The 2007 Judgment Day was the ninth

Judgment Day The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...

(PPV)

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of ev ...

produced by

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

(WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw,

SmackDown! ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simul ...

, and ECW brand divisions. The event took place on May 20, 2007, at the

Scottrade Center The Enterprise Center is an 18,096-seat arena located in Downtown St. Louis, downtown St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Its primary tenant is the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League, but it is also used for other functions ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. This was the first Judgment Day event since

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

to feature multiple brands. The main match on the Raw brand, which was the card's main event, was

John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...

versus

The Great Khali Dalip Singh Rana (born 27 August 1972) is an Indian professional wrestler and wrestling promoter better known by his ring name The Great Khali. He is best known for his tenure in WWE where he became the first Indian-born WWE World Heavyw ...

for the

WWE Championship The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...

, which Cena won after forcing Khali to

submit ''Submit'' is an EP by the British band Pitchshifter, released on 23 March 1992 by Earache on LP, cassette and CD. French black metal band Blut aus Nord Blut Aus Nord (, ) is a French black metal band from Mondeville, Calvados, that ...

to the STFU. The featured match on the SmackDown! brand was

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...

versus

Batista Batista is a Spanish or Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player * Dave Bautista, American actor and professional wrestler, also known as Batista * Edina Alves Batis ...

for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Edge won via pinfall with a school boy pin. The primary match on the ECW brand was a

Handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

for the

ECW World Championship The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...

between Team McMahon (champion

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...

Shane McMahon Shane Brandon McMahon (; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he was a wrestler, producer and minority owner. He is the founder and executive chairman of Ide ...

, and Umaga) and

Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and bodybuilder. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is an eight-time world champion, having been a two-t ...

. Lashley won the match by pinning Shane McMahon; however, he did not win the title since he did not pin the champion, Vince McMahon.

Production

Background

was first held by

(WWE) as the 25th In Your House

(PPV) in October 1998. It then returned in May 2000 as its own event, establishing Judgment Day as the promotion's annual May PPV. The 2007 event was the ninth event in the Judgment Day chronology and was held on May 20 at the

. While the previous three years' events exclusively featured wrestlers from the

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

, the 2007 event featured wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brands, as following

WrestleMania 23 WrestleMania 23 was the 23rd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brand divisions. The even ...

in April, brand-exclusive pay-per-views were discontinued.

Storylines

The main

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

heading into Judgment Day on the Raw

was between

and

, with the two battling over the

. The rivalry started on the April 30, 2007, episode of ''Raw'' during a non-title match between John Cena and

Shawn Michaels Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. Widely regarded as one of ...

when Michaels was attacked from behind by The Great Khali.

and

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. He is widely regarded as one of the great ...

were also knocked out by Khali. The Great Khali then performed a Khali Bomb on Cena. The next week on ''Raw'', Khali defeated Michaels in a number one contenders match by knockout after executing the Khali Bomb on Michaels through the announce table. Later that night, Khali stole Cena's WWE title belt. On the May 14 episode of ''Raw'', when Cena attempted to take his belt back, Khali attacked him. The predominant feud on the

brand was between

and

, with the two feuding over the World Heavyweight Championship. The feud started on the May 11 episode of ''SmackDown!'' when Batista challenged

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majority ...

for the World Heavyweight Championship in a

steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. Both men escaped the steel cage at the same time, thus ending in a draw. After the match,

Mark Henry Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator/analyst, coach, and talent scout. He is bes ...

made his return and attacked Undertaker. Edge then defeated Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract, which is used to receive a title match of the owner's time and place of choosing. On the May 18 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Batista confronted Edge and challenged him to a match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Judgment Day. The primary feud on the ECW brand was between Team McMahon (

and Umaga) and

, with Vince and Lashley feuding over the

. Lashley had represented

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

in the "Battle of the Billionaires" and defeated Vince's representative Umaga, thus becoming a rival of the McMahons. The McMahons and Umaga defeated Lashley in a three-on-one

handicap match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

to allow Vince to win the ECW World Championship. Lashley demanded a rematch for the ECW World Championship, and Vince booked himself, Umaga and Shane in another three-on-one handicap rematch against Lashley for the ECW title.

Event

Before the broadcast began, Kane defeated

William Regal Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his ti ...

in a

dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...

Preliminary matches

The first televised match was between

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. Regarded by multiple peers and journalists as the greatest professional wrestler of all time, Flair has had a career spanni ...

and Carlito. Carlito controlled most of the match, as he attacked and applied various submissions on Flair's arm. After reversing a Back Stabber, Flair forced Carlito to submit with the

Figure-Four Leglock Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...

to win the match. The next match on the card was between

and Team McMahon (

ECW World Champion The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...

, and Umaga) for the ECW World Championship. Towards the end of the match, Lashley delivered a Dominator to Shane and pinned him for the win. Lashley was initially announced as the new ECW World Champion, but Vince declared that, since he had not been pinned, he was still the champion. Umaga then hit Lashley with a Samoan Spike. The third match was between CM Punk and

Elijah Burke Elijah Samuel Burke (born May 24, 1981) is an American professional wrestler also known under the ring names "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero and Da Pope. He currently wrestles for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) as "Da Pope" Elijah Burke, where he ...

. Throughout the match, the two exchanged many

aerial maneuvers Aerial may refer to: Music * ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush * ''Aerials'' (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down Bands * Aerial (Canadian band) * Aerial (Scottish band) * Aerial (Swedish band) Performance art *Aerial sil ...

