Royal Rumble Series #17 (2004)

Hello! This is a Royal Rumble 2004 detailed review. Welcome back to the series! Did you miss any of the earlier volumes? Links below:

#1 (’88) – #2 (’89) – #3 (’90) – #4 (’91) – #5 (’92) – #6 (’93) – #7 (’94) – #8 (’95) – #9 (’96) – #10 (’97) – #11 (’98) – #12 (’99) – #13 (’00) – #14 (’01) – #15 (’02) – #16 (’03)

Royal Rumble #17 – Philadelphia

With an attendance of 17,228, the event broke an ongoing trend (of smaller crowds every year) by growing its seated audience for the first time in years. No tagline used, and it was the second-ever “WWE” Royal Rumble. The biggest omission from the card was The Undertaker, who had been “Buried Alive” by Kane at Survivor Series.

Disclaimer: Rumble 2004 is a special event for controversial reasons. I want to stress that there is in no way, shape or form, celebrating, or condoning, the career/actions of the winner of the Rumble. WWE avoids it as much as possible, and the winner is often excluded from photo galleries & videos; although the result remains in their records.

Despite the controversy, I would like to say .. as a fan back in the day, it was one of the biggest and most shocking events I’d ever seen. Revisiting it fifteen years later made it a unique experience. I only watched the Last Man Standing and the Rumble match, so here’s the results for the rest of the card:

Match Card

1) The tag team champions Ric Flair & Batista (Evolution) defeated The Dudley Boyz in a tables match; thanks to interference from Jonathan Coachman.

2) Rey Mysterio retained the Cruiserweight title in a few minutes against Jamie Noble, due to Nidia failing to notice whose legs she had hold of.

3) The family feud between Eddie and Chavo Guerrero (w/ Chavo Sr.) came to a head, with Eddie picking up the win despite Chavo Sr’s repeated interference.

4) Hardcore Holly got an opportunity of a lifetime to challenge the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a straight up, one-on-one singles match for the title. The match is infamous for the botch with Lesnar accidentally dropping Holly on his head. Many fans assumed Lesnar was at fault, but Holly has gone on record several times saying he does not blame him and no one else should. Holly lost in six minutes and thirty seconds to the F-5.

5) Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels for the World Championship in Last Man Standing was a thriller. Being an incredibly intense and bloody fight for over twenty minutes, you couldn’t ask for more between best friends turned bitter enemies. While the result made many fans sigh in frustration, it was absolutely the right call (which I’ll explain later). It still holds up well, so if you do decide at any point to watch Rumble 2004, give it a watch as you won’t regret it.

On to the Rumble match itself, the buildup saw Smackdown General Manager Paul Heyman make John Cena and Chris Benoit go through hoops to qualify and stay qualified. Benoit did not like the way Heyman was doing business, so he insulted him. As punishment, Heyman told Benoit he had no chance of winning as he would be the first entrant in the Rumble. Many other superstars won matches to qualify, and in a match deciding the #30 entrant, Goldberg became the odds on favourite when he earned the right to enter the Rumble last. In the video below, if you want to skip to the Rumble match, the buildup starts at 34:30.

Rumble Roundup

Jim Ross & Tazz providing commentary as representatives of their brands. Howard Finkel starts the Rumble introduction .. but is interrupted by Eric Bischoff. He’s confident the Raw brand will win the Rumble, because it has superior athletes, better entertainers, and a superior general manager. Some people might like Paul Heyman because he used to run a few rinky-dink little shows in bingo halls (they’re in ECW territory). He continues discrediting Heyman, til his entrance music plays.

Heyman struts out, and gets in the ring. After being seemingly lost for words, Paul throws the mic for Bischoff to catch, before laying in to him with strikes! *glass shatters* Here come’s Sheriff Stone Cold! The crowd pop loud as Austin looks across the ring at Bischoff & Heyman with a mic. Austin asks, what the hell is going on here? He was sitting in the back getting ready to watch the Rumble, and they’re wasting everybody’s time like a couple of jackasses. Also, they are in complete violation of the law.

He wants to know who started it, so Bischoff & Heyman point fingers at one another. Heyman pleads with Austin not to stunner him. Austin decides it was Bischoff who started it, so he gets a stunner. He celebrates with beers and toasts Heyman .. before giving him a stunner! Austin gets more beer and salutes the audience, as Bischoff and Heyman lay lifeless in the ring. He gets back on his ATV and rides off as the referees see to the GMs.

