It's difficult to talk about Royal Rumble 2004 without mentioning the controversial winner, Chris Benoit. The sad part about this particular situation is that whatever point I try to make, there will always be the knowledge of what Benoit ultimately did three years after winning the match dancing in the back of my mind. I will never forget where I was and how I felt when Vince McMahon appeared the following day on ECW after it was discovered what Benoit did and promised everyone watching that "the show will continue."
So yes, mentioning any WWE event where Benoit played a significant part is difficult. However, it shouldn't mean the matches he was involved in should be erased from history. I say this because the 2004 Royal Rumble match is still among the best 20 years later.
Looking back at the match, it has many textbook hallmarks of a great Royal Rumble match. Starting off with two guys from opposite brands who both have never won the world title but were on the cusp of breaking into the main event was genius. Although Benoit ultimately ran the gauntlet and won from the #1 position, Randy Orton hung right there with him and lasted over half an hour.
If there was one person who benefited the most from this match other than Benoit, it was Orton. In 2004, the WWE was behind in pushing the third-generation star to the top of the card. He'd just won the Intercontinental Championship and entered into a feud with the hardcore legend Mick Foley on Monday Night Raw. His lasting for so long and having the second-most eliminations with five showed how much the company was behind him then.
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| Mick Foley was Randy Orton's rival heading into the 2004 Royal Rumble |
Unfortunately for Orton, his night was cut short by a returning Foley. The hardcore legend returned weeks after walking away from a match with Orton on Raw and getting spat in the face by the young star. I adored WWE reintroducing Foley by having him take out the #21 entrant Test backstage and take his spot. He then charged at Orton and ended up eliminating both himself and his rival at the same time.
This brings up another great aspect of this match: how it eluded to many of the feuds that would be featured at WrestleMania 20. Not only did it spotlight the feud between Orton and Foley, but fans also got a taste of Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. Goldberg entered at #30 and lasted for two minutes before being eliminated by Lesnar, who was the WWE Champion and wasn't even booked for the match. The two men would go on to have a controversial match at WrestleMania, with fans booing the both of them.
Also eluded was the eventual United States Championship match between then-champion Big Show and John Cena. Show entered at #24 and was immediately the major threat that needed to be dealt with. Interestingly, Cena entered four spots after and could not be the white knight to slay the giant. Instead, Show threw the leader of the Cenation out with such force that it caused Cena to twist his knee. Thankfully, Cena recovered just in time for WrestleMania and dethrone Show of his championship.
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| Big Show was a major force in the 2004 Royal Rumble |
Finally, there is the Undertaker spot. It's funny mentioning Taker in this match despite not actually seeing him appear. The Phenom made his presence felt after Kane entered and chokeslamed everyone in sight. Just as Kane gained more confidence, the buzzer marking the entrance for #13 rang across the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. As the crowd waited anxiously, Taker's iconic dong suddenly echoed across the arena and frightened the Big Red Monster.
Kane thought his brother to be long gone after he buried him alive at the Survivor Series a couple of months prior. The Big Red Monster looked on in disbelief and was eliminated by Booker T. Mere seconds afterward was the entrance of the #13 entrant, little Spike Dudley. Kane was incensed by Taker's distraction and took out his anger on Spike by delivering a chokeslam onto him on the ramp.
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| Undertaker's return at WrestleMania 20 |
It's one of the great misdirects in Royal Rumble history and one that set up Taker's return match against his brother at WrestleMania. While moments like these make the Royal Rumble match an important step on the road to the Showcase of the Immortals, some tiny fun spots make it entertaining.
One spot in this match I found hilarious was Ernest "The Cat" Miller's entrance and subsequent elimination. Dawning a ridiculous cape getup and dancing to "Somebody Call My Momma," a song that would eventually be used for Brodus Clay years later, Miller was chunked out of the ring after 56 seconds by Orton. The most hilarious part was that Miller's personal announcer was also eliminated, along with his wig. Moments like these provide a nice break from all the drama for fans.
This Royal Rumble match also has one of the finest final six with guys who would go on to make their mark in the main event picture. Benoit broke the longevity record held by Bob Backlund, and it helped launch the Rabid Wolverine into the main event on Raw. He also took over the white knight role fans thought Cena would be in after he last eliminated the giant in the match's closing moments.
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| Chris Benoit last eliminated Big Show |
On a personal note, I love it when an underdog goes on to win the Royal Rumble and challenge for the biggest prize in WWE. There have been men and women who won from the #1 entrant in the Rumble's history. However, what makes Benoit's tribulations so memorable is that he'd never been considered to be at the very top of the WWE's golden list.
In 2021, the Rated-R Superstar Edge won from the #1 spot, but he'd already been an established Hall of Famer and won a multitude of championships. Two years later, Rhea Ripley would accomplish the same feat, but she was also a featured player in the company and won championships. Benoit shot straight into the main event scene and became involved in the ongoing personal rivalry between Triple H and Shawn Michaels. It was one of the rare times when WWE used the Rumble to catapult a mid to upper-mid-card talent into the main event, which hardly ever happens nowadays.
For this reason alone, the 2004 Royal Rumble match will always hold a special place in my heart. WWE has erased Benoit's victory seemingly from history and stated constantly that only a few people have won from #1, including Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. Still, this match is and always will be one of the few times where the underdog truly did win.
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