Skip to content
Home

WrestleMania XX: Madison Square Garden return and headline matches

WrestleMania XX was WWE’s 2004 flagship pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden, featuring Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero title wins, the Undertaker’s return, and a sold-out international audience.

Author: Created: Updated:

Overview

WrestleMania XX was the twentieth edition of WWE’s annual marquee pay-per-view and took place on March 14, 2004, at Madison Square Garden in New York. Held as a cross-brand event, the card included performers from both the Raw and SmackDown! rosters. Promoted with the tagline “Where it all Begins... Again,” the show used Drowning Pool’s “Step Up” as its official theme and featured a secondary theme by Godsmack. The event marked the promotion’s return to a historically important arena and was presented as a major moment in WWE’s calendar year.

Image gallery

5 Images
WrestleManiaXX
en.wikipedia.org · Fair use

Background and significance

By 2004 WWE was operating a brand split that divided talent between two weekly programs; WrestleMania XX collected top stars from both brands for several high-profile matches. The choice of Madison Square Garden was symbolic: this venue had hosted multiple early WrestleManias and other landmark shows in the company’s history. The New York metro return was billed as a homecoming and drew a large international crowd. Reported ticket revenue and a sold-out arena made the event one of the most commercially successful WWE shows held at that location up to that time.

Card, main matches and outcomes

The card was built around two primary world-title matches in addition to significant grudge encounters. On the Raw side the World Heavyweight Championship was contested in a Triple Threat match involving champion Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit. In that match Chris Benoit forced Triple H to submit to the Crippler Crossface and left Madison Square Garden as the new World Heavyweight Champion. For SmackDown!, Eddie Guerrero and Kurt Angle clashed for the WWE Championship; Guerrero captured the title after a decisive roll-up (small package) finish. Another major attraction was the returning Undertaker defeating Kane, a match that furthered a long-running storyline between the two brothers.

Match highlights and presentation

  • Triple Threat (World Heavyweight Championship) – Triple H (c) vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit; Benoit won the title.
  • WWE Championship – Kurt Angle (c) vs. Eddie Guerrero; Guerrero won via small package.
  • The Undertaker vs. Kane – The Undertaker returned and defeated Kane following a Tombstone-style finish.

Matches combined storyline culmination with athletic performances. Several bouts were intended to settle long-running rivalries, while others were structured to elevate certain wrestlers into new main-event roles. The event was produced for a global pay-per-view audience and also received attention in press and wrestling media coverage.

Reception and legacy

WrestleMania XX is remembered for its intimate setting at a packed Madison Square Garden and for title changes that reshaped WWE’s championship scene in 2004. The evening’s outcomes influenced subsequent television storylines and pay-per-view bookings. Critical and fan reactions were mixed on individual matches but broadly positive about the spectacle and the return to a historic venue. International viewership came from many countries and the show contributed to the ongoing commercial prominence of WrestleMania as WWE’s flagship annual event.

Further information and references

For more detailed match listings, historical context and official materials, consult the following resources:

Questions and answers

Q: What was the tagline for WrestleMania XX?

A: The tagline for WrestleMania XX was "Where it all Begins... Again".

Q: What were the official theme songs for the event?

A: The official theme song for the event was "Step Up" by Drowning Pool and the secondary theme song was "Touché" by Godsmack.

Q: How many people attended WrestleMania XX?

A: A sold-out Madison Square Garden had more than 20,000 people from 16 countries and 48 states. Fans from more than 90 countries also watched the event on television.

Q: What were the two main events of WrestleMania XX?

A: The main match for the Raw brand was a Triple Threat match for the World Heavyweight Championship between Champion Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Chris Benoit. The main match for SmackDown! brand had Eddie Guerrero versus Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship.

Q: Who won each of these matches?

A: Chris Benoit won his match after doing a Crippler Crossface, making Triple H let him win after that. Eddie Guerrero won his match after a Small package. The Undertaker beat Kane after a Tombstone Piledriver.

Q: How much money did this Pay-Per-View make in ticket sales?

A: This Pay-Per-View made more than $2.4 million in ticket sales, making it the highest grossing WWE event ever to be at Madison Square Garden.

Related articles

Author

AlegsaOnline.com WrestleMania XX: Madison Square Garden return and headline matches

URL: https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/109205

Share

Sources