| Date: December 12, 2004
| Venue: Gwinnett Center | City: Duluth, Georgia
| Attendance: 5, 000 | Buys: 230, 000

| tweet me: @BastionBlogger

The end is near! But there aren’t many watching. 5000 in attendance and the smallest amount of buys an Armageddon PPV has had up to now meant that not many eyes are on this show. The biggest title in the game will be defended as John “Bradshaw” Layfield defends in a fatal four way match against three of his previous opponents in Eddie Guerrero, Booker T and The Undertaker. Layfield has scraped past all three of these men with help from title belts, Orlando Jordan, Heidenreich and lucky decisions. So Teddy Long announced that JBL would defend against all three of these men at Armageddon. Layfield has had further issues with all three men since then and has added The Basham Brothers to his cabinet as the co-secretaries of defence in order to out-number his opponents. Tonight The Bashams, Orlando Jordan and his personal stylist Amy Weber are all banned from ringside.

The United States Championship will also be defended tonight. John Cena defeated Carlito the night after Survivor Series to re-gain his United States title but since then Carlito has been injured. Instead, Cena defends his belt against Carlito’s bodyguard Jesus who has been heavily linked with stabbing Cena in the after hours club, putting him on the shelf for weeks before his return. The two will meet in a street fight tonight. Spike Dudley will defend his Cruiserweight Championship against the man who won a battle royal on Smackdown three days ago and that man was Funaki! Also on Smackdown 3 days ago Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio beat Kenzo Suzuki and Rene Dupree for the WWE Tag Team titles in an impromptu match. The two teams were set to meet at Armageddon anyway so now it’ll be Van Dam and Mysterio defending the belts.

Big Show has had his issues with Kurt Angle, Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak over the past few months. He beat Kurt Angle at No Mercy and pinned him once again at Survivor Series. Big Show has had his problems with Luther Reigns over the past few weeks after Reigns tried to make a move on Joy Giovanni, someone who was going on a date with Big Show. Big Show challenged all three men to a match at Armageddon and his wish was granted so he’ll be taking on Kurt Angle, Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak tonight. Charlie Haas may be engaged to Miss Jackie Gayda but Dawn Marie has been telling everyone that she’s been having an affair with Charlie. Miss Jackie and Dawn Marie will go one on one tonight with Haas as the special guest referee in what should put an end to this once and for all.

The only other match scheduled for tonight is a “Dixie Dog Fight” between Daniel Puder and Mike Mizanin. Puder and Mizanin are the final two contestants in the $1,000,000 Tough Enough and now the two men must compete in a boxing match before the winner of the competition is announced on Thursday.

On Sunday Night Heat before the event, Akio and Billy Kidman defeated Chavo Guerrero and Paul London.

A video package with the familiar “end is here” Armageddon theme hypes up tonight’s main event and then Michael Cole and Tazz welcome us to Atlanta for Armageddon 2004.

Rob Van Dam & Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Rene Dupree & Kenzo Suzuki – WWE Tag Team Championship Match

Good luck Rob and Rey but tag team champions have never won at an Armageddon pay per view. Rob Van Dam is the only man in this match to have wrestled at an Armageddon pay per view before and that was last years event when he lost his Intercontinental Championship to Randy Orton. This is actually a rematch from No Mercy where Kenzo and Rene beat Van Dam and Mysterio.  Van Dam and Kenzo Suzuki kick off the match and there’s a bit of wrestling and a stand off. Kenzo hits some kicks and left hands but Van Dam takes him down with a roundhouse kick and then tags in Rey Mysterio. Rey and Van Dam hit their “420” double legdrop for the first near fall of the show. Kenzo hits a hard Irish whip on Rey, a snapmare and then tags in Rene Dupree. Rene hits a hard Irish whip as a “USA” chant breaks out.

Rene misses with a splash in the corner but connects with a running big boot. Mysterio gets back into it with a head scissors and then looks to hit the 619 but Kenzo takes a cheap shot. Rey then hits a sunset flip powerbomb on Kenzo with a little help from RVD. All four men go at it on the outside now and RVD hits his spinning legdrop on Dupree who is laid across the barricade. Rey and Dupree are back in the ring now and Mysterio gets a near fall before tagging out to Van Dam. Van Dam hits a monkey flip and Mysterio follows it up with a dropkick for a near fall. RVD hits a suplex but Dupree stops him from hitting rolling thunder. Dupree hits a standing dropkick and looks to tag in Kenzo but Kenzo is down on the outside. Suzuki grabs the legs of RVD allowing Dupree to hit him with a clothesline. Dupree then tags in Suzuki who lays into RVD with kicks.

