10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 2004

2004 definitely felt like a transitional year for WWE. The roster was still pretty stacked but, creatively, the WWE were at a low point. This is the year that gave us Eugene, the ridiculous Concrete Crypt match and the Gene Snitsky/Kane/Lita miscarriage storyline. For hardcore fans, however, 2004 was a great year. Two longtime internet favourites, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, won the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships, respectively. The image of Eddie and Benoit, who had paid dues for fifteen years, standing with both belts in MSG as confetti rained down was an unforgettable moment and would have been one for the all-time highlight reel, had things turned out differently. 2004 also saw the departures of Brock Lesnar and Goldberg. Lesnar left because his passion for wrestling was waning (and he hated the travel) whereas Goldberg's one-year deal had came to an end. Goldberg hated the WWE experience so much that he refused to sign another deal. Domestic business was bad, especially in the post-WrestleMania season: A Smackdown house show in July drew less than 1000 fans. Buy rates were falling and people were panicking. There was a lot of tension backstage, which led to some very interesting incidents. As usual, some of the most interesting stuff from that year is the stuff that has been, unfortunately been forgotten about (or was barely reported on in the first place). Here are ten things you might not have heard about WWE in 2004.