WWE Backlash (2004 TV Special) User Reviews

WWE Backlash 2004

[wrestlingsitewebmaster · 7/10 · 23 June 2005]

This was a solid PPV.

Match 1 started off as The Nature Boy Ric Flair battled Shelton Benjamin in an OK match. Why they put Flair in this match I do not know, they should have put someone in there similar to Benjamins' age and quickness like..... oh sorry there is no one else!

Another match puts La Resistance in with Rosey and The Hurricane. This was a passable effort, although the comedic antics of Eugene were quite funny. The next match was enjoyable as Christian and Trish Stratus tried to defeat Chris Jericho but to no avail. This was good.

The next match was disappointing. Edge's comeback from neck surgery was very poor and the match was only like 5 minutes long. Edge defeated Kane with the Spear. Remember Kane is supposed to be invincible? oh well.....

The next two matches certainly exceeded expectations. Randy Orton put his Intercotinental Championship on the line in a hardcore rules match with Mick Foley/Cactus Jack. This was brilliant, full of blood and stunts. Orton body slammed Foley on a board full of barbed wire! Foley slammed Orton on hundreds if not thousands of drawing pins/thumb tacks and Foley introduced Ortons' conkers to the barbed wire bat! ouch! Orton won when he RKO'd Foley onto the barbed wire bat! Brilliant!

The next match was the rematch from Wrestlemania XX which pitted World Champion, Chris Benoit against Triple H and Shawn Michaels. This was very good. Benoit won when he made HBk tap out to the sharpshooter. The Canadian fans shouted 'You screwed Bret' at HBK and referee Earl Hebner.

Overall not a bad PPV!

Benjamin vs Flair - 6/10 Tag Team match - 4/10 Victoria vs Lita - 5/10 Kane vs Edge - 4.5/10 Christian/Trish vs Y2J - 7.5/10 Foley vs Orton -9/10 HBK vs HHH vs Benoit - 9.5/10

Good Follow Up After WrestleMania.

[morantjavonte · 7/10 · 11 October 2022]

Backlash 2004 Thoughts

Backlash 2004 was the 6th Backlash event produced by the WWE exclusively for the Raw Brand. It took place April 18, 2004 at the Raxall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Attendence was at 13,000 with a home buyrate of 295,000. I like to note I watched the WWE Peacock version which is highly edited now because of a major important star of this night.

8 matches were on the main card including a No Holds Barred match which included the return of Mick Foley which was his first in-ring singles match in 4 years. Foley would start a part-time wrestling a month earlier for the remainder of his career. We also had a WrestleMania rematch of Chris Benoit defending the World Title against Triple H and Shawn Michaels (the later who was wrestling his first match up in Canada since the Montreal Screwjob).

The Good - Two outstanding matches will always be remembered for this night. Mick Foley putting over Randy Orton in a brutal match like that was at the time a brilliant thing as Randy Orton looked like a star rising up. It was amazing and nasty at the same time. The main event delivered great and in my opinion it's just as great as the match a month earlier. The ending was quite clever. The Handicap match was also a fun and entertaining match and I wish the story could have continued a little more longer between Christian & Trish Stratus. Last thing the crowd was hot all night. Canadians have some of the best crowds all the time.

The Meh - I thought the opening was also pretty good. Nothing too memorable but it was great seeing Shelton Benjamin get a little Jumpstart on his singles career. Edge vs. Kane was probably not a bright idea as Edge was in his first match back and was a little rusty.

The Bad - The Women's Championship match was sloppy and the crowd just couldn't get into it. There were even spots you could see the crowd's cringing. The Tag Team match that was added on Heat was pretty forgettable. For the timing spot it was placed on, it was what you would expect.

Overall - A good show, especially for a B-Level PPV exclusively for 1 brand. It's obvious 2 matches were really the main two objectives everyone was paying to see but they made it worth the pay for the full PPV. A thumbs up.