Kenzo hits a big clothesline and then applies a chinlock. The fans boo and I’m not sure if they’re booing Kenzo or booing the chinlock. Plenty of USA chants. Van Dam hits a spin kick on Suzuki and then tags in Mysterio. Dupree also tags in but it’s all Mysterio as he hits some big right hands. Hiroko gets up on the apron and the challengers hits a double hotshot type move. Torrie Wilson then runs out from the back and chases off Hiroko! Kenzo hits a knee drop on Mysterio for a two count and then Kenzo applies an armbar. Mysterio gets out of it but can’t tag in Rob Van Dam. Suzuki tags in Dupree who hits an elbow drop and a dropkick to the back of the champion for a two count. Dupree then applies a chinlock before switching it into an armbar but Rey gets out of it only to be hit with an atomic drop.

Dupree tags in Suzuki and as both commentators agree on new champions being crowned tonight, you can only think the titles won’t be changing hands then. Kenzo applies an inverted bear hug and then a German suplex for a near fall. Suzuki tags in Dupree who has held both the World and WWE Tag Team Championships. He takes a cheap shot on Van Dam who came over with him from Raw in the draft earlier this year. Dupree tags Suzuki and this match is just starting to drag a little bit. Kenzo chokes Mysterio on the bottom rope before hitting him with a shoulder block for a near fall. Kenzo is undefeated on pay per view going into this match. He tags in Rene Dupree who does his French tickler dance. Kenzo does the same on the apron. Rene then hits an elbow drop for a near call before Irish whipping him into the corner. Mysterio hits some kicks and then a hurricanrana, sending Dupree into the ring post.

Mysterio tags in Rob Van Dam, finally getting the hot tag. Van Dam hits some big kicks, a dropkick and then a powerslam. RVD hits a split-legged moonsault for a two count and then takes a cheap shot at Suzuki. Van Dam hits rolling thunder as Mysterio hits a slingshot legdrop at the same time for a near fall. Suzuki broke it up and disposes of Mysterio. Van Dam dropkicks Kenzo out of the ring and then a bit of a botched cross body on Dupree for a near fall. Mysterio dropkicks Dupree onto the ropes and then Van Dam kicks Kenzo onto the middle rope. Mysterio hits a 619 on both men and then disposes of Suzuki. Van Dam then comes off the top with a 5 star frog splash on Dupree which is enough for the three! Van Dam and Rey Mysterio retain their WWE Tag Team Championships tonight! Decent match between these two teams but I think it went on a little too long.

Rating: 6.25/10

We get a promo from Daniel Puder who is involved in the Dixie Dog Fight later against Mike Mizanin.

Kurt Angle is out next with two armed police officers, one of which is carrying his gold medal. Kurt has been offering “local hero’s” a chance to win the gold medal if they can beat him in recent weeks. Kurt announces that he’ll be doing a Kurt Angle invitational tonight with his opponent, Santa Claus.

Kurt Angle vs. Santa Claus

Santa comes out handing out presents. Kurt jokes that Santa needs to go back to the north pole with Tazz and the other elves. Great stuff. But who is behind the beard I wonder? The match is underway anyway, Kurt hits an Angle slam and locks on the ankle lock for the victory. This wasn’t really a match.

Rating: N/A

Mike Mizanin promo’s for the Dixie Dog Fight and that’s followed by a video package showing the journey that have been on in Tough Enough.

Daniel Puder vs. Mike “The Miz” Mizanin – Dixie Dog Fight

Al Snow is out on commentary for this one, a genuine boxing match. Does The Miz stand a chance? I doubt it. Teddy Long comes out and gives a bit of a speech, acknowledging the legit boxing referee’s and judges before announcing the competitors. Puder looks the part as he makes his entrance in an impressive robe. There will be three one minute rounds. 8 seconds to get up. Puder will take this in the first. Plenty of boxing matches on WWE pay per view over the years, guys like Roddy Piper, Mr T, Butterbean, Marc Mero and Bart Gunn have all been involved. Both men come out swinging, Puder connects with the best shots. Miz is swinging wildly. First round over and I think Miz connected with more shots but Puder connected with the best shots.

