No Way Out ratings, opinions, and other stuff.

[Downhome 0]

First off, and thanks to the guy who made this so freaking fast.

 

 

I do believe we officially live in the twilight zone. Tonight something happened which I NEVER thought would happen not too long ago, Eddie won the freaking WWE World CHAMPIONSHIP! Add that into the fact that the WM main event is going to be (more than likely) Angle vs. Eddie and at the end of the night when everything is said and done, both Eddie AND Benoit might be holding a world title.

 

Never in a million years could I have predicted such a thing, I'm (you guessed it), simply in awe. I nailed my predictions, other than the Holly/Rhyno thing. To be honest, I wish that wasn't even added to the PPV.

 

Back to the PPV though. While it wasn't the best PPV that I've ever seen, I will say that it was one of the most perfectly booked PPVs that I've seen in years. With three very solid matches, two of them being freaking outstanding and one of them being one of the best matches in years, I think we should be pretty thankfull tonight. The three matches on the PPV that really sucked, they were at least booked as they should've been. Rikishi/Scotty kept the tag titles in order to give it off to TWGTT (hopefully), Noble showed just how big of a heel he is now and beat Nidia, and Holly beat Rhyno (even though I don't see the point in it). Another great thing is that TWGTT actually beat APA, a big win for them so they can finally get THEIR tag titles once again.

 

The three-way match was pretty good, the cruiser match actually was given time to allow it to unfold, and the main event. Well, you know how that went.

 

As I watched though, I noticed a few things also. One being that Eddie makes Brock look like his personal whore on the mic. When they are in the ring together on the stick, Brock sounds like a moron who doesn't deserve to even be in the ring, and Eddie is the one who actually sounds like a world champion. John Cena's character basicly just flat out sucks as a face. I can't stand the guy anymore, and I get no entertainment out of his character anymore. It just doesn't work as a face, it comes off like he's half retarded.

 

Goldberg sure as hell looks like he's over to me. I thought that the crowd MIGHT turn on him for getting in Brocks face, but the fans responded very much in Goldberg's favor, so that's a good thing for this feud. Sure, Goldberg got involved in the main event, but Brock did kick out of the Spear...leaving Eddie to do HIS thing and to get the win HIS way.

 

Two thumbs up from me, and it's made me look forward to WMXX that much more.

 

Sincerely,

...Downhome...

[Guest Coffey]

I say the main was ****1/4 and the 3-way was about ***1/2. Eddie/Brock was MotN and thus far MotY.

 

Chavo/Mysterio was about ***1/4. Not as good as the 3-way because of all the outside shananigans and the roll up finish. It worked in the main, but not in the midcard.

 

The rest of the matches were forgetable.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

No problem, Downhome, I had the camera ready when Eddie went to the top to do the frog splash.

 

I thought the PPV would be bad, with only the ME being the decent match. Boy was I proven wrong.

 

Eddie vs Brock was phenomenal, I only wish it was built up a little bit longer and properly but I will take Eddie winning any way I can take it.

 

Rey vs Chavo, I was surprised that Chavo won, but I knew it would be a good long match (It was hyped almost as much as the ME). I got the sense they were trying to replicate the Rey/Eddie Halloween Havoc match but I could be wrong.

 

The Triple Threat was decent and I liked how the Big Show was booked strongly. Big Show is rapidly becoming one of my favorite wrestlers on SD (That shows how depleted the roster is), and of course we all knew Angle would win, but I fully expected Big Show to take the tapout, not Cena.

 

The rest of the card is forgettable except for the WGTT win.

[Repo Man jr 0]

While it wasn't the best PPV that I've ever seen, I will say that it was one of the most perfectly booked PPVs that I've seen in years.

I agree with that... and I like your little avatar gimmick too.

[Styles 0]

Rikishi/S2H over Bashams/Shaniqua: **1/4 This was a decent enough opener and better than I'd thought it would be too.

Knoble over Nidia: -** Incredibly stupid. Let's move on.

WGTT over APA: *1/2 I like that they played up Bradshaw's arm weakness, but this was too plodding to be above average.

Goldberg/Lesnar Confrontation: I LOVED this. I didn't expect them to go at it like that. I got a kick at of Heyman's high pitch deperate squealing for security too. I was sure Goldberg was done for the night but I guess that was the intention. I also got a laugh at Holly running out and LEsnar's "oh shit, not this guy again" expression.

