SummerSlam
Promotional poster featuringHulk Hogan andShawn Michaels
Promotion	World Wrestling Entertainment
Brand(s)	Raw SmackDown!
Date	August 21, 2005
City	Washington, D.C.[1]
Venue	MCI Center[1]
Attendance	18,176[1]
Buy rate	650,000[1]
Tagline	Hogan vs Michaels For the First Time Ever
Pay-per-view chronology
← Previous The Great American Bash Next → Unforgiven
SummerSlam chronology
← Previous 2004 Next → 2006

The 2005SummerSlam was aprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 18th annualSummerSlam and took place on August 21, 2005, at theMCI Center inWashington, D.C., held for wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw andSmackDown!brand divisions. Nine matches were contested at the event, including one on theSunday Night Heat pre-show.

The main match on the Raw brand wasHulk Hogan versusShawn Michaels, which Hogan won bypinfall after executing aleg drop. The predominant match on the SmackDown! brand was aNo Holds Barred match for theWorld Heavyweight Championship betweenBatista andJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), which Batista won by pinfall after executing twoBatista Bombs, with the second on the steel ring steps. Another primary match on the Raw brand was for theWWE Championship betweenJohn Cena andChris Jericho, which Cena won by pinfall after performing anFU. The main match on theundercard featured aladder match for thecustody ofRey Mysterio's sonDominik between Mysterio andEddie Guerrero, which Mysterio won by retrieving the briefcase suspended above the ring.

SummerSlam is an annualpay-per-view (PPV) produced every August byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) since 1988. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer",^[2] it is one of the promotion's original four pay-per-views, along withWrestleMania,Royal Rumble, andSurvivor Series, referred to as the "Big Four".^[3] It has since become considered WWE's second biggest event of the year behind WrestleMania.^[4][5] The 2005 event was the 18th event in the SummerSlam chronology and featured wrestlers from theRaw andSmackDown!brands. It was scheduled to be held on August 21, 2005, at theMCI Center inWashington, D.C.^[6][7][8]

WWE had originally planned a match betweenMuhammad Hassan andBatista for SmackDown!'sWorld Heavyweight Championship, which would have made Hassan the youngest world champion in WWE history at 23, breakingRandy Orton's record. The storyline was scheduled to begin atThe Great American Bash in which he facedThe Undertaker in a number one contenders match for the World Heavyweight Championship, but it was scrapped in the aftermath of theLondon bombings that occurred three days afterSmackDown! was taped.^[9][10]

Eightprofessional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event'scard, which were planned with predetermined outcomes by WWE'sscript writers. The storylines revolving around these matches before, during, and after the event were also planned by the script writers. The event featured wrestlers and other talent from both the Raw and SmackDown! brands – a storyline expansion to which WWE assigned its employees. Wrestlers portrayed either ahero orvillain gimmick, as they followed a series of events which generally built tension, leading to a wrestling match.

The mainfeud heading into SummerSlam on the Raw brand was betweenHulk Hogan andShawn Michaels. A feud between Michaels, andMuhammad Hassan andDaivari began on the April 4 episode ofRaw, when Hassan and Daivari attacked Michaels.^[11][12] Michaels demanded a match against the two, but he would only be given one if he found a partner. Hogan eventually became Michaels' partner, and they defeated Hassan and Daivari atBacklash.^[13][14] Hogan did not appear again until the June 27 episode ofRaw in a three man tag match joining Michaels andJohn Cena againstChris Jericho,Christian andTyson Tomko, a match which Hogan's team won.^[15] His next appearance was on the July 4 episode ofRaw onCarlito's talk show segmentCarlito's Cabana. Carlito, along withKurt Angle, made comments about Hogan's daughterBrooke and eventually attacked him. Michaels came out to help Hogan, and they defeated Carlito and Angle in a match later that night. The match saw Hogan and Michaels get the victory.^[16] During the post-match pose, Michaelssuperkicked Hogan, which knocked Hogan to the ground and turning Michaelsheel for the first time since returning to the company in 2002.^[16][17] The following week, Michaels challenged Hogan to a match at SummerSlam,^[18][19] which Hogan accepted.^[20]