Second round. Miz swings wildly again and Puder hits him in the back of the head which is illegal in regular boxing. Miz looks like he’s really struggling now, just staying on his feet and not swinging as much. The fans are booing now. Miz looks exhausted as the second round finishes. Third round now and both men are gassing. Puder hits some heavy punches whilst Miz just looks to grapple, too tired to throw punches. Round 3 is over. Nobody won. So the fans are going to vote on the winner. I think Puder wins. Difficult one to judge from the crowds reaction. Teddy Long announces Daniel Puder as the winner. Al Snow talks to both men after the fight. Lots of boo’s.

Rating: N/A

Eddie Guerrero and Booker T are backstage all excited. Eddie says that he can very easily pin Booker T to become WWE Champion tonight. Booker finds that hilarious. Booker says he could hit Guerrero with the scissors kick and beat him which Eddie finds funny. Guerrero is more concerned about The Undertaker but Booker T isn’t worried. Eddie has a plan that Booker T should take out Undertaker and Eddie will beat JBL. Booker T says they should team up, take out The Undertaker together and then take out JBL. Undertaker then arrives behind them and looks sinister. Eddie and Booker argue which was pretty hilarious.

Hardcore Holly & Charlie Haas vs. The Basham Brothers (Doug & Danny)

An unscheduled match between these two teams now. Hardcore Holly is the only man with any sort of Armageddon record and he’s won 1 and lost 1 at the first two events. Charlie Haas gets right in the face of Danny Basham before the match. Seems pretty legit heat there. Hardcore holly and Doug Basham start the match and Hardcore applies a headlock. Doug gets out of it and hits a hiptoss but Hardcore gets back into it with a powerslam and some chops. Doug misses with a splash in the corner and Holly rolls him up for the first near fall of the match. Doug tags in Danny who lands some kicks and chops. The Basham Brothers are the co-secretaries of defence for JBL’s cabinet. Hardcore tags in Haas who hits some right hands and a boot.

Danny hits some right hands and then smashes Haas into a top turnbuckle before tagging in Doug. Haas hits a couple of deep armdrags and then applies an armbar. Doug breaks it and hits a snapmare before applying a chinlock. Charlie gets out of it and then hits Danny with a cheap shot. Charlie goes to the second rope but Danny sweeps his leg, taking him down to the canvas. Doug tags in Danny and both Bashams drop elbows for a near fall. A “boring” chant breaks out as Danny lays into Haas with an elbow drop for a two count. Danny tags in Doug who applies a chinlock. Haas gets out of it but Doug hits a clothesline and then tags in Danny. Haas hits a t-bone suplex on Danny Basham and then both men make tags. Holly hits clothesline on both Bashams and then a back body drop on Danny and a dropkick on Doug. Holly goes up top and hits a big clothesline on Doug.

Doug Basham kicks Holly and then knocks Haas off the apron but then runs right into a powerslam from Hardcore holly. Dawn Marie then runs down to see to Haas and then out comes Miss Jackie and the two girls fight over him. The Bashams then do a switch and Danny rolls up Hardcore and gets the three! The Bashams beat Hardcore Holly and Charlie Haas tonight because Hardcore was distracted by Haas and the two girls. Holly berates Haas after the match.

Rating: 3.75/10

There’s a VT next showing the history between John Cena, Carlito and Jesus.

John Cena vs. Jesus – Street Fight for the United States Championship

Both men make their Armageddon debuts tonight and it’s actually a PPV debut for Jesus who has got lucky here from Carlito being injured. Santa Claus and Jesus wrestling on the same pay per view, this really is Christmassy. John Cena has a new United States Championship belt with a spinning plate in the centre. I like it. Cena is a three time United States Champion now. Jesus is a big old unit. Carlito spits apple in the face of Cena before the bell and John goes right to work on Jesus with big right hands, beating him down in the corner. Carlito is armed with a kendo stick on the outside. He hands that to Jesus and he swings it into the kidney of Cena. That fires the champion up and Cena grabs the kendo stick and beats Jesus with it in the head and then the back  repeatedly. The crowd are right behind Cena who chases Carlito to the back.

Jesus falls into the crowd where Cena lays in some jabs and big right hands. Jesus is busted wide open now and Cena boots him in the face before taking him into the crowd. Cena chokes Jesus with some cable whilst screaming at him. Jesus tries to get away but Cena throws a bin at him. Jesus heads up some stairs but Cena is right up with him and tried to throw him over the stairs but Carlito saves his bodyguard. Cena puts the bin over Jesus who Jesus throws it off only to receive some big chops. Jesus and Carlito double Cena, both men hitting him with big right hands but Cena fights them off. Jesus heads back to the ringside area and Cena comes off the barricade, driving Jesus’s face into the mat. The two men get back into the ring now but not before Cena grabs a trash can lid and a sign.

