WWE Gold Rush Tournament (Raw) – 2005

May 2 – 16, 2005

– Quarter-Finals

Held 5/2/05 at the FleetCenter in Boston, MA. – Kane (w/ Lita) pinned Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko) at 4:43 with the chokeslam after Christian collided with Tomko on the ring apron; after the bout, Christian went backstage while Tomko attempted to attack Kane but eventually sustained the chokeslam for his troubles – Chris Benoit defeated Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) via submission with the Sharpshooter at 13:28 as Batista taunted Triple H from the floor; moments earlier, Benoit was double teamed in the ring by Triple H and Flair until Batsita made the save and laid out both men, eventually hitting the spinebuster on Triple H – Shawn Michaels pinned WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin in a non-title match at 14:44 after hitting the superkick as Benjamin attempted a springboard clothesline into the ring (The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary, Wrestling’s Highest Flyers) – Edge pinned Chris Jericho with the spear at 8:11, moments after hitting Jericho with the briefcase and following with a missile dropkick

– Semi-Finals

Held 5/9/05 at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA. – Kane (w/ Lita) pinned Chris Benoit with a blow from behind and the chokeslam at 9:20; moments prior to the finish, Benoit sustained a clothesline from behind on the floor as he attempted to help an injured Lita to her feet – Edge pinned Shawn Michaels at around the 12-minute mark after hitting Michaels in the face with the briefcase as Michaels attempted a sunset flip into the ring (the bout began during the commercial break)

– Finals

Held 5/16/05 at the Qwest Center in Omaha, NE. – Edge pinned Kane (w/ Lita) at 14:22 by hitting him in the face with the briefcase as Kane came off the top, moments after Lita slid the briefcase into the ring for Edge to use; after the bout, Edge and Lita embraced and kissed on the stage as Kane looked on from inside the ring; due to pre-match stipulations, Edge earned a world title shot for the following week