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The Attitude Era may have been well and truly over by the time 2004 came around, but the WWE still had several big-time names to depend on and a cohort of new stars ready to lead the company into the second half of the 00's.
That being said, it is difficult to argue that the company finished the year in a better position than where it started. Wrestlers like The Rock, Austin and Hogan were no longer able to provide consistent support, and with the departure of the company's so-called 'next big thing,' it was time to officially break from the past whether the fans wanted it or not.
It would be another 12 months or so before the new main event scene was permanently set, but fans could already see where things were going. As ever, the year was not without its shocking moments. Here are 10 of the best:
#1 Austin and The Rock no longer under contract
Despite the Attitude Era officially being over for a good two years by the time 2004 came around, this was the year that truly marked a more permanent break from the past. By the close of year, both Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, two of the company's biggest stars of the previous period, were no longer official employees of the WWE.
Both had taken diminished roles after their Wrestlemania 19 meeting, but with The Rock set on pursuing a career in Hollywood and Austin's growing list of injuries becoming harder to ignore, the company found themselves in a difficult position. On the one hand, it was imperative that new talent was allowed to take centre stage, but on the other hand, Vince McMahon and co. knew that the pair were still big draws that they could make him money without evening wrestling a match.
Stone Cold stepped into more of a GM type role when he was made the 'Sheriff' of RAW alongside Eric Bishoff, as well as performing special guest referee duties from time to time. Austin and McMahon's relationship still seemed pretty strong for most of 2004, even to the point where the two were working on designing a Stone Cold themed brand of beer.
However, due to Austin becoming increasingly frustrated at Vince's involvement in his outside projects, their working partnership could no longer be sustained. The WWE put out a press release in April to state that Austin had parted ways with his former employers, taking time away from TV for almost a year.
The Rock had loftier ambitions than his Attitude Era sparring buddy, securing roles in movies such as The Mummy Returns and The Scorpion King. Details are a little sketchy, but it is widely assumed that Vince was not entirely happy with the fact that Rock was essentially leaving the company in a difficult transition phase.
Shortly after his Wrestlemania 20 match against Evolution, it was also announced that "The People's Champ" was no longer under contract with WWE.
It was a difficult time for fans, seeing their beloved WWE struggle to usher in a new era without the help of two of the greatest performers we've ever seen. The two did continue to make sporadic appearances after this, but 2004 marked a real turning point in how much the pair needed the WWE and how much the WWE needed them.
#2 Daniel Puder almost breaks Kurt Angle's arm
WWE's Tough Enough has always been seen as a bit of an unnecessary addition to the company's long list of programming. The concept of the show was that after a series of gruelling training and competitions, the winner was awarded a contract with WWE. Unfortunately, no one has ever really emerged from the show to go on and make a name for themselves on the main platform.
Perhaps the most famous name to come out of Tough Enough is Daniel Puder, and not entirely for the right reasons. During an episode of Smackdown in 2004, Kurt Angle issued a series of open challenges to face him in a 'shoot-style' fight inside the ring.
After Kurt defeated his fellow Tough Enough peer Chris Nawrocki, Puder stepped up and gave Angle more than what he bargained for. After a tussle between the two, Puder managed to lock in the Kimura on the Olympian, coming close to breaking the legend's arm in front of the Smackdown audience. Angle had to think fast and pinned Puder's shoulders to the mat so that the referee had time to make the three count.
Immediately after the decision was made, Angle got in Puder's face, making him aware of how unprofessional the former UFC star had been and how this was a wrestling match, not an MMA affair.
Puder's time with WWE remained very much on the periphery following this unfortunate occurrence, before eventually moving on to ROH and NJPW. In hindsight, the whole incident looks like a humorous anecdote wrestling fans like to tell each other.
However, had Angle and the ref not thought fast enough, the whole concept of Tough Enough being a show for rookies would have been turned completely on its head.