Cena smashes Jesus with the trash can lid and then the sign. Cena then scoops Jesus up for the FU, hits it and hooks the leg for the three. Cena retains his US title tonight in easy fashion, after beating Jesus down for the whole match. Carlito dives in the ring and grabs the steel chain that he stole from Cena but John grabs it off him and nails Carlito with it. Entertaining enough even f it was a long squash match.

Rating: 6.5/10

Miss Jackie and Charlie Haas are backstage and Jackie can’t believe Dawn Marie cost Charlie his match earlier. Jackie says that later tonight she’ll make it up to him. Charlie says Jackie shouldn’t wear the engagement ring out there tonight and takes it off her. Heel turn coming?

Miss Jackie vs. Dawn Marie – Charlie Haas as special guest referee

Dawn Marie looks to win on pay per view for the first ever time and this’ll be her 6th opportunity to do so. Charlie Haas comes out with Miss Jackie which is a bit controversial. The two girls slap it out to begin with and then Jackie throws Dawn Marie around the ring. Tazz sings the Armageddon theme, brilliant. The two girls slug it out and then Dawn drives Jackie into the corner and then spits on her. Miss Jackie takes Dawn down and then two girls roll around the floor with Charlie Haas getting caught up in it. Dawn checks on Charlie and Jackie rolls her up but Dawn counters it and pulls the tights and Charlie counts the 3! Dawn Marie wins on pay per view for the first ever time! Miss Jackie can’t believe it. Charlie gets on the mic and says that the truth is that Charlie is having an affair with Dawn and the engagement is off. When it comes to making love, Jackie is like making love to a dead, wet fish. Charlie then gets down on one knee and asks Dawn why she’s such a slut and then ditches both women!

Rating: 1.75/10

Big Show is walking backstage when Joy Giovanni shows up and kisses him for good luck!

The Big Show vs. Kurt Angle, Luther Reigns & Mark Jindrak

Kurt angle has a 3-0 record at Armageddon PPV’s which includes a win over The Big Show at the 2002 event. Show has a 1-1 record whilst Reigns and Jindrak make their Armageddon debuts tonight. This is Mark Jindraks fifth PPV match and he looks for his first victory tonight. It’s Jindrak that starts the match against Big Show and Jindrak tries to use his speed before posing. Jindrak came over from wCw when the WWE bought them out in 2001. Big Show throws Jindrak around the ring and then chops him in the corner a couple of times. Big Show hits a big hiptoss sending him into his own corner. Jindrak wants to tag out to Angle and Kurt refuses but Jindrak tags him in anyway. Big Show shoves Kurt back into his own corner so Kurt tags in Luther Reigns.

Luther hits some big kicks and right hands but Big Show lays into him with chops before bringing Jindrak back into the ring and hitting both men with headbutts. Kurt then drops Big Show on the top rope and Luther and Jindrak take him down with a clothesline. Kurt Angle then tags in, stomps away at Big Show and then tags Mark Jindrak in. Jindrak hits some kicks and a dropkick as he looks for his first ever PPV victory. Jindrak tags in Reigns and both men stomp away at Big Show. Reigns tags in Jindrak and the two men hit a double suplex for a near fall. Jindrak tags in Kurt who applies a camel clutch. Kurt turns it into a reverse front facelock and Big Show tries to get out of it but Luther Reigns makes sure Show doesn’t take the advantage. Angle tags in Reigns who chokes Big Show on the bottom rope and lays in some boots.

Big Show fights back with a headbutt and so Reigns tags in Jindrak. Kurt Angle gets involved again to help take down Big Show. Jindrak then applies a camel clutch and Big Show looks to fight out of it again but Kurt Angle runs in and takes some shots at him. Big Show fights off Jindrak and Reigns, hitting fireman carries and powerslams. He takes down both men with clotheslines and then a reverse powerbomb to Jindrak. Luther lays into Big Show with kicks and Angle helps him out but Big Show fights them off, disposing of Reigns. Kurt then hits an Angle slam and applies the ankle lock but Big Show fights him off. Big Show disposes of everyone he can before hitting an F5 on Mark Jindrak! Big Show hooks the leg and pins Jindrak for the three! Big Show wins with the F5! Kurt can’t believe it.

