WWE No Way Out
February 20, 2005 Sunday Night Heat Kenzo Suzuki and Rene Dupree vs Hardcore Holly and Charlie Haas
They go to commercial as Haas and Holly are coming to the ring. We return with the match already in progress. Holly and Haas are in complete control over Dupree. Holly hits his kick in the groin. Rene Dupree hits a nice neckbreaker on Haas to gain control. Kenzo and Dupree works over Haas for a couple of moments. Haas hits a T-Bone suplex on Dupree to tag in Holly. Holly gets a 2 count after a top rope closeline to Kenzo. Alone in the ring, Holly hits the Alabama Slam to Kenzo to pick up the win. A fun little tag bout. Haas and Holly were really becoming a good tag team around this time. Meanwhile, the WWE had already begun to give up on the Kenzo/Rene tag team. I think the WWE were high on Dupree, especially due to his age, but Kenzo just bombed. I can't even remember Kenzo doing anything after this event.
6 Minutes. 2 Stars. PPV
The Bashams (c) vs Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero - Tag Team Titles Match
With RVD out with a knee injury, the Bashams won the tag titles and Rey started teaming with Eddie Guerrero. The Bashams cut the ring in half with Rey in the ring. Fairly boring match thus far. The ref catches Eddie after he tied two ring ropes together so that he can be further from the corner. Rey starts to Hulk Up and uses his speed to keep away from Danny and Doug. Tag into Eddie and Latino Heat turns the speed up in the match. Suddenly, the match is exciting once it's not so slow pace. Dual top rope armdrag and headscissors by Eddie. Eddie tries to use a belt, but Rey wanting to play fair convinces him not to. Guerrero goes for the Frogsplash, but Danny (Or was that Doug?) moves out of the way. Eddie saw it coming and rolls through. He plays dead and rolls the Basham up for a 2. The other Basham tries to use a belt, but the ref stops him. Rey throws in the second tag title to Eddie. The legal Basham is hit with the belt and Eddie plays dead again. When the ref turns around, Eddie slowly recovers and covers the Basham to win the tag titles. Even though the Bashams were technically sound, they just could never tell a story with the fans caring. They failed with the S&M gimmick, the Sectaries of Defense to JBL gimmick, singles gimmicks and in TNA. Much like Kenzo, this would proof to be their last push. Matchwise, the entire time the Bashams were on offense, it was a sleep inducing match. Luckily, Eddie/Rey used their fast paced moves to liven the crowd up and end the match on a high note. In the end, it's what you do last that is remembered the most. As bad as parts of the match was, I'm left feeling very pleased.
15 Minutes. 2 1/2 Stars.
Backstage, Carlito introduces the wife of a member of the WWE Board of Directors to Teddy Long. It seems as if Teddy's job is on the line tonight. If he doesn't sign Batista, he'll be fired.
Rookie Diva Contest - Round 1
Dawn Marie and Torrie joins Tazz and Cole to commentate on the evening gown contest. The Divas in this was Joy, Michelle, Lauren and Rachelle. They just come to the ring and shows off their gowns, no fighting. Dawn Marie provides the only entertainment by insulting all of them. This is only part 1 of 3 for the night. What joy...(The word not the Diva. >_> )
Heidenreich vs Booker T
This feud began the SD before the PPV. After losing in the Semi-Finals of the WWE Title Tournament, Booker came to the back to find Heidenreich laughing. Booker assumed it was at him. Yup, that's it. What's even stranger is that Booker was a face at the time. The less said about this match the better. Late in the match, the two fights outside of the ring and Heidenreich hits Booker in the neck with a chair to draw the DQ. Complete and utter filler. It's bad enough we had to watch this match to begin with, but why did this have to be on PPV? Had RVD not gotten hurt, maybe Booker could of been doing something around this time (Still teaming with Eddie perhaps?).
7 Minutes. 1/2 Star.
Backstage, Eddie Guerrero gives a pep talk to John Cena for his match. They're making it obvious who's going to win tonight between Angle and Cena. Good talk though.
