Although the image of Eddie Guerro and Chris Benoit standing side by side as world champions at the end of WrestleMania XX suggested that WWE was finally going to pull the trigger on a new era of top stars in 2004, it would ultimately prove to be something of a false dawn. Instead, it is 2005 that deserves credit for ushering in a truly new era. On the Raw side of things, Batista would finally put an end to the reign of Triple H while John Cena took Smackdown's WWE Title away from JBL and never let go. There's an argument to be made that the two were not quite ready for the spotlight in some ways, but WWE's commitment to both throughout 2005 helped to produce a series of fresh match-ups and storylines that allowed each to grow and prosper. Those two would certainly dominate the top of the WWE scene throughout the year, but further down the card you had some all-time greats putting on some of the best work of their career. Shawn Michaels in particular engaged in a series of superlative matches with the likes of Shelton Benjamin, Edge and Kurt Angle. He even got to enjoy a brief heel run and star in some of the most legitimately funny segments in wrestling history during his feud with Hulk Hogan. Meanwhile, Edge used a real life situation involving Matt Hardy as well as his win at WWE's first-ever Money in the Bank match to tweak his amazing Rated-R Superstar character. 2005 even saw one of the most unlikely PPV events in WWE history, as ECW was brought back to life at the incredible One Night Stand. The tragic death of Eddie Guerro would cast a heavy shadow on the year, but through the darkness fans everywhere were able to enjoy the bright lights of a new day on the horizon.
