Hey there, Eddie here. Hope your week is off to a good start, and thank you for checing out News and Analysis! Today’s report will take a look at No Way Out, and I’m going to give you an all-out thoughts column today, just with analysis of the PPV, and what happened on the RAW after. I’m also going to give you a little intro to WrestleMania XIX. We’ll see how it’ll work! Let’s get to it…
WWE presented No Way Out this past Sunday, and from where I sat the show was good. The one and only Michael Blaszkowski has the Unspoken PPV Review up on the site and it’s worth your time, so if you missed the show, check it out here. Vince McMahon, The Rock, and a guy named Sly who was the referee of the match screwed Hulk Hogan in the middle of Montreal, while Triple H couldn’t decide what finisher to use on Scott Steiner this time. Jim Ross got to live his dream one more time, as he managed to scream “Stone Cold! Stone Cold!” when Stone Cold Steve Austin returned and started “The Stunner Experiment” by using Eric Bischoff as a test dummy. Edge wasn’t in action, but Brock Lesnar and Chris Benoit still won their now “handicap” match against Team Angle. Matt Hardy is the new Cruiserweight Champion, while Storm and Regal retained. Check out Michael’s review for more.
No Way Out Thoughts
Chris Jericho and Jeff Hardy had a pretty good match in my opinion. Jeff proved that he can still do it in the ring, and when he’s focused, he can be a main player and deserves an opportunity. He just needs to set his mind straight and know what he’s doing. What can I say about Chris Jericho that hasn’t already been said? I think after his matches with Steiner on RAW and Jericho at No Way Out he proved something that many peple don’t mention (and a very few did after No Way Out on the Internet), and that’s his very good ability to get the best out of whoever he’s wrestling. Only a few can do that. A good example would be Ric Flair. Jericho can carry a guy just like Flair used to do, and that’s a gift! Looking forward to seeing Y2J vs. HBK and I definitey think that Jeff taking Test’s place was a good thing, to quote good ol’ DDP. Oh, speaking of HBK, Canadian fans… You guys will never forget, huh?
Ok, so Kane chokeslamming RVD was a bit goofy, but the match was good. I don’t know, maybe it’s just because I didn’t really expect too much out of it that I am not disappointed or anything. I just really think that for what it was worth, it made for some good spots. William Regal’s concussions was obvious if you saw the show, and thank God he’s ok.
Billy Kidman and Matt Hardy had one hell of a bout. These two are yet to disappoint with all of the stuff they have done on TV, and I can’t do anything but admire their work. They have good chemistry, and quite frankly, they both have enough skills to be considered solid performers, which they are. In my opinion, Matt Hardy has the best gimmick working for him in WWE right now, and winning the Cruiserweight Champinoship was the way to go. They are now also introducing Rey Mysterio to the division which is great. There’ll be plenty more to come from the cruiserweights, folks!
Then there was Undertaker vs. Big Show. I was waiting for a disaster to strike sooner or later in this match… never did. I was pleasantly surprised with the work of both men, and I quite honestly will be very disappointed if the Internet goes ahead and bashes their match. They tried their best, and put up a great fight. Show was obviously trying his hardest, and ‘Taker carried him through the match pretty well, even taking the crazy splash to the floor spot. I think they worked a great match, and unlike others, I’m looking forward to A-Train vs. Undertaker. Does this have Nathan Jones written all over it or what?
Edge will be out for an year and WWE had no choice but to take him out of the 6 Man Tag Team match at No Way Out. I still thought the match was perfect. Then again, any match that has Kurt Angle in it is perfect. Brock Lesnar and Chris Benoit gave it their best, something which they do night in and night out, and something which has made SmackDown! a great show. Team Angle continues to amaze me and I can see only good things in their future.
Triple H versus Scott Steiner was probably the weakest match on the card, but definitely not a bad one. It was an improvement from their Royal Rumble bout nonetheless. I like the way it was worked, and the way they executed. Montreal turned on Steiner and booed him, but then again, I really can’t blame them for that. As good as Triple H carried him and as hard as he tried, he’s just not the same anymore and he’s not moving around as easily as before. I think it’s time for Steiner to hang the boots. However, I think he’s done his job. WWE wanted someone to fill in until WrestleMania and he did. Never thought I’d say this, but good thing Triple H remained champion.
Austin vs. Bischoff was what it was. I really don’t need to say much here. Stunner. Beer. Stunner. Beer. More Beer. Middle Finger. Stunner. Pin. Beer. Beer. Beer. What?!
