2004 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.
These promotions held notable events in 2004.
| Promotion Name | Abbreviation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre | CMLL | |
| GCW | ||
| Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide | AAA | The "AAA" abbreviation has been used since the mid-1990s and had previously stood for the promotion's original name Asistencia Asesoría y Administración. |
| New Japan Pro-Wrestling | NJPW | |
| Ring of Honor | ROH | |
| Total Nonstop Action Wrestling | TNA | |
| World Wrestling Council | WWC | |
| World Wrestling Entertainment | WWE | WWE divided its roster into two storyline divisions, Raw and SmackDown!, referred to as brands, where wrestlers exclusively performed on their respective weekly television programs. |
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | |||||
| 4 | NJPW | Wrestling World | Tokyo, Japan | Shinsuke Nakamura (c) defeated Yoshihiro Takayama (c) in a Singles match for both the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (Nakamura) and the NWF Heavyweight Championship (Takayama). The NWF title was unified with the IWGP title. As a result, the NWF title was retired. | |
| 25 | WWE | Royal Rumble | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Chris Benoit won by last eliminating Big Show in a 30-man Royal Rumble match for a world championship match at WrestleMania XX | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | |||||
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | ROH | Second Anniversary Show | Braintree, Massachusetts | A.J. Styles defeated CM Punk in a tournament final for the inaugural Pure Wrestling Championship | |
| 15 | WWE | No Way Out | Daly City, California | Eddie Guerrero defeated Brock Lesnar (c) in a Singles match for the WWE Championship | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | |||||
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | WWE | WrestleMania XX | New York City, New York | Chris Benoit defeated Triple H (c) and Shawn Michaels by submission in a Triple threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship | |
| 21 | AAA | Rey de Reyes | Naucalpan, Mexico | Jeff Jarrett defeated Latin Lover in a Singles match in the 2004 Rey de Reyes tournament final | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | |||||
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | WWE | Backlash | Edmonton, Alberta | Chris Benoit (c) defeated Shawn Michaels and Triple H by submission in a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship | |
| 30 | CMLL | 48. Aniversario de Arena México | Mexico City, Mexico | Damian El Terrible defeated Máscara Mágica in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuestas hair vs. hair match | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | |||||
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | WWE | Bad Blood | Columbus, Ohio | Triple H defeated Shawn Michaels in a Hell in a Cell match | |
| 20 | AAA | Triplemanía XII | Naucalpan, Mexico | La Parka defeated Cibernético in a Best two-out-of-three falls Lucha de Apuestas "Mask vs. Mask" match | |
| 27 | WWE | The Great American Bash | Norfolk, Virginia | The Undertaker defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley) (with Paul Heyman) in a Handicap Concrete Crypt match | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | |||||
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | WWE | Vengeance | Hartford, Connecticut | Chris Benoit (c) defeated Triple H in a Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship | |
| 23 | ROH | Death Before Dishonor 2 | Wauwatosa, Wisconsin | The Second City Saints (CM Punk and Colt Cabana) (c) vs. The Briscoe Brothers (Jay Briscoe and Mark Briscoe) in a Two Out of Three Falls match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship | |
| 24 | ROH | Chicago Ridge, Illinois | The Second City Saints (CM Punk and Ace Steel) vs. Dan Maff and B. J. Whitmer in a Chicago Street Fight | ||
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | |||||
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7-15 | NJPW | G1 Climax | Tokyo | Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi by submission in a G1 Climax tournament final | |
| 10 | GCW | First Annual Fred Ward Memorial Show | Columbus, Georgia | Jason Cross defeated Johnny Swinger in a Finals tournament match | |
| 15 | WWE | SummerSlam | Toronto, Ontario | Randy Orton defeated Chris Benoit (c) in a Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship | |
| 21 | WWC | WWC 31st Aniversario | Caguas, Puerto Rico | Carly Colón defeated Eddie Colón in a Singles match | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | |||||
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | ROH | Glory By Honor 3 | Elizabeth, New Jersey | ||
| 12 | WWE | Unforgiven | Portland, Oregon | Triple H defeated Randy Orton (c) in a Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship | |
| 17 | CMLL | CMLL 71st Anniversary Show | Mexico City, Mexico | Universo 2000 lost to Canek, also in the match: Dr. Wagner Jr. and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. in a Four-way Lucha de Apuesta mask vs. mask elimination match | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | |||||
