The 2005 New Year's Revolution was the inaugural

New Year's Revolution WWE New Year's Revolution is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The event was created in 2005 and its name is a play on the Western tradition of New Year's resolutions, being ...

professional wrestling Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...

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 ...

(PPV) event produced by

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

(WWE). It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw brand division. It took place on January 9, 2005, at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

, and was WWE's first pay-per-view event held in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

and

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

—it was the only WWE pay-per-view event held in Puerto Rico until

Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), a comic book character from ...

on May 6, 2023. Tickets for this event sold out in less than a month, marking one of the fastest-selling events in the short history of the venue. 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 ...

was an

Elimination Chamber The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was created by Triple H, and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure which ...

match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship between

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (; born July 27, 1969), also known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive and former professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as its chief content officer. Levesque began his wres ...

Randy Orton Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He has been signed to WWE since 2000, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand. Orton is widely regarded as one of t ...

Batista Batista is a Spanish language, Spanish or Portuguese language, Portuguese surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Batista (footballer, born 1955), Brazilian football player João Batista da Silva * Dave Bautista, Batista (wrestler) (Dave ...

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 ...

Chris Jericho Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...

, and

Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit ( ; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career, but is notorious for Chris Benoit double-murd ...

. Triple H won the match and the championship after last eliminating Orton. One of the predominant matches on the

card Card or The Card may refer to: Common uses * Plastic cards of various types: **Bank card **Credit card **Debit card **Payment card * Playing card, used in games * Printed circuit board, or card * Greeting card, given on special occasions Arts an ...

was between Kane and

Gene Snitsky Eugene Alan Snisky (born January 14, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Gene Snitsky, who is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment. He played college football at the Universit ...

, which Kane won by pinfall after performing a Tombstone Piledriver. Another primary match on the card was Muhammad Hassan versus

Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Prior to joining the World Wrestling Federati ...

, which Hassan won by pinfall after executing a Reverse STO.

Production

Background

For

's (WWE) 2005

(PPV) calendar, they scheduled an event for January 9 titled New Year's Revolution, which was a play on the Western tradition of New Year's resolutions. They also scheduled it as a PPV produced exclusively for wrestlers of the Raw

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

. It took place at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in

and was the first pay-per-view produced by WWE to be held in

Storylines

On the December 13 episode of '' Raw'', Raw

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Eric Bischoff Eric Aaron Bischoff (born May 27, 1955) is an American television producer, Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Booker, professional wrestling booker, promoter, and performer. He is best known for serving as Executive Producer and later Sen ...

scheduled an

match between

and

for New Year's Revolution for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. On the December 27 episode of ''Raw'', all of the match's participants competed in singles matches, with the length of their match determining the entrance order at the Elimination Chamber match. If any of the participants lost their matches, the person who beat them would replace them in the Elimination Chamber match. All six participants won their matches, but Batista won his match in three minutes and two seconds, which turned out to be the shortest match length out of all participants. As a result, Batista earned the right to enter the Elimination Chamber match last. That same night, Bischoff made

Shawn Michaels Shawn Michaels (born Michael Shawn Hickenbottom on July 22, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development, Creative, and oversees the creative aspects of th ...

the special guest referee for the match. On the January 3 episode of ''Raw'', the six participants wrestled each other in three separate matches. In the first match, Batista pinned Benoit after a Batista Bomb. Next, Edge pinned Jericho to score the victory. In the final match, Orton pinned Triple H after delivering an RKO. During the last match, the other four Elimination Chamber participants interfered when the referee was knocked out. On the September 13 episode of ''Raw'', during a No Disqualification match between Kane and

, Snitsky accidentally pushed Kane on top of his on-screen wife Lita, who had interfered in the match. The match came to an immediate end as trainers and

Emergency medical technician An emergency medical technician (often, more simply, EMT) is a medical professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found serving on ambulances and in fire departments in the US and Canada, as full-time and som ...

s took Lita on a stretcher to an ambulance, as she needed medical attention. In the storyline Lita was pregnant and as a result of the accident she suffered a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...