Score - 7 out of 10: Good

0 = Terrible: 1 = Bad/Lackluster: 2 = Decent: 3 = Good: 4 = Awesome: 5 = One of the Best of all Time:

1. Shelton Benjamin vs. Ric Flair - 2.5/5

2. Jonathan Coachman vs. Tajiri - 1/5

3. Chris Jericho vs. Christian & Trish Stratus (Handicap Match) - 3.5/5

4. Victoria vs. Lita: WWE Women's Championship - 1/5

5. Cactus Jack vs. Randy Orton: WWE Intercontinental Championship (No Holds Barred) - 4.5/5

6. La'Resistance vs. Rosey & Hurricane - 0.5/5

7. Kane vs. Edge - 1.5/5

8. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit: World Heavyweight Championship - 4.5/5

Best Match - Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit. No Holds Barred close though.

Worst Match - La'Resistance vs. Rosey & Hurricane

Most Memorable Moment - HBK tapping to sharpshooter.

Top 5 Performers

1. Chris Benoit - Outstanding Performance

2. Randy Orton - Outstanding Performance

3. Cactus Jack - Outstanding Performance and putting over talent.

4. Shawn Michaels - Great Performance

5. Triple H - Great Performance.

Benoit still Champion!

[nick_6100 · 6/10 · 19 August 2010]

Raw had its First Pay Per View of 2004 in Canada. Benoit's hometown and what a better way to come back then to show your hometown that you can be the best.

1. Shelton Benjamin defeated. Ric Flair in a very good singles contest. Benjamin wins it with a super-kick. Must be watching HBK.

Rating: 6/10 ( C )

2. Jonathan Coachman defeated. Tajiri in a very bad match. Eugene interfering was just a comedy.

Rating: 4 /10 ( D - )

3. Chris Jericho defeated. Christian and Trish Stratus in a Intergender Handicap Match, Jericho got his revenge on both Christian and Trish for what happened at Wrestlemania XX.

Rating: 6/10 ( C )

4. Victoria defeated. Lita to retain the Women's Championship in a very fair match.

Rating: 5/10 ( D )

5. Randy Orton defeated. Cactus Jack in a Hardcore Match to retain the Intercontinental Championship was one of the Hardecore Matches in the WWE. And Foley carried Orton throughout the entire match.

Rating: 8/10 ( B )

6. Rosey and The Hurricane defeated. La Resistance in a average tag team match.

Rating: 5/10 ( D )

7. Edge defeated. Kane in a good but short match.

Rating: 6/10 ( C )

8. Chris Benoit defeated. Shawn Michaels and Triple H to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a Triple Threat Rematch from Wrestlemania XX.

Rating: 7/10 ( B - )

Overall Backlash Rating: 6/10 ( C ) And Okay Pay Per View for RAW to start out with.

For once the name "Backlash" fits; a ton of WrestleMania rematches. (SPOILERS)

[rapt0r_claw-1 · 31 May 2004]

Backlash 2004 was a good pay-per-view, and I enjoyed it a lot. Lots of the matches were WrestleMania rematches, and good ones at that. However, some of the matches were downright dull. I think they could have made the Triple Threat longer instead of having eight matches.

Match 1: Shelton Benjamin vs. Ric Flair

Ric Flair sought revenge in this match after Benjamin beat his good buddy Triple H two weeks in a row. This match could have been a very good one, but it was disappointing. It was all right for most of the time, but to have Benjamin win with a clothesline was pathetic. Ever since coming to RAW, I haven't seen Benjamin's old finisher, the Super Kick. He learned from Shawn Michaels, and he kicked well. Why they have him winning pay-per-view matches with clotheslines is something beyond my understanding.

Match rating: 6/10

Match 2: Jonathan Coachman vs. Tajiri

Tajiri was very good on SmackDown!, and many say the move to RAW wasn't a good idea. I've been content with Tajiri's doings on RAW since he moved, but this match was a disappointment. RAW finally gets a good cruiserweight (and luckily, a VERY good one) and they waste him by making him lose to Coach. Besides that, he's been butchered by Batista and Triple H on RAW after Backlash.

