| Judgment Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuringTriple H alongside various other WWE wrestlers in the upper cells | |||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||
| Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown ECW | ||
| Date | May 18, 2008 | ||
| City | Omaha, Nebraska | ||
| Venue | Qwest Center | ||
| Attendance | 11,324[1] | ||
| Buy rate | 252,000 | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| Judgment Day chronology | |||
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The 2008Judgment Day was the 10thJudgment Dayprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV)event produced byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion'sRaw,SmackDown, andECWbrand divisions. The event took place on May 18, 2008, at theQwest Center Omaha inOmaha, Nebraska.
The event's card featured seven matches. Themain event was for Raw'sWWE Championship, in whichTriple H defeatedRandy Orton in aSteel Cage match to retain the title. In SmackDown's main match,The Undertaker defeatedEdge bycountout, but did not win the vacantWorld Heavyweight Championship because unless stipulated, championships do not change hands viacountout or disqualification. In ECW's main match,John Morrison and The Miz defeatedKane andCM Punk to retain theWWE Tag Team Championship. From the six scheduled bouts on the undercard, two received more promotion than the others; these bouts included two singles matches, in whichShawn Michaels defeatedChris Jericho andJohn Cena defeatedJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), respectively.
Judgment Day received 252,000 pay-per-view buys, and was instrumental in helping WWE increase its pay-per-view revenue by $21.9 million compared to the previous year. The professional wrestling section of theCanadian Online Explorer website rated the entire event 6 out of 10, higher than the2007 event, which was marked "as an average show". It was also the first Judgment Day PPV broadcast inhigh definition.
Judgment Day was first held byWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as the25th In Your Housepay-per-view (PPV) in October 1998.[2] It then returned inMay 2000 as its own event, establishing Judgment Day as the promotion's annual May PPV. The 2008 event was the 10th Judgment Day and was held on May 18 at theQwest Center Omaha inOmaha, Nebraska. It featured wrestlers from theRaw,SmackDown, andECWbrands.[1]
Judgment Day provided the culmination of various scriptedplots andstorylines. A month before the event, severalprofessional wrestlingmatches andscriptedplots were played out on WWE programming (Raw,SmackDown, andECW) to createfeuds between various wrestlers, casting them asvillains andheroes. Raw, SmackDown, and ECW were also the names of WWE's televised brands – astoryline division in which WWE assigned its employees to a specific program, thus each brand promoted distinct matches.
Themain event scripted into Judgment Day on the Raw brand featuredWWE ChampionTriple H defending the title againstRandy Orton in a Steel Cage match. The buildup to the match began atBacklash, where Triple H last eliminated Orton in aFatal Four-Way Elimination match, also involvingJohn Cena andJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), to win the WWE Championship.[3][4] The following night on an episode ofRaw,Raw General ManagerWilliam Regal stopped a title match between Orton and Triple H, andbooked the two in a Steel Cage match at Judgment Day for the WWE Championship.[5]
One of the featuredpreliminary matches on the SmackDown brand was betweenThe Undertaker andEdge for the vacantWorld Heavyweight Championship. At Backlash, The Undertaker defeated Edge to retain the title by forcing him tosubmit to theHell's Gate.[6] On the May 2 episode ofSmackDown,SmackDown General ManagerVickie Guerrero stripped the title from The Undertaker, after claiming the Hell's Gate was an illegal submission hold and she did it to protect the other wrestlers.[7] The following week, Guerrero booked The Undertaker in a match for the vacant title at Judgment Day against Edge, who last eliminatedBatista in abattle royal to become the number one contender.[8]
Another featured preliminary match involvedShawn Michaels andChris Jericho in a singles match. At Backlash, Michaels defeated Batista (with Jericho as thespecial guest referee) in an Interpromotional match.[9] During the match, Michaels countered aBatista Bomb attempt and appeared to havelegitimately injured his left knee.[9] On the April 28 episode ofRaw, Jericho claimed that Michaels faked his knee injury to allow him to defeat Batista at Backlash, a claim that Michaels denied.[10][11] The following week, it was announced that Jericho would face Michaels in a singles match at Judgment Day.[12] On the May 12 episode ofRaw, Jericho offered his apologies to Michaels for accusing him of feigning an injury, as well as giving Michaels the opportunity to back out of their match. Michaels revealed that he did indeed fake his knee injury.[13] Four days later, on the May 16 episode ofSmackDown, Batistacommented that he would hurt Michaels for faking his injury.[14]
One more rivalry from the Raw brand was between John Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). In the Fatal Four-Way Elimination match at Backlash, Cena eliminated JBL by making him submit to theSTFU.[6] On the April 28 episode ofRaw, JBL challenged Cena to a singles match at Judgment Day, which was made official on WWE's website.[10]
The Divas rivalry from the Raw brand was betweenMickie James,Beth Phoenix, andMelina over James'WWE Women's Championship. It was on the April 14 edition ofRaw that James defeated Phoenix to win her fourth Women's Championship. Phoenix received her title rematch on the May 5 edition ofRaw, but she was defeated after Melina accidentally struck Phoenix with her boot. The following week onRaw, Phoenix and Melina were defeated by James and Maria after Phoenix abandoned Melina due to being accidentally knocked off the ring apron by her partner. Melina would turn face after the match due to being attacked by Phoenix in a backstage segment.
