The Great American Bash (2004)

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The Great American Bash
World Wrestling Entertainment
Brand(s)SmackDown!
DateJune 27, 2004
CityNorfolk, Virginia
VenueNorfolk Scope
Attendance6,500[1]
Buy rate238,000[2]
Tagline(s)Join Our Party
Pay-per-view chronology
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The Great American Bash chronology
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2005

The 2004 Great American Bash was the first annual

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and 15th Great American Bash event overall. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's SmackDown! brand division. The event took place on June 27, 2004, at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia. The Great American Bash was previously promoted by World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which WWE acquired in 2001, thus the 2004 event was the first Great American Bash held since 2000. The 2004 event grossed $
325,000 with 6,500 ticket sales and received a 0.47 buyrate.

Three of the eight matches on the

WWE Cruiserweight Championship, which Mysterio won with a sunset flip
.

Production

Background

World Wrestling Federation (WWF) purchased WCW.[6] In 2002, the WWF was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).[7] That same year, WWE introduced the brand extension where the promotion divided its roster into brands where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform.[8] After three years since the acquisition of WCW, WWE revived The Great American Bash as their own PPV to be held on June 27, 2004, at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia and as a SmackDown!-branded event. Although it was the first Great American Bash held by WWE, it was the 15th overall.[9]

Storylines

The main

The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) and The Undertaker. On the May 27 episode of SmackDown!, Paul Heyman told The Dudley Boyz to "make an impact".[10][11] As part of the storyline, The Dudley Boyz responded by abducting Paul Bearer, The Undertaker's manager.[10][11] On the June 3 episode of SmackDown!, Heyman told The Undertaker that the only way he would ever see Bearer again, was to align himself with The Dudley Boyz.[12][13] On the June 17 episode of SmackDown!, a Handicap match between The Dudley Boyz and The Undertaker was booked for The Great American Bash, with the stipulation being if The Undertaker won, Bearer would be buried in a glass crypt with cement.[14][15]

Another primary feud heading into the event was between

countout or disqualification, Guerrero retained the title.[16][17] On the May 27 episode of SmackDown!, SmackDown! General Manager Kurt Angle announced that JBL was the number-one contender to the WWE Championship at The Great American Bash, and that JBL was allowed to choose the stipulation for the match.[10][11] On the June 3 episode of SmackDown!, JBL announced that his match against Guerrero would be a Texas Bullrope match.[12][13]

One of the main matches on the

low blow on Cena outside the ring, which caused Cena to be counted out. Duprée won the match, but not the title since a championship cannot be lost via countout or disqualification.[19][20] On the May 27 episode of SmackDown!, Cena defeated Duprée in a Lumberjack match to retain the title.[10][11] On the June 3 episode of SmackDown!, Cena confronted Booker T about his interference in the Lumberjack match the week before. As General Manager Kurt Angle told Cena to leave the arena, Booker T attacked Cena from behind and pushed him onto Angle. Angle claimed he was going to strip Cena of the United States Championship for what he did.[12][13] On the June 10 episode of SmackDown!, Cena faced Booker T, Van Dam, and Duprée, respectively, in one-on-one matches with a five-minute time limit.[21][22] The man to defeat Cena would become the number-one contender to the United States Championship at The Great American Bash. Cena, however, won all three matches as no man was able to defeat him within the time limit.[21][22] This led to Angle booking Cena in a Fatal Four-Way match for the title at The Great American Bash.[21][22] On the June 17 episode of SmackDown!, Angle changed the match to an elimination match.[14][15]

The Divas rivalry heading into the event was between Sable and Torrie Wilson. Sable and Torrie teamed together at WrestleMania XX and defeated Raw Divas Miss Jackie and Stacy Keibler,[23] but when Torrie was featured on the cover of SmackDown! Magazine, Sable turned heel by displaying jealousy over Torrie's cover and berating her in a backstage segment, leading to a brawl between the two Divas.[24] The events led to the announcement that Sable and Torrie would face each other at The Great American Bash.