The predominant feud on the SmackDown! brand was betweenBatista andJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), with the two feuding over theWorld Heavyweight Championship. During theWWE Draft Lottery, SmackDown! was left temporarily without a top championship afterJohn Cena, the reigningWWE Champion, was drafted to Raw. On the June 30 edition ofSmackDown!, a six-man elimination match between JBL,The Undertaker,Booker T, and SmackDown! drafteesChris Benoit,Christian, and Muhammad Hassan was made and General ManagerTheodore Long was to present a new title to the winner called the SmackDown! Championship. JBL won the match by eliminating Christian last, but Long announced that plans had changed and there was no need for a SmackDown! Championship. Instead, Long revealed that Batista, who had been the reigning World Heavyweight Champion since defeatingTriple H atWrestleMania 21, was joining the brand as the final draft pick and by winning the match, JBL was the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.^[21] JBL faced Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship atThe Great American Bash, where JBL won by disqualification when Batista used asteel chair.^[22] JBL was given a rematch at SummerSlam on the following episode ofSmackDown! after defeating The Undertaker.^[23] Batista allowed JBL to choose the stipulation, and JBL made it aNo Holds Barred match.^[24] On the August 11 episode ofSmackDown!, during Batista's match with Christian, JBL interfered and hit Batista with a steel chair.^[25] The following week, JBL facedFunaki in a No Holds Barred match, during which Batista interfered and attacked JBL.^[26]

Another rivalry leading into the event was between John Cena andChris Jericho, with the two battling over the WWE Championship. Their feud began when Cena was drafted to Raw during the draft lottery and began a feud with Raw General ManagerEric Bischoff. Cena refused to comply with Bischoff, who saw Cena as an unfit champion. After Cena successfully defended the WWE Championship in a triple threat match atVengeance against Jericho and Christian,^[27] Bischoff hand-picked Jericho to face Cena for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam.^[28] On the August 1 episode ofRaw, Jericho refereed a WWE Championship match between Cena and Carlito (which Cena won). After the match, Jericho attacked Cena with atelevision camera.^[29] On the August 15 episode ofRaw, Cena defeated Jericho and Carlito in a handicap match. At the end, Jericho hit Cena with a steel chair.^[30]

Another rivalry heading into the event on the SmackDown! brand was betweenEddie Guerrero andRey Mysterio in aLadder Match. Guerrero and Mysterio had been feuding for past three months ever since they lost theWWE Tag Team Championship toMNM in May when Guerrero walked out on Mysterio during the match. Guerrero frustrated over losing to Mysterio in a match atWrestleMania turned heel on Mysterio and vertical suplexed him on the ring steps. The two had a match atJudgment Day which ended in a disqualification when Guerrero repeatedly hit Mysterio with a steel chair. The rivalry resumed between the two when Guerrero promised to reveal a secret concerning Mysterio's sonDominik. Mysterio and Guerrero had another match atThe Great American Bash in which if Guerrero lost he would not reveal the secret. Mysterio won the match at the event. On the July 28 episode ofSmackDown!, Guerrero revealed to Mysterio that he lied and then told Dominik that Mysterio was not his father and that Guerrero himself was his real father. Over the following weeks, Guerrero reveal the details of his secret claiming that he had a child out of wedlock (Dominik) while his marriage was going through hard times and stated that he allowed Mysterio and his wife Angie who were "having trouble conceiving" to adopt the child as their own. Guerrero even had his lawyer served official custody papers to Mysterio demanding that he signed them to give Guerrero custody of Dominik. On the August 11th episode ofSmackDown!, Guerrero and a social services representative came to the ring and demanded that Mysterio and Angie hand over Dominik to him. During the segment, Mysterio pointed out that Guerrero had beaten his drug addiction and his inner demons but he hasn't beaten Mysterio. Mysterio then challenged Guerrero to a match at SummerSlam for the custody of Dominik. After Guerrero accepted the challenge, the social worker told the two that their conflict has nothing to do with Dominik and until they can resolve their differences, Dominik must go into foster care. The following week, it was announced that the match would be a Ladder Match with the custody papers in a briefcase hanging above the ring.