#3 Evolution turns on Randy Orton
As previously stated, 2004 saw the official, temporary separation between the WWE and two of their biggest Attitude Era stars in Austin and Rock. This meant that big changes needed to be implemented at the top of the main event scene with new names coming forward to offer support to guys like Triple H and Kurt Angle.
One of the fortunate Superstars to take advantage of the vacuum left by The Rock and Austin was Randy Orton. Despite only being 24 years old, Vince McMahon decided that Orton had the potential to become the company's next top babyface. He had managed to accumulate quite a bit of support during his time in Evolution and was given a shot at Benoit's World Heavyweight Championship at Summerslam.
Following a highly impressive match for the fresh-faced Orton, the future "Legend Killer" became the youngest champion in WWE history. And while fans weren't exactly against the idea, it was pretty apparent that Vince might have overestimated people's desire to see Orton in such a high position that early on in his career.
The title win would also issue in a babyface turn for "The Viper" after his Evolution mentor Triple H decided his protege had gotten too big for his boots. On the night following Summerslam 04, Evolution put together a celebration which turned out to be The Game's secret plan to eject Orton from the stable.
After giving him the thumbs down, Triple H ordered Batista to throw his former comrade to the ground and demanded the WHC belt be handed over.
Sometimes in wrestling, you do need to strike while the iron is hot, and it was certainly worth a shot to see how far Orton could run as a face champion. Unfortunately, however, it would take another heel turn and a feud with The Undertaker to salvage his young career after succumbing to the wrath of Triple H throughout most of the rest of the year.
#4 Eddie Guerrero abuses fans in Germany
Another name to benefit from the WWE's transitional phase during 2004 was the late, great Eddie Guerrero. The year could not have got off to a better start for "Latino Heat". After winning a RAW-exclusive 15-man Royal Rumble, Guerrero was announced as the No. 1 contender for Brock Lesnar's WWE Championship.
Today's fans will be able to appreciate how much of an ask it would have been back then for somebody like Eddie to defeat Brock Lesnar in singles competition. However, despite the odds, and with a little help from Goldberg, Guerrero became the new WWE Champion and was tasked with fulfilling the roles that are normally associated with such a privileged position.
Despite his immense talent as a performer, it is no secret that Eddie had his fair share of personal demons. Many look back at his title reign as a bit of a mistake on the WWE's part, asking far too much from a guy unable to keep his personal life in check.
This was made fairly apparent during a European tour in June 2004. In the middle of a championship match at a house show in Germany, Eddie became agitated at a selection of fans who were booing him despite going in as the face. Guerrero was said to have grabbed the microphone and shouted 'Germany sucks' at the fans before holding up his middle finger at them.
Despite the fact that the fans were provoking him, this was clearly not the kind of behaviour the WWE expects from their champions. Guerrero would not end the year with the belt, and unfortunately, he would not be around long enough to prove to himself and the fans that he could really be trusted as the champion for any extended period of time.
#5 Rock n' Sock Connection reform
It wasn't just Austin and The Rock that the WWE were sorely missing in the post-Attitude Era years. Another name that had helped the company become the juggernaut that it was during this period was Mick Foley, the man who not only managed to get himself over, but did it two more times with completely different character gimmicks.
Foley's role, like that of Rock and Austin's, was largely diminished by 2004, but while his two Attitude Era peers were off pursuing others avenues or engaged in legal disputes with the McMahon family, Foley was able to stick around a little longer and do what he is best at - helping younger talent take the next step to stardom.
In 2004, Foley was instrumental in helping the career of the young Randy Orton. During the Royal Rumble match, animosity was built between the two when "Mrs Foley's Baby Boy" eliminated the young Evolution lion.
This feud continued until Wrestlemania 20 when, after months of abuse from the stable, Foley turned to an old friend for support.
The Rock n' Sock Connection was one of the most original and beloved tag teams of the entire WWF Attitude Era. Foley and Rock were the typical odd couple, two people who, on paper, would not seem to get along, but in reality were an entertainment masterpiece.
In many ways, it was the time the pair spent together that really made stars out of them and despite the wrestling product no longer being what it was, fans were still eager for more even in 2004.