Goldberg is backstage getting ready for the Rumble. Terri Runnels is on hand to interview him, but the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar enters the room. He says no one cares what number he drew, and puts over his title defense against Hardcore Holly. Brock says she should be doing the interview with him instead. Goldberg asks Brock if he’s trying to put himself over. Brock says, no I’m not, because the last time he interrupted him in an interview he was still wearing a championship; what happened?

Goldberg says it doesn’t matter. What does matter is he goes on tonight to smash every single person in the Rumble, and gets the opportunity to regain his title at Wrestlemania. He looks over Brock’s shoulder and asks “Hardcore” if that’s right, making Lesnar turn quickly to see no one standing there. He searches for a few seconds, looking around til he backs up and almost walks in to Goldberg; who does not look happy. Goldberg says some have the nerve to call Mick Foley a coward .. I don’t think so.

JR tells us there’s a spare seat in the audience for Mick Foley, because Sheriff Austin reserved it for him. Tazz wants to confirm with JR about something he said regarding Mick Foley was true, and JR admits he said that Foley would be a coward if he does not show up tonight. Tazz says he’s not here, so does that make him a coward? JR tells him the night is not over, but he does not sound optimistic. Tazz wants to confirm this, pushing JR to follow through with what he said. In frustration, JR admits Foley is a coward .. there, he said it. And finally, we get talk about the Rumble match. Tazz has his “Keys To Victory” ready for us.

1. Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind
2. Conditioning
3. Higher Number Is Your Best Friend

Benoit’s music hits as Tazz is finishing up, meaning we do not get a full introduction explaining the rules for the first time in history? I can’t remember Finkel not making his traditional Rumble introduction. Evolution member and Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton joins him as #2. Tazz puts over the concept of the brand extension, as we get guys facing each other who wouldn’t usually.

They lock up and Benoit gets the upper hand. Whip and shoulder block. Snap suplex. Randy fights back but Benoit’s too experienced. #3 is “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry. He headbutts Benoit and works Randy over in the corner. Benoit chops and kicks the big man, but Henry closes the door. Tazz chooses Henry as his top pick to win. And here comes #4, “The Buzzsaw” Tajiri. He kicks Orton multiple times, and follows with the handspring elbow.

Benoit gets Tajiri down with two German suplex. Orton’s struggling as Henry almost eliminates him. Fifth entrant is APA Bradshaw with a JBL haircut. He hits the Clothesline from Hell on Mark Henry, Tajiri, and Randy Orton! Bradshaw tries the same on Benoit, but is countered in to a headlock. He tries throwing Benoit over, but is countered again, sending him to the floor to be the first eliminated. “Man Beast” Rhino is in and after Benoit. Tajiri locks in the biggest Tarantula ever on Mark Henry .. but Rhino gores him, which sends The Buzzsaw to the floor. Benoit takes advantage of it and throws Henry out! Rhino and Orton team up to eliminate Benoit, but are unsuccessful.

We see a replay of Tajiri spitting in the face of Henry with The Mist before the Taruntula, which the commentators admit they missed. “Whoa Yeah!” It’s Matt Hardy with a dose of Mattitude, sluggin’ elbows down on everyone he sees. Rhino eats a Side Effect. Benoit & Orton go back to each other, while Rhino attempts to eliminate Hardy.

“Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner .. Holla if ya hear me!? Steinerliners for everyone. Suplex for everyone too; several T-bones and belly to backs. He tastes some Germans though, as Benoit sneaks up and takes him for a ride. JR reminds us there will definitely be a new winner of the Rumble match, as no previous winners are included. Matt Morgan’s in, the young rookie in possibly his only Rumble appearance? We’ll find out next time. Morgan power bombs Benoit and big boots Hardy. He works Orton over in the corner with shoulder blocks.

“There’s a Hurricane coming through” with the #10 spot. He flies in to the ring and lands on his long-time friend Matt. Unluckily, he flies too much for his own good, as Morgan catches The Hurricane and eliminates him with no mercy. He almost gets rid of Hardy too, but he grabs hold of the rope and slips back in. Booker T enters, and JR claims he’s a favourite to win. Former WCW rivals Steiner and Booker T get in to a brawl right away. Booker delivers a sweet Scissors Kick to Orton, who is still alive somehow. “Big Red Machine” Kane storms in with no mask .. the horror. Kane still holds the record for most eliminations with 11.

