Judgment Day 2008 Judgment Day 2008 was a professional wrestling pay - per - view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) and sponsored by Lionsgate ' s " Rambo " , which took place on May 18 , 2008 at the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha , Nebraska . It was the tenth annual Judgment Day event and starred wrestlers from the Raw , SmackDown , and ECW brands . The show ' s seven matches showcased prominent WWE wrestlers , who acted out the franchise ' s stories in and out of the ring . The main event featured Raw wrestlers in a Steel Cage match , a match where the ring surrounded by four walls of mesh metal . In this match , WWE Champion Triple H defeated Randy Orton to retain his title . In SmackDown ' s main match , The Undertaker defeated Edge by countout , but did not win the vacant World Heavyweight Championship because in WWE , a championship cannot change hands via countout or disqualification . While in ECW ' s prime match , WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz defeated Kane and CM Punk to retain the titles . From the six scheduled bouts on the undercard , two received less promotion than the others ; these bouts included in two respective singles matches , Shawn Michaels defeating Chris Jericho and John Cena defeating John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) . Judgment Day received 252 , 000 pay - per - view buys , and was instrumental in helping WWE increase its pay - per - view revenue by $ 21 . 9 million compared to the previous year . The professional wrestling section of the Canadian Online Explorer website rated the entire event 6 out of 10 , higher than the 2007 event , which was marked " as an average show " . Background . Judgment Day provided the culmination of various scripted plots and storylines . A month before the event , several professional wrestling matches and scripted plots were played out on WWE programming ( " Raw " , " Friday Night SmackDown ! " , and " ECW on Sci Fi " ) to create feuds between various wrestlers , casting them as villains and heroes . Raw , SmackDown , and ECW were also the names of WWE ' s televised brands – a storyline division in which WWE assigned its employees to a specific program , thus each brand promoted distinct matches . The main event scripted into Judgment Day on the Raw brand featured WWE Champion Triple H defending the title against Randy Orton in a match where the ring was surrounded by walls of steel , dubbed as a Steel cage match . The buildup to the match began after Backlash , WWE ' s previous pay - per - view event , where Triple H last eliminated Orton in a Fatal Four - Way Elimination match , also involving John Cena and John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) , to win the WWE Championship . The following night on an episode of " Raw " , one of WWE ' s primary television programs , authority figure William Regal , a portrayed match maker and rules enforcer , stopped a title match between Orton and Triple H , and booked the two in a Steel cage match at Judgment Day for the WWE Championship . One of the featured preliminary matches on the SmackDown brand was between The Undertaker versus Edge for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship . At Backlash , the Undertaker defeated Edge to retain the title by forcing him to submit to the gogoplata , a chokehold move that causes opponents to spit blood ( scripted ) from their mouths . On the May 2 episode of " SmackDown " , authority figure Vickie Guerrero stripped the title from the Undertaker , after claiming the gogoplata was an illegal submission hold and she did it to protect the other wrestlers . The following week , Guerrero booked Undertaker in a match for the vacant title at Judgment Day against Edge , who last eliminated Batista in a battle royal , an elimination style match where the last person in the ring is the winner , to become the number one contender . Another featured preliminary match involved Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho in a singles match . At Backlash , Michaels defeated Batista ( with Jericho as the special guest referee ) in an Interpromotional match . During the match , Michaels countered a Batista Bomb attempt , a powerbomb move in which the wrestler drops into a sitting position as they slam their opponent down to the mat , and appeared to have legitimately injured his left knee . On the April 28 episode of " Raw " , Jericho claimed that Michaels faked his knee injury to allow him to defeat Batista at Backlash , a claim that Michaels denied . The following week , it was announced that Jericho would face Michaels in a singles match at Judgment Day . On the May 12 episode of " Raw " , Jericho offered his apologies to Michaels for accusing him of feigning an injury , as well as giving Michaels the opportunity to back out of their match . Michaels revealed that he did indeed fake his knee injury . Four days later , on the May 16 episode of " SmackDown " , Batista commented that he would hurt Michaels , scripted into the storyline , for faking his injury . One more rivalry from the Raw brand was between John Cena and JBL . In the Fatal Four - Way Elimination match at Backlash , Cena eliminated JBL by making him submit to the STFU , a move in which the wrestler wraps his arm around the neck of the opponent in a sleeper hold instead of pulling back on the head of the opponent . On the April 28 episode of " Raw " , JBL challenged Cena to a singles match at Judgment Day , which was made official on WWE ' s website . The Divas rivalry was between Mickie James , Beth Phoenix , and Melina over James ' WWE Women ' s Championship . It was on the April 14 edition of " Raw " that James defeated Phoenix to win her fourth Women ' s Championship . Phoenix received her title rematch on the May 5 edition of " Raw " , but she was defeated by James . During the match , the evil Melina attempted to strike James with her boot , but she inadvertedly struck Phoenix , which caused the