The Rock made a dramatic return to the company in order to assist Foley, setting up a star-studded three on two handicap match which also involved Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Batista. For one night only, the fans were sent on a much-needed nostalgia ride with two of the most beloved characters back in a WWE ring together again.
#6 Lita's miscarriage
While the Attitude Era is normally thought of as being the most extreme and controversial period of time for the WWE in kayfabe terms, the Ruthless Aggression Era from 2002-2008 also had its fair share of questionable writing decisions. One of the most difficult narratives told in 2004 involved Lita and her troubled ''relationship'' with Kane.
"The Big Red Machine" found himself in a love triangle storyline with Lita and her real-life partner Matt Hardy. After weeks of Hardy attempting to keep Lita away from Kane, he ended up kidnapping the former women's champion.
After a Summerslam match in which the winner had the right to marry Lita, Kane shocked the world by announcing that she was pregnant with his child.
This sparked off an unfortunate series of events leading to Lita suffering a kayfabe miscarriage as a result of Kane falling on her during a match. As ever with controversial WWE storylines, there was a sense that things had been taken too far by this point.
The feud didn't even do much for Hardy's singles career and soon became a regrettable memory for fans of the product going forward.
Thankfully this did lead to a more positive conclusion to the year for Lita who, along with Trish Stratus, helped give some much-needed credibility back to the women's division in a time when they were mostly being used for stomach-churning storylines such as this one.
Of course, this wouldn't be the last of the unfortunate love-stories involving Kane, but from a societal perspective, this has to go down as one of the most shocking and distasteful angles in the company's history.
#7 Lesnar and Goldberg are booed at Wrestlemania
Following the departure of big-time names from the Attitude Era, it looked for a while like the WWE had a plan going forward which largely involved elevating Brock Lesnar to the top of the company's billing. The so-called 'Next Big Thing' marched his way through 2002 and 2003, holding the WWE Championship and main eventing Wrestlemania faster than anybody before him.
In addition to this, the WWE still had the advantage of owning most of WCW's former top stars including the legendary Bill Goldberg. Due to the similarities between the pair in terms of dominance and raw aggression, it truly felt like a big deal when Golberg first met "The Beast" in a WWE ring at Survivor Series 2003.
Following a short feud with saw Goldberg cost Lesnar his WWE Championship at No Mercy 2004, the stage was set for the two giants to face each other at Wrestlemania 20. Soon after, the decision was made to throw Stone Cold into the mix as the special guest referee.
On paper, this looked to be one of the biggest Mania matches of all time, bringing two different generations together and seeing who the alpha really was in the WWE. Unfortunately, the situation was a little different behind the scenes.
Due to both men being largely unhappy with their positions in the company at the time, and with Lesnar keen to pursue other avenues, Wrestlemania marked both man's last match in the WWE for the foreseeable future.
Fans in attendance were well aware of this and made sure their opinions on the matter were known. After a lengthy stare down between the two, it wouldn't be long before the crowd started chanting 'boring' before going into a rendition of 'hey hey, goodbye'.
Judging by the look on their faces, neither Lesnar or his opponent were particularly interested in being there either and the whole thing just fell very flat and awkward.
Things like this are always subjective, of course, but due to the amount of potential in this match, and the realisation of how it all eventually went down, this has to be classified as one of the worst moments in Wrestlemania history. The WWE Universe had to wait another 12 years before we saw what these two could really pull off together.
#8 The Heidenreich/Michael Cole incident
By the time 2004 came around, it was clear that the WWE product had changed. One of the more distinguishable differences was that while the company had the freedom to explore overtly controversial storylines and gimmicks throughout the Attitude Era, the Ruthless Aggression Era had to be slightly more subtle.
Rather than having an actual porn star gimmick parade around the ring in a towel, for example, the controversy was a lot more implied.
2004 had its fair share of troubling storylines including the Lita, Kane and Matt Hardy love triangle, as previously mentioned. Another memorable spot during this year was the time when Michael Cole found himself a little too close to Heidenreich.