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Englishcommentators | Jim Ross(Raw) |
| Jerry Lawler(Raw) | |
| Michael Cole(SmackDown) | |
| Mick Foley(SmackDown) | |
| Mike Adamle(ECW) | |
| Tazz(ECW) | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Hugo Savinovich | |
| Interviewers | Todd Grisham |
| Ring announcers | Lillian Garcia(Raw) |
| Justin Roberts(SmackDown) | |
| Tony Chimel(ECW) | |
| Referees | Charles Robinson |
| Mike Chioda | |
| Marty Elias | |
| Scott Armstrong | |
| Jack Doan | |
| Chad Patton | |
| Mickie Henson |
Before Judgment Day aired live onpay-per-view,Hardcore Holly andCody Rhodes defeatedSantino Marella andCarlito in adark match to retain theWorld Tag Team Championship.[1]
The first televised match was betweenJohn Cena andJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). JBL dominated most of the match, as he began to work on Cena'ssurgically-repaired rightpectoral muscle. Mid-way in the match, Cena attempted apowerbomb, but Cena collapsed and could not execute the move. JBL controlled most of the match, as Cena tried to avoid JBL's assaults. JBL also applied numeroussubmission maneuvers on Cena. JBL performed theClothesline from Hell on Cena and attempted another Clothesline from Hell but Cena avoided the move and executed anFU for the win.[15]
The next match was for theWWE Tag Team Championship, in which the champions,John Morrison and The Miz, defended the titles againstKane andCM Punk. The match began with Kane and Punk in control for the majority of the match. Back and forth action took place between both teams. Punk was tagged in the match, which led to him performing astep-up high knee and abulldog on Morrison. Outside the ring, Kanechokeslammed the Miz, causing Punk to get distracted. Morrison took the advantage as performed theMoonlight Drive and pin Punk to retain the tag titles.[15]
The match that followed was betweenShawn Michaels andChris Jericho. The start of the match saw Michaels and Jericho exchange severalnear-falls attempts before Michaels applied amodified figure four leglock, which Jericho broke free. Jericho applied theWalls of Jericho but Michaels grabbed the bottom rope, causing Jericho to break the hold. Jericho attempted the Walls of Jericho again, but Michaels countered into astraddle pin to take the win. After the match, both men shook hands.[15]
The fourth match was atriple threat match for theWWE Women's Championship, in whichMickie James defended the title againstBeth Phoenix andMelina. The match began with James attempting a roll-up on Melina for a near-fall, but Phoenix performed a clothesline on James. Mid-way in the match, James performed asplash, from the top rope, on Phoenix for a near-fall. A spot in the match saw Phoenix lift both Melina and James at the same time and try to perform adouble Canadian backbreaker but Phoenix did not execute the move successfully. The match concluded when James performed theMickie–DT on Melina, thus winning the match and retaining her title.[15]
The next match was for the vacantWorld Heavyweight Championship betweenThe Undertaker andEdge. The match went in and out of the ring early on, with both competitors throwing each other out of the ring. The Undertaker instinctively tried to apply thetriangle choke hold on Edge, but the referee made him break the hold. Edge then tried to do one of The Undertaker's moves,Old School, but The Undertaker countered. Mid-way in the match, Edge's associates,Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, distracted The Undertaker after he performed an Old School on Edge. This distraction led Edge to remove the top turnbuckle padding. Back and forth action was seen between the two individuals. As the top turnbuckle was exposed, The Undertaker executedSnake Eyes on Edge. As The Undertaker ran off the ropes, Edge performed aspear for a near-fall. Afterwards, The Undertakerclotheslined Edge to the outside of the ring, then rolled to the floor after. The Undertaker threw Edge over the barricade to the front row with a clothesline while the referee began the 10-count. Both men struggled back to the floor and The Undertaker tackled Edge into the barricade at the eight count. He then rolled into the ring to win the match bycountout and the belt. After the match,Vickie Guerrero announced that The Undertaker hadn't won the title as it can only be won by pinfall or submission, leaving the title vacant. The Undertaker performed aTombstone Piledriver on Edge.
