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Armageddon (2008)
Encyclopedia
Armageddon was a professional-wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion
, which took place on December 14, 2008 at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York
. It featured professional wrestlers and other talent from all WWE's three brands
: Raw
, SmackDown and ECW. The ninth and final event within the Armageddon
chronology, it featured on its card
seven professional wrestling matches
.
During the SmackDown main event, Jeff Hardy
defeated Triple H
and WWE Champion
Edge in a match involving three competitors to win the championship. The Raw main event featured the World Heavyweight Championship
contested in a standard wrestling match, in which John Cena
defeated Chris Jericho
to retain the title. The undercard featured several matches, including CM Punk
against Rey Mysterio in the finals of a tournament to determine the number-one contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship
, and Randy Orton
versus Batista in a standard wrestling match.
Armageddon helped WWE earn $
15.9 million in revenue from PPV events, thanks to an attendance of approximately 12,500 and 193,000 PPV buys. When the 2008 event was released on DVD it reached a peak position of second on Billboard
s DVD Sales Chart. The professional wrestling section of the Canadian Online Explorer
website rated the entire event a perfect 10 out of 10.
that had played out on Raw
, Friday Night SmackDown, and ECW on Sci Fi—WWE's television
programs. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains
or heroes
in the scripted events that built tension and culminated into a wrestling match or series of matches and competed either under their real names or stage names. The event featured wrestlers from WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands—a storyline division
in which WWE employees are assigned to the television program of the same name.
The main rivalry
heading into Armageddon on the SmackDown brand was a match involving three competitors, known as a Triple Threat match in WWE, for the WWE Championship
between Edge, Triple H
, and Jeff Hardy
. At Survivor Series
, Jeff Hardy was out of action after being found unconscious in the stairwell of his Boston hotel earlier in the morning. This resulted to Hardy being removed from the WWE title match, leaving Triple H and Vladimir Kozlov battling each other one-on-one. Just when it looked like Triple H had Kozlov beat after nailing him with a hard-hitting Pedigree, SmackDown's primary authority figure Vickie Guerrero
interrupted the match to announce that it would indeed be Triple Threat match– with Edge as the last minute third competitor. Edge made his way to the ring and nailed Triple H with a vicious Spear
. Next, Hardy surprisingly ran into the ring and attacked Edge. Hardy then grabbed a steel chair, returned to the ring and knocked both Triple H and Kozlov with each chair shot to the head. As Hardy was about to nail Edge with the chair, Edge countered by spearing Hardy then capitalized, by covering Triple H for the win and won his 6th World Championship. SmackDown General Manager, Vickie Guerrero announced on the November 28, 2008 episode of SmackDown that Triple H, Hardy, and Vladimir Kozlov would compete in a "Beat the Clock" challenge to gain the opportunity to face Edge at Armageddon for the title. In a Beat the Clock challenge, wrestlers compete in separate individual matches and whoever wins their match in the fastest time wins the competition. The first contest saw Hardy defeat The Brian Kendrick
in 12:13. Kozlov fought in the second encounter against Matt Hardy
, but failed to defeat him in under 12:13, thus being eliminated from the challenge. The last match-up pitted Triple H against Shelton Benjamin
, which ended with Triple H gaining the fall at exactly 12:13. As a result of the tie, neither man was announced as the contender for the championship. One week later on the December 5, 2008 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that the WWE Board of Directors had decided Edge would have to defend the title against both Triple H and Hardy at Armageddon.