loss . The following week on " Raw " , Phoenix and Melina were defeated by James and Maria after Phoenix abandoned Melina due to being accidentally knocked off the ring apron by her partner . Melina would turn face after the match due to being attacked by Phoenix in a backstage segment . Event . Before Judgment Day aired live on pay - per - view , Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes defeated Santino Marella and Carlito in a dark match to retain the World Tag Team Championship . Preliminary matches . The first televised match was between John Cena and John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) . JBL dominated most of the match , as he began to work on Cena ' s surgically - repaired right pectoral muscle . Mid - way in the match , it saw Cena try to lift JBL from the mat into the air for a powerbomb , a move in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back - first down to the mat , but Cena collapsed and could not execute the move . JBL controlled most of the match , as Cena tried to avoid JBL ' s assaults . JBL also applied numerous submission maneuvers on Cena . JBL performed the Clothesline from Hell on Cena . JBL went for another Clothesline from Hell , Cena avoided the move and lifted JBL onto his shoulders and slammed him down to the mat , a finishing move Cena calls the FU , to get the pinfall victory over JBL . The next match was for the WWE Tag Team Championship , in which the champions , John Morrison and The Miz , defended the title against Kane and CM Punk . The match began with Kane and Punk in control for the majority of the match . Back and forth action took place between both teams . Punk was tagged in the match , which led to him performing a high knee on Morrison , as well as performing a bulldog . Outside the ring , Kane chokeslam med the Miz , causing Punk to get distracted . Morrison took the advantage as he was able to perform the Moonlight Drive and pin Punk to retain the tag title . The match that followed was between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho . The start of the match saw Michaels and Jericho exchange several near - falls attempts before Michaels applied a modified figure four leglock , which Jericho broke free . Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho , a submission hold that typically starts with the opponent laying supine on the mat , with the wrestler standing and facing them , though Michaels grabbed the bottom rope , causing Jericho to break the hold . Jericho attempted to perform the submission move once more , but Michaels caught Jericho and countered it into a straddle pin to take the win . After the match , both men shook hands . The fourth match was a standard match involving three wrestlers , dubbed as a triple threat match , for the WWE Women ' s Championship , in which Mickie James defended the title against Beth Phoenix and Melina . The match began with James attempting a roll - up on Melina for a near - fall , though Phoenix performed a clothesline on James . Mid - way in the match , James performed a splash , from the top rope , on Phoenix for a near - fall . A spot in the match saw Phoenix try to perform a backbreaker , in which she placed both James and Melina on top of her shoulders , though Phoenix did not execute the move , as Melina managed to break free from the hold and throw Phoenix out of the ring . The match concluded when James performed the Mickie – DT on Melina , thus winning the match and retaining her title . Main event matches . The next match was for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship between The Undertaker and Edge . The match went in and out of the ring early on , with both competitors throwing each other out of the ring . The Undertaker instinctively tried to apply the triangle choke hold on Edge , but the referee made him break the hold . Edge then tried to do one of the Undertaker ' s moves , Old school , but the Undertaker counter the move . Mid - way in the match , Edge ' s associates , Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder , distracted the Undertaker after performing an Old school on Edge . This distraction led Edge to remove the top turnbuckle padding . Back and forth action was seen between the two individuals . As the top turnbuckle was exposed , the Undertaker threw Edge face first onto the top turnbuckle . As the Undertaker ran off the ropes , Edge caught him with a shoulder block takedown for a close two count . Afterwards , the Undertaker clotheslined Edge to the outside of the ring , then he rolled to the floor to follow . Undertaker took Edge over the guardrail to the front row with a clothesline while the referee began the 10 count . Both men struggled back to the floor before the Undertaker grabbed Edge into the guardrail at the eight count . He then rolled into the ring and beat the 10 count to win the match by countout and the belt . Though , authority figure Vickie Guerrero said that a title could not change hands via countout , therefore the title was still vacant . The Undertaker responded by lifting Edge upside down and dropping his head down to the mat , a move called the Tombstone piledriver . The sixth match was between Montel Vontavious Porter ( MVP ) and Jeff Hardy . MVP quickly beat down Hardy and dominated early in the match . Hardy tried to come back with a mule kick from the corner , but MVP moved out of the way , leading Hardy to crash the mat face first . MVP controlled most of the match , until Hardy finally had some offense with a double foot kick in the corner . With the upper hand , Hardy performed a Swanton bomb on MVP , but MVP moved out of the way . MVP tried to perform a running big boot , but Hardy countered into a drop toe hold . The match ended with Hardy winning the match , after performing the Whisper in the Wind , a move performed by executing a backflip from the top turnbuckle , then spinning 180° , landing on a fallen opponent back - first . The main event was the Steel cage match for the WWE