Chokeslam on Benoit. One for Morgan too. Sidewalk Slam on Hardy. Big Boot to Rhino. Chokeslam on Orton. Everyone’s down except Kane. The Undertaker’s gong sounds, which distracts Kane so much Booker T blindsides and eliminates him! Kane doesn’t care though, he’s more worried about his brother’s presence since he’s supposed to be buried alive.

Spike Dudley enters .. and Kane takes him out (so he never gets in) with a chokeslam on the ramp. Here comes Rikishi #14. Just as he gets in the ring, Rhino charges at Benoit and gets thrown over the top rope to the floor. Rikishi gets in a flurry of clotheslines, super kicks, and a stink-face on Morgan to boot.

The 20-year-old Canadian Frenchman Rene Dupree enters his first Rumble. He hangs Hardy up on the rope .. and eliminates him. Impressive. After a quick dance, Rikishi gets rid of Dupree for showboating. A-Train rushes out with his unshaven back. Benoit eliminates Matt Morgan quietly as A-Train targets others. Booker T and Rikishi team up against A-Train, but Randy decides to throw out Rikishi. This provokes Booker T to go after Randy, but he gets eliminated as well! We’re down to Benoit, Orton and A-Train, but we’re only halfway through. A-Train works Benoit over as Orton recovers. Shelton Benjamin goes right after Randy.

As Shelton entered, Benoit eliminated A-Train .. but the cameras didn’t pick it up. Orton gets the better of Benjamin and eliminates him .. leaving the #1 and #2 entrants alone together. Some dude runs out and announces Ernest “The Cat” Miller, entering to what would later become Brodus Clay’s “Funkasaurus” theme years later. He dances to “Somebody Call My Momma'” as Tazz sings along to the lyrics. Orton & Benoit recover and throw out the dance act, immediately turning on each other to keep on fighting. Kurt Angle’s here, and apparently “He Sucks”. JR puts over Benoit & Angles match for the WWE title from the previous years Rumble PPV. Angle is fresh and takes control.

Angle tries eliminating Benoit, but he holds on. Here comes Rico .. imagine if this guy won? He brawls with Orton, as Angle & Benoit focus on each other. Randy hits the RKO on Rico as Benoit nails the three consecutive German suplex sequence on Angle. He goes to the top for the headbutt, but Angle jumps to his feet and knocks his feet out from under him. Here comes Test! Test! This is a … wait? Where is he? What happened to Test? We go backstage and he’s laid out! Sheriff Austin pops around the corner and asks officials if he’s Ok. You can’t see who is talking to, but to “punish” the guy who took Test out, he tells the mystery man to get to the ring right now as Sheriff Austin needs someone to fill the slot.

It’s Foley! It was Mick Foley who took out Test. Randy looks shocked, and so are Tazz & Jr. Foley goes crazy on Randy, beating the heck out of him as the fans pop. Foley sets him up for elimination .. goes for a clothesline, yet eliminates himself & Orton. He doesn’t care about winning, he just wants to take out the “Legend Killer”. Foley wraps cables around Randy’s face and eyes. Christian is the next entrant.

Foley has steel steps .. and takes out a referee who tries stopping him. Spotting an opening, Orton bounces a steel chair off of Foley’s skull. Camera’s focus on the fight between them, as they brawl up the entrance ramp. Mr. Socko is out! And someone’s getting it .. oh Nunzio! For some reason, Foley surprises Nunzio during his entrance with Mr. Socko. This gives Orton another chance to hit him from behind. Randy runs backstage, and Foley limps after him.

In the ring, Christian & Benoit are working together to eliminate Angle. They give up on that and turn on each other. Bad idea though, as Angle recovers and throws both men with German suplex. Nunzio is sat on the outside so he can’t be eliminated. Big Show is here! Oh boy. Big chops to everyone. He’s quickly taken over. Here comes the “King of the World” Chris Jericho. He calls over Christian and they work Angle over .. but Big Show grabs and headbutts both of them with the same blow. The rest of the competitors have a good idea! They work together to eliminate the bigger man. But JR says Big Show’s no ordinary man, and he finds a way out. Here comes Charlie Haas, and he goes after Christian .. til Jericho saves him.

Their teamwork didn’t last long. Christian tries surprising Jericho, but is countered in to elimination instead. “Mr Ass” Billy Gunn is back from a few months off. Fame Asser to Angle! And Jericho. And some sweet right hands to the others. Fame Asser to Show! Wow. The Doctor of Thuganomics is here .. John Cena on the verge of super stardom. He doesn’t like Nunzio’s tactics, so he throws him in to the match. Nunzio fights back and directs Cena toward Show. The Whole F’n Show is #29, and the Philly crowd loves it. RVD goes after Show with a spin kick. Jericho cuts in, but is hit with a spinning leg lariat. Cena comes across Angle and gives him the FU. And who’s next? You know it .. it’s Goldberg! Goldberg! Goldberg!

