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Armageddon (2003)

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Armageddon (2003)
Promotional poster featuring Triple H
PromotionWorld Wrestling Entertainment
Brand(s)Raw
DateDecember 14, 2003
CityOrlando, Florida
VenueTD Waterhouse Centre
Attendance9,000[1]
Tagline(s)Evolution of The Game
Pay-per-view chronology
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Armageddon (2004)

Armageddon (2003) was the fourth Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The event, presented by Square Enix's Final Fantasy X-2, took place on December 14, 2003, at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida and was a Raw brand-exclusive event.[2] All four championships exclusive to the Raw brand were contested for; three were lost while one was retained.[3]

The main event was a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Kane, Triple H, and champion Goldberg. Triple H won the match and the World Heavyweight Championship after pinning Goldberg following a chokeslam from Kane. One of the predominant matches on the undercard was the defense of the WWE Intercontinental Championship by Rob Van Dam against Randy Orton. Orton won the match and became the Intercontinental Champion after pinning Van Dam following an RKO. Another primary match on the undercard was Batista versus Shawn Michaels, which Michaels won by pinfall after executing Sweet Chin Music.

The event grossed $450,000 with 9,000 ticket sales and received 200,000 pay-per-view buys. The event was claimed to be a "flop" by Canadian Online Explorer's professional wrestling event section. They rated the overall event a six out of ten. When the event was released on DVD, it reached a peak position of second on Billboard's DVD sales chart for recreational sports. It remained on the chart for four consecutive weeks.

Background

Kane, who faced Goldberg and Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship

The main feud heading into the event was between Goldberg, Kane, and Triple H over the World Heavyweight Championship. In November, at Survivor Series, Goldberg retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H.[4] The night after Survivor Series, Kane became involved in the feud between Goldberg and Triple H after attacking Goldberg following a Handicap match.[5] The following week, on the November 24 episode of Raw, Kane interfered in a match between Triple H and Goldberg. After the match, General Manager Eric Bischoff announced that Goldberg would be defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Triple H and Kane in a Triple Threat match at Armageddon.[6]

Another primary feud heading into the event was between Randy Orton and Rob Van Dam over the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Van Dam won the title on the September 29 episode of Raw by defeating then-champion Christian.[7] On the November 17 episode of Raw, during a match between Ric Flair and Van Dam, Orton interfered and executed an RKO on Van Dam. Later that night, Orton was granted an Intercontinental Championship match against Van Dam at Armageddon.[5] On the December 8 episode of Raw, Co-General Manager Mick Foley appointed himself as the special guest referee for the match.[8]

One of the predominant matches on the card was Batista versus Shawn Michaels. Their feud first started when Batista attacked Michaels during his elimination match at Survivor Series, with Steve Austin's career on the line.[4] On the November 24 episode of Raw, Eric Bischoff scheduled a match between the two for Armageddon.[6] Later that night, Michaels and Chris Jericho defeated Batista and Ric Flair in a tag team match. Towards the end of the match, Jericho turned on Michaels and superkicked him. Michaels landed on Flair as a result and got the pinfall to win the match for himself and Jericho. After the match, however, Batista executed a powerbomb on Michaels.[6]

Event

Before the live broadcast of the event began, Rico defeated Heidenreich in a match that aired on Sunday Night Heat, a 30-minute pre-show for the event.[3] The event began with Lilian Garcia singing the United States National Anthem.[3]

Preliminary matches

Rob Van Dam, who lost his Intercontinental Championship against Randy Orton

The first match of the event was Booker T versus Mark Henry. Henry controlled most of the match, as he was able to execute a spinebuster and apply various submission holds on Booker. Booker, however, executed a scissors kick and pinned Henry afterwards to win the match.[2][3]

The match that followed saw Rob Van Dam defend the WWE Intercontinental Championship against Randy Orton with Mick Foley as special guest referee. The match contained many notable spots, including the execution of an elevated spike DDT by Orton on Van Dam, and the execution of rolling thunder by Van Dam. Ric Flair, who accompanied Orton, attempted to interfere many times on Orton's behalf, but was stopped by Foley. Orton pinned Van Dam after an RKO to win the match and begin his first reign as Intercontinental Champion.[2][3][9] The third match was an Intergender tag team match billed as the "Battle of the Sexes". It saw Chris Jericho and Christian face off against Trish Stratus and Lita. The match went back and forth, as each team was able to gain the advantage. In the end, Christian pinned Stratus with a roll-up to win the match for himself and Jericho.[2][3]