Holly over Rhyno: ** Filler that allowed the announcers to talk about Goldberg/Lesnar. But it was decent enough.

Guerrero over Mysterio: ***1/2 I'm going to have to rewatch this one though because I was distracted by a phone call for the first part of it. Just a really good cruiser match allowed to develop because it got time. Chavo looked good here and the ending seemed like a suprise.

Angle over Cena and Show: *** I'm a sucker for submissions and mat based psychology so I liked the finish to this one. The way they traded off kept things fresh and the knee bar on Cena's leg worked well as the finish.

Guerrero over Lesnar: ****3/4 I've already gloated about how much I loved this match in the OAO thread. It was simply the epitome of a great WWE match to me. They got plenty of time, Eddie took a mehtodical beating from Brock and timed his comebacks perfectly. They were realistic comebacks too mostly focused on the knee. This match had tons of mat submissions that actually meant something. It was great that such an emphasis was placed on them. STFs, cloverleafs, figure 4s, head and arm chokes, rear naked chokes and none seemed like restholds but struggles. I like how they kept going back to them and reapplying them to instead of just forgetting about them. Goldberg's interference was unexpected after he was carted out earlier but since Eddie only got a 2 count it can only be credited weaking Brock and not the reason Eddie won. Eddie did that himself with the F5 reversal into the belt (he lies, cheats and steals!) and the awesome frogsplash where the entire building was losing it. Great, great match and great, great moment. Eddie was estatic jumping into the crowd that was mobbing him and throwing flags at him. I took off for the ref bumps because I hate ref bumps, but otherwise it was a perfect match and instantly one of my favorite ever. The story, pacing, pychology, crowd admosphere and overall work was top notch.

 

So, an excellent main event and 3 other decent matches make this an easy thumbs up. And hey Eddie's going to Wrestlemania XX baby!!!!!!!!!

[Damaramu 0]

I loved the Eddie/Brock match and the Chavo/Rey match........the triple threat was alright. The rest sucked.

But what a major fucking mark out moment when Eddie won the title. Especially with how over he was......jesus christ.

 

Oh and when Lesnar and Goldberg started to tangle I said to a friend "Which one would you be most scared of kicking your ass?Goldberg or Brock Lesnar?"

His response?

"I hope neither one of them ever has beef with me......."

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Well lets see:

 

Too Cool/Bashams - *

Noble/Nidia - didnt see

APA/WGTT - *

Holly/Rhyno - *1/2

Rey/Chavo - ***, woulda been higher except for the lame roll up finish

Triple Threat - **1/2

Lesnar/Eddy - **** primarily because of it got 30 minutes and the finish wasn't as lame as it could have been.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Well lets see:

 

Too Cool/Bashams - *

Noble/Nidia - didnt see

APA/WGTT - *

Holly/Rhyno - *1/2

Rey/Chavo - ***, woulda been higher except for the lame roll up finish

Triple Threat - **1/2

Lesnar/Eddy - **** primarily because of it got 30 minutes and the finish wasn't as lame as it could have been.

That sounds more realistic from what I've heard.

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

Well lets see:

 

Too Cool/Bashams - *

Noble/Nidia - didnt see

APA/WGTT - *

Holly/Rhyno - *1/2

Rey/Chavo - ***, woulda been higher except for the lame roll up finish

Triple Threat - **1/2

Lesnar/Eddy - **** primarily because of it got 30 minutes and the finish wasn't as lame as it could have been.

That sounds more realistic from what I've heard.

The Main Event was much higher than ****.

[Styles 0]

Well lets see:

 

Too Cool/Bashams - *

Noble/Nidia - didnt see

APA/WGTT - *

Holly/Rhyno - *1/2

Rey/Chavo - ***, woulda been higher except for the lame roll up finish

Triple Threat - **1/2

Lesnar/Eddy - **** primarily because of it got 30 minutes and the finish wasn't as lame as it could have been.

That sounds more realistic from what I've heard.

The Main Event was much higher than ****.

Agreed, it would be ***** in my eyes if for lack of ref bump.

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

Well lets see:

 

Too Cool/Bashams - *

Noble/Nidia - didnt see

APA/WGTT - *

Holly/Rhyno - *1/2

Rey/Chavo - ***, woulda been higher except for the lame roll up finish

Triple Threat - **1/2

Lesnar/Eddy - **** primarily because of it got 30 minutes and the finish wasn't as lame as it could have been.

