The 2008 No Mercy was the 11th No Mercy

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 o ...

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 e ...

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 va ...

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

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

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 sim ...

, and

ECW ECW may refer to: Professional wrestling * Extreme Championship Wrestling (originally Eastern Championship Wrestling), a professional wrestling promotion that operated from 1992 to 2001 * The Alliance (professional wrestling) (originally the WCW/E ...

brand divisions. The event took place on October 5, 2008, at the

Rose Garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Most often it is a section of a larger garden. Designs vary tremendously and roses m ...

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. It is one of only two WWE pay-per-view events to be held in the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, the other being Unforgiven in 2004. No Mercy was replaced by

Hell in a Cell Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fen ...

in 2009; however, after eight years, No Mercy was reinstated in 2016. Eight

professional wrestling matches 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 ...

were scheduled on the event's

card Card or The Card may refer to: * Various types of plastic cards: **By type ***Magnetic stripe card *** Chip card *** Digital card **By function ***Payment card ****Credit card **** Debit card ****EC-card ****Identity card ****European Health Insur ...

, which featured a

supercard 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 ...

, a scheduling of more than one

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 ...

. The first featured wrestlers from the Raw brand, in which defending

World Heavyweight Champion At boxing's beginning, the heavyweight division had no weight limit, and historically the weight class has gone with vague or no definition. During the 19th century many heavyweights were 170 pounds (12 st 2 lb, 77 kg) or less, tho ...

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jerich ...

defeated Shawn Michaels in a ladder match. The other main event featured wrestlers from the SmackDown brand, in which defending

WWE Champion 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 SmackDow ...

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...

defeated challenger

Jeff Hardy Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...

in a standard wrestling match. Three featured bouts were scheduled on the

undercard 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 ...

. In a standard wrestling match between wrestlers from the Raw brand,

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 ...

defeated

John "Bradshaw" Layfield John Charles Layfield (born November 29, 1966), better known by the ring name John "Bradshaw" Layfield (abbreviated to JBL), is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on ...

(JBL) to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. The second was a standard match between wrestlers from the SmackDown brand in which the

Big Show Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...

defeated

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 majorit ...

. The third was the predominant match from the ECW brand, a standard match for the

ECW 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 ...

, in which the champion

Matt Hardy Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE. With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...

defeated

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 b ...

. The event had an approximate attendance of 10,000. When the event was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

, it reached a peak position of second on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

s Recreational Sports DVD Sales Chart. The event received 261,000 pay-per-view buys, less than the previous year's event. It was also the first No Mercy PPV broadcast in high definition.

Production

Background

No Mercy was first held by

(WWE) as a United Kingdom-exclusive

(PPV) in May 1999. A second No Mercy was then held later that same year in October, but in the United States, which established No Mercy as the annual October PPV for the promotion. The 2008 event was the 11th event under the No Mercy chronology and was held on October 5 at the

. It featured wrestlers from the

, and

brands 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 ...

Storylines

The event featured eight

with outcomes predetermined by WWE script writers. The matches featured wrestlers portraying their

characters Character or Characters may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''Character'' (novel), a 1936 Dutch novel by Ferdinand Bordewijk * ''Characters'' (Theophrastus), a classical Greek set of character sketches attributed to The ...

in planned storylines that took place before, during and after the event. All wrestlers were from one of the WWE's three brands – Raw, SmackDown, and ECW – the three storyline divisions in which WWE assigned its employees. Wrestlers from Raw were featured in the

at No Mercy: a ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship, in which the title belt was suspended above the ring and the first man to climb the ladder and retrieve the belt would win. The match was contested between World Heavyweight Champion

and Shawn Michaels. At

Unforgiven ''Unforgiven'' is a 1992 American Revisionist Western film starring, directed, and produced by Clint Eastwood, and written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging outlaw and killer who takes on one more job, ...

, Jericho replaced then World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk in a Championship Scramble match, a 20-minute time limit bout, during which participants can become the temporary champion via

pinfall In wrestling, a pin is achieved by holding an opponent's shoulders to the mat for a three count. Pinfall is the term used in professional wrestling which is a way to win the match for that person or team. Background A pinfall is a victory condi ...