John Cena
and Chris Jericho
were involved in the main rivalry on the Raw brand over the World Heavyweight Championship
. At WWE's November Survivor Series
PPV event, Cena returned to the WWE after a legitimate neck injury (that he sustained at SummerSlam
) and defeated Jericho to win the championship. On the November 24 episode of Raw, Jericho defeated Randy Orton
and Batista in a Triple Threat match to earn a title match against Cena at Armageddon. Later that night, Chris Jericho attempted to steal Cena’s thunder, claiming that he plans on winning back the title at Armageddon. When World Champion, John Cena could even make his much anticipated return to Raw, he then gave Jericho an opportunity to confront him face-to-face, Cena explained the difference between himself and Jericho, stating that he actually cares about the many members of the WWE Universe. After Jericho once again stated his intention to beat Cena at Armageddon and continued to belittle the WWE Universe, Cena snapped. He proceeded to brutalize Jericho, throwing him against the announce table, bludgeoning him with the steel stairs and locking him into an STFU. On the following week's edition of Raw, Jericho made his presence known in much the same way as Cena did the week before, addressing the audience as he made his way through the crowd down to the ring. The difference however, was that while Cena welcomed his fans, Jericho made pains to ignore them. He then went on to explain his resentment toward Cena, stating that while away from the WWE since August 2005, Jericho’s son grew to be a fan, not of his father, but of John Cena. Now, Jericho hopes to show his son and all of the WWE what a real hero is, by beating Cena for the World Heavyweight Title at Armageddon. Later that night, Cena fought Kane
in Raw’s main event. Though Jericho attempted to become involved, Cena managed to fight off and then go on to defeat Kane. After the match, Cena chased Jericho, who was attempting to escape. The tables turned, however, when Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Manu
emerged to attack Cena, allowing Jericho to lock Cena in the Walls of Jericho.
On the November 24 episode of Raw, Raw's primary authority figure Stephanie McMahon announced an eight-man single-elimination tournament
to determine the number-one contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship
, which William Regal
held. The first round saw four standard matches, in which Kofi Kingston
, CM Punk
, John Morrison, and Rey Mysterio were the victors. In the second round, Punk defeated Morrison and Mysterio defeated Kingston, resulting in Mysterio and Punk both qualifying for the finals at Armageddon.
and the team of Jesse and Festus
, which Morrison and The Miz won. This match was not included on the DVD release.
to gain the pinfall victory.
The second match was the finals of the Intercontinental Championship contender tournament between Rey Mysterio and CM Punk. Near the end of the match, Mysterio tried to perform his signature 619 maneuver, however, Punk countered by performing a Go To Sleep. Punk then pinned Mysterio to gain the victory and a match against William Regal for the Intercontinental Championship.
Finlay
was pitted against Mark Henry
, who was accompanied by Tony Atlas
, in a match with no disqualifications
billed as a Belfast Brawl. In the final moments of the match, Finlay left the ring and grabbed the steel steps at one of the four corners. He then re-entered the ring to only have Henry kick him in the face and grab the makeshift weapon. Finlay followed by retrieving a shillelagh
he had brought with him to the ring and used it to bash Henry over the head before Henry could use the steel steps. Finlay then pinned Henry to become the winner.
Batista versus Randy Orton was next, with Orton being accompanied to the ring by Cody Rhodes and Manu
. The match started with Orton taking control and knocking Batista to the outside. The end came when Batista executed the Batista Bomb. Batista then pinned Orton to win the encounter.
The fifth match was an Eight Woman Santa's Little Helper Tag Team match where all eight competitors were dressed in Christmas
outfits. It pitted two teams of four against each other: Michelle McCool
, Maria
, Kelly Kelly, and Mickie James
versus Maryse
, Jillian Hall
, Victoria
, and Natayla
. The match ended quickly with McCool getting a pinfall victory over Hall after the Faithbreaker.
John Cena defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Chris Jericho in the next encounter. The match started off with Cena trying to lift Jericho on his shoulders in an early attempt to execute his finishing maneuver called the FU, only to have Jericho escape and perform his maneuver a double knee to the face and chest area called the Codebreaker. Cena became the victor in the encounter after making Jericho submit to his STFU submission hold by trapping Jericho's leg underneath with his, wrapping his arms around Jericho's neck, and pulling back.
