Ep 4. No Mercy 2004

In Episode 4 of the Retro Pro Wrestling Show, we go back 21 years for a deep-dive into WWE No Mercy 2004, a show that featured all of the Smackdown brand’s major players yet still failed to deliver.

Coming live from the Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey on October 3rd, 2004, the event showed occasional flashes of good stuff but was largely filled with underwhelming matches and a six-way storyline that just wouldn’t fly in the modern age.

Listen now, and you’ll hear about:

The Road to No Mercy 2004

How Kurt Angle’s brief(ish) run as the Smackdown General Manager saw him involved in almost every major storyline on the show from Eddie Guerrero vs. Luther Reigns, to the culmination of Booker T and John Cena’s ‘Best of Five’ series for the world title, all the way to Angle’s own battle with The Big Show.

The Rise and Fall (and Rise?) of the Cruiserweight Division

Why, despite a solid performance, Nunzio and Spike Dudley’s battle for the cruiserweight title proved that Vince McMahon’s attempt to reshape the cruiserweight division for WWE crowds was a bad idea.

Wrestling Stories That Don’t Age Well

How the whole Dawn Marie & The Dudley Boyz vs. Rico, Charlie Hass and Jackie Gayda proves just how far pro wrestling has come in the way it treats women and LGBTQ characters.

The Entire No Mercy 2004 Card

All of the above, plus:

* Paul London and Billy Kidman stealing the show

* WWE Championship Match - The Undertaker battles JBL in a ‘Last Ride’ match

* Tag Team Title Match - Kenzo Suzuki & Renee Duprees (w/ Hiroko) vs. Rob Van Dam & Rey Mysterio

And more.

This episode is based on my original No Mercy 2004 review published on Retro Pro Wrestling:

Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe below for more old-school wrestling content.