Match Rating: 5/10

Match 3: Chris Jericho vs. Christian & Trish Stratus in a Handicap Match

This was one of my favorite matches on the card. I'd been looking forward to a better show than WrestleMania XX, although I doubted I would get it. The match was excellent, and I was glad to see Trish get a few elbows stuck into her face. Jericho won, to my great joy, but the ending wasn't quite of the quality of the rest of the match. Jericho knocked down Trish, kicked Christian in the face and pinned him for the win. It happened in a blink of an eye, which was impressive, but it was still a bit anti-climactic. Christian should have tapped out.

Match rating: 8/10

Match 4: Victoria vs. Lita for the Women's Championship

I'm not too big on the women's division, and I don't think anybody is. The matches vary from okay to downright crap. Thankfully, Victoria and Lita can actually wrestle, and they proved it. The match was good to pass the time, but the ending I didn't like. A mere small package to win? Even worse, Molly Holly and Gail Kim attacked both the contestants after the match. There was no need for that.

Match Rating: 6/10

Match 5: Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack in a No Holds Barred Match for the Intercontinental Championship.

This was an extremely predictable match, as there was no way Foley was going to be Intercontinental Champion. Despite a tiny bit of disappointment, this was an awesome match. The blood wasn't faked, Orton went into those thumbtacks ... it was a blood bath, although a planned one. These hardcore wrestlers are something. I didn't like the part where Bischoff ruined the show by stopping Foley from setting the bat alight. What I wonder at is how Foley kicked out of a RKO.

Match rating: 9/10

Match 6: La Resistance vs. Hurricane & Rosey

The only reason this match took place was as a set-up for Eugene's first match. This could have happened on RAW or on HEAT. This was no better than a HEAT match, so why it was so high up on the pay-per-view card is a mystery. Hurricane wins after an interference by Eugene Dinsmore.

Match rating: 4/10

Match 7: Edge vs. Kane

Edge's return was a big disappointment. I've been happy with him since Backlash on RAW, but to make him cheat to win was horrible. I know Edge has bent the rules in the past, but this I didn't like. Couldn't they have come up with something better for the return of a gem like Edge? They had fourteen months to think about it, but they didn't really use them. Kane lost, but what is the use of him being pinned twice on pay-per-view after a year and a half of never being pinned since his mask came off? I don't know what they're doing with him. But the rest of the match was quite enjoyable, and saved the show.

Match Rating: 7/10

Match 8: Chris Benoit vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H in a Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship.

The biggest and best rematch in history, undoubtedly. I was hoping that Michaels would win, but knew that Benoit would never lose in Edmonton, especially after the Hart-Michaels incident. To make up for it, Michaels taps to the Sharpshooter. This was not much compared to WrestleMania XX, but it does a damn good job. I thought it was going to be a WrestleMania replay, but the script changed a good deal. It was an amazing match.

Match rating: 9/10

Backlash was awesome. It wasn't WrestleMania, but it was as good as a RAW pay-per-view could get. Thanks for the show, Vince.

Backlash rating: 6.75/10

I've Got Lighting In A Bottle

[Terryfan · 8/10 · 15 March 2015]

The even that took place after Wrestlemania 20 for the Raw Brand and to say the least it at least got some things right while Wrestlemania 20 didn't. I remember watching this show on Pay Per View live with my brother.

However there are some matches on this card that were so so and one or two that were forgettable so now let's get on with the review.

1. Shelton Benjamin vs Ric Flair. The match was the opener since Shelton defeat Triple H in his debut on Raw brand. This match was not much to write home to.

Rating 6 out of 10

2.Jonathan Coachman vs Tajiri. To say this is a joker match would be honoring it the match itself was just bad.

Rating 4 out of 10

3.Chris Jericho Vs Christian and Trish Stratus. Now this is where the show starts to get more interesting as this match was actually enjoyable and interesting to boot.

Rating: 7 out of 10

4.Victoria vs Lita for the WWE Women's Championship. This is when women's wrestling as actually good and when we had women who knew how to wrestle these two would be the right example of it. Lita is my favorite Female wrestler both women work a good match all together.

Rating: 7 out of 10

5.Randy Orton vs Cactus Jack Hardcore Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Now this is the match of the night as the Hardcore Legend show The Legend Killer the true meaning of pain with the biggest Oh My God Moment came when Randy Orton was slam right into thumbtacks and I remember my brother and I were shocked. Both men went to war and gave us the match of the night.