The main event contest saw Jeff Hardy and Triple H challenging Edge for the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat match. Hardy won the contest after Triple H performed a Pedigree by forcing Edge's head into the mat followed by Hardy diving off the top rope executing a Swanton Bomb onto Edge. Hardy followed by quickly pinning Edge and winning the match and his first World Championship while Triple H lay on the ground outside the ring. This marked Hardy's first WWE Championship.
PPV event. At the Royal Rumble, Edge defeated Hardy to regain the WWE Championship with the unexpected help from Matt Hardy
.
The rivalry between Batista and Orton continued until the December 15, 2008, episode of Raw, when Orton punted Batista in the head, giving him a storyline
concussion, causing him to take time off indefinitely. WWE.com later reported that Batista elected to undergo surgery to repair a legitimate hamstring tear (that he suffered during his match with John Cena
at SummerSlam
.
CM Punk received his match for the Intercontinental title on the January 5, 2009 episode of Raw against William Regal, but failed to win due to Regal getting himself disqualified. Two weeks later, Punk and Regal had another match this time under no disqualifications rules, which Punk won to claim the title.
received. Armageddon helped World Wrestling Entertainment earn $15.9 million in revenue from PPV events, but this was less than the $19.9 million earned the previous year; Linda McMahon
, the CEO
of WWE, confirmed this statement on February 24, 2009 in a quarterly financial report. Canadian Online Explorer
's professional wrestling section rated the event a perfect ten out of ten. Wade Keller
of the PWTorch rated the main event match for the WWE Championship 4 and a quarter stars out of 5. He went on to state that the match was a "really satisfying main event and it's the finish WWE dared not do for a long time." He rated the match for the World Heavyweight Championship 3 and a quarter stars out of 5 and proclaimed he thought it was a "good match".
Sony Music Entertainment
released the event on DVD on January 13, 2009, and it reached second place on Billboard's
DVD Sales Chart for recreational sports during the week of February 7, 2009.
Number-one contender for the Intercontinental Championship Tournament
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
, which took place on December 14, 2008 at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. It featured professional wrestlers and other talent from all WWE's three brands
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
: Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, SmackDown and ECW. The ninth and final event within the Armageddon
WWE Armageddon
Armageddon was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, produced every December by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 1999, with its inaugural event taking place on December 12, 1999 at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida...
chronology, it featured on its card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
seven professional wrestling matches
Mock combat
Mock combat involves the execution of combative actions without intent to harm. Participants can engage in such sparring for ritual, training, recreational or performance reasons...
.
During the SmackDown main event, Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
defeated Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
and WWE Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
Edge in a match involving three competitors to win the championship. The Raw main event featured the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
contested in a standard wrestling match, in which John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
defeated Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
to retain the title. The undercard featured several matches, including CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
against Rey Mysterio in the finals of a tournament to determine the number-one contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
, and Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
versus Batista in a standard wrestling match.
Armageddon helped WWE earn $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
15.9 million in revenue from PPV events, thanks to an attendance of approximately 12,500 and 193,000 PPV buys. When the 2008 event was released on DVD it reached a peak position of second on Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s DVD Sales Chart. The professional wrestling section of the Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer is a bilingual online news and information site from Canada.A subsidiary of Quebecor Media, Canoe.ca is a leading local and national interactive media provider of news, entertainment and services, helping to inform and connect Canadians...
website rated the entire event a perfect 10 out of 10.
Background
Armageddon featured seven professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylinesNarrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
that had played out on Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
, Friday Night SmackDown, and ECW on Sci Fi—WWE's television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programs. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or heroes
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
in the scripted events that built tension and culminated into a wrestling match or series of matches and competed either under their real names or stage names. The event featured wrestlers from WWE's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands—a storyline division
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
in which WWE employees are assigned to the television program of the same name.