Spear to Show! And to Gunn! Goldberg fights everyone off. Powerslam to Haas. He somehow eliminates Haas as Nunzio is riding on his back with a chokehold. Snapmares Nunzio off, and RVD goes at him with a kick. But Goldberg launches in to a sprint across the ring and takes out Nunzio with a wicked spear! Awesome. And yeah, he gets rid of Billy Gunn. Nunzio’s left at his mercy and is easily thrown out. Jackhammer time on Show? No! It’s Brock Lesnar with the F-5! Lesnar’s screwing Goldberg. Brock smiles as Goldberg gets up and tells him he’s “next you son of a bitch!”. As Goldberg’s attention is on Brock, Angle sneaks up and eliminates him!

Angle, Jericho and Cena go after Show. RVD and Benoit joins them. Again, Big Show finds a way out, pushing them all across the ring. Angle and Cena get Show down. RVD and Jericho follow up with aerial moves: the Lionsault and Frog Splash. Five-Knuckle Shuffle. Flying Headbutt by Benoit. They all agree to pick the dead weight of Show up, but it’s a struggle even with five men. Again, Show fights back and throws Cena out! RVD’s monkey flip fails and leads to his elimination. Jericho is persistent in his offense on Show. Y2J takes him down with a bulldog. He locks in the Walls of Jericho and Show taps, but submissions mean nothing here.

With Jericho turning his attention to Angle, it gives Big Show time to rest up. He comes back and throws Jericho out of the match with a chokeslam to the floor. Just Angle, Show and Benoit remain. Angle tries a German suplex on Show, but he literally uses his backside to counter. Angle Slam! Benoit is still in the fight as he goes for Angle, but he too goes down to the Angle Slam. Kurt points to his opponents and asks the crowd who to go for, and they choose Big Show. He uses the Ankle Lock on Show he’s tapping again. A really smart move by Show, as he uses Kurt’s Ankle Lock against him to send him over the top. Kurt can’t believe it.

Only Benoit & Big Show remain. Benoit jumps off the top rope, taking Show down as he tries entering the ring from the apron. He runs in to a possible Chokeslam .. but counters in to the Crossface. Show taps out for the third time. He powers out and slams Benoit down. JR mentions how difficult it is for Benoit being in the match over an hour, comparing it to Ric Flair’s Rumble win in ’92. Show takes down the straps and talks some trash. He picks Benoit up for the military press, but Benoit counters in to a headlock.

Show places Benoit on the apron, and Benoit holds on .. and on .. arching back to the point Show can’t stop it. His body flops to the outside and Chris Benoit wins the Royal Rumble, becoming the second man to have won from the #1 spot. JR praises him for the nineteen years of hard work. JR says no one has worked harder to earn the opportunity, and he was not taking no for an answer. Benoit celebrates the biggest win of his career to date.

Conclusion

The draw between Triple H & HBK in Last Man Standing, along with Benoit wanting to face Triple H for the World title, led to the main event of Wrestlemania XX becoming a triple threat. Watching back in ’04, I couldn’t believe the result. Hard to describe how I felt, because there were so many big names who could’ve taken it. I was a fan of Benoit, but he was not expected to go and win the entire thing from #1. And the finish? Excellent. WWE repeated the spot with Cesaro and Big Show in the Andre The Giant Memorial battle royal a few years back.

I think it was one of the better Rumbles. We only had one silly entrant in Ernest “The Cat” Miller, and I guess Spike didn’t make it. Refreshing not to see Kane dominate like usual, which handed Big Show the role of monster. Not much more can be said. Rumble ’04 was an historic event which will forever be in the shadow of Benoit’s last days. An epic feel-good moment of its time, no longer has any chance of eliciting any kind of warm nostalgia.

All we can do is remember the event for the sake of the rest of the talent. Big Show showed his best performance. Angle got incredibly close. Orton lasted over half an hour before Foley intervened. I enjoyed the rare partnership of JR & Tazz as well. The buildup to WMXX shouldn’t be forgotten over one man. An era was drawing to an end, and the start of a new one looked set on the horizon, the night after Wrestlemania XX.

Would you like to read up on what happened next? You can find my old, freshly edited (as of April 2019) review on Wrestlemania XX here: >>> Wrestlemania XX