Armageddon (2003)

Infobox Wrestling event
name=Armageddon (2003)


tagline=Evolution of The Game
promotion=World Wrestling Entertainment
brand=Raw
date=December 14, 2003
venue=TD Waterhouse Centre
city=Orlando, Florida
attendance=9,000cite web|url= http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/armageddon.html#2003|title=Armageddon 2003 results|publisher=Pro Wrestling History|accessmonthday=August 4|accessyear=2008]
lastevent=Survivor Series (2003)
nextevent=Royal Rumble (2004)

Armageddon (2003) was the fourth Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on December 14 2003 at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida and was a Raw brand-exclusive event.cite web|first=Wade|last=Keller|date=December 14, 2003|url= http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/PPV_Reports_5/article_6424.shtml|title=12/14 WWE Armageddon PPV: Keller's ongoing "virtual time" detailed coverage|publisher=PW Torch|accessmonthday=August 4|accessyear=2008] All four championships exclusive to the Raw brand were contested for; three were lost while one was retained.cite video|title=Armageddon 2003|medium=DVD|publisher=WWE Home Video|location=Stamford, Connecticut|year2=2003|id=WWE58226]

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

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.cite video|title=Survivor Series 2003|medium=DVD|publisher=WWE Home Video|location=Stamford, Connecticut|year2=2003|id=WWE58224] The night after Survivor Series, Kane became involved in the feud between Goldberg and Triple H after attacking Goldberg following a Handicap match.cite web|first=Nick|last=Tywalk|date=November 17|url= http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2003/11/18/261415.html|title=Raw: Kane burns Goldberg|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer|work=Slam! Sports|accessmonthday=August 4|accessyear=2008] The following week, on the November 24 edition 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.cite web|first=Mallory|last=Mahling|date=November 24|url= http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TV_Reports_9/article_6184.shtml|title=11/24 WWE Raw: Mallory's Ongoing "Virtual Time" Coverage|publisher=PW Torch|accessmonthday=August 4|accessyear=2008]

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 edition of "Raw" by defeating then-champion Christian. [cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/322748|title=Rob Van Dam's fourth reign|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|accessmonthday=August 4|accessyear=2008] On the November 17 edition 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. On the December 8 edition of "Raw", Co-General Manager Mick Foley appointed himself as the special guest referee for the match. [cite web|first=Nick|last=Tywalk|date=December 8|url= http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2003/12/09/281839.html|title=Raw: Rock shocks fans|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer|work=Slam! Sports|accessmonthday=August 4|accessyear=2008]

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. On the November 24 edition of "Raw", Eric Bischoff scheduled a match between the two for Armageddon. The following week, Batista and Ric Flair defeated Michaels and Chris Jericho in a tag team match.cite web|author=Peter H.|date=December 1|url= http://www.wrestleview.com/results/raw/raw2003/1070340684.shtml|title=Full WWE RAW Results - 12/01/03 - Sacramento, California|publisher=WrestleView|accessmonthday=August 4|accessyear=2008] Towards the end of the match, Jericho walked out on Michaels, leaving him on his own against Flair and Batista. Batista then executed a powerbomb on Michaels and pinned him afterwards to win the match.

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. The event began with the singing of the "United States National Anthem" by Lilian Garcia.

Preliminary matches

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.

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.cite web|url= http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/intercontinental/322760|title=Randy Orton's first reign|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|accessmonthday=August 4|accessyear=2008] 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.

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 afterwards to win the bout. 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 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.

Main event matches

ee also

*WWE Armageddon

References

External links

* [http://www.wwe.com/shows/armageddon/history/2003/ Official Armageddon 2003 website]