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | WWE | No Mercy | East Rutherford, New Jersey | John "Bradshaw" Layfield (c) defeated The Undertaker in a Last Ride match for the WWE Championship | |
| 16 | AAA | Verano de Escándalo | Orizaba, Mexico | Mosco de la Merced lost to Heavy Metal, El Intocable, Zorro and Los Vipers (Histeria and Psicosis) in a Steel cage match | |
| 19 | WWE | Taboo Tuesday | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Randy Orton defeated Ric Flair in a Steel cage match | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | |||||
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | width=20% | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | TNA | Victory Road | Orlando, Florida | Jeff Jarrett (c) defeated Jeff Hardy in a Ladder match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | TNA's first monthly three-hour PPV event. | |
| 14 | WWE | Survivor Series | Cleveland, Ohio | Team Orton (Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and Maven) defeated Team Triple H (Triple H, Batista, Edge and Gene Snitsky) (with Ric Flair) in a 4-on-4 Survivor Series elimination match Whichever team won would each be in charge of Raw for the next 4 weeks | ||
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | ||||||
| Date | Promotion(s) | Event | Location | Main Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | AAA | Guerra de Titanes | Naucalpan, Mexico | Cibernético and La Parka defeated La Legión Extranjera (Konnan and Rikishi) by disqualification in a tag team match | |
| 5 | TNA | Turning Point | Orlando, Florida | America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) defeated Triple X (Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper) in a Six Sides of Steel match | |
| 12 | WWE | Armageddon | Duluth, Georgia | John "Bradshaw" Layfield (c) defeated Booker T, Eddie Guerrero and The Undertaker in a Fatal-4-Way match for the WWE Championship | |
| 17 | CMLL | Sin Piedad | Mexico City, Mexico | Los Hermanos Dinamita (Cien Caras and Máscara Año 2000) defeated Pierroth and Vampiro Canadiense in a Best two-out-of-three falls tag team Lucha de Apuestas hair vs. hair match | |
| 23 | WWE | Tribute to the Troops | Tirikt, Iraq | Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio defeated Kurt Angle and Luther Reigns in a tag team match | |
| 26 | ROH | Final Battle | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Samoa Joe (c) vs. Austin Aries in a Singles match for the ROH World Championship | |
| (c) – denotes defending champion(s) | |||||
| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan Grand Prix 2004 | Kumiko Maekawa | August 1 | ||
| Tag League The Best 2004 | Kumiko Maekawa and Saki Maemura | December 26 |
| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROH Pure Wrestling Championship Tournament | A.J. Styles | February 2 | ||
| ROH Pure Championship Tournament | Doug Williams | July 17 |
| Accomplishment | Winner | Date won | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NWA World Heavyweight Championship #1 Contender Tournament | Jeff Hardy | October 12 | ||
| NWA World Tag Team Championship Tournament | Kid Kash and Dallas | March 31 | ||
| 2004 TNA World X Cup Tournament | Team TNA | May 26 | ||
| 2004 TNA America's X Cup Tournament | Team TNA |
See main article: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Year End Awards.
| Poll | Winner(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Tag Team of the Year | America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) | |
| Babe of the Year | Traci Brooks | |
| Finisher of the Year | The Canadian Destroyer | |
| Who To Watch in 2005 | Héctor Garza | |
| Memorable Moment of the Year | Primetime walks the Six Sides of Steel at Turning Point | |
| X Division Star of the Year | A.J. Styles | |
| Match of the Year | Six Sides of Steel Match | |
| Mr. TNA | A.J. Styles |
See main article: WWE Hall of Fame.
| Category | Inductee | Inducted by |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | Big Show | |
| Junkyard Dog | ||
| Celebrity | Kane | |
See main article: List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards.
| Category | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| PWI Wrestler of the Year | Chris Benoit | |
| PWI Tag Team of the Year | America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) | |
| PWI Match of the Year | Triple H vs. Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XX) | |
| PWI Feud of the Year | Triple H vs. Chris Benoit | |
| PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year | John Cena | |
| PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year | Triple H | |
| PWI Comeback of the Year | Edge | |
| PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year | Randy Orton | |
| PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year | Eddie Guerrero | |
| PWI Rookie of the Year | Monty Brown | |
| PWI Woman of the Year | Victoria | |
| PWI Lifetime Achievement | Pat Patterson |
See main article: Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
| Inductee |
|---|
| The Undertaker |
| Bob Backlund |
| Masahiro Chono |
| Tarzán López |
| Kazushi Sakuraba |
| Último Dragón |
| Kurt Angle |
See main article: List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards.