. Despite Snitsky's protestations, that the miscarriage was not his fault, Kane attacked Snitsky, leading to a bloody brawl on the October 4 episode of ''Raw'', which led to a Weapon of Choice match between the two for Taboo Tuesday. The match was voted to be a

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

chain match, where the only weapon that could be used was a steel chain. Snitsky defeated Kane after locking a steel chair around Kane's neck, and jumping onto it from the top rope, causing Kane to bleed from the mouth. In the following weeks, Snitsky would mock Lita's miscarriage before and during matches, using a "No Babies" road sign and a baby carriage in a street fight against Eugene. On the December 27 episode of ''Raw'', Bischoff scheduled a match between Kane and Snitsky for New Year's Revolution. Lita also feuded with Trish Stratus over the

WWE Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defe ...

. On the October 25 episode of ''Raw'', Stratus approached Lita backstage and told her that she had gained weight from her pregnancy, which led to Lita attacking Stratus. That same night, a match was made between the two for the Women's Championship at

Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...

, in which Stratus defeated Lita by disqualification after Lita hit Stratus with a steel chair. On the November 22 episode of ''Raw'', Stratus defeated Lita and Molly Holly in a Triple Threat match to retain the title. After the match, Lita attacked Stratus and caused Stratus's nose to bleed. On the December 6 episode of ''Raw'', Lita defeated Stratus in the

to capture the Women's Championship after performing a moonsault. On the January 3 episode of ''Raw'', a rematch for the title was set for New Year's Revolution. The same night, Kane returned after weeks of inactivity to save Lita from being double-teamed by Snitsky and Trish Stratus.

Event

Preliminary matches

Before the event aired live on

, The Hurricane and Rosey defeated La Résistance (

Sylvain Grenier Sylvain Grenier (born March 26, 1977) is a Canadian retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). He is best known for his time wrestling for WWE between 2002 ...

and Robért Conway) 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 carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...

. The first match was between the team of Eugene and

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 signed to WWE, where he serves as the vice-president of Global Talent Development. He is also known for ...

and

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and Tyson Tomko for the

World Tag Team Championship In professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in predetermined rival ...

. Eugene executed a

dropkick A dropkick is an Professional wrestling strikes, attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as they ju ...

on Tomko to retain the title. In the next match, Trish Stratus faced Lita for the

. Lita suffered a legitimate injury after executing a Thesz Press off the apron on the floor, tearing her left ACL. Stratus executed a Chick Kick to win the title. In the third match, Shelton Benjamin faced

Maven MAVEN is a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars to study the loss of that planet's atmospheric gases to space, providing insight into the history of the planet's climate and water. The name is an acronym for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution" w ...

for the

WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, alo ...

. After Maven taunted the fans for speaking

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

outside the ring, Benjamin rolled-up Maven to retain the title. Immediately after the match, Maven demanded a re-match. Benjamin executed a T-Bone suplex on Maven to retain the title. In the next match, Muhammad Hassan (with Daivari) faced

(with

Jim Ross James William Ross (born January 3, 1952) is an American professional wrestling commentator, sports announcer, and podcaster, better known by the ring name Jim Ross (often shortened to JR). He is signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he ...

). Lawler attempted to pin Hassan but Daivari pulled Hassan's foot on the bottom rope, voiding the pinfall. Hassan executed a Reverse STO on Lawler to win the match. In the sixth match, Kane faced Snitsky. Kane executed a Tombstone piledriver on Snitsky to win the match.