Before the event officially began,Chris Masters defeatedThe Hurricane in a match taped forSunday Night Heat.^[31]

In the first match,Orlando Jordan facedChris Benoit for theUnited States Championship. The match started with both locked up in acollar-and-elbow. Benoit forced Jordan into the corner, and as thereferee was trying to break them up, Jordanpunched Benoit. Benoit then avoided a clothesline and performed aGerman suplex. Benoit applied theCrippler Crossface to force Jordan to submit to win the match and the title in 25.5 seconds.^[1]

In the second match,Edge facedMatt Hardy. Fueled by a storyline stemming from previous real-life tensions between the two former friends over Hardy's real-life girlfriendLita having an affair with Edge, the fight started outside the ring, with Hardy gaining the early advantage. After repeated punches, Hardy applied arear naked choke. Edge fought back with aheadbutt andpunches. Edge then performed aspear to the outside. Both were down briefly before Edge brought Hardy back into the ring. Hardy fought back with punches andmounted punches in the corner. During this, Edgepushed Hardy upwards, causing his head to hit the ringpost and bleed. Edge attacked Hardy's head repeatedly, and Hardy was incapable of defending himself. The referee finally stopped the match and awarded Edge the victory. This match, seen by many as a disappointment, was highly anticipated due to the WWE's storyline exploiting real life events between Edge and Hardy.^[1]

The third match was aLadder match betweenEddie Guerrero andRey Mysterio for thecustody ofDominik. A briefcase with legal documents inside was suspended above the ring. After throwing Mysterio into the steel steps, Guerrero ascended a ladder. Mysterio performed aspringboard dropkick to knock down the ladder. Mysterio then performed adropkick, sending the ladder into Guerrero's face, and aspringboard seated senton to the outside. Guerrero then performed apowerbomb off the ladder, and aHilo to Mysterio, who was sandwiched between two ladders. Both ascended the ladder again, and Mysterio performed aback body drop onto another ladder. Guerrero performed anAlley Oop to Mysterio onto a ladder balanced on the top rope. As Guerrero ascended the ladder, Dominik entered the ring and attempted to shake the ladder. Guerrero confronted him and, as he was about to attack him, Mysterio fought off Guerrero and performed a619 and aDroppin' Da Dime with the ladder. Both attempted to obtain the briefcase, but was stopped by the other. After Guerrero performed theThree Amigos onto a ladder, he ascended the ladder, butVickie Guerrero came down and pushed down the ladder. She then held onto Eddie as Mysterio retrieved the briefcase to win the match.^[1]

The fourth match was betweenEugene andKurt Angle for the Olympic gold medal that originally belonged to Angle. Angle gained the early advantage with repeatedshort-arm clotheslines. Eugene then countered with aspinebuster and attempted aPeople's Elbow, but Angle performed aclothesline. Angle then performed several German suplexes. Eugene fought back and performed aRock Bottom. Eugene then performed aStone Cold Stunner and applied theankle lock. Angle countered and performed anAngle Slam. He then applied the ankle lock and forced Eugene to submit to win the match. After the match, Angle threw Eugene out of the ring and had the referee place the gold medal around his neck.^[1]

The fifth match was betweenThe Undertaker andRandy Orton. The Undertaker gained the advantage after aleaping flying clothesline and attacks in the corner. Orton gained the advantage by avoiding abig boot. Orton then attacked The Undertaker's left knee. The Undertaker eventually countered an attack by sending Orton outside the ring. The Undertaker then performed aguillotine leg drop to Orton, who was on the apron. The Undertaker then performed anOld School and areverse STO. The Undertaker then performed aSnake Eyes, but Orton came back with a dropkick. The Undertaker avoided anRKO attempt and attempted a Tombstone Piledriver, which Orton countered into aninverted headlock backbreaker. Orton then performed acrossbody, but The Undertaker rolled through and performed achokeslam. A fan then entered the ring and distracted The Undertaker, allowing Orton to perform an RKO and win the match. Orton then revealed the fan to be"Cowboy" Bob Orton in disguise.^[1]

In the sixth match,John Cena facedChris Jericho for theWWE Championship. Jericho gained the early advantage until missing a springboard crossbody to the outside. Cena fought back briefly, but Jericho fought back, dropkicking andsuperplexing Cena. Cena fought back with a back body drop, but missed aleaping shoulder block. Jericho then delivered aone-handed bulldog, but missed alionsault. Jericho countered anFU attempt and attempted to apply theWalls of Jericho, but Cena kicked Jericho outside. Cena performed adiving leg drop bulldog and attempted an FU, but Jericho countered into aDDT. Jericho then performed apendulum backbreaker and repeated elbow drops to Cena's back. Cena fought back and performed aspin-out powerbomb. He then attempted aFive Knuckle Shuffle, but Jericho countered and applied the Walls of Jericho. He then performed abelly to back suplex from the top rope. As he attempted another attack, Cena countered into an FU to win the match and retain his title.^[1]