Championship , in which Triple H defended the title against Randy Orton . During the beginning of the match , Triple H gained the advantage over Orton , as he lifted his knee and hit Orton in the mouth , thus Orton coming up bleeding from the mouth . Orton came back with a kick to the gut before starting his prolonged attack and bolting for the cage door to be open , but Triple H prevented him from escaping . Triple H took control as he took out Orton ' s knee with a chop block , a shoulder block that targets the back of an opponent ' s knee , and applied on a figure four leglock . After Orton broke the hold , he crawled across to the cage door to escape , but Triple H grabbed him back inside . But , on the way back in , Orton managed to grab a steel chair that was on the ring floor . Orton tried to hit Triple H with the chair , but Triple H managed to avoid being hit . Triple H grabbed the chair to hit Orton with it , but Orton hit him in the groaning area . Orton followed this with a chair shot to Triple H ' s back and performed a DDT , a move in which the wrestler falls down or backwards to drive a held opponent ' s head into the mat . Throughout the match , Orton tried escaping from the cage , but was not in successful in doing so , as Triple H dragged him back in each time . The match came to an end when Orton tried to hit a running punt on Triple H ' s head , however , Triple H grabbed the chair and hit Orton face first . Triple H followed up by tucking Orton ' s head between his knees and jumping up to slam his head to the mat , a move that Triple H calls the Pedigree . Triple H covered Orton for the pinfall victory , and thus retaining his title . Aftermath . The next night on " Raw " , William Regal announced that the episode ' s main event would be a tag team match pitting Triple H and John Cena against Randy Orton and JBL , in which if Orton and JBL were to win , Regal stated that they could choose any kind of extreme singles rematches against Triple H and Cena at WWE ' s next pay - per - view event , One Night Stand , and creating the same stipulation that if Triple H and Cena were to win , they would face each other for the WWE Championship in an extreme match of Regal ' s choosing . Orton and JBL won the match . Orton chose a match in which the wrestler who was unable to respond to a ten count by the referee would lose , against Triple H . JBL picked a First Blood match , in which to win a wrestler has to make his opponent bleed , against Cena . At One Night Stand , both men lost in their rematches . During the event , Orton legitimately broke his collarbone in his match with Triple H . The storyline between Shawn Michaels and Batista continued , as Batista defeated Chris Jericho to earn the right to face Michaels in a Stretcher match , a match where the objective is to place the opponent on a stretcher at ringside and move it across a line located on the entrance ramp , at One Night Stand . At the event , Batista defeated Michaels in the match , thus ending their rivalry . At One Night Stand , The Big Show defeated CM Punk , Chavo Guerrero , Tommy Dreamer and John Morrison in a five - man Singapore Cane match to earn an ECW Championship match against Kane at Night of Champions . During the supplemental draft , a mock sports draft lottery in which wrestlers switched programs , Mark Henry was drafted to the ECW brand . It was announced on WWE ' s official website that Henry would be added to the title match , making it a Triple Threat match . At Night of Champions , Henry defeated Kane and Big Show to win the ECW Championship . Henry , however , was booked to lose the title to Matt Hardy at Unforgiven in September . The Undertaker and Edge continued their feud over the next several weeks . Though , a predicament insured on the May 23 episode of " SmackDown " , when Vickie Guerrero announced that The Undertaker would face Edge once more for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship in a Tables , Ladders , and Chairs match ( TLC ) at One Night Stand with the stipulation that if The Undertaker were to lose , he would be forced to leave the WWE . At the June event , Edge defeated The Undertaker with the help of his accomplices , Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder , in the TLC match to win the vacant World title and The Undertaker was forced to leave the company , written into the storyline . On the July 25 episode of " SmackDown " , Guerrero reinstated The Undertaker , after learning of Edge ' s infidelity with their wedding planner , Guerrero and Edge were in a scripted relationship , and in retaliation she scheduled The Undertaker and Edge in a Hell in a Cell match , a ring surrounded by a steel structure of metal , at SummerSlam . At SummerSlam , The Undertaker defeated Edge . The rivalry between Beth Phoenix and Melina continued the next day , when Melina attacked Phoenix with her boot after Phoenix defeated Maria . At One Night Stand , Phoenix defeated Melina in WWE ' s first ever women ' s I Quit Match . Reception . The Qwest Center Omaha had a maximum capacity of 17 , 000 , but the capacity was reduced for the event . This event received 252 , 000 pay - per - view buys . Judgment Day helped WWE earn $ 39 . 8 million in revenue from pay - per - view events versus $ 17 . 9 million the previous year , which was later confirmed by Linda McMahon , the CEO of WWE , on August 5 , 2008 in a quarterly result . Canadian Online Explorer ' s professional wrestling section rated the event 6 out of 10 . The rating was higher than the Judgment Day 2007 event , which was marked as an average show that maintained the recent WWE philosophy of wrestling over ridiculousness . The standard match between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho was rated an 8 out of 10 . Additionally , the matches of JBL versus John Cena and MVP versus Jeff Hardy were rated 5 out of 10 . The event was released on DVD on June 17 , 2008 . The DVD was distributed by the label , Sony Music Entertainment .