12. JBL Vs. Booker T – WWE Championship (2004)
There are no more outright disasters to talk about on this list, at least not on the level of the aforementioned bout. Next up is a technically fine WWE Championship match that didn’t really offend anyone watching, but one that few remembered just a few months later. JBL, in the midst of his long reign as WWE Champion, needed a new challenger after multiple battles with both Eddie Guerrero and The Undertaker. Booker T was the chosen one, quickly turning face after dropping the United States Championship to John Cena at the previous pay-per-view, No Mercy.
To be fair to JBL and Booker T, the powers that be decided – for whatever reason – that the build-up should revolve around Josh Matthews, of all people. JBL and The Cabinet bullied the SmackDown announcer during many backstage interviews until Booker stepped up to defend him.
Booker even teamed up with the former Tough Enough participant on an episode of SmackDown, scoring a somewhat surprising win over JBL and Orlando Jordan. At Survivor Series, JBL and Booker had a perfectly watchable match that lacked real energy, since everyone knew Matthews and The Cabinet would inevitably get involved. That’s exactly what happened, and Bradshaw retained the belt with outside interference for what felt like the 500th time.
- Match Rating: 4/10