The main rivalry
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
heading into Armageddon on the SmackDown brand was a match involving three competitors, known as a Triple Threat match in WWE, for the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
between Edge, Triple H
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
, and Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
. At Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2008)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , took place on November 23, 2008 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts The Survivor Series was in Boston 15 years prior in 1993 in the now-demolished Boston Garden...
, Jeff Hardy was out of action after being found unconscious in the stairwell of his Boston hotel earlier in the morning. This resulted to Hardy being removed from the WWE title match, leaving Triple H and Vladimir Kozlov battling each other one-on-one. Just when it looked like Triple H had Kozlov beat after nailing him with a hard-hitting Pedigree, SmackDown's primary authority figure Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Lynn Guerrero is an American professional wrestling personality, manager, shifting authority figure and occasional wrestler. She is the widow of professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand...
interrupted the match to announce that it would indeed be Triple Threat match– with Edge as the last minute third competitor. Edge made his way to the ring and nailed Triple H with a vicious Spear
Professional wrestling attacks
Attacking maneuvers are offensive moves in professional wrestling, used to set up an opponent for a submission hold or for a throw. There are a wide variety of attacking moves in pro wrestling, and many moves are known by several different names. Professional wrestlers frequently give their...
. Next, Hardy surprisingly ran into the ring and attacked Edge. Hardy then grabbed a steel chair, returned to the ring and knocked both Triple H and Kozlov with each chair shot to the head. As Hardy was about to nail Edge with the chair, Edge countered by spearing Hardy then capitalized, by covering Triple H for the win and won his 6th World Championship. SmackDown General Manager, Vickie Guerrero announced on the November 28, 2008 episode of SmackDown that Triple H, Hardy, and Vladimir Kozlov would compete in a "Beat the Clock" challenge to gain the opportunity to face Edge at Armageddon for the title. In a Beat the Clock challenge, wrestlers compete in separate individual matches and whoever wins their match in the fastest time wins the competition. The first contest saw Hardy defeat The Brian Kendrick
Brian Kendrick
Brian David Kendrick is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under his real name. Before joining TNA he spent several years wrestling for World Wrestling Entertainment, where he wrestled under his name, as Spanky, and finally as "The" Brian Kendrick...
in 12:13. Kozlov fought in the second encounter against Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, but failed to defeat him in under 12:13, thus being eliminated from the challenge. The last match-up pitted Triple H against Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin
Shelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
, which ended with Triple H gaining the fall at exactly 12:13. As a result of the tie, neither man was announced as the contender for the championship. One week later on the December 5, 2008 episode of SmackDown, it was announced that the WWE Board of Directors had decided Edge would have to defend the title against both Triple H and Hardy at Armageddon.
John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
were involved in the main rivalry on the Raw brand over the World Heavyweight Championship
World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
. At WWE's November Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2008)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , took place on November 23, 2008 at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts The Survivor Series was in Boston 15 years prior in 1993 in the now-demolished Boston Garden...
PPV event, Cena returned to the WWE after a legitimate neck injury (that he sustained at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2008)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on August 17, 2008 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the 21st annual SummerSlam event and starred wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands.Seven...
) and defeated Jericho to win the championship. On the November 24 episode of Raw, Jericho defeated Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
and Batista in a Triple Threat match to earn a title match against Cena at Armageddon. Later that night, Chris Jericho attempted to steal Cena’s thunder, claiming that he plans on winning back the title at Armageddon. When World Champion, John Cena could even make his much anticipated return to Raw, he then gave Jericho an opportunity to confront him face-to-face, Cena explained the difference between himself and Jericho, stating that he actually cares about the many members of the WWE Universe. After Jericho once again stated his intention to beat Cena at Armageddon and continued to belittle the WWE Universe, Cena snapped. He proceeded to brutalize Jericho, throwing him against the announce table, bludgeoning him with the steel stairs and locking him into an STFU. On the following week's edition of Raw, Jericho made his presence known in much the same way as Cena did the week before, addressing the audience as he made his way through the crowd down to the ring. The difference however, was that while Cena welcomed his fans, Jericho made pains to ignore them. He then went on to explain his resentment toward Cena, stating that while away from the WWE since August 2005, Jericho’s son grew to be a fan, not of his father, but of John Cena. Now, Jericho hopes to show his son and all of the WWE what a real hero is, by beating Cena for the World Heavyweight Title at Armageddon. Later that night, Cena fought Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
in Raw’s main event. Though Jericho attempted to become involved, Cena managed to fight off and then go on to defeat Kane. After the match, Cena chased Jericho, who was attempting to escape. The tables turned, however, when Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Manu
Afa Anoa'i, Jr.