That sounds more realistic from what I've heard.

The Main Event was much higher than ****.

Agreed, it would be ***** in my eyes if for lack of ref bump.

Who sets the criteria that a ref bump devalues a match? really, its a small *glitch* in an otherwise amazing match.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

The only thing I didn't get about the main event was that both guys were selling like they'd been wrestling for 20 minutes...just FOUR minutes into the match. That was odd.

 

Other than that...best WWE match I've seen in...*goes off to think about it for a while*

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Oh...and the problem with the ref bump wasn't the idea of it...it was Brock having to walk over to the ref to do it. The telegraphing of the spot is what killed it.

[Styles 0]

Well lets see:

 

Too Cool/Bashams - *

Noble/Nidia - didnt see

APA/WGTT - *

Holly/Rhyno - *1/2

Rey/Chavo - ***, woulda been higher except for the lame roll up finish

Triple Threat - **1/2

Lesnar/Eddy - **** primarily because of it got 30 minutes and the finish wasn't as lame as it could have been.

That sounds more realistic from what I've heard.

The Main Event was much higher than ****.

Agreed, it would be ***** in my eyes if for lack of ref bump.

Who sets the criteria that a ref bump devalues a match? really, its a small *glitch* in an otherwise amazing match.

Oh just minimally. It just ruins the illusion for me. Like, up until that point I felt like I was watching a real match, you know, and then the convoluted ref gets knocked out, wait for someone to run in spot happens and it kind of breaks the illusion. But, yeah I would have no problem with anyone giving it 5. It's personal preference.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Well lets see:

 

Too Cool/Bashams - *

Noble/Nidia - didnt see

APA/WGTT - *

Holly/Rhyno - *1/2

Rey/Chavo - ***, woulda been higher except for the lame roll up finish

Triple Threat - **1/2

Lesnar/Eddy - **** primarily because of it got 30 minutes and the finish wasn't as lame as it could have been.

That sounds more realistic from what I've heard.

The Main Event was much higher than ****.

I meant for the under-card. Way too many people were shitting on it to make every match **1/2 or so.

[Eclipse 0]

I can honestly say....for the first time in years...since WMX7..

 

 

I AM HYPED FOR WMXX! What a great setup of things on the SD side! Hopefully, RAW can dish out the excellent booking as SD did with their PPV.

[Karc 0]

So what does that make it now? 3 good Smackdown PPVs over 3 suck-ass Raw PPVs?

 

I agree with the line that too much "sports entertainment" junk like the ref bumps and the interference killed what could have been a near-flawless second half.

[Guest ManKinnd]

Heat 6man - **1/4. Fun but a little awkward at times.

 

2Cool/Basahams - **. Definitively decent.

 

Noble/Nidia - n/a. Wasn't set up as a match really, and I won't rate it as one.

 

APA/WGTT - *. Lost my interest quickly. I blame APA

 

Holly/Rhyno - *. Worse than their SD match, which I actually enjoyed. This one didn't have anything going for it.

 

Rey/Chavo - ****1/4. Save a little interference and roll-up finish I loved this. Rey's matches are best when someone works the shit out of him and he makes his little springy comebacks.

 

Triple Threat - **3/4. Pretty much going through the motions until the ending sequences and Angle's ankle lock could NOT be more predictable. If he's standing up, they'll roll out of it; if he drops to the ground and wraps the leg up, they tap. Mix it up just a little, I'm begging you.

 

Lesnar/Eddy - I'm torn on this one. After the first 15 minutes I was sure I was going to slap 5stars on this one, but then Brock used the boring bearhug/sleeper too much, the ref bumped, and there was interference. It's a lot to take into consideration. If they had kept going the way they started, I would say this would probably be and stay MOTY. But they didn't, and as it went on I saw it slowly degenerate from a wonderful wrestling exhibition to a common WWE main event. For shame. ****1/4 overall, no more. I really wish I could rate it higher, but I can't bring myself to do it.

[Guest MikeSC]

So, could somebody hook me up with a copy?

 

Amazing that SD is dead-on with PPV shows while RAW shows tend to be, well, horrendous.