The next match was Shawn Michaels versus Batista. Near the end of the match, Batista executed a series of spinebusters on Michaels and attempted to execute a powerbomb. Michaels escaped the powerbomb attempt and executed Sweet Chin Music. He pinned Batista afterward to win the bout. However, replays showed that Batista's shoulder was up, while Michaels was the one who had his shoulder down. This led Batista to believe that he had won the match, only to know later that he didn't. [2][3] After the match, Maven and Matt Hardy came out for their scheduled match. The two, however, attacked one another outside the ring. Hardy then threw Maven into the ring, where a furious Batista still was. Batista attacked Maven and executed a powerbomb, which forced the referee to declare that Maven could not compete and that his match against Hardy was canceled.[2][3]

Main event matches

Other on-screen talent[3]
Role: Name:
Commentator Jim Ross
Jerry Lawler
Carlos Cabrera (Spanish)
Hugo Savinovich (Spanish)
Ring announcer Lilian Garcia
Referee Mike Chioda
Jack Doan
Earl Hebner
Chad Patton
Charles Robinson

A Tag Team Turmoil match for the World Tag Team Championship followed. Two of the overall seven teams started the match, with another team entering the match once one was eliminated. Hurricane and Rosey started the match against La Résistance (Robért Conway and René Duprée). Hurricane eliminated La Résistance after pinning Conway following a Super Hero Splash. Seconds after the elimination, Mark Jindrak came into the ring and rolled up Hurricane to eliminate him and Rosey. Jindrak and Garrison Cade then faced off against the team of Val Venis and Lance Storm. While Venis was performing a vertical suplex attempt on Jindrak, Cade clipped Venis' legs, which in turn caused Jindrak to fall atop of Venis. The referee counted the pinfall and eliminated Venis and Storm. The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) then eliminated Jindrak and Cade and the team of Test and Scott Steiner to supposedly win the match. General Manager Eric Bischoff, however, announced that Ric Flair and Batista would be the seventh and final team to compete. Flair and Batista eliminated the Dudleys to win the match and begin their first reign as World Tag Team Champions.[2][3][10] The sixth match saw WWE Women's Champion Molly Holly defend her title against Ivory. Holly pinned Ivory while holding onto her tights for extra leverage to win the match and retain the title.[2][3]

Next was the main event, which saw Goldberg defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Kane and Triple H in a Triple Threat match. The match was evenly controlled between the three, as every man was able to gain the advantage. Towards the end of the match, Goldberg performed a spear on Triple H and attempted to get the pinfall. Kane, however, broke up the pin and executed a chokeslam on Goldberg. Evolution member Batista came down and pulled Kane out of the ring, which allowed Triple H to gain the pinfall on Goldberg.[2][3] Triple H won the match to begin his eighth overall reign as World Heavyweight Champion in WWE.[11]

Aftermath

Shawn Michaels, who began to pursue the World Heavyweight Championship after the event

Randy Orton defeated Rob Van Dam at the event to begin his first reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion, which would last seven months,[9] the longest reign in over seven years at the time.[12] Orton began feuding with Mick Foley following the event. At the Royal Rumble, Foley eliminated Orton from the Royal Rumble match. After being eliminated, Orton hit Foley with a steel chair and attacked Foley up the entrance stage.[13] Orton pinned Foley in a Handicap match at WrestleMania XX,[14] and defeated him in a Hardcore match to retain the title at Backlash 2004.[15] Orton finally dropped the title to Edge in July 2004.[12]

Triple H ended his storyline with Goldberg and Kane, and started to feud with Shawn Michaels. At the Royal Rumble, Triple H and Michaels fought to a draw in a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship.[13] The two would face off again, as part of a Triple Threat match, at WrestleMania XX. Chris Benoit, the other participant in the match, forced Triple H to submit to the Crippler Crossface to win the title.[14] Benoit ended the storyline between the three at Backlash, when he defeated Michaels and Triple H in another Triple Threat match.[15]

Batista and Ric Flair's first World Tag Team Championship reign would last three months, as they would lose the titles to Rob Van Dam and Booker T in February.[16] Christian defeated Chris Jericho at WrestleMania XX.[14] After the match, Trish Stratus, Jericho's on-screen girlfriend at the time, turned on Jericho and joined Christian.[14] Jericho, however, would go on to defeat the two in a Handicap match at Backlash to conclude their storyline.[15]