Funaki (c) vs Spike vs Paul London vs Chavo Guerrero vs Akio vs Shannon Moore - CW Title Match
They're calling this a 6 way match, even though it's under gauntlet. Paul London starts off with Funaki. During the entire match, all the other CW wrestlers stands on the apron waiting for their turn to go in. Spike gives Funaki a kick to the head from the outside. The distraction is enough for London to pin Funaki. Spike is in next and London some stomps in the corner until Funaki kicks Spike. London quickly covers Spike to eliminate him. Shannon Moore is in next. Several pin attempts by Moore. Moore tries his version of the Whisper in the Wind, but misses. London hits the 450 Splash to pin Moore. Michael Cole says it's vintage London. Uh yeah, since when does a guy who's been in the WWE for just over a year have any vintage moves? Akio's next. While Yang had the moves down, he was just lacking a gimmick to really get over. Akio just works over London for the entire round. On the top rope, London counters a move and nails a top rope swinging neckbreaker. The ref counts and only London is able to make it up before 10. Akio loses by CO. Final wrestler, Chavo is in now. Chavo tries a few early covers, but only gets 2. London surprises him with a roll up to get 2. Chavo pulls back and grabs the ropes to get the 3 count. Chavo is your NEW CW Champion. The whole story of the match would be how great London was and how the ultra heel Chavo basically stole the CW title from London, who did all the work. However, since London had help to beat 2 guys and won by countout with another, he didn't have any momentum. That lack of momentum causes Chavo's stealing of the belt to be meaningless. "So what if Chavo steals the title, it's not like London earned the title." The WWE would do this much better in 2007 with Chavo and Yang. Fun fact, as of 2008, Chavo Guerrero is 4-0 at No Way Out. At every NWO, he has walked out a champion as well. This match was overly rushed and the story was very flawed. I would of much preferred to see a Fatal Fourway between Funaki, Chavo, London and Spike. You could have Spike and Funaki continue their feud and have London look like he was going to win the title only to have Chavo steal it from him. Nice neckbreaker though.
10 Minutes. 1 Star. Rookie Diva Contest - Round 2
Yay, more of this shit. This round is the talent portion. Joy gives Torrie a sexual massage as a talent. Rochelle tells a joke. "How do you make a hankey dance? Put a little boogey in it." WOW. Dawn grabs the mic away from her and insults her. Lauren is up next and dances. Wow, it turns out Kelly Kelly wasn't the worst stripper ever. Lately, Michelle is up. She bodyslams Dawn Marie to prove that she's tough. Remember folks, you can go to WWE.com to vote for your favorite.
The Undertaker vs Luther Reigns
With Taker ending his feud with Heidenreich, he needed something to do for No Way Out. Filler feud #45657: Luther Reigns. The buildup was Reigns saying the ring was his yard now. Reigns also cost Taker the first round of the WWE Title Tournament. Taker gives some of the worst looking punches ever. Reigns only to top it, gives some of the weakest kicks I've ever seen. Reigns removes the corner turnbuckle pad. Later on, Taker Irish Whips Reigns into said corner. By the mid way mark, I'm getting bored out of my mind. Taker counters out of Reigns finisher. Taker botches a Snake Eyes. Chokeslam! Reigns slides out of the Tombstone and hits his DDT finisher. Taker kicks out. TOMBSTONE~! 1-2-3. Taker wins. If the match time would of been cut in half, it would of been a decent SD level match. But going as long as it did, the slow pace made for such a boring match. It's pretty sad when you can't go 10 minutes without boring the crowd.
11 Minutes. 3/4 Star. Rookie Diva Contest - Round 3
Dawn Marie decides not to come out after the bodyslam. Personally, I think she just got sick of this BS. This round is a swimsuit contest. Joy is up first and gets a quiet cheer. She looks pretty good. Rochelle is next and reveals a black swimsuit. The crowd is DEAD quiet. Lauren reveals a red bikini and the crowd is quiet. Michelle is next and shows off a blue one. There's a little cheering going on. Torrie then calls out all 4 names and has the fans cheer to find out who won this round. Joy gets a decent cheer. Rochelle gets booed.
To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 20 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Lauren gets zero reaction. Michelle gets a small reaction. Finally, we get the WWE.com poll results. A whopping 65% voted for Joy. The lowest, Lauren only got 7%. I don't know what's more pathetic. The fact that talented wrestlers like Holly, Scotty, Haas and Kidman were not on this show for these rounds or the fact that the live crowd didn't even care AT ALL for the women. If you're going to get zero reaction from the crowd, you might as well have it be from a match, since this IS a wrestling company. All of these divas would be off of Smackdown in a matter of months. Only Michelle would keep her job. Completely useless.
John Cena vs Kurt Angle - Finals of #1 Contender Tournament
Before the match, we get highlights of the tournament. Rey vs Angle looks like a great match. John Cena out blacks Orlando Jordan and Booker T to make it to the finals. Pretty simple psychology in this match. Angle always tries to out mat wrestle Cena while Cena tries to brawl on his feet. Angle controls most of the match. Angle tries the Ankle Lock but Cena kicks him off. Kurt ends up outside of the ring. Cena hits his top rope Fameasser when Angle tries getting in the ring. Only gets a 2 though. FU to angle 1...2...NO. Angle kicks out. The ref needs to tell a celebrating Cena that he didn't win. Angle starts kicking at the ankle of Cena. Angle Slam~! Down goes the straps and Angle locks in the Ankle Lock. Cena keeps trying to get to the ropes, but Angle pulls him back. This is exactly how Angle won last year at No Way Out against Cena and The Big Show to get a title shot. Angle wraps his legs around Cena's leg. Pulling all of the weight. Cena finally makes it to the ropes. The ref is knocked down when Cena kicks Angle off of him. Angle grabs Cena's chain, but misses a shot as Cena lifts Angle up for the FU. The ref recovers. 1...2...3~!! Great match that really built up to an exciting finish. I just wish they wouldn't have made it so obvious who would win with all of the Cena talk before the match. At this point in time, the whole Cena superman comeback wasn't done to death. So instead of booing, the fans in Angle's home town are cheering for Cena. This is most likely Cena's best match up to this point in the WWE. I'm curious as to how their late 2005 PPV matches went though.