Rating: 10 out of 10

6. Rosey And The Hurricane vs La Resistance. This was nothing special since it was coming out after the match between Randy and Cactus Jack.

Rating: 5 out of 10

7.EDGE vs Kane. What would have been a interesting match turn out to be nothing short of Edge's return to the WWE after a year from Neck injury. But the match was too short and hardly got the spot off the ground.

Rating: 6 out of 10

8.Triple H vs Shawn Michaels vs Chris Benoit Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. The Match was dubbed The Final Encounter and it sure was. In the rematch from Wrestlemania 20 the two men gave us another battle and left us with a good main event match.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Overall Backlash 2004 was a good PPV and in my opinion improve over Wrestlemania 20 plus with the Randy Orton and Cactus Jack match it's hard not to appreciate hard work from wrestling.

I give WWE Backlash 2004 an 8 out of 10

Not a bad Raw pay per view

[kliko400 · 7/10 · 8 January 2007]

This wasn't really a bad Raw pay-per view First match- Shelton Benjamin vs. Ric Flair A great way to kick off Backlash with Flair & Benjamin going one on one in a very good match even though it was a bit slow at some times. Benjamin pulls out the victory after a T-Bone Suplex on Flair. 5/10 Second match- Jonathan Coachman vs. Tajiri I really wanted Jonathan Coachman to get his you know what kicked but after Garrison Cade interfered, Jonathan Coachman got the victory over Tajiri in a pretty boring match. 3/10 Third match- Chris Jericho vs. Christian & Trish Stratus in a 1-2 handicap match It's great to see Christian & Trish Stratus losing to Y2J, even the match wasn't really bad, Jericho wins after making Christian tap out to the Walls Of Jericho. 5/10.

Fourth match- Victoria vs. Lita for the WWE Women's Championship Now I'm not really a big fan of Diva matches but this one was not so bad. Victoria retains her title after a Widow's Peak. 4/10 Fifth match- Edge vs. Kane These two can really put on a good match but this one was pretty short. Edge wins after using the brass knuckles on Kane behind the referee {Johnny Nitro was the special guest referee by the way}. 3/10 Sixth match- La Resistance vs. Rosey & Hurricane in a no.1 contendership for the World Tag Team Championships.

This was a pretty boring match to really amount to anything. Rosey & Hurricane pull out the victory after Eugene interferes costing La Resistance the match. 3/10 Seventh match- Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley in a Hardcore match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship Now this was definitely a gory, brutal bloody & violent Hardcore match which normally i'm a fan off. The best highlight of the match is when Mick Foley back dropped Randy Orton's back into a pool of thumbtacks. Randy Orton pulls out the victory after an RKO in this bloody & grueling contest to retain his WWE Intercontinental Championship. 7/10 {By the way Evolution was banned from ringside in this match} Eight match- Chris Benoit vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels in a triple-threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship It was the second triple-threat match between the same three men who battled each other at Wrestlemania XX. This was a good triple-threat match but the one they had at Wrestlemania XX was probably better in my opinion. Chris Benoit retains his World Title after making Shawn Michaels tap out to the Sharpshooter. 6/10.

Overall: Not a bad pay per view as I will give it 7/10 & a C

Spoiler: Chris Benoit defends the title in his hometown

[gridoon · 6/10 · 21 November 2005]

This is an uneven PPV. About half of the matches are worth seeing, but the other half are barely average.

1) Shelton Benjamin vs. Ric Flair. Visibly fake. Benjamin has to pull his punches and receive about 50 backhand slaps. I can accept Ric Flair as a ringside interference, but putting him in the center of the ring, alone, at his age, is a joke. **

2) Jonathan Coachman vs. Tajiri. Another joke. The only way this match could be good is if Tajiri demolished "The Coach" in three minutes, but this doesn't happen. The high-kicking "Japanese Buzzsaw" deserves better booking than this. *1/2

3) Chris Jericho vs. Christian and Trish Stratus. A 2-on-1 handicap match. What could have been yet another mediocre encounter between these two men is made a little more lively by the involvement of Trish (who even gets spanked here!). **

Then we get a small segment / tribute to Chris Benoit, at whose hometown this PPV was shot. Nice, but it removes even the last drop of suspense about the outcome of the main event.

