Well, we had a hell of a No Way Out, didn’t we kids? I was there live, and had pretty bad-ass seats, so it was all that much greater for me. The whole thing was loaded with surprises. My entire section damn near passed out when Edge was eliminated so damn quickly.
I thought Orton vs. Shane would have been the match of the night, but for some reason, it just couldn’t live to the serious build up. That match needed to go at least 30 minutes, and be a lot more brutal than it was.
Once again, Cena proved why he’s the f**king man. Do you think Hogan, Michaels, Hart, Vader, Stone Cold, or Triple H would have EVER been down with being eliminated that quickly? WHILE they were champion? I think not. Cena always proves, whether it’s in the ring or out of it, he’s the best thing going today.
My section, Caliber included, were on their feet the whole last half of the final chamber and lost their minds when Edge won. Great stuff.
Anyways. So we got some great moments from No Way Out that will be remembered, and oddly enough, no one seems to really talk about No Way Out’s rich history of extremely great matches, and Wrestlemania-esq moments. Let us go back, shall we? We shall….
5) Match: Kurt Angle (C) vs. The Rock
Place: No Way Out – February 25th, 2001
Duration: 16:53
DVD Release: The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man In Sports-Entertainment
This one is a great encounter that’s overshadowed by the Stone Cold/Triple H, 2 out of 3 Falls match-up. Kurt Angle had really fast-tracked himself here by winning all the titles in a very short amount of time. He’d proved himself to be just as charismatic and charming as The Rock, and if you ask me, a better wrestler. This match-up was important as it stood to see who went to WrestleMania 17 that year, and we all know how that went. Really, what would you expect from these two? They had a fantastic match that would have easily been the match of the night had they not had a freak encounter with the 2 out of 3 Falls one. However, you do find some people who actually prefer this match, and I can see why.
The Rating: * * * * 1/4th
4) Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Triple H – 2 out of 3 Falls Match
Place: No Way Out – February 25th, 2001
Duration: 39:27
DVD Release: The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin
2 out of 3 falls was the staple match in the early days of wrestling. Matter of fact, it was the standard. However, I don’t think when Steamboat and Flair were suplexing and cross-body blocking their way around the ring they had any idea 2 out of 3 would graduate to this. As it wasn’t your standard. The first fall, a wrestling match, the 2nd, a street fight, and the 3rd, a cage match. It was a great way to blow off the feud between Stone Cold and Triple H that had been boiling for over a year, as a result of Triple H hiring someone to run Stone Cold over. In this match, they obviously didn’t pick a point in the falls and decide to make that one stand out, they wrestled each fall as if it were the only one. Which is saying a great deal for the type of wrestling Triple H was back then, and Stone Cold, for the most part, always was. This bout is great from start to finish, and a bit surprising with it’s out-come. I feel it’s a bit over-rated, as I’ve seen it probably 6 plus times, and still can’t give it the highest of marks. Perhaps a 7th viewing would change my mind.
The Rating: * * * * 1/4th
3) Match: Triple H (C) vs. Mick Foley – Hell In A Cell – Mick Foley’s Career On The Line
Place: No Way Out – February 27th, 2000
Duration: 23:58
DVD Release: Triple H: The King of Kings, Hell In A Cell
This one here is regarded as the best Hell in a Cell match, and I don’t find much to argue with that. It was the match that gave Triple H bragging rights for years, as the man who retired the Hardcore Legend. Sure, Mick has had matches since then, but this one truly retired him from active competition, and that’s saying something. The match itself is incredible, and I feel out-does their 2000 Royal Rumble Street Fight. With this one, they let the cage become the weapon and brutalized each other with it. These two meshed so damn well together, that the cell environment was just an added bonus, not a liability. The flaming 2 by 4 on top of the cage was incredible, as we hadn’t really seen fire in the WWE up until that point and sure, we’d seen Mick go through the cell, but have his body leave a crater? Incredible. The fact he was also able to get up from that and keep on coming, was an excellent note to go out on for the legend, and I’ll always remember this as the last of his career.
The Rating: * * * * *
2) Match: Kurt Angle (C) vs. The Undertaker
Place: No Way Out – February 19th, 2006
Duration: 29:37
DVD Release: No Way Out 2006
People need to watch this match more often, as Jack White said, it bares repeating. The first time I saw this classic, I had it pegged at **1/2th, and wondered what the hell people were having such a fuss over it for. Then I watched it again, and for some reason it was like I was watching an entirely new match. The f**king thing just blew me away. Kurt Angle proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s one of, if not the greatest of all time, and Undertaker proved that even after 15 years, he still has it. This match was so bad-ass. A technical classic, if you ask me. Kurt Angle had done damn near what no one has ever done, and truly had the Undertaker screaming and lashing out in pain, while making us feel he could truly have him tap. The Undertaker, proved that with his experience and power, he was able to not only keep up, but often out-do the Olympic champion. They did things in this match that had never been seen before. Kurt Angle reversing the tombstone into the ankle-lock, taking a sick bump when he was slammed into the stairs and fell throat-first onto a piece of the table that was propped up. I mean, every time you thought it was over, they brought it all back around again.
The Rating: * * * * *
1) Match: Brock Lesnar (C) vs. Eddie Guerrero – WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Place: No Way Out – February 15th, 2004
Duration: 30:07
DVD Release: Viva La Raza: The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero
Such an incredible bout. Easily in my top ten, the greatest moment in No Way Out’s history, and is a true testament to the great, great things our business can produce. Eddie came in as the underdog, with Brock Lesnar having wins against Hulk Hogan, The Rock, The Undertaker, Big Show, Kurt Angle, and many more under his belt. The youngest WWE champion in history, and just a brutal wrecking machine who showed little to no mercy. Eddie was the cocky and brash wrestler who’d defeated his demons to make a brilliant comeback that lead to this, the WWE championship. The match was fantastic, not just because of the phenomenal wrestling, but all the other things. Such as Brock screaming “YOU’RE NOTHING! YOU’RE NOTHING” and throwing Eddie around like a rag-doll. He, knowing it wasn’t true kept at the champion by attacking his knee any chance he got, and showing Brock he wasn’t alone when it came to brutality. As the match progressed, you had Brock Lesnar with blood running down his face as he gripped Eddy in the bear-hug that killed Hogan, screaming “DIE! DIE! JUST DIE, EDDIE”. He was the perfect, psychotic monster that any sane man would be afraid of. Sure, we had a run in from Goldberg, but that did nothing to really affect the outcome, as Eddie went for the splash, and Lesnar kicked out. Then, at the last moment Eddie countered the F5 and etched his name in history. It’s an unbelievably beautiful match, and a classic big v little. Everyone needs to see this.
The Rating: * * * * *
If there’s even one of these you haven’t seen, the entire DVD they’re on is worth it just for the said match.
Keep it crunk, kids. Keep it crunk.
Caliber