The seventh match was aNo Holds Barred match betweenJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) andBatista for theWorld Heavyweight Championship. JBL attacked Batista during his entrance, and they fought on the entrance ramp and at ringside, using several weapons. Batista performed a spear to JBL through the security wall. JBL shoved Batista into the ringpost and continued to beat down Batista after a short-arm clothesline. He then whipped and choked Batista with aleather belt. Batista fought back with a belly to back suplex and whipped JBL with the belt. JBL fought back, performing aClothesline from Hell for a near-fall and bringing the steel steps into the ring. He attempted an attack on the steps, but Batista countered with a back body drop. He then performed a spinebuster and twoBatista Bombs, with the second onto the steel steps, to win the match and retain his title.^[1]

Themain event was betweenShawn Michaels andHulk Hogan. This was Hogan's firstSummerSlam appearance since1991. During Hogan's entrance, a hugeAmerican flag unrolled from the top of the stage and covered the entire set. The match started slowly, until Hogan sent Michaels outside. Hogan performed ascoop slam on the announce table and sent Michaels into the ringpost. Michaels reversed another attempt and sent Hogan into the ringpost twice. Michaels continued to attack his head with punches and mounted punches and applied thesleeper hold. Hogan fought out of it with a belly to back suplex, but failed to gain the advantage as Michaels performed aflying forearm smash. Michaels then missed adiving elbow drop, and Hogan fought back briefly. Michaels performed another flying forearm smash and applied thesharpshooter. Hogan broke the hold and avoided another attempt by kicking Michaels into the referee. Michaels performed alow blow and hit Hogan with asteel chair. Michaels then performed a diving elbow drop and asuperkick. Michaels attempted a pinfall but Hogan kicked out at a two count. Hogan then delivered a big boot and aleg drop to win the match. After the match, Michaels extended his hand to Hogan saying, "I needed to know and I found out," and Hogan shook his hand.^[1]

The following night onRaw,Eric Bischoff made aYou're Fired match betweenJohn Cena andChris Jericho for theWWE Championship. Although Bischoff interfered, Cena won the match, and Jericho was fired. Immediately after the match,Kurt Angle attacked Cena and was revealed to be Bischoff's new hand-picked representative to win the title from Cena. Angle and Cenafeuded until the start of 2006, with Angle unable to win the title, and Bischoff being fired.^[32]

The feud betweenBatista andJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) ended when Batista defeated JBL in aTexas Bullrope match on the September 9 episode ofSmackDown!.^[33] Batista then began a storyline withEddie Guerrero when Guerrero was given a title match atNo Mercy, and the two became friends.^[34] This storyline ended prematurely due to Guerrero's unexpected death on November 13.^[35]

The feud betweenMatt Hardy andEdge continued with aStreet Fight on the August 29 episode ofRaw (which ended in a no contest) and aSteel Cage match atUnforgiven (which Hardy won),^[36][37] and it ended with Hardy losing aLoser Leaves Raw Ladder match on the October 3 episode ofRaw.^[38] The feud betweenThe Undertaker andRandy Orton continued with a HandicapCasket match at No Mercy, where The Undertaker lost to Randy and"Cowboy" Bob Orton. After the match, Randy and Bob poured gasoline on the casket and set it ablaze.^[39] The Undertaker had vanished from the casket, and their feud briefly went on hiatus untilSurvivor Series.^[40]Shawn Michaels started a feud withChris Masters when Masters interrupted Michaels, wanting to take the spotlight.^[41] The feud betweenChris Benoit andOrlando Jordan continued with Jordan losing in rematches, lasting less than a minute each.^[33][42][43]

The feud betweenEddie Guerrero andRey Mysterio ended when Guerrero defeated Mysterio in a steel cage match on the September 9 episode ofSmackDown!. Afterwards, Guerrero became the number one contender toBatista'sWorld Heavyweight Championship while Mysterio resumed his singles career. On October 9 atNo Mercy, Guerrero was unsuccessful in winning the World Heavyweight Championship. After the event, Guerrero slowly turned face as he formed a friendship with Batista. Guerrero later died ofheart failure on November 13, 2005.

In mid-2006, WWE launched a third brand dubbedECW, which featured wrestlers from the formerExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion, as well as newer talent. Additionally, theECW World Heavyweight Championship was reactivated to be the brand's top championship, and third concurrently active world title in WWE.^[44]

• Official 2005 SummerSlam site

• Professional wrestling shows in Washington, D.C.
• SummerSlam
• 2005 in Washington, D.C.
• 2005 WWE pay-per-view events
• August 2005 in the United States

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