Afa Anoa'i, Jr. is an American professional wrestler of Samoan descent. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he competed on its Raw brand under the ring name Manu.-World Xtreme Wrestling:...
emerged to attack Cena, allowing Jericho to lock Cena in the Walls of Jericho.
On the November 24 episode of Raw, Raw's primary authority figure Stephanie McMahon announced an eight-man single-elimination tournament
Single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
to determine the number-one contender to the WWE Intercontinental Championship
WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
, which William Regal
Darren Matthews
Darren Kenneth Matthews , is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal...
held. The first round saw four standard matches, in which Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
, CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
, John Morrison, and Rey Mysterio were the victors. In the second round, Punk defeated Morrison and Mysterio defeated Kingston, resulting in Mysterio and Punk both qualifying for the finals at Armageddon.
Pre-show
Before Armageddon began, a non-televised match took place between the team of John Morrison and The MizMike Mizanin
Michael "Mike" Gregory Mizanin is an American professional wrestler and reality television personality better known by his nickname and ring name The Miz. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment on its Raw brand...
and the team of Jesse and Festus
Jesse and Festus
Jesse and Festus, also once known as The Dalton Boys, were an American professional wrestling tag team made up of Ray Gordy and Drew Hankinson . As of April 22, 2010, Ray Gordy was released by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, which Morrison and The Miz won. This match was not included on the DVD release.
Preliminary matches
The first match of the event was between Matt Hardy and Vladimir Kozlov. The match lasted for a few minutes before Kozlov delivered a chokeslamChokeslam
A chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
to gain the pinfall victory.
Finlay
Dave Finlay
David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent...
was pitted against Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
, who was accompanied by Tony Atlas
Tony Atlas
Anthony White better known by his ring name "Tony Atlas" is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding title, "Mr...
, in a match with no disqualifications
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...
billed as a Belfast Brawl. In the final moments of the match, Finlay left the ring and grabbed the steel steps at one of the four corners. He then re-entered the ring to only have Henry kick him in the face and grab the makeshift weapon. Finlay followed by retrieving a shillelagh
Shillelagh (club)
A shillelagh is a wooden walking stick and club or cudgel, typically made from a stout knotty stick with a large knob at the top, that is associated with Ireland and Irish folklore.- Construction :...
he had brought with him to the ring and used it to bash Henry over the head before Henry could use the steel steps. Finlay then pinned Henry to become the winner.
Batista versus Randy Orton was next, with Orton being accompanied to the ring by Cody Rhodes and Manu
Afa Anoa'i, Jr.
Afa Anoa'i, Jr. is an American professional wrestler of Samoan descent. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he competed on its Raw brand under the ring name Manu.-World Xtreme Wrestling:...
. The match started with Orton taking control and knocking Batista to the outside. The end came when Batista executed the Batista Bomb. Batista then pinned Orton to win the encounter.
The fifth match was an Eight Woman Santa's Little Helper Tag Team match where all eight competitors were dressed in Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
outfits. It pitted two teams of four against each other: Michelle McCool
Michelle McCool
Michelle Leigh McCool , is a retired American professional wrestler who is best known for her time in WWE.McCool originally worked as a middle school teacher in Palatka, Florida. She joined WWE in 2004 after participating in the 2004 WWE Diva Search. In her initial on-screen role, she acted...
