WWE RAW received a massive blow in 2004. Two of the red brand’s biggest stars in The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin left the company. The Great One left sports entertainment for greener pastures in Hollywood. The Rattlesnake, on the other hand, decided against renewing his contract in April of said year.
The charisma vacuum left in the wake of the two massive departures prompted Vince McMahon to search for his next superstars. The billionaire wrestling promoter spent the summer of 2004 testing the waters for WWE’s next big babyfaces. He even put the world title on a young Randy Orton – even if it was for just a month.
McMahon also booked some solid matches, which became timeless classics due to the in-ring prowess of the performers involved. That being said, let’s take a look at some of the best WWE RAW matches of 2004:
Christian vs. Chris Jericho (May 10)
Christian and Chris Jericho were involved in one of the most heated feuds on WWE RAW in 2004. The duo squared off in some solid matches on free television and at pay-per-view events. The feud culminated inside a steel cage in May.
The match featured some cool spots. The blood added to the tension and drama both men shared inside the squared circle. Trish Stratus also got involved in the match and found herself trapped in the Walls of Jericho.
Edge vs. Randy Orton (July 19)
Edge defeated Randy Orton for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Vengeance 2004. The duo met in a rematch for the title on the July 19 episode of WWE RAW. Both men got 16 minutes to tell their story, and they absolutely delivered.
Edge and Orton had the crowd in the palm of their hands with their in-ring performance. They gave each other plenty of nearfalls to build to the finish. The Ultimate Opportunist sneaked up the win to eventually set up a babyface run for the future Legend Killer.
Evolution vs. Edge, Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho (August 2)
Eric Bischoff booked a huge tag team main event in the lead-up to SummerSlam 2004. The six-man tag team match featured Evolution (Randy Orton, Batista, and Ric Flair) against Edge, Chris Jericho, and Chris Benoit.
Five of the six men in this match would go on to compete at the Biggest Party of the Summer. Edge retained his Intercontinental Championship against both Batista and Chris Jericho. Randy Orton went on to topple Chris Benoit for the world in the main event.
Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels (May 3)
Chris Benoit won the world title in arguably the greatest three-way of all time at WrestleMania 20. The Rabid Wolverine retained his World Heavyweight Championship in the rematch against Shawn Michaels and Triple H at Backlash 2004.
Benoit put his title on the line against Michaels in the main event of WWE RAW on May 3. This match gave fans the champion’s classic intensity and the challenger’s textbook selling. It included the right amount of physicality to showcase Benoit’s resilience as the defending champion.
The controversial finish wherein Triple H cost his former friend Michaels created more bad blood, as if there wasn’t enough, between the former D-Generation X members.
Chris Benoit vs. Triple H (July 26)
Chris Benoit had some incredible title defenses on WWE RAW during his World Heavyweight Championship run. The Rabid Wolverine delivered Match of the Year contenders against both Shawn Michaels and Triple H.
Speaking of Triple H, The Game went the distance with the Rabid Wolverine for the world title in their 60-minute Iron Man Match on WWE RAW. Both men brought out the very best in each other and put on one of the best WWE RAW matches of 2004.
Also read: Best WWE RAW Matches Of 2005
