Armageddon (2005)

Infobox Wrestling event
name=Armageddon (2005)


promotion=World Wrestling Entertainment
brand=SmackDown!
date=December 18 2005
venue=Dunkin' Donuts Center
city=Providence, Rhode Island
attendance=8,000cite web|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/armageddon.html#2005|title=Armageddon 2005 results|publisher=Pro Wrestling History|accessdate=2008-04-22]
lastevent=Survivor Series (2005)
nextevent=New Year's Revolution (2006)
event=Armageddon
lastevent2=Armageddon (2004)
nextevent2=Armageddon (2006)

Armageddon (2005) was the sixth Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It took place on December 18 2005 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island and was a SmackDown! brand-exclusive event.cite web|first=Chris|last=Sokol|date=2005-12-18|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/12/19/1359742.html|title=Taker-Orton rises above Armageddon|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer|work=SLAM! Sports|accessdate=2008-04-22]

The main event was a Hell in a Cell match between Randy Orton and The Undertaker, which Undertaker won by pinfall after performing a Tombstone piledriver.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/armageddon/history/2005/mainevent/|title=Undertaker vs. Randy Orton in a Hell in a Cell Match|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2008-04-22] One of the predominant matches on the card was an Interpromotional tag team match between WWE Tag Team Champions Batista and Rey Mysterio and World Tag Team Champions Kane and The Big Show. Kane and The Big Show won the match after Kane pinned Mysterio following a chokeslam.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/armageddon/history/2005/results/|title=Armageddon 2005 results|publisher=WWE|accessdate=2008-04-22] Another primary match on the undercard was Booker T versus Chris Benoit in the fourth match of their "Best of 7" series for the vacant WWE United States Championship. Benoit won the match after forcing Booker to submit with the Crippler Crossface, thus earning his first victory in the series.

Background

The main feud heading into Armageddon was between Randy Orton and The Undertaker. The feud began at WrestleMania 21, where The Undertaker defeated Orton, a Raw superstar at the time, in an Interpromotional match. [cite web|author=Dale Plummer and Nick Tylwalk|date=2005-04-03|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Wrestlemania21/2005/04/03/981982.html|title=Main events weak at WrestleMania 21|publisher=Canadian Online Explorer|work=SLAM! Sports|accessdate=2008-04-22] [cite web|first=Adam|last=Martin|date=2005-04-03|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/news2005/1112583710.shtml|title=WWE WrestleMania 21 PPV Results - 4/3/05 - Los Angeles, CA|publisher=WrestleView|accessdate=2008-04-22] On the June 16 edition "SmackDown!", Orton was drafted to the SmackDown! brand. Two months later, at SummerSlam, Orton defeated The Undertaker, pinning him after executing an RKO following interference from his father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton. This led to a Handicap Casket match between Undertaker and Orton & his father at No Mercy. At the event, Orton and his father defeated Undertaker, and set the casket, which Orton locked Undertaker in, on fire. The proceeding month, at Survivor Series, Undertaker returned and attacked several SmackDown! superstars following a 5-on-5 Survivor Series match between Raw and SmackDown!. Orton, who won the match for SmackDown!, was able to escape the attack.

Event

Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, Jamie Noble defeated Funaki on "Sunday Night HEAT", which aired on Spike TV.cite web|url=http://warned.net/WWEArmageddon2005.html|accessdate=2008-04-30|title=WWE Armageddon 2005 Results|publisher=Warned.net] cite web|url=http://www.hoffco-inc.com/wwe/ppv/ppv/arm05.html|accessdate=2008-04-30|title=WWE Armageddon 2005 Results|publisher=Hoff Co, Inc.: CompleteWWE.com] The first match of the event was Matt Hardy versus John "Bradshaw" Layfield.

Aftermath

In the "Best of Seven" series, Booker T ended up winning the vacant WWE United States Championship on the January 13, 2006 edition of SmackDown in Philadelphia, with the help of Randy Orton. The feud between Randy Orton and The Undertaker ended in the Hell in the Cell match after the feud ran for about nine months. Batista and Rey Mysterio, who were the WWE Tag Team Championship holders at the time, lost the title to the team of MNM and Batista suffered a legitimate injury in early 2006, sidelining him for up to seven months.

Results

References

External links

* [http://www.wwe.com/shows/armageddon/history/2005/ Offical Armageddon 2005 website]