The sixth match was betweenMontel Vontavious Porter (MVP) andJeff Hardy. MVP quickly beat down Hardy and dominated early in the match. Hardy tried to come back with amule kick from the corner, but MVP moved out of the way, leading Hardy to crash the mat face first. MVP controlled most of the match, until Hardy finally had some offense with arope-aided corner dropkick in the corner. With the upper hand, Hardy performed aSwanton Bomb on MVP, but MVP moved out of the way. MVP tried to perform arunning big boot, but Hardy countered into adrop toe hold. The match ended with Hardy winning the match, after performing theWhisper in the Wind.[15]
The main event was the Steel cage match for theWWE Championship betweenTriple H andRandy Orton. During the beginning of the match, Triple H gained the advantage over Orton, as he performed ahigh knee on Orton. Orton came back with akick to the gut before starting his prolonged attack and attempting to escape through the cage door but Triple H prevented him from escaping. Triple H took control as he took out Orton's knee with achop block and applied afigure four leglock. After Orton broke the hold, he crawled across to the cage door to escape, but Triple H grabbed him back inside. But, on the way back in, Orton managed to grab asteel chair that was on the ring floor. Orton tried to hit Triple H with the chair, but Triple H managed to avoid being hit. Triple H grabbed the chair to hit Orton with it, but Orton gave him alow blow. Orton followed this with a chair shot to Triple H's back and performed aDDT. Throughout the match, Orton tried escaping from the cage, but was not in successful in doing so, as Triple H dragged him back in each time. The match came to an end when Orton tried to execute arunning punt on Triple H's head, however, Triple H grabbed the chair and hit Orton with it. Triple H followed up by executing aPedigree. Triple H covered Orton for the pinfall victory, and thus retaining his title.[15]
TheQwest Center Omaha had a maximum capacity of 17,000, but the capacity was reduced for the event.[1][16] This event received 252,000 pay-per-view buys.[17] Judgment Day helped WWE earn $39.8 million in revenue from pay-per-view events versus $17.9 million the previous year, which was later confirmed byLinda McMahon, theCEO of WWE, on August 5, 2008, in a quarterly result.[17]Canadian Online Explorer's professional wrestling section rated the event 6 out of 10.[15] The rating was higher than theJudgment Day 2007 event, which was marked as an average show that maintained the recent WWE philosophy of wrestling over ridiculousness.[18] The standard match between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho was rated an 8 out of 10.[15] Additionally, the matches of JBL versus John Cena and MVP versus Jeff Hardy were rated 5 out of 10.[15]
The event was released onDVD on June 17, 2008.[19] The DVD was distributed by the label,Sony Music Entertainment.