, Maria
Maria Kanellis
Maria Louise Kanellis, , or simply Maria, is a singer-songwriter, actress, model, and professional wrestler, best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment. Kanellis's career began as a contestant on the reality show Outback Jack in 2004...
, Kelly Kelly, and Mickie James
Mickie James
Mickie Laree James , better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is a former two-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.James began her professional...
versus Maryse
Maryse Ouellet
Maryse Ouellet is a Professional Glamour Model and a former professional wrestler, better known simply as Maryse. She most recently worked for WWE...
, Jillian Hall
Jillian Hall
Jillian Faye Fletcher is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is also known for her tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Jillian Hall or simply Jillian...
, Victoria
Lisa Marie Varon
Lisa Marie Varon , is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and fitness competitor of Puerto Rican and Turkish descent...
, and Natayla
Nattie Neidhart
Natalie "Nattie" Katherine Neidhart is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Natalya....
. The match ended quickly with McCool getting a pinfall victory over Hall after the Faithbreaker.
Main event matches
The main event contest saw Jeff Hardy and Triple H challenging Edge for the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat match. Hardy won the contest after Triple H performed a Pedigree by forcing Edge's head into the mat followed by Hardy diving off the top rope executing a Swanton Bomb onto Edge. Hardy followed by quickly pinning Edge and winning the match and his first World Championship while Triple H lay on the ground outside the ring. This marked Hardy's first WWE Championship.
Aftermath
After Armageddon on the January 2, 2009 episode of SmackDown, Vickie Guerrero announced that Jeff Hardy would defend the WWE Championship against Edge at the WWE's Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble (2009)
Royal Rumble was the twenty-second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 25, 2009 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
PPV event. At the Royal Rumble, Edge defeated Hardy to regain the WWE Championship with the unexpected help from Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
.
The rivalry between Batista and Orton continued until the December 15, 2008, episode of Raw, when Orton punted Batista in the head, giving him a storyline
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
concussion, causing him to take time off indefinitely. WWE.com later reported that Batista elected to undergo surgery to repair a legitimate hamstring tear (that he suffered during his match with John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2008)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on August 17, 2008 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was the 21st annual SummerSlam event and starred wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands.Seven...
.
CM Punk received his match for the Intercontinental title on the January 5, 2009 episode of Raw against William Regal, but failed to win due to Regal getting himself disqualified. Two weeks later, Punk and Regal had another match this time under no disqualifications rules, which Punk won to claim the title.
Reception
The HSBC Arena has a maximum capacity of 19,200, however Armageddon only had an attendance of 12,500. It received 193,000 PPV buys, which was less than the 237,000 buys the previous year's eventArmageddon (2007)
Armageddon was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on December 16, 2007 at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was the eighth event produced under the Armageddon name and starred wrestlers from the Raw,...
received. Armageddon helped World Wrestling Entertainment earn $15.9 million in revenue from PPV events, but this was less than the $19.9 million earned the previous year; Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon is an American professional wrestling magnate and politician. She is notable for her career developing WWE with her husband Vince McMahon. She was in the company from 1980 to 2009. During this time, WWE grew from a small regional business in New York to a large multinational...
, the CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of WWE, confirmed this statement on February 24, 2009 in a quarterly financial report. Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer
Canadian Online Explorer is a bilingual online news and information site from Canada.A subsidiary of Quebecor Media, Canoe.ca is a leading local and national interactive media provider of news, entertainment and services, helping to inform and connect Canadians...
's professional wrestling section rated the event a perfect ten out of ten. Wade Keller
Wade Keller
Wade Keller is a wrestling columnist. He runs the Pro Wrestling Torch newsletter, which is regarded as one of the most influential newsletters in professional wrestling....
of the PWTorch rated the main event match for the WWE Championship 4 and a quarter stars out of 5. He went on to state that the match was a "really satisfying main event and it's the finish WWE dared not do for a long time." He rated the match for the World Heavyweight Championship 3 and a quarter stars out of 5 and proclaimed he thought it was a "good match".
