Well, this is going to be a difficult year to talk about. There will be a fair amount of discussion about Chris Benoit in this list because 2004 was the year of Chris Benoit. If that isn’t something you want to read, it won’t hurt my feelings.
That being said, there were a number of excellent pay-per-view matches in WWE in 2004. It shouldn’t be shocking, considering this was the year WWE used Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Benoit on top.
WWE wasn’t as popular as it once was but great matches are still great matches.
These are the eleven best WWE pay-per-view matches of 2004.
11. Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle – SummerSlam
Everyone remembers the WWE Championship match Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle had at WrestleMania XX. However, it seems no one ever brings up their rematch at SummerSlam 2004.
It was a month after Guerrero had lost the WWE Championship but a match with one of his greatest rivals was a solid consolation prize. He did lose by submission, however.
Whereas Guerrero was able to escape Angle’s Ankle Lock at WrestleMania, he had no such luck here. SummerSlam 2004 doesn’t get brought up a lot by WWE for Benoit-related reasons but this was a really good match that should be revisited.
10. Chris Benoit vs. Triple H – Vengeance
Chris Benoit’s World Heavyweight Championship reign didn’t see him put in the spotlight as much as fans would have hoped at the time. Triple H was still the focus of Raw during the reign, feuding with Shawn Michaels in main events.
At Vengeance 2004, Benoit and Triple H met for the World title again. The work itself was very good as could be expected from these two but the handicaps kept it from being truly great.
Eugene was involved which is never a good start to any sentence. Eugene cost Triple H the match which is just a weird way to book a match where Benoit was your World Champion. If you ignore the finish it was a very good match, but that can be hard to do.
9. Eddie Guerrero vs. JBL – Judgment Day
Eddie Guerrero and JBL’s feud in 2004 remains infamous years later. JBL crossed many lines insulting Guerrero’s family and heritage but at Judgment Day we were treated to one of the bloodiest matches in WWE history.
JBL hit Guerrero with a chair and Guerrero began to bleed. And bleed. And Bleed. Guerrero got his shots in on JBL as well and by the end, both men had painted the mat scarlet with their blood.
The work was very heated and this was probably the best match JBL ever had. It is a shame that Guerrero’s one pay-per-view title defense after WrestleMania ended in a DQ but the match warranted it for the story.
8. Chris Jericho vs. Christian – Unforgiven
Christian and Chris Jericho’s rivalry was an underrated part of WWE’s 2004. The two Canadians were a highly entertaining tag team and transitioned that into a very solid feud.
At Unforgiven, both men were set to battle over the vacant Intercontinental Championship. Eric Bischoff decided to name this match a ladder match and what resulted was one of the most underrated ladder matches in WWE history.
The two always had great chemistry and that was on full display here. They may have botched the finish as Jericho was supposed to swing the title into Christian’s face but missed, but they recovered with Jericho hitting a bulldog off the ladder and retrieving the title.
7. Eddie Guerrero vs. Kurt Angle – WrestleMania XX
Here is that WrestleMania XX classic we were talking about earlier. Eddie Guerrero defending the WWE Championship against Kurt Angle at WrestleMania is still surreal years later.
The two always had good matches, but to have a great match at WrestleMania is something special.
This was one of the biggest highlights of a pretty bloated WrestleMania but what a highlight it was. Guerrero pulled off a classic moment as he wiggled out of his boot while in the Ankle Lock before rolling Angle up for the win.
Undoubtedly one of the best matches WWE put on in 2004 and one of the most special moments as well.
6. Eddie Guerrero vs. Brock Lesnar – No Way Out
From one special moment to another, few could have thought that Eddie Guerrero would beat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship if they were told before it happened. It just seemed impossible.
Guerrero was not a WWE guy the same way that the likes of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan weren’t WWE guys. However, Guerrero became so popular that WWE could not help but push him to the top.
At No Way Out 2004, Guerrero became WWE Champion. He did so in a fantastic match with Lesnar, refusing to stay down as Lesnar suplexed and stretched him.
He may have gotten a little help from Goldberg but all is fair when the referee isn’t looking. That is how Eddie always saw it anyway.
5. Randy Orton vs. Chris Benoit – SummerSlam
SummerSlam 2004 is remembered for Randy Orton winning his first World Heavyweight Championship in WWE. A monumental moment for his career, yes, but WWE won’t promote the match because of Chris Benoit’s involvement. Fair play to that.
The match, if you choose to watch it, is quite great. Orton had yet to really come into his own as a main eventer but was more than capable of having a classic match.
Benoit brought the gold into Canada and Orton walked out with it. Benoit could carry anyone to a great match and Orton was better than most at the time. A good combination this was indeed.
4. Randy Orton vs. Edge – Vengeance
Long before their rivalry in 2007, and 2010, and 2020, Randy Orton and Edge wrestled in 2004. At Vengeance, they had perhaps their best pay-per-view match.
Aside from the edited Greatest Wrestling Match Ever, this has to be the clear favorite. This is also one of those rare times the Intercontinental Championship was defended in a fantastic match in the Ruthless Aggression era.
Orton and Edge were both on their way towards the main event scene at the time and were perfect opponents for the other. They had a 26-minute classic with Edge capturing the Intercontinental title for the fifth time.
This is one of the best matches of either man’s career and that is a hill I am willing to die on.
3. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit – Backlash
What do you do when you have one of the best WrestleMania main events ever? You run the exact same match back a month later. That is exactly what happened at Backlash 2004.
Chris Benoit had won the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX, beating Triple H and Shawn Michaels to win the title. Triple H would not let this happen and a rematch was set for Backlash.
Sure enough, the match was once again fantastic. How could it not be? This time taking place in Benoit’s hometown of Edmonton, the crowd was on equal par with the rapid WrestleMania crowd at Madison Square Garden.
Another match that doesn’t get mentioned much for obvious reasons but there is a lot to learn about how to make a great Triple Threat match from these performances.
2. Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley – Backlash
I maintain well over a decade later that this is still the best match of Randy Orton’s career. Having been on the main roster for only two years, Orton faced Mick Foley in a hardcore match at Backlash 2004.
This match was designed to show that Orton was not just a pretty face but could be a tough son of a bitch when he needed to be. My god, did they ever accomplish that feat.
This is among the most hardcore of hardcore matches in WWE history. Foley introduced the barbed wire bat, thumbtacks, and the best barbed wire board in history. Orton’s face, when he was slammed on the tacks, is still an all-time great reaction.
This match changed how fans looked at Randy Orton and it remains one of the most important matches of his career.
1. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit – WrestleMania XX
While Orton’s match with Mick Foley was great, there is no debate about what the best WWE pay-per-view match of 2004 was.
At WrestleMania XX, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit competed in perhaps the best WrestleMania main event in history. If not, it is certainly in the discussion.
Triple H always performs better when he has a stipulation or an extra dancing partner and this was one of his best matches.
Add in another WrestleMania classic performance from Shawn Michaels and the emotional closing moments with Benoit winning the World Heavyweight Championship and you have a legendary match.
As is the case with many of the matches on this list, this match is tainted considerably due to Benoit’s involvement. In a vacuum, it is one of the great WWE matches ever, but in reality it is more of a painful memory.
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