| Category | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| Wrestler of the Year | Kenta Kobashi | |
| Most Outstanding | no credit | |
| Best Box Office Draw | Kenta Kobashi | |
| Feud of the Year | Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H | |
| Tag Team of the Year | Kenta and Naomichi Marufuji | |
| Most Improved | Randy Orton | |
| Best on Interviews | Mick Foley |
| Incoming champion – Shinsuke Nakamura | |||||||
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 5 | Vacated | N/A | |||||
| February 15 | Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Fighting Spirit | |||||
| March 12 | Kensuke Sasaki | Hyper Battle | |||||
| March 28 | Bob Sapp | King of Sports | |||||
| June 2 | Vacated | N/A | |||||
| June 5 | Kazuyuki Fujita | The Crush II | |||||
| October 9 | Kensuke Sasaki | Pro Wrestlers Be Strongest | |||||
| December 12 | Hiroyoshi Tenzan | Battle Final | |||||
| Incoming champions – Hiroshi Tanahashi and Yutaka Yoshie | |||||||
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1 | Minoru Suzuki and Yoshihiro Takayama | Fighting Spirit | |||||
| November 21 | Vacated | N/A | |||||
| December 11 | Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura | Battle Final | |||||
| Incoming champion – Heat | |||||||
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No title changes | |||||||
| Incoming champions – Gedo and Jado | |||||||
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 12 | American Dragon and Curry Man | Hyper Battle | |||||
| June 5 | Gedo and Jado | Best of the Super Jr. XI | |||||
– Raw
Raw and SmackDown each had a world championship, a secondary championship, and a tag team championship for male wrestlers. SmackDown also had a title for their cruiserweight wrestlers. There was only one women's championship and it was exclusive to Raw.
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 14 | Chris Benoit | WrestleMania XX | Triple threat match, also involving Shawn Michaels. | ||||
| August 15 | Randy Orton | SummerSlam | |||||
| September 12 | Triple H | Unforgiven | |||||
| December 6 | Vacated | Monday Night Raw | The championship was vacated after a double fall occurred in a triple threat match, also involving Chris Benoit and Edge. | ||||
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 15 | Eddie Guerrero | No Way Out | |||||
| June 27 | John "Bradshaw" Layfield | The Great American Bash | Texas Bullrope match | ||||
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 11 | Edge | Vengeance | |||||
| September 6 | Vacated | Monday Night Raw | Vacated due to injury. | ||||
| September 12 | Chris Jericho | Unforgiven | Defeated Christian in a ladder match for the vacant title. | ||||
| October 19 | Shelton Benjamin | Taboo Tuesday | Due to the stipulation of the event, fans could vote for who would face Chris Jericho for the title; Benjamin had the most votes. | ||||
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 14 | John Cena | WrestleMania XX | |||||
| July 6 | Vacated | SmackDown! | John Cena was stripped of the title after attacking SmackDown! General Manager Kurt Angle. | ||||
| July 27 | Booker T | SmackDown! | Eight-way elimination match for the vacant title, also involving John Cena, René Duprée, Kenzo Suzuki, Rob Van Dam, Billy Gunn, Charlie Haas, and Luther Reigns. | ||||
| October 3 | John Cena | No Mercy | Fifth match of a Best of Five series. | ||||
| October 5 | Carlito Caribbean Cool | SmackDown! | |||||
| November 16 | John Cena | SmackDown! | |||||
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 23 | Victoria | Monday Night Raw | Fatal four-way elimination match, also involving Jazz and Lita. Victoria pinned Lita to win the championship. | ||||
| June 13 | Trish Stratus | Bad Blood | Fatal four-way match, also involving Lita and Gail Kim. Stratus pinned Lita to win the championship. | ||||
| December 6 | Lita | Monday Night Raw | |||||
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 16 | Booker T and Rob Van Dam | Monday Night Raw | |||||
| March 22 | Evolution | Monday Night Raw | |||||
| April 19 | Chris Benoit and Edge | Monday Night Raw | |||||
| May 31 | La Résistance | Monday Night Raw | |||||
| October 19 | Chris Benoit and Edge | Taboo Tuesday | Benoit and Edge were voted into this match as a result of neither winning the World Heavyweight Championship voting. Benoit won the title himself after Edge abandoned him midway through the match. | ||||
| November 1 | La Résistance | Monday Night Raw | |||||
| November 15 | Eugene and William Regal | Monday Night Raw | Three-way elimination match, also involving Rhyno and Tajiri. | ||||
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 3 | Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty | SmackDown! | |||||
| April 20 | Charlie Haas and Rico | SmackDown! | |||||
| June 15 | The Dudley Boyz | SmackDown! | |||||
| July 6 | Billy Kidman and Paul London | SmackDown! | |||||
| September 7 | Kenzo Suzuki and René Duprée | SmackDown! | |||||
| December 7 | Rey Mysterio and Rob Van Dam | SmackDown! | |||||
| width=14% | Date | width=14% | Winner | width=14% | Event/Show | width=58% | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 15 | Chavo Guerrero Jr. | No Way Out | |||||
| May 4 | Jacqueline | SmackDown! | Only woman under the WWE banner to win the title. | ||||
| May 16 | Chavo Guerrero Jr. | Judgment Day | Guerrero won the title with one hand tied behind his back, though his father Chavo Classic untied it during the match. | ||||
| May 18 | Chavo Classic | SmackDown! | Triple threat match, also involving Spike Dudley. | ||||
| June 15 | Rey Mysterio | SmackDown! | |||||
| July 27 | Spike Dudley | SmackDown! | |||||
| December 12 | Funaki | Armageddon | |||||