[loopydate]

JANUARY 15, 2004 - SMACKDOWN!

With the Royal Rumble behind us and No Way Out on the horizon and no #1 contender for Brock Lesnar's WWE Title, SmackDown! GM Stephanie McMahon has announced that tonight the SmackDown! superstars who participated in the Rumble match will compete in a gauntlet-style match lasting the whole night. The winner at the end of the night will face Lesnar at WrestleMania XX!

The first contest of the evening pits Chris Benoit against Big Show. Benoit put on probably the most disappointing performance of anyone in the Rumble match, lasting only three minutes before being eliminated. A handful of near-falls in this one that ends with Show missing an elbow drop and Benoit pouncing with a Crippler Crossface for the win.

Benoit's next opponent is the man who lost the Cruiserweight Title to Eddie Guerrero at the Rumble, Billy Kidman. These two put on a good solid match that lasts fifteen minutes, resulting in a time-limit draw, eliminating both men from the Chase for the Championship.

That brings out two new superstars - Undertaker and Nunzio. You can imagine how this one turns out. Nunzio gets in a couple of moves, but he falls victim to the Last Ride.

'Taker's next opponent is Chavo Guerrero. Chavo actually gets in an impressive amount of offense early before Taker takes over with his power. The referee winds up bumping in the corner and Chavo tumbles to the floor. As UT goes after Chavo, he gets decked in the face with the ring bell. As the referee comes to, he sees Chavo covering UT in the ring and counts the pin. Afterwards, an enraged Undertaker assaults the ref.

Chavo awaits his next opponent... and it's his uncle the United States and Cruiserweight Champion Eddie Guerrero! These two put on a tremendous match that showcases both men's skills as mat and aerial technicians, but it devolves into a brawl down the stretch. The referee tries to break them up, but Eddie shoves him to the canvas. He tries again, but Chavo pushes him away. he's seen enough, and he calls for the bell, disqualifying both men! They continue to brawl away from the ring.

Up next are Rhyno and Shelton Benjamin, two of the final four in the Rumble. Rhyno came within a move of winning the match, but fell victim to Sweet Chin Music putting Shawn Michaels in the WMXX main event. These two put on a great match (something Shelton has been making a habit out of lately) that is unfortunately spoiled by the interference of the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, who has made it his mission to keep Rhyno away from his belt. With the referee distracted, Lesnar takes Rhyno out with a chair allowing Shelton to pounce with a superkick to take the win. Lesnar goes to continue the assault, but Shelton lays his former college partner Lesnar out with another superkick!

Shelton awaits the arrival of his next opponent, and it's... Charlie Haas! Both men's faces drop when they realize that they must face their best friend for a shot at the gold. Nonetheless, when the bell rings, they tear into each other. Haas hits a big chop to open the match, then levels him with a lariat and a DDT, following up with a suplex. Shelton mule kicks Haas to gain separation, then slams and piledrives his partner for two. Haas blocks a kick and lands a thump for two. Death Valley Driver gets a loooong two count. Shelton fights back with punches, but gets tripped up. Haas hits a spinning neckbreaker to set up Haastruction for the win! After the match (and it was a great one), Haas extends his hand to his partner, and they shake. This could have been a star-making match for both men.

Haas' next opponent is Edge. Edge takes advantage of Haas' exhaustion early with slams and strikes. Haas fights back a little bit, but Edge was just the fresher man and winds up hitting the Spear for the win.

Only three possible opponents remain for Edge, and out comes Sean O'Haire. O'Haire starts off with a trio of slams, then a big clothesline. From there, Edge turns things around a bit, but eventually O'Haire puts him away with the Prophecy.

Up next, O'Haire faces off against the Olympic Hero Kurt Angle! Angle controls most of the match, but O'Haire looks good with what little offense he gets in. Eventually, though, he has no choice but to tap out to the Angle Lock. But this match is enough to finally propel O'Haire to the main event.

Angle knows who his opponent in the main event must be, and he awaits the arrival of John Cena! Cena comes out, and unfortunately the match doesn't quite live up to the hype. The crowd is into it, but the match itself is only slightly above average. Cena headbutts Angle, then hits him with a series of slams before eating a back elbow that gets Angle a quick two. Cena spears Angle for two. Big lariat gets another two. Angle kicks Cena in the face, then hits a forearm, but gets hit with a big shoulder tackle to set up the FU! Cena picks up the big win and is going to WrestleMania! But as he's celebrating, the WWE Champion hits the ring with a chair and levels his challenger! Cena is bloodied and the champ stands tall as we fade to black.

John Cena overcame the odds tonight, but what chance will he have at WrestleMania against the unstoppable monster Lesnar? Plus, what will No Way Out have in store for both men? This Monday night on RAW, Vince McMahon will make a rare appearance and he says he has a blockbuster announcement for the No Way Out main event!