Event

Other on-screen personnel[25]
Role: Name:
English
commentators
 Michael Cole
Tazz
Spanish commentators Carlos Cabrera
Hugo Savinovich
Interviewer
Dawn Marie
Ring announcer Tony Chimel
Referee Nick Patrick
Charles Robinson
Brian Hebner
Jim Korderas

Before the

Spike Dudley defeated Jamie Noble in a match that aired on Sunday Night Heat.[25]

Preliminary matches

John Cena retained the United States Championship at the event

The first match of the event was a

Booker T, and Rob Van Dam. Cena eliminated Van Dam with a roll-up. Booker eliminated Duprée by pinning him following an (FU) from Cena. Cena eliminated Booker after an FU to retain the title.[9][25]

The next match was between

Luther Reigns and Charlie Haas. After a match predominantly controlled by Reigns, Reigns executed a Reign of Terror for the win.[9][25]

The third match was between

WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Guerrero gained the early advantage, as he applied various submission holds to Mysterio's knee, including a single leg Boston crab and an Argentine leglock. After a back and forth match between the two, Mysterio pinned Guerrero with a sunset flip to retain the title.[9][25]

The match that followed saw

Billy Gunn. The match went back and forth, as each man was able to gain the advantage numerous times. Suzuki defeated Gunn after an inverted headlock backbreaker.[9][25]

The following match was between Sable and Torrie Wilson. Sable controlled Wilson throughout the contest, as she choked her using the bottom rope and applied a criss-cross choke. After both women ran into each other, Sable pinned Wilson with a schoolgirl to win the match.[9][25]

The sixth match was between

Hardcore Holly, which Mordecai won after performing a powerbomb.[9][25]

Main event matches

The next match was a

TitanTron that JBL's shoulder touched the final turnbuckle before Guerrero's hand, also, Angle stated that it did not matter which part of the body touched, all that mattered was who touched first; as a result, JBL won the WWE Championship.[9][25][26]

The

Tombstone piledriver to win.[9][25] After the match, Undertaker pulled the lever to the cement truck, which in turn filled the crypt with Bearer inside full of cement.[9][25][27]

Aftermath

See also: SummerSlam (2004)
Kurt Angle, who began feuding with Eddie Guerrero following the event

At the event,

disqualified for hitting JBL with the title belt.[28] The two faced off again at No Mercy in a Ambulance match, in which the objective is to place your opponent in a hearse and drive out of the arena. JBL defeated The Undertaker and concluded their storyline after interference from Heidenreich.[29]

Following the conclusion of his title match against JBL at the event, Eddie Guerrero began to feud with Kurt Angle. During a Steel Cage match between Guerrero and JBL for the WWE Championship, El Gran Luchadore (Kurt Angle in disguise) interfered on JBL's behalf, which allowed JBL to escape the cage and win the match.[30][31] After the match, Guerrero attacked El Gran Luchadore and pulled off his mask, revealing him to be Kurt Angle.[30][31] The following week, Vince McMahon scheduled a match between the two at SummerSlam.[32][33] Angle won the match, and their feud concluded at the November pay-per-view, Survivor Series, when Guerrero's team defeated Angle's in a 4 on 4 Survivor Series match.[34]

On the July 8 episode of SmackDown!,

Luther Reigns interfered on Booker's behalf, and Booker inadvertently caused Cena to attack Angle. The match ended in a disqualification subsequently thereafter; however, Angle stripped Cena of the title for attacking him.[35][36] On the July 29 episode of SmackDown!, Booker T won the vacant United States Championship after last eliminating Rob Van Dam in an elimination match.[37][38] The following week, Cena defeated Van Dam to become the number-one contender to the title.[39][40] Theodore Long, who proceeded Angle as General Manager after he was fired as part of the storyline, announced that Cena would be facing Booker in a "Best of 5 series", in which the winner would be the man who earns three victories over the other first. Cena defeated Booker in the first match at SummerSlam,[28] and eventually won the fifth and final match at No Mercy to begin his second reign as United States Champion.[29][41]

The Great American Bash would continue as an annual summer PPV for WWE until 2009, with that year's event titled as

July 2012 as a special episode of SmackDown.[44] It was again revived in 2020 for the NXT brand and has since been held as special episodes of NXT.[45]

Results

No.Results
Handicap Concrete Crypt match
16:42
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
H – the match was broadcast prior to the pay-per-view on Sunday Night Heat
Fatal Four-Way eliminations[9] ^
Elimination No. Wrestler Eliminated by Elimination move Time[1]
1 Rob Van Dam John Cena Pinfall with a roll-up 8:19
2 Rene Dupree Booker T Pinfall after an FU from Cena 11:17
3 Booker T John Cena Pinfall after an FU 15:52

References

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External links

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