The biggest party of the summer is almost back, with Summerslam 2021 just weeks away. In the lead up to it we thought we’d go back and relive some of the past events and take a look at the best and worst matches of the show. Here are the WWE Summerslam 2004 matches ranked from worst to best.
8. Kane vs Matt Hardy – “Till Death Do Us Part” match
During the summer of 2004, we saw Kane feud with Matt Hardy over the affection of Lita. This led to a “Till Death Do Us Part” match, with Lita being forced to marry Kane. It was a fairly physical encounter, but with only six minutes the match was over before the story could really get going. The finish of the match saw Kane deliver a devastating looking chokeslam from the top rope for the win. Not a bad match but deserved a lot more time to really help tell the story.
7. Triple H vs Eugene
Eugene was a pretty good worker saddled with a terrible gimmick, and unfortunately, it hurt this match despite the calibre of his opponent. The Game faced off against Eugene and the match itself was pretty average, with nothing really standing out. Ric Flair tried to interfere in the match but was stopped by William Regal, allowing the match to be a fair fight. Triple H scored the pinfall and is certainly one of his more forgettable Summerslam matches.
6. Edge (c) vs Batista vs Chris Jericho – Triple threat match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Triple threat matches can often suffer from being too clunky and awkward to follow compared to traditional 1 on 1 matches. That wasn’t the case here as Edge defended his Intercontinental Championship. Edge and Chris Jericho have very similar styles, which helped them gel really well. Batista was the standout competitor being more of a powerhouse. But, rather than sticking out like a sore thumb, he managed to slot himself in to add variety to the match.
5. Booker T vs John Cena – For the WWE United States Championship
This match was the first of a best of five series for the United States Championship, which concluded at October’s No Mercy PPV with John Cena winning the belt. Both competitors came out the gate swinging with an excellent match. This match really does help emphasize how good both Superstars are, with Booker T’s knee and kick strikes looking effortless but very hard-hitting, he carried himself like a star. Cena hadn’t quite hit the big time, but he was well on his way and it was very evident that it wouldn’t be long before he would be a top star in the company. John Cena managed to score the win after an F-U for the first win in the series.
4. John “Bradshaw” Layfield vs The Undertaker – WWE Championship match
JBL successfully retained his WWE Championship against The Undertaker after ‘Taker got himself disqualified by using the title as a weapon. The match was hard-hitting as you’d expect from these two, with plenty of devastating looking strikes. The two real-life friends know each other inside and out and it was clear in this match. The belt shot to JBL busted him open, which was followed by The Undertaker slamming him on his car, leaving a large bloodstain on the white paint. A very good match between the two that is certainly worth your time.
3. The Dudley Boyz vs Billy Kidman, Paul London and Rey Mysterio
The Dudleyz took on the high-flying team of Kidman, London, and Mysterio, and as expected the blend of the two styles made for some entertaining in-ring work. The high-flying team performed lots of athletic moves such as the Shooting Star Press and 619 by Kidman and Mysterio, but in the end it was the power team of The Dudley Boyz that were able to score the win.
2. Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guererro
When you have two of the best wrestlers of the generation step in the ring together you know it is going to be magic. With plenty of suplexes and grappling this was a highlight of the show. Both Superstars performed Angle’s trademark Angle Slam, along with plenty of Ankle Locks as Guererro tried to escape the grip of the Olympic gold medalist. But in the end he was forced to tap out and Angle scored the submission win.
1. Chris Benoit (c) vs Randy Orton – World Heavyweight Championship match
Chris Benoit won the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX in one of the best matches of the year, this would be his one and only world title reign in the WWE. At Summerslam 2004 it was the passing of the torch as the Cripple dropped the title to Randy Orton, becoming the youngest World Heavyweight Championship at just aged 24. It was a tremendous match that showed that Randy Orton was ready to be a star, with the Viper still remaining a top star in the company 17 years later.
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