Reception

The event grossed $450,000 with 9,000 ticket sales,[1] and received 200,000 buys, which was less than the 300,000 buys the previous year's event received.[17] The buys from Armageddon helped the promotion's pay-per-view revenue of $13.2 million, which was significantly lower than the prior year's revenue of $21.2 million.[17] Canadian Online Explorer's professional wrestling section claimed that the event was a "flop", rating the overall event a six out of ten.[18] The Triple Threat main event match was rated a six and a half out of ten, while the match between Batista and Shawn Michaels received the highest match rating—an eight and a half out of ten.[18]

The event was released on DVD on January 20, 2004.[19][20] The DVD reached a peak position of second on Billboard's DVD sales chart for recreational sports on February 12, 2004.[21] It remained on the chart for four consecutive weeks, until on March 6, 2004, when it ranked twentieth.[22] The DVD was also reviewed by customers; the average customer rating from Amazon.com was three out of five stars.[23]

Results

No.Results[1][3]StipulationsTimes[1]
1Rico (with Miss Jackie) defeated Jon HeidenreichSingles match01:28
2Booker T defeated Mark Henry (with Theodore Long)Singles match10:20
3Randy Orton (with Ric Flair) defeated Rob Van Dam (c)Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship with Mick Foley as the special guest referee17:59
4Chris Jericho and Christian defeated Trish Stratus and LitaIntergender tag team match06:37
5Shawn Michaels defeated Batista (with Ric Flair)Singles match12:28
6Evolution (Ric Flair and Batista) last eliminated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) (c)Tag Team Turmoil match for the World Tag Team Championship20:48
7Molly Holly (c) defeated IvorySingles match for the WWE Women's Championship04:23
8Triple H defeated Goldberg (c) and KaneTriple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship19:28
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match

Tag Team Turmoil match

Eliminated[1] Tag Team[1] Entered[1] Eliminated by[1] Time[1]
1 La Résistance (Robért Conway and René Duprée) 2 Rosey and The Hurricane 03:16
2 Rosey and The Hurricane 1 Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade 03:34
3 Val Venis and Lance Storm 4 Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade 07:17
4 Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade 3 The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) 11:29
5 Test and Scott Steiner 6 The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) 16:38
6 The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray and D-Von) 5 Evolution (Ric Flair and Batista) 20:48
N/A Evolution (Ric Flair and Batista) 7 Winners

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Armageddon 2003 results". Pro Wrestling History. Archived from the original on June 23, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Keller, Wade (December 14, 2003). "12/14 WWE Armageddon PPV: Keller's ongoing "virtual time" detailed coverage". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Armageddon 2003 (DVD). Stamford, Connecticut: WWE Home Video. 2003. WWE58226.
  4. ^ a b Survivor Series 2003 (DVD). Stamford, Connecticut: WWE Home Video. 2003. WWE58224.
  5. ^ a b Tywalk, Nick (November 17, 2003). "Raw: Kane burns Goldberg". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  6. ^ a b c Tywalk, Nick (December 8, 2003). "Raw: Midgets, thongs and frying pans". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved February 25, 2009.
  7. ^ "History of the Intercontinental Championship: Rob Van Dam (4)". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  8. ^ Tywalk, Nick (December 8, 2003). "Raw: Rock shocks fans". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  9. ^ a b "History of the Intercontinental Championship: Randy Orton". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  10. ^ "History of the World Tag Team Championship: Ric Flair and Batista". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  11. ^ "History of the World Heavyweight Championship: Triple H (8)". World Wrestling Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ a b Vengeance 2004 (DVD). Stamford, Connecticut: WWE Home Video. 2004. WWE57024.
  13. ^ a b Royal Rumble 2004 (DVD). Stamford, Connecticut: WWE Home Video. 2004. WWE58264.
  14. ^ a b c d WrestleMania XX (DVD). Stamford, Connecticut: WWE Home Video. 2004. WWE55878.
  15. ^ a b c Backlash 2004 (DVD). Stamford, Connecticut: WWE Home Video. 2004. WWE55880.
  16. ^ "History of the World Tag Team Championship: Booker T and Rob Van Dam". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  17. ^ a b "WWE Reports Third Quarter Results" (PDF) (Press release). World Wrestling Entertainment Corporate. February 14, 2004. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  18. ^ a b Tywalk, Nick; Plummer, Dale (December 14, 2003). "WWE Armageddon a flop". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  19. ^ "WWE: Armageddon 2003 – Evolution of the Game". For Your Entertainment. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  20. ^ "WWE – Evolution Of The Game: Armageddon DVD". CD Universe. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  21. ^ "WWE Armageddon DVD sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  22. ^ "WWE Armageddon DVD sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 7, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
  23. ^ "WWE Armageddon (Evolution of The Game) 2003 (2003)". Amazon.com. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
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