20 Minutes. 4 Stars. JBL (c) vs The Big Show - Barbed Wire Steel Cage WWE Title Match
The entire build to this match was that JBL pinned Kurt Angle in the triple threat match at the Royal Rumble instead of The Big Show. They spent more time building up the fictional WM main event of JBL vs Batista then tonight's main event. Standard steel cage rules apply, except for the door is chained shut and there's barbed wire at the top of the cage. You can win by pinfall, submission or escape (somehow) of the cage. Show and JBL punches each other to begin the match. Show is busted open early in the match when his head hits a supporting rod of the cage. JBL climbs to the top rope and tries to find a hole in the barbed wire to escape. Bradshaw gets cut on his arm and realizes that there isn't a hole anywhere. Flying crossbody from the top rope to Big Show. Show catches Bradshaw and gives JBL his own Last Call (Fall away slam). JBL tries to climb the cage again, but settles for a top rope shoulder block to Show. Bradshaw should do that more often, it looks pretty good for a guy his size. Show gets JBL in the powerbomb position and rams JBL's head into the cage (barely). Powerbomb. JBL turns over onto his stomach and the camera switches to the Big Show so that Bradshaw can blade. JBL is probably the most obvious blader in the WWE. A bloody Show throws JBL to the cage. Orlando Jordan and the Bashams run down. OJ tries to climb the cage while the Bashams are using bolt cutters to cut open the cage. Teddy (Playa Playa) Long comes out to get rid of the Cabinet. OJ slides the bolt cutters to JBL through the small hole the Bashams made. JBL with a shot to Show's head with the cutters. CLOSELINE FROM HELL~! 1...2...No! Show kicks out. JBL with a running boot gets a 2. Chokeslam~!!! 1...2..NO! JBL actually kicks out of the Chokeslam. Low blow by JBL. JBL grabs the bolt cutters and cuts away at some of the barbed wire. Show hits him from behind and Bradshaw drops the bolt cutters to the ringside floor. Show climbs up on the top rope. The two walks the top rope slowly punching each other. CHOKESLAM from the top rope THROUGH THE RINGGGG~!!! For some reason, Show doesn't pull JBL out to just pin him. Instead, Show pulls at the chains on the door and rips the locked chains off. Show slowly walks out of the ring and onto the steps. The bell rings and Show steps down. Cole is excited for a new champion being crowned. "And your winner and STILL WWE Champion - J...B...L." Cole and Tazz doesn't understand how this is possible. A replay shows that JBL crawled through the hole and under the ring to make it out of the cage moments before Show reached the floor. Show attacks JBL to show for no apparent reason. Orlando and The Bashams runs out to attack Big Show. The crowd is chanting for Batista. Cue Batista's music. Batista runs down, closelines a Basham and gives the Batista bomb to another. Show stands up and gives his monster expression behind Batista. JBL with his belt tries to get away, but Cena attacks him. What the hell? Spinebuster through some of the set by Cena to JBL. PPV ends with Cena staring at Batista. As ingenious as I thought the finish was when I heard about it the SD after NWO, seeing it now, it was very anti-climatic. The fans didn't even boo or anything. It didn't even seem like anyone understood or cared what happened. Luckily, Batista's appearance got a nice pop and the Spinebuster by Cena ended the show on a high note. As cage matches go, this wasn't that good. It was just a lot of kicking, punching and bleeding. Great chokeslam by Show, but the ending just wasn't thrilling. Show and JBL really phoned in their performances.
15 Minutes. 1 1/2 Stars. Overall
After the nightmare of New Year's Revolution, I didn't think the WWE could do worse than that. And yet, even without having your top 6 guys in one match (Like Raw did), SD was left with a very underwhelming PPV. By time the main event happen, the crowd was so out of it by poor match after poor match. It's quite pathetic when your meaningless Sunday Night Heat match is one of the top 3 matches of the night. Based on the fans reaction at the end of the show, they really should of booked Batista to wrestle. A short 5 minute squash against Orlando Jordan would of been more entertaining than the main event. This PPV occured when I was buying every TNA and Raw PPV (including Raw/SD double ppvs). But I can remember not being interested at all in ordering this. It appears as if I made the right choice. Among all the crap, there is one great match in Cena vs Angle. Sadly, it's not available on DVD anywhere else, but here.
Best Match: John Cena vs Kurt Angle
Worst Match Booker T vs Heidenreich
Overall Grade: F
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