-=Mike

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

No Goldberg interference at all and I would have given it higher.

As for the Ref bump and the Goldberg interference, I was hoping that Goldberg wouldn't come back down, but as soon as the ref bump happened (Which I agree with Bps21, was very telegraphed) you knew Goldberg (or someone) was running down to the ring and that sorta negated somewhat to me how good the match was up to that point. Just for it to be Goldberg, who was taken away in handcuffs an hour or so earlier should keep it from going higher. They redeemed it somewhat by not just letting the spear get Eddy the pinfall, and have Eddy block the F-5, but theres no way I could give it higher than **** because of the ending. I suppose I put way to much of a premium on a good ending to a match, but thats just how I am I suppose.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

I thought it was a pretty good show.

 

The undercard was solid, nothing was as bad as it could have been. TWGTT and Noble winning was good to see.

 

I really liked the Chavo/Rey match. Only complaint was that I wanted the Gordy Bomb to be the finish to the match.

 

The triple threat match was like most triple threat matches, not great but fun and enjoyable.

 

Main Event was great. I was eating while watching the match so it didn't have my full attention, however I enjoyed what I saw. Finish was great, thankfully the match wasn't over after the Goldberg spear, hated that crap when they did that to Angle when he would just roll over and pin a guy after someone else interfered. The post match celebration was great and if i had recorded it(My VCR is messed up) I would have seen the finish about 25 times by now.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Are we now saying that No Mercy was good?

 

Because I'm not on board with that train.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

It was better than the 3 RAW PPVs and was decent overall. McMahonamania was what ruined it to some people I think.

[Guest Coffey]

Lesnar/Eddy - I'm torn on this one. After the first 15 minutes I was sure I was going to slap 5stars on this one, but then Brock used the boring bearhug/sleeper too much, the ref bumped, and there was interference. It's a lot to take into consideration. If they had kept going the way they started, I would say this would probably be and stay MOTY. But they didn't, and as it went on I saw it slowly degenerate from a wonderful wrestling exhibition to a common WWE main event. For shame. ****1/4 overall, no more. I really wish I could rate it higher, but I can't bring myself to do it.

My exact thought. I guess that's why we gave it the same rating. While watching it, I was like "Man, this is going to be a 5-star match" and the ref bump came after a lot of resting.

 

Still a great match though.

[Guest Brian]

I'm not going to bother trying to rate it because I can't remove myself from the fact that Eddy fucking won. But it was very good. With Eddy trying to put down Brock because of his strength advantage, and Brock whomping on Eddy. And Eddy cheating, but still winning realtively clean.

[Guest TheArchiteck]

Urgh....this isn't fair. As much as the weekly show sucked I decided pretty damn easily..."This ppv is gonna be shitty." I was completely dead set on saying..."Aint no way in hell Eddie is going to win, even if Goldberg interfere."

[Guest MikeSC]

Are we now saying that No Mercy was good?

 

Because I'm not on board with that train.

I liked No Mercy. The Heat match was quite good. Rey v Tajiri was real good. UT v Lesnar was good. Angle v Cena was real good. Heck, Gowen v Hardy was decent --- even if the absolute wrong guy went over.

 

I don't see how the show can be called BAD. Armageddon was bad. No Mercy was MUCH better than that.

-=Mike

[Art Sandusky 0]

The show is only one thumb up, with the second in the middle. As much as I loved Eddie winning the title, a cruiserweight match being given time to show some real moves, and a three-way that had some VICIOUS work on Cena's leg in it, I can't ignore the rest of the card. The Nidia/Noble match wasn't really bad in the traditional sense since they weren't trying to be serious with it, but the rest was legit bad. I was nodding off during Holly/Rhyno, and I was at a sports bar, ferchrissakes.

[Guest Max Peter David]

Overall, No Way Out was better than the Royal Rumble, but The Rumble match is still my MOTY. Eddie-Brock came close, but the Rumble had me marking out a bit more.

[Guest wildpegasus]

The main event was pretty fun and it was great seeing Eddie win. About 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 * Brock Lesnar's knees to the corner of the turnbuckle were awesome.

 

Three way was good fun. It's still to great to see that the laying anklelock hasn't been broken yet.

 

Likewise, Chavo vs Rey was a fun, "long" match

 

I liked the WGTT vs APA match. Benjamin's superkick always puts a smile on my face.