Main event

The

was the

match between

and

(with

as the Special Guest Referee) for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship. Benoit and Jericho started in the match. Triple H entered at #3 and Edge entered after Triple H. Benoit attempted to apply the Crippler Crossface to Edge but Edge countered. Triple H executed a Pedigree on Jericho before Orton entered at #5. Edge inadvertently speared Michaels, leading to Michaels executing Sweet Chin Music on Edge and Jericho executing a Lionsault to eliminate Edge. Batista entered at #6. Batista executed a Spinebuster on Jericho onto Benoit and pinned Benoit to eliminate him. Batista executed a Batista Bomb on Jericho to eliminate him. Triple H countered an RKO from Orton by throwing him into Batista. Batista attempted a Batista Bomb to Orton but Orton countered with a low-blow to Batista, as there are no disqualifications in an Elimination Chamber match, and executed an RKO to eliminate Batista. As

Ric Flair Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Flair's career spanned 50 years. He is ...

distracted Michaels, Batista delivered a clothesline to Orton. Triple H executed a Pedigree on Orton to eliminate Orton and win the title.

Aftermath

The night after New Year's Revolution on ''Raw'',

faced

in a match for the position as number one contender for

's World Heavyweight Championship. Orton won the match and the right to face

at the

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...

, whereas Batista would participate in and win the

Royal Rumble match The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic battle royal match in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the ...

. At the same event, Triple H defeated Orton to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. At

WrestleMania 21 WrestleMania 21, also promoted as WrestleMania Goes Hollywood, was a 2005 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 21st annual WrestleMania and took place on April 3, 2005, at ...

, Batista defeated Triple H to capture the title. The feud between Kane and

continued on the January 17 episode of ''Raw''. The two competed in a No Holds barred match, which ended after Kane

chokeslam A chokeslam is a type of body slam in professional wrestling, in which a wrestler grasps an opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerf ...

ed Snitsky off of the stage. On January 31, Kane defeated Snitsky in a

steel cage Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high elastic modulus, yield strength, fracture strength and low raw material cost, steel is one of the m ...

match after delivering a chokeslam off the cage's door. The feud between Trish Stratus and Lita ended after the event, as Lita suffered a

legit Legit, a slang abbreviation of the word '' legitimate'', may refer to: * Legit (professional wrestling) * ''Legit'' (2006 TV series), a Scottish sitcom * ''Legit'' (2013 TV series), created by comedian Jim Jefferies * Legit.ng, a Nigerian digi ...

injury. On the January 17 episode of ''Raw'', however, Stratus mocked Lita's injury, but was chokeslammed by Kane.

was dissatisfied with

's officiating during the

match and defeated Michaels in a singles match at the Royal Rumble. At a house show in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Eugene (who was replaced by

Jonathan Coachman Jonathan William Coachman (born August 12, 1973), also known as "The Coach", is an American sports analyst and former professional wrestling personality. Early life Before embarking on an announcing career in professional wrestling, Coachman w ...

after he suffered a

ruptured left

patella The patella (: patellae or patellas), also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in m ...

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue, dense fibrous connective tissue that connects skeletal muscle, muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tensi ...

in their match at New Year's Revolution) and

lost the

s to La Résistance ( Rob Conway and

). La Résistance lost the titles back to William Regal and his new partner, Tajiri, on the February 7 episode of ''Raw''.

became an annual event for the promotion's Raw brand, with a second event held in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. It would be a short-lived PPV, however, as the 2007 event was the final New Year's Revolution produced, as WWE reduced the number of PPVs per year after they had discontinued brand-exclusive PPVs following

WrestleMania 23 WrestleMania 23 was a 2007 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 23rd annual WrestleMania and took place on April 1, 2007, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, held for wrestle ...

in April 2007. While not part of the New Year's Revolution chronology, WWE reintroduced a New Year's-themed event, which was held on January 1, 2022, called Day 1. Unlike New Year's Revolution, Day 1 took place on

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

itself. The 2005 New Year's Revolution would also be the only WWE pay-per-view event held in Puerto Rico until

in May 2023.

Results

Elimination Chamber entrances and eliminations

References

External links

WWE New Year's Revolution 2005 at ProFightDB.comWWE New Year's Revolution 2005 at Cagematch.net
{{WWEPPV, New Year's Revolution 2005 WWE pay-per-view events

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

2005 in Puerto Rico Events in San Juan, Puerto Rico January 2005 in North America Professional wrestling in Puerto Rico Holidays themed professional wrestling shows WWE Raw 2000s in San Juan, Puerto Rico