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

. Punk had, earlier in the night, been attacked by Randy Orton, and could not compete, leading to Jericho being his replacement and winning the World Heavyweight Championship. On the September 15 episode of Raw, it was announced that Shawn Michaels would wrestle Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship at No Mercy in a ladder match. The leading

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

on SmackDown was between

and

over 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' ...

. It was announced on the September 12, 2008 episode of ''SmackDown'' that there would be a Fatal-Four Way match, a standard wrestling match involving four competitors. The winner of the match would challenge Triple H for the WWE Championship at No Mercy. The

Brian Kendrick Brian David Kendrick (born May 29, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE. Kendrick is also known for his appearances with Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), New Japan Pro-Wrest ...

Shelton Benjamin Shelton James Benjamin (born July 9, 1975) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under his real name. He is also known for his work in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and Pro Wres ...

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), and Jeff Hardy were the four participants in the match, which Hardy won. It was also announced that

would face

(JBL) to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. During the September 17, 2008 episode of ''

'', it was announced that

would defend the

against

. It was announced on the September 22, 2008 episode of ''Raw'' that Kane would receive a singles match against

Rey Mysterio Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest prof ...

. On the following week on an episode of ''Raw'', an extra stipulation was added, in which if Kane won at No Mercy, Mysterio would be forced to unmask after the match. It was also announced that The Big Show and

would have a match, following the events that occurred at

Event

Dark match

Prior to the pay-per-view, The Colóns ( Carlito and Primo) defeated John Morrison and The Miz in a dark match.

Main card

The first televised match was for the

, featuring the champion

versus

, who was accompanied by his

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Tony Atlas Anthony White (born April 23, 1954) better known by his ring name Tony Atlas is an American bodybuilder, powerlifter, and professional wrestler who has held multiple titles and championships in each sport. He is also known by his bodybuilding t ...

. During the start of the match, Henry overpowered Matt Hardy with attacks. Hardy tried to lock in a

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 ...

, only to be pushed face first onto the second turnbuckle by Henry. Henry then gained control over Hardy. During the match, Henry was able to lock in the

bearhug In wrestling, a bear hug, also known as a bodylock, is a grappling clinch hold and stand-up grappling position where the arms are wrapped around the opponent, either around the opponent's chest, midsection, or thighs, sometimes with one or bot ...

, but Hardy countered into a sunset flip. Hardy was able to execute the ''

Side Effect In medicine, a side effect is an effect, whether therapeutic or adverse, that is secondary to the one intended; although the term is predominantly employed to describe adverse effects, it can also apply to beneficial, but unintended, consequence ...

'' and went for the '' Twist of Fate'', only to be dropped chest first onto the mat. The end of the match involved Henry going for the '' World's Strongest Slam'', only to have Hardy counter it with another ''Twist of Fate'' for the win. After that,

Beth Phoenix Elizabeth Copeland ( Kociański; born November 24, 1980), known professionally as Beth Phoenix, is an American professional wrestler. She is a former WWE Divas Champion and a three-time WWE Women's Champion. Kociański had a successful amateur ...

faced

Candice Michelle Candice Michelle Beckman (born September 30, 1978), better known as Candice Michelle, is an American retired professional wrestler, model and actress, best known for her time with WWE. After spending years modeling and acting, Candice Michell ...

for the

WWE Women's Championship WWE (formerly the WWF, WWWF, and its predecessor, Capitol Wrestling) has maintained several women's professional wrestling championships since acquiring The Fabulous Moolah's NWA World Women's Championship in 1984. Whenever brand division has be ...

. At one point,

Santino Marella Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1974) is a Canadian judoka and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is known for his 11-year tenure with WWE where he wrestled under the ring name Santino Marella. He is the founder of and instructor at Battle Ar ...

pulled Phoenix out of the ring while Candice went for the pin. However, the distraction allowed Phoenix to get the advantage over Candice. The end of the match involved Candice going for the '' Candywrapper'', only to have Phoenix counter it into a ''

Glam Slam "Glam Slam" is a song by American musician Prince, and the second single from his 1988 album, ''Lovesexy''. The song has sexual overtones with a spiritual undertone and fits the ''Lovesexy'' theme of integrating God and sex. The song is complex mu ...