Rating: 5/10

There’s a VT showing the tribute to the troops event from last year.

Funaki, Smackdown number one announcer is backstage interviewing himself before his match with Spike Dudley. Spike then arrives and calls him pathetic. Funaki tells him that “Armageddon your title”.

Spike Dudley (c) vs. Funaki – Cruiserweight Championship Match

It’s an Armageddon debut for both men as they face off on pay per view for the first ever time. This is Spike’s third pay per view defence of his title. There’s a big of chain wrestling in the early going resulting in a stand off. Funaki hits a couple of roll-ups for near falls. Funaki hits a drop toe hold and rolls Spike up again for a near fall. Spike then slows down the pace, hitting a knee and a forearm. Funaki hits a nice armdrag into an armbar. Tazz claims to have been the height of a cruiserweight but the weights of a heavyweight. Funaki sends Spike to the outside and then hits him with a baseball slide before rolling the champion back in the ring for a near fall. The crowd are a bit dead for this one. Spike hits a reverse elbow and then goes to the top but Funaki sees him up there and throws him across the ring before hitting a dropkick for a two count.

Funaki hits a couple of big right hands but Spike back body drops him onto the apron. Spike goes up top but Funaki meets him up there and looks for a superplex to the outside but Spike throws him down to the outside. Spike rolls Funaki back into the ring for a near fall and then follows it up with a double stomp before applying an abdominal stretch. Funaki gets out of it with a hiptoss but Spike hits a headbutt. Funaki counters a couple of slams but Spike hits a gutbuster before going back to the abdominal stretch. Funaki gets out of it and pops Spike on the top rope before tying him up in a tree of woe. Funaki then goes up top and hits a double stomp to the chest. Funaki hits some big right hands and a back body drop. It’s all Funaki now as he hits clotheslines and a bulldog for a near fall.

Funaki hits an enzeguri to the shoulder for another near fall. Some boo’s from the crowd, I suspect they want this one over with. Funaki goes up top and hits a big cross body for another two count. Funaki goes to the second rope and tries for a tornado DDT but Spike counters it and then hits his running headbutt before trying for the Dudley dog but Funaki counters it and rolls Spike up for the three! Funaki wins the Cruiserweight Championship! Funaki celebrates with the commentators. Pretty bad match to a dead crowd.

Rating: 2.5/10

There’s a video package next for the fatal four way main event.

JBL is backstage and his cabinet offer support to the champion who doesn’t look confident.

John “Bradshaw” Layfield (c) vs. The Undertaker vs. Booker T vs. Eddie Guerrero – Fatal Four Way match for the WWE Championship

Layfield goes into this one with a 1-0 record at Armageddon PPVs, Guerrero has a 1-1 record, Booker T has a 2-0 record and The Undertaker is 0-1. There’s no limo for JBL as he walks out looking somber. No car for Guerrero either. As the bell rings, JBL gets the hell out of the ring. Undertaker then goes after Booker T, hitting him with a big boot before going after Eddie Guerrero. JBL then slides in the ring and pins Booker T but the referee doesn’t see it for ages. Undertaker chases JBL around the ring but JBL runs right into Eddie Guerrero and Booker T. JBL prays and then gets hit from every direction. Undertaker and Eddie hit uppercuts on the champion and then Booker hits him with a kick. Undertaker hits JBL with big right hands as Eddie and Booker T watch on. Undertaker then pins the champion but Eddie and Booker T break it up before double teaming the dead man.

Eddie and Booker hit a double reverse elbow on Undertaker before Booker holds Undertaker for Eddie. All four of these men are from Texas. Eddie kicks Undertaker out of the ring and then Booker lays into Undertaker on the outside. JBL has snuck off and he then sneaks up and attacks Guerrero from behind. Layfield hits a suplex for a two count. Booker T helps out Eddie and holds JBL for Eddie to dropkick him. They then knock Bradshaw down with a double clothesline. Booker T kicks Undertaker off the apron and then hits JBL with a sidewalk slam. Eddie hits a senton bomb over the top rope on the WWE Champion. Eddie pins JBL but Booker T breaks up the pinfall. Undertaker gets back in the ring and goes after Eddie and Booker. Undertaker then hits a big sidewalk slam on JBL for a two count. Eddie broke up the cover and so Undertaker disposes of him and then hits Booker with a DDT for a near fall.