The next night onRaw, William Regal announced that the episode's main event would be atag team match pitting Triple H and John Cena against Randy Orton and JBL,[20][21] in which if Orton and JBL were to win, Regal stated that they could choose any kind ofextreme singles rematches against Triple H and Cena respectively at WWE's next pay-per-view event,One Night Stand, and creating the same stipulation that if Triple H and Cena were to win, they would face each other for the WWE Championship in an extreme match of Regal's choosing.[20][21] Orton and JBL won the match.[20][21] Orton chose theLast Man Standing Match.[20][21] JBL picked aFirst Blood match against Cena.[20][21] At One Night Stand, both men lost in their rematches.[22][23] During the event, Ortonlegitimately broke hiscollarbone in his match with Triple H.[24] The storyline between Shawn Michaels and Batista continued, as Batista defeated Chris Jericho to earn the right to face Michaels in aStretcher match at One Night Stand.[20][25] At One Night Stand, Batista defeated Michaels in the match, thus ending their rivalry.[26]
At One Night Stand,The Big Show defeated CM Punk,Chavo Guerrero,Tommy Dreamer andJohn Morrison in afive-manSingapore Cane match to earn anECW Championship match against Kane atNight of Champions.[27] During thesupplemental draft,Mark Henry was drafted to the ECW brand.[28] It was announced on WWE's official website that Henry would be added to the title match, making it a Triple Threat match.[28] At Night of Champions, Henry defeated Kane and Big Show to win the ECW Championship.[29] Henry would eventually lose the title toMatt Hardy atUnforgiven in September.[30][31]
The Undertaker and Edge continued their feud over the next several weeks. Though, a predicament insured on the May 23 episode ofSmackDown, when Vickie Guerrero announced that The Undertaker would face Edge once more for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship in aTables, Ladders, and Chairs match (TLC) at One Night Stand with the stipulation that if The Undertaker were to lose, he would be forced toleave WWE.[32][33] At the June event, Edge defeated The Undertaker with the help of his accomplices,Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, in the TLC match to win the vacant World Heavyweight Championship and The Undertaker was forced to leave the company.[34] On the July 25 episode ofSmackDown, Guerrero reinstated The Undertaker, after learning of Edge's infidelity with theirwedding planner, Guerrero and Edge were in a scripted relationship, and in retaliation she scheduled The Undertaker and Edge in aHell in a Cell match atSummerSlam.[35] At SummerSlam, The Undertaker defeated Edge.[36]
| No. | Results[15] | Stipulations | Times[1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1D | Hardcore Holly andCody Rhodes (c) defeatedSantino Marella andCarlito bypinfall | Tag team match for theWorld Tag Team Championship | — | ||||
| 2 | John Cena defeatedJohn "Bradshaw" Layfield bypinfall | Singles match | 15:03 | ||||
| 3 | John Morrison and The Miz (c) defeatedKane andCM Punk bypinfall | Tag team match for theWWE Tag Team Championship | 7:12 | ||||
| 4 | Shawn Michaels defeatedChris Jericho bypinfall | Singles match | 15:56 | ||||
| 5 | Mickie James (c) defeatedBeth Phoenix andMelina bypinfall | Triple threat match for theWWE Women's Championship | 6:14 | ||||
| 6 | The Undertaker defeatedEdge bycountout | Singles match for the vacantWorld Heavyweight Championship | 16:15 | ||||
| 7 | Jeff Hardy defeatedMontel Vontavious Porter bypinfall | Singles match | 9:42 | ||||
| 8 | Triple H (c) defeatedRandy Orton bypinfall | Steel Cage match for theWWE Championship | 21:12 | ||||
| |||||||
| Qualifiers SmackDown May 6, 2008 (Aired: May 9) | Battle Royal Final SmackDown May 6, 2008 (Aired: May 9) | Championship Match Judgment Day May 18, 2008 | |||||||||||
| Big Show | Pinfall | ||||||||||||
| Tommy Dreamer | 1:35 | ||||||||||||
| Finlay | Pinfall (14:46) | ||||||||||||
| Montel Vontavious Porter | Pinfall (14:46) | Edge | Win (15:59) | ||||||||||
| Big Show | — | ||||||||||||
| CM Punk | 4:46 | Finlay | — | The Undertaker | Countout | ||||||||
| Matt Hardy | Pinfall | Montel Vontavious Porter | — | Edge | 16:15 | ||||||||
| Matt Hardy | — | ||||||||||||
| Chavo Guerrero | 5:56 | Kane | — | ||||||||||
| Kane | Pinfall | Batista | — | ||||||||||
| Batista | Pinfall | ||||||||||||
| John Morrison | 6:34 | ||||||||||||