page_title: Armageddon (2006)
section_title: Preliminary matches
hierarchical_section_title: Armageddon (2006) / Event / Preliminary matches
caption_attribution_description: photo of MVP's Entrance
context_page_description: Armageddon (2006) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. It took place on December 17, 2006, at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. The event starred wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand.
  The main event was a tag team match, in which the team of Batista and John Cena defeated the team of King Booker and Finlay. Two featured bouts were scheduled on the undercard, including The Undertaker versus Mr. Kennedy, in a match where the objective was to place an opponent in a hearse located on the entrance stage and drive them out of the arena, which Undertaker won. The other match was an Inferno match featuring wrestlers attempting to set the opponent on fire with flames surrounding the ring. Kane defeated Montel Vontavious Porter.
  The event grossed over $423,500 in ticket sales from an attendance of 8,200. Canadian Online Explorer's professional wrestling section rated the WWE Tag Team Championship match a nine out of ten stars, the highest match rating. The event was released on DVD on January 16, 2007 by Sony Music Entertainment.
context_section_description: The first match to air live was between Kane and MVP in an Inferno match. The only way to win an Inferno match is by throwing one's opponent into a fire that surrounds the ring on all four sides. This match was the first time that the Inferno match had been used on pay-per-view in more than seven years. At the start of the match, MVP attempted to leave the ring, but was unable to as the flames surrounding the ring prevented him. Kane kicked MVP in the head and threw him into the ring corner. MVP escaped the ring and was unable to go past the fire, so he returned to the ring and was continuously knocked down by Kane. The finish of the match saw Kane grab MVP and force him backwards into the fire. MVP's costume caught on fire as he ran to the entrance ramp. MVP fell to the floor as WWE workers put out the flames with fire extinguishers.
  The following match featured Paul London and Brian Kendrick, William Regal and Dave Taylor, MNM (Joey Mercury, and Johnny Nitro), and The Hardys (Matt and Intercontinental Champion Jeff) in a four-team ladder match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. In this match, the only way to win and capture the titles was by climbing a ladder and releasing the championship belts that were suspended above the ring. Towards the end of the match, while MNM and The Hardys were out of the ring, Regal and Taylor attempted to climb the ladder, but Kendrick managed to knock the pair off. Kendrick fought off Regal and Taylor as London climbed the ladder and captured the titles to win the match for his team and retain the championships. During the match, Mercury suffered a legitimate nose injury after being hit by a ladder.
  I happened to be looking up, so it hit me in the throat. But Mercury was looking straight at it and it hit him square in the nose and the orbital bone. It really could have been any one of us. I was just lucky that the ladder hit him first.
  — Johnny Nitro, 
  I'll always remember [the match] for what we did to Joey Mercury's face. After the seesaw, I remember hearing him yell, "I'm bleeding," and it was like someone went to a sink and turned the faucet on. It was gruesome.
  — Matt Hardy, 
  The third match was a standard wrestling match between The Boogeyman and The Miz. The Boogeyman controlled the majority of the match and eventually won by pinfall after a Falling Chokebomb.
  The next match featured Chris Benoit defending the United States Championship against Chavo Guerrero (accompanied by Vickie Guerrero). Before the bell rang to start the match, Chavo tried to attack Benoit, but as the match began, Benoit retaliated by delivering a clothesline. Benoit and Guerrero wrestled inconclusively until Benoit covered Chavo to try to pin him. Chavo managed to place his foot on top of the bottom rope, which forced Benoit to break the pin per official wrestling match rules. While Guerrero was lying on his stomach, Benoit applied the Sharpshooter, and made Chavo submit to retain the championship.
  The fifth match was the encounter of Gregory Helms and Jimmy Wang Yang for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Helms performed a swinging neckbreaker on Yang. Yang retaliated, but Helms quickly moved back into the power position and pinned Yang to retain the championship.
caption: Montel Vontavious Porter, who faced Kane in an Inferno match
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