On the outside Undertaker bounces JBL off the ring steps. Eddie then jumps on Undertakers back, applying a sleeper. Booker T stomps on JBL and Undertaker slams Eddie off his back. Undertaker then throws Booker T into the crowd and JBL bounces Undertaker off the ring steps. Layfield takes apart the announce desk and looks to powerbomb The Undertaker but Undertaker back body drops him on the floor. Undertaker rolls Eddie Guerrero back into the ring and then lays into him with big right hands. Undertaker hits a back body drop and then pins Eddie who gets his hand on the bottom rope. Booker T is back in the ring and Undertaker lays into him but misses with a big boot in the corner. JBL slides in and hits a swinging neckbreaker on Booker T for a two count. JBL hits some chops and right hands on Booker T and pins him which Eddie Guerrero breaks up.

Undertaker lays into both Eddie and Booker with stomps, elbows and right hands. Booker T hits Undertaker with some right hands but Undertaker drops him with a spinebuster. Undertaker goes for old school on Booker T and has to fight off Eddie Guerrero before hitting the move. Undertaker hits his face first move on Booker and Eddie breaks up the pinfall that follows. Eddie then lays into Undertaker with right hands but Undertaker throws him out of the ring. Undertaker hangs Eddie over the apron before hitting him with an elbow and then a legdrop. But JBL then nails Undertaker with a clothesline. JBL throws Booker T into the steps and then rolls him back into the ring and hits a big boot for a near fall. JBL takes off the tape from one of his wrists and then chokes Booker T with it. Guerrero pulls a ladder out from under the ring and he smashes it into the face of The Undertaker.

Bradshaw hits an elbow on Booker T and then grabs his WWE Championship belt but Booker T sees him coming and hits him with a big kick. Booker hits Guerrero and Undertaker with kicks, before hitting his trademark scissors kick on Guerrero! Booker hooks the leg but Eddie kicks out. On the outside Booker kicks Undertaker but JBL grabs Booker T and powerbombs him onto the announce table. It was a bit weak so Booker didn’t go through the table but JBL changes that by dropping an elbow on Booker which does send him through the table. Undertaker takes apart the Spanish announce table and then last ride’s JBL through it. Guerrero plays possum in the ring and Undertaker climbs in the ring and sets Eddie up for a tombstone but Eddie nips down only to run right into a chokeslam! Eddie grabs the WWE Championship belt and smashes it into the face of The Undertaker! He then goes up top and hits a frog splash before going up top again and hitting another frog splash! Eddie hooks the leg but Undertaker kicks out and then sits up!

Eddie hits Undertaker with a low blow and then grabs the ladder and jabs it into the ribs of The Undertaker before jabbing it into Undertakers face. Eddie sets up the ladder and climbs up to the top of it before diving off it with a frog splash on The Undertaker! Eddie looks in pain and slowly rolls over and pins The Undertaker but JBL pulls the referee out of the ring. Eddie grabs the ladder an jabs it into The Undertaker, sending him out of the ring. Guerrero then sets up the ladder but JBL runs at him with a clothesline which Eddie ducks. Guerrero hits the three amigos on JBL and pins him but Booker T breaks up the pinfall. Booker T stomps Guerrero out of the ring and then hits the scissors kick on JBL. He hooks the leg but Undertaker breaks it up. Undertaker pulls Eddie Guerrero into the ring, hits him with snake eyes, a big boot and a legdrop but Booker T breaks up the cover.

Undertaker hits a chokeslam on Booker T and then a chokeslam on Eddie Guerrero. Undertaker then completes the set, hitting JBL with a chokeslam. Undertaker motions for the tombstone and he sets JBL up for it but Heidenreich appears from nowhere and attacks The Undertaker! Heidenreich hits a big sidewalk slam on The Undertaker, similar to a Boss Man Slam. JBL then covers Booker T but Booker kicks out. Why didn’t he pin The Undertaker? JBL crawls to Eddie Guerrero and pins him but Eddie kicks out. Layfield then looks at The Undertaker but Undertaker sits up! Heidenreich pulls Undertaker out of the ring and locks on a cobra clutch. JBL then hits Booker T with a clothesline from hell and pins him for the three! Bradshaw retains his WWE Championship tonight! Great match from these four.