'' to pin Candice for the win. Next,

wrestled Kane with the stipulation that if Mysterio lost he would have to unmask. During the start of the match Mysterio went for a running attack only to be big booted by Kane. Kane tried to rip Mysterio's mask off only for Mysterio to roll out of the ring. A spot in the match was Mysterio going for a diving hurracanrana only to be caught by Kane who went for a powerbomb, only to be headscissored over the top rope. The end of the match was Mysterio looking to dive to the outside onto Kane, but Kane attacking him with a chair shot in mid-air caused a disqualification. Mysterio's victory allowed him to keep his mask. The fourth match was a #1 contender's match between

and

(JBL). Batista performed a powerslam before attempting a spear, but JBL blocked with a big boot. On a second try moments later, Batista executed the

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 ...

and ended it with the '' Batista Bomb'' to win. The first one of three upper card matches was a singles match between

and

. Big Show was able to remove a turnbuckle pad, then slammed The Undertaker's head into it. Big Show then executed a punch to the face on The Undertaker, followed by one to the back of the head that knocked The Undertaker out and forced the referee to stop the match, making Big Show the winner by knockout. Next,

defended the title against

. Hardy tried on several attempts to executing the ''Twist of Fate'', and eventually performed it after countering a '' Pedigree''. Hardy then went up top and executed the '' Swanton Bomb'' and slowly crawled and laid on top of Triple H. At the two count, Triple H rolled him over into a crucifix pin and got the win.

Main event match

The main event match was a ladder match for the World Heavyweight Championship between defending champion

and Shawn Michaels. Michaels looked to land an early '' Sweet Chin Music'', but Jericho brought the fight to the floor and slammed Michaels' taped left arm and shoulder into the ring post, before locking in the '' Walls of Jericho''. Jericho was then able to bring the ladder into play and used it to whip Michaels. He grabbed a second smaller ladder and propped it in the corner, but Michaels ultimately sent Jericho into the ladder. Later, Jericho performed a '' Lionsault'' onto a ladder that was on top of Michaels. At one point,

Lance Cade Lance Kurtis McNaught (March 2, 1981 – August 13, 2010) was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where he performed under the ring names Garrison Cade and Lance Cade. After be ...

ran out to stop Michaels from climbing the ladder. Michaels and Jericho climbed the ladder and both of them grabbed a side of the belt, tugging back and forth. Jericho performed a headbutt that threw Michaels to the floor. Jericho retrieved the belt, thus retaining his title.

Reception

The event was generally well received by critics.

Dave Meltzer David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON''). He has als ...

of the ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...

'' awarded, out of five stars, four stars to the Triple H-Jeff Hardy match, and four and a half stars to the Jericho-Michaels main event. The latter received the award for Match of the Year. When the event was released on

, it reached a peak position of second on ''

s Recreational Sports DVD Sales Chart.

Aftermath

The feud between Triple H and Jeff Hardy continued to

Cyber Sunday WWE Cyber Sunday (originally known as WWE Taboo Tuesday) was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Established in 2004, ...

. After a fan vote made Hardy the number one contender, Triple H retained the WWE Championship against him at Cyber Sunday. Hardy remained in the title picture, and eventually won the championship at

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

. The Undertaker and Big Show feud continued to Cyber Sunday and

Survivor Series Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...

. At Cyber Sunday, The Undertaker defeated Big Show in a

Last Man Standing 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 ...

; the stipulation had been chosen by the fans. At Survivor Series, Undertaker defeated Big Show in a casket match. Batista faced Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship at Cyber Sunday with the fans voting for

Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...

as the special guest referee in the match. Eight days later at the 800th episode of ''Raw'', Jericho regained the title after defeating Batista in a Steel Cage match. In 2009, No Mercy was replaced by WWE Hell in a Cell (2009), Hell in a Cell as the annual October PPV; however, after eight years, No Mercy was reinstated in 2016 as a SmackDown-exclusive PPV and it and that year's Hell in a Cell (2016), Hell in a Cell, which was Raw-exclusive, were both held in October that year. During this time in April 2011, the promotion ceased using its full name with "WWE" becoming an orphaned initialism.

Results

References

External links

Official No Mercy website
{{Sporting events in Portland, Oregon 2008 in Oregon Professional wrestling in Oregon Events in Portland, Oregon WWE No Mercy, 2008 2008 WWE pay-per-view events