Backlash 2004

1. Shelton Benjamin defeated Ric Flair by pinfall

This was an okay opener as Shelton was up for the test. It was actually Flair who dragged this down. He just didn't seem to have it on this night, which was common during his last few years and understandably so.

Rating: 2 (out of 5)

2. Jonathan Coachman defeated Tajiri by pinfall

This was always kind of a strange feud to me. Why Tajiri? Oh well, I suppose it could have been worse.

Rating: .5

3. Chris Jericho defeated Christian + Trish Stratus by pinfall

Jericho gets his revenge on the duo in another exciting match. When Jericho is in a meaningful feud, his match quality is as good as it gets. He brings it to a new level.

Rating: 3.5

4. Victoria defeated Lita by pinfall

This was a solid match, as this was probably the peak for Victoria as a performer. Injuries continued to slow her down after this.

Rating: 1

5. Randy Orton defeated Mick Foley by pinfall

This was viewed as Orton's coming out party. Foley really did everything he could to put Orton over and this match certainly is the match that had the fans believing in him as a top guy. The first half of this match is a masterpiece as far as brawls go, but the second half doesn't allow me to go any higher on the rating.

Rating: 4

6. Hurricane + Rosey defeated La Resistance by pinfall

This was more or less filler, which is pretty much what the tag team division has been since the TLC era.

Rating: 1

7. Edge defeated Kane by pinfall

This one was kind of rushed and in a strange place on the card. Don't worry, the main event made up for that.

Rating: 1.75

8. Chris Benoit defeated Triple H and Shawn Michaels by submission

***Match Of The Night***

This was not nearly as good as the WrestleMania match, but it was still awesome. The crowd was way into the match, as expected, and Benoit came out looking like the best in the world, which he very well could have been at this point.

Rating: 4.25

Well, you have two classics on this card, which means it's an automatic thumbs up. The Jericho match is well worth your time, but unfortunately everything else there is forgettable. Still, that's over a third of the card that is great stuff and a definite must see.

Overall Rating: 81%