Rating: 7.75/10

And that was Armageddon 2004. This felt like a weak show overall with Smackdown slipping back into terrible SD brand PPV’s following a decent showing with No Mercy. For starters, the four men on the pre-show have more talent than a lot of the guys on the main show put together. The event did start well though with the tag team title match. Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio retained their titles in a good match. It’s a bit of a wishy-washy division at the moment and I’m hopeful that The Bashams will take the titles from them. I’m a sucker for “proper” tag teams and for me Doug and Danny are just that. You’re always guaranteed a good match with Rey and RVD involved and this didn’t disappoint. I have a feeling Kenzo and Dupree will slip down the card now though.

The next three matches were interesting to say the least. Kurt Angle beat Santa Claus. This was a squash to continue Kurts local hero challenge. It was what it was. I’m sure this will be leading somewhere. Somebody will take the medals. Daniel Puder then beat Mike Mizanin in a boxing match. This was actually quite entertaining. Miz really came across as a guy who wanted to win but was in way over his head. Puder looked a bit more like he knew what he was doing and won the match. Again, I can’t really rate this but it was entertaining. We then get an unannounced match with The Bashams beating Charlie Haas and Hardcore Holly. This served a few purposes. It gave Doug and Danny a good win which should put them back in the Tag Team title picture. It gave some last minute hype for Miss Jackie and Dawn Marie whilst showing some friction between Hardcore Holly and Charlie Haas. A worthwhile match just not a very good one.

John Cena beat Jesus in an extended squash match to retain his United States Championship. I really like the new title belt that Cena introduced on this show. This keeps Cena hot until Carlito is fit to challenge for his belt again. There’s a lot of heat in this feud now and I, like a lot of people can’t wait until they have their blow-off. I actually quite like Carlito and Jesus, they’re colourful characters whose charisma should take them to the top. Dawn Marie then beat Miss Jackie to record her first ever pay per view victory. Well done Dawn. After the match Charlie dumped both women. Not really sure why they’ve broken up Haas and Gayda, she brings a bit of personality to Charlie. Not sure where this leaves all three of those involved now. Haas is surely heel though after admitting to having an affair with Dawn.

Big Show then won the 3 on 1 handicap match which makes him look like a beast. I mean, he could have pinned either Reigns or Jindrak, it wouldn’t have mattered really as long as it wasn’t Kurt. But the three of them couldn’t beat Big Show. This makes me think that Show will be next in line to challenge for JBL’s World title. This match was pretty average, it was what you’d expect really. Big Show holds three victories over Angle at No Mercy, Survivor Series and now Armageddon. Spike Dudley then lost his Cruiserweight title to Funaki. This was surprising. Spike’s act has gone a bit stale since Bubba Ray and D-Von have been away. His whole boss character only works when they’re about. This was the only title change of the night which makes you wonder whether that was the only reason they did it. Funaki has been around for a long time (not 8 years like Michael Cole kept saying though) and deserves something like this. There’s so much talent in the cruiserweight division, it’ll be interesting to see where they go with Funaki.

Then in the main event, John “Bradshaw” Layfield defeated The Undertaker, Booker T and Eddie Guerrero. They have been pushing for weeks that Layfield would be losing his title so it only made sense that he would keep it. Heidenreich made sure The Undertaker wasn’t winning the match which continues their feud. Do they take it to Wrestlemania with Undertaker and Kane against Heidenreich and Snitsky? I can see Layfield moving on to Big Show next. Not sure about Guerrero and Booker T but they might be put together as a tag team which is a bit of a “go to” for these guys. Overall this felt like a pretty weak show. The middle in particular. It was a three show card really with the main event, the handicap match and the tag team title match. Everything else was filler. Rene Dupree, Kenzo Suzuki, Daniel Puder, Mike Mizanin, Santa Claus, The Bashams, Hardcore Holly, Charlie Haas, Jesus, Miss Jackie, Dawn Marie, Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak, Funaki and Spike Dudley. Not a hall of fame class anytime soon.

Overall Rating: 47.8/100 (ranked 154th out of 172) 

Match Of The Night: JBL vs. The Undertaker vs. Booker T vs. Eddie Guerrero
Worst Match Of The Night: Miss Jackie vs. Dawn Marie
Surprise Of The Night: Funaki wins the Cruiserweight title
Worst Booking Of The Night: N/A
Superstar Of The Night: John “Bradshaw” Layfield
Armageddon 2004 Will Be Remembered For: Being terrible. And JBL retaining his title despite the odds.