Ah yes… The screw job. “Montreal Screw Job II” WWE.com called it. I couldn’t help but laugh a bit when it happened. No offense, but how friggin’ obvious was it that this is going to happen? WWE goes back to Montreal for the first time in years to do a PPV, and when the opportunity is around… You actually think Vince McMahon will miss that?! “No Chance in Hell” my friend. As far as the work goes, Rock-Hogan II was obviously nothing like Rock-Hogan I where history was made. I definitely liked it though. Rock has been nothing but amazing since his return. The Hulkster fell behind physically at the end of the match, but then again I don’t expect too much from him in that area.
RAW Thoughts
I thought that the February 24 edition of RAW was one of the best ones we’ve seen in quite some time. There’s only one reason for this and the reason is called “The Rock.” Love him or hate him, you just can’t help but sit down, listen, and be entertained, because the guy is that damn good (pun intended) in what he does. And unlike some other individuals (see the “pun intended” line from above), The Rock put over three people in one night — Booker T, Steve Austin, and The Hurricane. He was amazing in his promos, and with his interactions with the fans. From the smiles and smirks to the “mother-canuckers,” the man was simply “it” that night. From the facial expressions after the main event, to the singing and the guitar, all the way to the segment with Hurricane, Rock was amazing. His commentary during the battle royal was also a great touch.
So to everyone who booed The Rock at SummerSlam 2002, Thank You. Thank you for showing no respect for what the guy has done for the company. Thank you for showing absolutely no support just because the guy wanted to succeed in life and pursue a goal of his own. Thank you for cheering at No Way Out for a guy who left wrestling to do movies, but you all forgot about it. Thank you. You got your wish — The Rock is a bad guy now and he’s going to keep bashing himself, and he’s going to keep putting people over, while you idolize Steve Austin and Triple H and cry that RVD is not a main-eventer. Thank You.
I’m going to get probably a lot of mail saying I’m not right for the above paragraph, but you know what? I’m sure that there’s a good bulk of people who got what I wanted to say. The fact remains that we should indeed be happy Rock is heel. He has a chance to freshen up his act, and when you’re that talented and capable on the mic, then that’s a golden opportunity and believe me you, he’ll take advantage of it.
The focus was obviously on The Rock, as Steve Austin and Triple H were not scheduled for RAW. Nothing’s wrong with Triple H by the way, they simply wanted to focus on Rock’s return to RAW last night, and start setting up for WrestleMania XIX. I think RAW did its job there. We already know the main event from the RAW brand for the PPV, as well as the set-up for what will probably end up being the PPV’s main event (Rock vs. Austin) has begun. RAW did its job and the work on the show was pretty good. An awesome Toronto crowd helped a lot!
Well, folks, looks like I got a bit hot into this report. Let’s wrap it up for tonight. My first look at WrestleMania consists of the first WrestleMania XIX card. Remember, the PPV is on March 30, so I’m simply speculating on some matches, but I think the rest of the card has already taken shape… Again, that is just the first card I thought I’d post as a pure guess, or a way for you to share some thoughts on it with myself. I’ve put a (?) next to the matches that are less likely to happen. The rest are speculated, and the confirmed ones ar as noted. Let me know what you think via e-mail.
– The Rock vs. Steve Austin
– Kurt Angle (c) vs. Brock Lesnar [confirmed] — WWE Championship
– Triple H (c) vs. Booker T [confirmed] — World Championship
– Vince McMahon vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan
– Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
– Scott Steiner vs. Kevin Nash (?)
– Regal/Storm (c) vs. The Dudley Boyz — World Tag Team Titles
– Team Angle (c) vs. Los Guerreros vs. Benoit/partner (?) — WWE Tag Team Titles
– Kane vs. Rob Van Dam
– Victoria (c) vs. Trish Stratus vs. Jazz (?) — Women’s Championsip
– Matt Hardy (c) vs. Rey Mysterio (?) — Cruiserweight Champinoship
Ok, well, that card has twelve matches on it. WWE has four hours on PPV for WrestleMania, so they can fit them all without a problem, in my opinion, but some will probably get cut. Again, that’s just a speculated card on the behalf of yours truly. Randy Orton and Batista aren’t included on there, but I think WWE may get Rosey and Jamal, as well as Ortn and Batista involved by putting them in a 4-Way Tag Team Championships match for the RAW belts, against Storm/Regal and the Dudleyz. I can also see more cruiserweights being involved in the match for the title but WWE will probably keep it down to Matt vs. Rey, as they’ve worked great matches. Anyway, we’ll give that more thought as time passes by. Expect more WrestleMania XIX updates from yours truly in the future.
That will do it for now folks! I should be back this weekend with an update! I’ll probably do My Two Cents then as well. Until next time, have a good day!
Eddie
