made everyone go 'left foot, right foot, zzzzzz', and Ken Kennedy made repetition the in thing. I said it made repetition the in thing. And right now, Dennis Stamp is a popular thing. But it was one little NWA promo that changed signature pictures forever. The now infamous Lex Luger 'I DON'T KNOOOOOOOOOW' jobbing to a t-shirt.
Speaking of pictures, the Guinness scientists invaded Wrestlecrap a while ago, and it usually inhabits RAW threads and my signature. The response to that can only be one thing,
'BRILLIANT'!
A picture of a room of random cheering guys also popped up here and there.
So, in conclusion, what will the next year of WWE bring?
I DON'T KNOOOOOOOOOW!
EoE
