Judgment Day (2005) - Background

Background

The event featured seven professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed either a villainous or fan favorite gimmick as they followed a series of events which generally built tension, leading to a wrestling match. The name of a wrestler's character was not always the person's birth name, as wrestlers often use a stage name to portray their character. All wrestlers were from the SmackDown! brand – a storyline division in which WWE assigned its employees to a different program, the other being Raw.

The main event at Judgment Day was between John Cena and John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) over the WWE Championship in an "I Quit" match. The previous month at WrestleMania 21, Cena defeated JBL to win the WWE Championship. On the April 7 episode of SmackDown!, authority figure Theodore Long, a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer, scheduled a series of number one contenders matches, after JBL, Eddie Guerrero, (Rey Mysterio), The Big Show, Booker T, and Kurt Angle all demanded a WWE Championship match. The first match that Long announced was between JBL and Rey Mysterio. Mysterio was disqualified, after Eddie Guerrero interfered and attacked JBL, which resulting in JBL winning the match. The following week on SmackDown!, Guerrero and Kurt Angle were scheduled for the second contender's match. Angle advanced to the finals, as he went on to defeat Guerrero. Later during the program, Cena unveiled a spinner version of the WWE championship. Before the unveiling, however, JBL came out wearing the original WWE championship. On the April 21 episode of SmackDown!, Booker T and Big Show were booked in another contenders match. After the match ended in a double disqualification, Long booked JBL, Angle, Booker T, and Big Show in a standard wrestling match involving four wrestlers, dubbed as a Fatal Four-Way match, for the following week. JBL won the match, after he pinned Angle and having the right to face Cena at Judgment Day with the championship on the line. On the May 5 episode of SmackDown!, Cena proposed that he would defend the championship against JBL in an "I Quit" match. Two weeks later, on the May 19 episode of SmackDown!, JBL faced Scotty 2 Hotty, which Scotty 2 Hotty won after JBL was disqualified. After the match, however, JBL attacked Scotty and demanded that he say "I quit." JBL further the assault, choking him with a leather belt, Scotty said "I quit." That same night, Cena defeated The Basham Brothers (Doug and Danny) in a handicap match, a match consisting of one wrestler or team of wrestlers facing off against a team of wrestlers with numerical superiority such as two against one, or three against two. During the duration of the match, JBL, who was at ringside, yelled at Cena, telling him to say "I quit."

One of the featured preliminary matches was Rey Mysterio versus Eddie Guerrero in a singles match. Two months prior to Judgment Day, at WrestleMania 21, Rey Mysterio defeated Eddie Guerrero. In the weeks that followed, Guerrero and Mysterio were challenged by MNM (Joey Mercury, Johnny Nitro, and Melina) to defend the WWE Tag Team Championship, which Guerrero and Mysterio accepted. MNM defeated Guerrero and Mysterio to win the WWE Tag Team title after Guerrero walked out in the middle of the match. On the April 28 episode of SmackDown!, Guerrero and Mysterio were given a rematch for the Tag Team championship. During the match, however, Mysterio accidentally performed a flying body press on Guerrero which led to Guerrero abandoning Mysterio, but returned as the fans urged Guerrero to come back. MNM retained the belt after pinning Mysterio for the win. The following week, Teddy Long booked a Street Fight match, a match without disqualifications and where scoring conditions can occur anywhere, between Mysterio and Guerrero's nephew, Chavo Guerrero. Mysterio came out as the winner of the match. After the match, Mercury and Nitro attacked Mysterio, which prompted Guerrero to come out and clear the ring. Guerrero, however, attacked Mysterio. The assault led to Guerrero lifting Mysterio off the ground and driving Mysterio's back on the ring steps. This angle saw Guerrero turn into a villain. As a result, the following week, Long promoted a match between Guerrero and Mysterio at Judgment Day.

The other featured preliminary match was Kurt Angle versus Booker T in a singles match. On an episode of SmackDown!, Angle, Booker T, Big Show and JBL took part in a Fatal Four-Way match to determine the number one contender to the WWE championship, which JBL won. The following week, Angle challenged Booker T to a match at Judgment Day, which Booker accepted. Prior to that, Angle had insulted Booker T's wife, Sharmell, which led to Booker T attacking and accepting Angle's challenge. On the May 12 episode of SmackDown!, Angle admitted he would like to have "perverted sex" with Sharmell. That same night, Angle and Booker T were scheduled in a match, which led to Angle leaving the ring and going backstage to Sharmell. Booker T went backstage and found Sharmell on the floor crying. This led to Angle attacking Booker T from behind and pushing him towards a pair of steel lockers. The following week, Long was scripted to suspend Angle and demanded that Angle apologize for his actions. Angle apologized, but admitted that he actually kissed Sharmell and let her fondle his "private parts" before Booker T made his way to the locker room.