4) Victoria vs. Lita (for the women's title). FANTASTIC!!! This is what the word "wrestling" is all about. The match lasts only 10 minutes, but you can see more technical holds and moves in these 10 minutes than in entire PPVs. Even the camera stays mostly on the ground level to follow the action. These two women work excellently together, and - in another nice touch - there is no fake "hate" between them, only respect (at one point, they smile and congratulate each other). Victoria is a terrific champion - she should be wearing the belt more often. ***

P.S. The aftermath of this match shows how badly misused Gail Kim was in the WWE.

5) Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley. A no-holds-barred fight for the intercontinental title, with the Evolution banned from ringside (yes, really!). I'm not a fan of hardcore matches, but I have to admit this one delivers what it promises. Some CRAZY stuff here. *** if you like this sort of thing, ** if you don't.

6) The Hurricane and Rosey vs. La Resistance. Hurricane and Rosey are an interesting, unorthodox team (one looks like a cruiserweight, the other like a sumo wrestler), but after about 3 minutes Eugene shows up and the commentators, the crowd and even the cameraman stop paying attention to the match. I guess Eugene was supposed to turn it into a comedy, but he turns it into a tragedy instead. ** until he appears, then 0.

7) Kane vs. Edge. Slightly better than other Kane matches, because it's relatively short and the action is mostly confined inside the ring. By the way, is there anyone who believes that someone like Edge can defeat someone like Kane in a real fight? **1/2

8) Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H vs. Chris Benoit. A triple-threat match for the heavyweight title. This is a good main event. However, that's all it is - simply "good". Benoit does his nice submission moves, HHH tries to dominate through sheer power, and HBK plays "Sweet Chin Music" (when he's not knocked out cold outside). And of course when "A" (whoever that may be) is about to lose to "B", "C" interferes. In the end, the right man wins and the fans go home happy. No surprises here. **1/2

Backlash Review

[connor-macgregor · 30 December 2008]

1) Shelton Benjamin Vs Ric Flair

this match was a great opener,Benjamin really owned Flair throughout the entire match with Flair getting a few punches there and then.It just shows how great Benjamin is in the ring. = ***

2) Jonathan Coachman Vs Tajiri

This was a joke match.Coach was owned throughout the match and Tajiri was bored stiff through this match. Garrison Cade's interference was stupid and really Cade really is Coach's bitch helping out that way = *1/2

3) Chirs Jericho VsChistian & Trish Stratus - 2 on 1 Handicap Match

Personally i thought this match was not that bad,could have go on maybe 5 minutes longer but then again maybe it shouldn't't.Trish was misused in this match and it was mostly Jericho and Cage doing all the work but in the end Jericho came out the victor and that was maybe the right move = ***1/2

4) Victoria (c) Vs Lita - WWE Women's Championship

Quite a boring match ,nothing very exciting in this match. Victoria came out the victor which i guess i was expecting and then Molly and Gail Kim came out and attacked both Victoria and Lita which i guess you know why after watching WM20 but overall not that good match. = **

5) Randy Orton (c)Vs Mick Foley - WWE Intercontinental Championship

This match was very good,it was a match that kept me on the edge of my seat with its chair shots and violent style of wrestling.After 4 years of retirement we still know that Foley is still violent but it was a shame that Orton got the win but i guess in some way you saw it coming. = ****

6) Hurracane & Rosey Vs La Resistance

don't know why this match was on the card. It was a pointless match that was a waste of time including the interference of Eugene which was silly. = *3/4

7) Edge Vs Kane

once again this had no business being on the card.Bit of a boring match as well.But it was to cheer up the fans = **3/4

8) Chris Benoit (c) Vs Triple H Vs Shawn Michaels - World Heavyweight Championship

By far the best match of the night,Each person gave their all in this match and it was funny that The Canadians were booing Michaels.Overall great match = **** 1/4

Overall = Great PPV 22.75/40 = 56%