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
released the event on DVD on January 13, 2009, and it reached second place on Billboard's
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
DVD Sales Chart for recreational sports during the week of February 7, 2009.
Results
| # | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark | John Morrison and The Miz John Morrison and The Miz John Morrison and The Miz were a professional wrestling tag team and former WWE Tough Enough contestants. The team worked for World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand, but also appeared on the SmackDown and Raw brands due to ECW's talent exchanges with those brands during their tenure as a team... defeated Jesse and Festus Jesse and Festus Jesse and Festus, also once known as The Dalton Boys, were an American professional wrestling tag team made up of Ray Gordy and Drew Hankinson . As of April 22, 2010, Ray Gordy was released by World Wrestling Entertainment... |
Tag Team match Professional wrestling tag team match types Much like singles matches, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace... |
Unknown |
| 1 | Vladimir Kozlov defeated Matt Hardy Matt Hardy Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling .... |
Singles match | 09:02 |
| 2 | CM Punk CM Punk Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion.... defeated Rey Mysterio |
Singles match to determine the #1 Contender for the WWE Intercontinental Championship WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand... |
13:45 |
| 3 | Finlay Dave Finlay David John "Fit" Finlay Jr. is a Northern Irish professional wrestler and road agent. He is perhaps best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and WWE as an active wrestler and later as a road agent... defeated Mark Henry Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic... (with Tony Atlas Tony Atlas Anthony White better known by his ring name "Tony Atlas" is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding title, "Mr... ) |
Belfast Brawl Hardcore wrestling Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted... |
09:38 |
| 4 | Batista defeated Randy Orton Randy Orton Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand... (with Cody Rhodes and Manu Afa Anoa'i, Jr. Afa Anoa'i, Jr. is an American professional wrestler of Samoan descent. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he competed on its Raw brand under the ring name Manu.-World Xtreme Wrestling:... ) |
Singles match | 16:41 |
| 5 | Maria Maria Kanellis Maria Louise Kanellis, , or simply Maria, is a singer-songwriter, actress, model, and professional wrestler, best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment. Kanellis's career began as a contestant on the reality show Outback Jack in 2004... , Kelly Kelly, Mickie James Mickie James Mickie Laree James , better known simply as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler and singer of mixed Native American-Caucasian descent, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is a former two-time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.James began her professional... and Michelle McCool Michelle McCool Michelle Leigh McCool , is a retired American professional wrestler who is best known for her time in WWE.McCool originally worked as a middle school teacher in Palatka, Florida. She joined WWE in 2004 after participating in the 2004 WWE Diva Search. In her initial on-screen role, she acted... defeated Maryse Maryse Ouellet Maryse Ouellet is a Professional Glamour Model and a former professional wrestler, better known simply as Maryse. She most recently worked for WWE... , Jillian Hall Jillian Hall Jillian Faye Fletcher is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is also known for her tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Jillian Hall or simply Jillian... , Victoria Lisa Marie Varon Lisa Marie Varon , is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and fitness competitor of Puerto Rican and Turkish descent... and Natalya Nattie Neidhart Natalie "Nattie" Katherine Neidhart is a Canadian professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Natalya.... |
Eight-Diva Santa's Little Helper tag team match | 04:33 |
| 6 | John Cena John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand.... (c) defeated Chris Jericho Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer... |
Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship World Heavyweight Championship (WWE) The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand... |
12:43 |
| 7 | Jeff Hardy Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion... defeated Edge (c) and Triple H Triple H Paul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley... |
Triple threat match for the WWE Championship WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963... |
17:19 |
Number-one contender for the Intercontinental Championship Tournament