No Way Out is typically the set-up PPV for next month’s show Wrestlemania, WWE’s biggest event of the year. Last night’s PPV was headlined by two Elimination Chamber matches, one consisting of wrestlers from Raw and the other match featuring Smackdown wrestlers. The winners of both matches go on to face their respective champions at Wrestlemania 24. Here are the results from the show:
ECW Heavyweight Title Match: Chavo Guerrero [champion] vs. CM Punk [challenger]
No Way Out 2008 began with a match for the ECW Heavyweight Title [the brand’s top and only championship]. The back story for this match begins in December, when CM Punk, then ECW champion, was attacked by Chavo Guerrero, a Smackdown wrestler at the time after a match. During the next few weeks, Punk and Guerrero would face off in a series of matches, with Punk winning the majority of them. Eventually, Guerrero pinned Punk, with the help of Edge, and was awarded a shot at the ECW title.
Guerrero would go on to win the title by beating CM Punk with assistance, once again, by Edge. After the title switch, the rivalry between the two continued.
Guerrero held a “fiesta” celebrating his title win on ECW, the next week. However, CM Punk disguised himself as a mariachi and hit him over the head with a guitar.
After that, the two had another short series of matches before deciding to settle their dispute at No Way Out for the ECW title.
Last night, Chavo Guerrero ended up getting the last laugh by pinning CM Punk after a frog splash to retain the ECW title.
Smackdown Elimination Chamber Match: Montel Vontavious Porter vs. Big Daddy V vs. The Great Khali vs. Finlay vs. The Undertaker vs. Batista
This match was made to determine the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. The six participates in this match were “handpicked” by Smackdown substitute General Manager [the authority figure of a WWE brand], Teddy Long.
The Undertaker wins the match after Big Daddy V, The Great Khali, Finlay, MVP and Batista are all eliminated from the match.
Ric Flair vs. Mr. Kennedy
Since late December, Ric Flair has been involved in an angle where if he loses one match, he will be forced to retire from pro wrestling. On the night after Royal Rumble, WWE’s PPV event last month, Flair was challenged by Mr. Kennedy, one of the promotion’s rising stars, to a match at No Way Out. The match was made and Kennedy set out to end the career of the “Nature Boy”.
Unfortunately, Kennedy came up short, losing to Ric Flair via Figure Four Leglock and allowing Flair’s career to go on.
World Heavyweight Title Match: Edge [champion] vs. Rey Mysterio [challenger]
Edge and Rey Mysterio had a match at last month’s Royal Rumble for the World Heavyweight Championship, where Mysterio lost to Edge after interference from Smackdown General Manager and Edge’s current love interest, Vickie Guerrero. Mysterio was granted a rematch for the title by Teddy Long.
It was déjà vu all over again for Mysterio as he once again lost to Edge and failed to win the World Heavyweight Title. [*Note* according to a report from WWE.com, it appears that Mysterio injured himself during a show while in Chile last week. This is likely the last time he will appear on TV for a while since it is said that the injury will require surgery.]
After the match, The Big Show made his return to the WWE. [After a series of nagging injuries, the 7-2, 500+ lbs wrestler known as The Big Show, took a leave of absence from the WWE in December 2006.]
After announcing his intentions to become a WWE champion, Show attacks Rey Mysterio. The attack causes Mysterio’s “friend”, Floyd Mayweather Jr., widely regarded as the #1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world, to jump the security barricade and approach The Big Show in the ring.
After a staredown, Mayweather Jr. lands some punches in Show’s face before the altercation is broken up.
WWE Title Match: Randy Orton [champion] vs. John Cena [challenger]
John Cena made a surprise return at the Royal Rumble and earned a shot at the WWE title at Wrestlemania 24. However, instead of waiting until the end of March, Cena was provoked into choosing to get his title shot at No Way Out.
Cena won his match against Randy Orton last night, but it was by disqualification because Orton slapped the referee in the face. The title does not change hands in a DQ finish. So Cena loses his shot at becoming WWE Champion once again.
Raw Elimination Chamber Match: Triple H vs. Umaga vs. John “Bradshaw” Layfield vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
After John Cena decided to face Randy Orton for the WWE title at No Way Out instead of Wrestlemania, the #1 contender position for the WWE title match at WM24 is left vacated. As a result, Raw General Manager William Regal selected six Raw wrestlers to compete in their own Elimination Chamber match with the winner filling in the spot.
Triple H outlasted his other five opponents to claim the #1 contender spot and headline Wrestlemania.
Overall, I thought No Way Out was a pretty solid show. I didn’t think too much of the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match but I really enjoyed Raw’s version of it. Also, seeing Floyd Mayweather Jr. on WWE TV was a pleasant surprise and I’m interested to see where they go from here with this storyline between him and the Big Show for Wrestlemania.
No comments:
Post a Comment