. Punk won the match by pinning Burke after performing a GTS (Go To Sleep). The match between

and

followed. During an interview segment before the match, Orton attacked Michaels. Before the match began, Orton stood alone in the ring and declared himself the winner by forfeit. Michaels, however, appeared and came to the ring, although he showed signs of injury. Michaels came into the match with a legitimate knee injury. During the match, Orton tried to perform a

superplex A suplex is an offensive move used in sport wrestling as well as amateur wrestling and professional wrestling. It is a throw that involves lifting the opponents and bridging or rolling to slam them on their backs. Professional wrestling featur ...

over the top turnbuckle, but Michaels used an eye rake and caused Orton to fall. Michaels followed up with a diving elbow drop and tried to execute Sweet Chin Music, but collapsed in the process. The referee declared Orton the winner as a result. After the match, Orton attacked Michaels again, causing a

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe, as a noun, is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not staged. ...

career-threatening concussion. Next was

The Hardys The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of real-life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The team is currently inactive due to Jeff ...

( Matt and

Jeff Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes * ...

) versus

Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch were an American professional wrestling tag team most famous for the time they spent performing for World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand. The team debuted on the September 5, 2005 episode of '' Raw'' and in thei ...

for the

World Tag Team Championship The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championships in professional wrestling promotions. Nomenclature The name of the promotion is often preceded to the term "world tag team championship" as the ...

. Near the end of the match, Matt performed a Twist of Fate on Cade, which was followed by Jeff performing a Swanton Bomb. Jeff pinned Cade and The Hardys retained the World Tag Team Championship.

Main event matches

The next match was

versus

for the World Heavyweight Championship. Batista controlled most of the match and performed a

Spinebuster Professional wrestling throws are the application of professional wrestling techniques that involve lifting the opponent up and throwing or slamming them down. They are sometimes also called "power" maneuvers, as they are meant to emphasize a wrest ...

on Edge. Edge, however, pinned Batista with a schoolboy, retaining the title. The seventh match was a

Two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

for the

WWE United States Championship The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along with the ...

between champion

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestlin ...

and

Montel Vontavious Porter Hassan Hamin Assad (born Alvin Antonio Burke Jr.; October 28, 1973) is an American professional wrestler and manager currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name MVP (standing for Montel Vontavious Porter) a ...

(MVP). MVP gained the first pinfall by pinning Benoit after executing a Playmaker. MVP gained the second fall and won the match after pinning Benoit with an Inside Cradle. This would mark the last time that Benoit would ever compete in a pay-per-view match. Next was the

main event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

, which saw

defend the

against

. Khali attacked Cena early in the match, but Cena countered and gained the advantage. Cena performed a diving legdrop bulldog and followed it up by putting Khali in the STFU. Cena forced Khali to submit to the hold, but Khali's foot was under the rope, meaning Cena should have broken the hold. The referee, however, did not see this and declared Cena the winner. Cena retained the WWE Championship and gained possession of the belt, which Khali had kayfabe stolen prior to the event.

Aftermath

Bobby Lashley and Team McMahon continued their rivalry, as Mr. McMahon was forced to book himself against Lashley at

One Night Stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...

in a Street Fight for the ECW World Championship. Lashley won the right to face McMahon by winning a

Gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

with the stipulation that he would receive a title shot if he beat

Chris Masters Christopher Todd Mordetzky (born January 8, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) under the ring name Chris Adonis as a member of Strictly Business. He is a former two-time National Ch ...

Viscera In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a ...

, Umaga and Shane McMahon in succession. At One Night Stand, Lashley defeated Mr. McMahon in a Street Fight to win the ECW World Championship despite interference by Shane McMahon and Umaga. Edge and Batista also continued their rivalry over the World Heavyweight Championship after Batista defeated

, Kane and Finlay in a

Fatal Four-Way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

to become the number one contender to the title. On the June 1 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Batista verbally and physically confronted Edge on the SmackDown! debut of Edge's ''Cutting Edge'' talk show. At

, Edge and Batista faced each other in a

Steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

for the World Heavyweight Championship. Edge retained his title after escaping the steel cage first. Shawn Michaels did not appear on-screen until October 8, when he returned to confront Orton and restart their feud. On the May 28 episode of ''Raw'',

Rob Van Dam Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...

claimed on WWE's website that Randy Orton should not have attacked Shawn Michaels at Judgment Day. Orton challenged Van Dam to a match that same night, which Orton won by forfeit. At One Night Stand, the two had a Stretcher match, which Van Dam won. After the match, Van Dam was attacked by Orton. John Cena and The Great Khali also continued to feud over the WWE Championship. Following the controversial ending to their match at Judgment Day, where Cena forced Khali to submit while his foot was underneath the bottom rope, meaning Cena should have released the hold, Khali challenged Cena to a

Falls Count Anywhere match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

for One Night Stand. Cena accepted, and Khali attacked him, performing a

Chokebomb A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted (usually so that they are sitting on the wrestler's shoulders) and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a st ...

. At One Night Stand, Cena retained his title by pinning Khali after performing an FU off a crane. This was the last Judgment Day ever to be in 4:3 format until January 2008 when it went to high definition.

Results

References

External links

Official Judgment Day 2007 website
{{good article Events in St. Louis

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

2007 in Missouri Professional wrestling in St. Louis 2007 WWE pay-per-view events May 2007 events in the United States