Heidenreich debuted in 2003 with his strange 'little Johnny' gimmick where he would be controlled by a small doll, similar to the way George the Animal Steele or Al Snow used props as ways of layering their character.
The gimmick was dropped as Heidenreich went into 2004, where he picked up an even more worrying personality. Under the tutelage of Paul Heyman, the former Pro-Football player turned into a psychotic heel, bullying everyone in his path and reciting dark poetry.
In one memorable segment, Heidenreich turned his attention to Michael Cole who had been a staple of the commentary team for quite some time. While he was commentating on Smackdown, alongside Tazz, the large frame of Heidenreich suddenly came out of the crowd and carried Cole away to the back.
In scenes that would land the WWE in very hot water today, it was insinuated that Heidenreich took advantage of the announcer in the men's toilets before reading him a poem whilst grabbing him by the throat.
The scene was difficult to watch but also showed how the WWE wasn't afraid to still push the limits of acceptability from time to time. As we now exist in a more PG age, it's no surprise that this segment isn't often referred to anymore.
#9 Lita and Trish main event RAW
Before the days of the Women's Revolution, where we are now used to seeing the female athletes placed in major positions on the card, the division existed for a long time on the shoulders of Lita and her long-term nemesis Trish Stratus.
Lita and Trish were not only worthy representatives of the women's division during the Attitude Era but also proved to be valuable assets for the company in general. The two were involved in several programmes, often involving each other and were eventually rewarded for their hard work and dedication by being allowed to main event an episode of RAW in 2004.
Lita had just come out of the aforementioned Kane/miscarriage angle and made her return to in-ring action by feuding with Stratus. Trish mocked Lita for weeks due to her weight, referring to her rival as 'chubby'. Lita managed to get herself disqualified during their match at Survivor Series due to how angry she was at Trish, leading to the history-making follow-up match.
On the December 6th edition of the show, the pair made history by becoming the first women ever to feature in the main event of the company's longest running episodic program, signalling to everybody just how well they had managed to represent women's wrestling in what was a very unfavourable time period.
Of course, today's fans do not tend to think twice about a 15-20 women's match closing out an episode of RAW or Smackdown anymore, but for all the opportunities women like Charlotte and Bayley receive, they ought to recognise the contributions made by the women that went before them, particularly Trish Stratus and Lita.
#10 Eddie and Benoit close out Wrestlemania as champions
For many different reasons, the year 2004 will always have a bittersweet feel to it as far as professional wrestling is concerned. Whether it was the realisation of having to leave behind our favourite wrestlers from the Attitude Era or the fact that the product overall was starting to go downhill, there weren't as many reasons to be excited about the WWE product anymore.
That being said, some of the PPVs from 2004 were not at all bad. In particular, Wrestlemania 20 managed to deliver in a way that made the event feel like the most important show of the year. The company might not have had The Rock, Austin or Hogan any longer, but they did deserve credit for using what they did have at their disposal.
Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit might not have been the most notorious, loud-mouthed megastars like the aforementioned trio, but they could sure put on a show for the people in attendance.
In a time when the WWE was overreliant on people like Triple H and Brock Lesnar, to see two individuals who the fans respected standing tall at the end of Wrestlemania 20 was a truly shocking and heartwarming experience for everybody.
After Eddie once again found a way to beat Kurt Angle and retain his title, and after Benoit overcame huge odds and defeated both Shawn Michaels and Triple H in the same match, the crowd were treated to one of the most memorable endings to a show in the company's history.
But here again, we have the bittersweet element coming into play. Sometimes it can be difficult being a wrestling fan when so many of your heroes lose their lives before their time. In 2004 Benoit and Guerrero were on top of the wrestling world, by 2007 both men were no longer with us.
The circumstances surrounding their deaths are now big talking points amongst wrestling fans, but when we look back to Mania 20 and the way the two were celebrated for how good they were at their work, the least we can do is stop and remember them in more positive lights.
