Okay, so technically I haven't watched the ENTIRE PPV yet, but I have checked for the results. Here is my opinion of the outcomes of WWE No Way Out 2009.
This is the last PPV before Wrestlemania 25: WWE's biggest PPV ever. Most likely the champions who walk out of this show with the gold, will be the ones walking in with the gold at Wrestlemania.
With that in mind:
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
ELIMINATION CHAMBER MATCH
WWE Champion Edge vs. The Undertaker vs. Triple H vs. The Big Show vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov
Edge was eliminated early, guarunteeing us a new Champion. Awesome, right? What could be better for Wrestlemania's 25th Anniversary than a brand spanking new Champion who has never main-evented WWE's biggest PPV of the year? For anyone not reading this properly, I was really hoping Jeff Hardy would regain his title and move on to main event the show as WWE Champion.
Big Show is eliminated. Kozlov is eliminated. Then Jeff is eliminated and I've lost all but the faintest interest in this match. Don't get me wrong, had it been any other match, I would've really enjoyed the final minutes between Triple H and The Deadman, but then I remembered that this is for the WWE Championship, and that the winner would most likely go into 'Mania as the Champion, and I knew instantly who would win.
To it's credit, the match was solid, with Jeff hitting a nice Swanton off the top of one of the pods. The crowd was really into it. Even after Jeff was eliminated, the entire arena was split down the center with chants for both 'Taker and The Game. But I think we all knew who would win, and sure enough, even after a TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER WHICH NO ONE KICKS OUT OF EVER, Triple H comes back and captures his 13th...YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT: 13 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. Ric Flair's legacy will die when Triple H attempts to replace it with his own.
WINNER: Triple H
MY THOUGHTS: Why?
No, honestly: why?
Triple H has main evented almost every Wrestlemania since 2001. Why couldn't he just let this one be a fresh start for the company by letting someone like Jeff Hardy carry the title in, signifying a new era in the company and a fresh start for WWE as a whole? Instead, the 25th anniversary of this spectacle will be just another chance to reminisce about every Wrestlemania for the past 8 years, which all prominently featured Triple H. I envision a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship between The Game, Jeff Hardy, and Vladimir Kozlov, but of course, I don't expect either of the latter two to win. This is the 25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania, after all: it's only fitting we uphold a "true" icon like Triple H. Thirteen title reigns is not all that impressive when your reigns are a mere 10 months apart.
I'm not sure why Triple H feels he needs this title anymore. He already gets a huge ovation from the crowd, already sells more merchandise than most of the roster (save for Cena and Hardy), and even with Jeff Hardy's mega-success on the same brand, has remained one of WWE's top 5 most popular superstars. Why does he need the WWE Championship anymore? We might as well have Hogan or maybe even The Rock come back and win it for no apparent reason. It makes just as much sense at this point, and quite frankly (it pains me to say this) would be infinitely more entertaining.
Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton
WINNER: Randy Orton
MY THOUGHTS: I have not seen this match yet. Simply looking at the results, the only thing I can say is that I'm thrilled to see Orton get the victory. After becoming one of the most successful heels in recent years, I would've hated to see Orton get buried by another ploy by the McMahons to steal the spotlight from their talent. Orton is right where he should be: at the top. The beatdown by Shane on Raw was ridiculous and made Orton look foolish and weak. Orton has stood his ground against the likes of Triple H, The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, and other true SUPERstars. Why would he suddenly back down when his boss's son shows up? Hopefully Orton will be inserted into the main event for the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 25. He may be a heel, but he is the biggest heel on any brand right now, and that should be claim enough.
ECW CHAMPIONSHIP
ECW Champion Jack Swagger vs. Finlay
WINNER: Jack Swagger
MY THOUGHTS: I didn't see this match, either, but I like the direction ECW is going in, using veterans to put over fresh young talent. I still prefer Matt Hardy as Champion, but I think his feud with Jeff will give him a bigger push. Hopefully this will put Christian in the ECW Championship match at Wrestlemania.
ALL OR NOTHING MATCH
Shawn Michaels vs. John "Bradshaw" Layfield
I thought this match came off a bit anticlimactic, but in hindsight, it worked well. Shawn came out fighting after getting some inspiration from his wife at ringside (Rabecca is an astoundingly beautiful woman). His momentum was eventually stopped by JBL's offense. The match had some nice psychology to it. JBL tried to use Michaels' rage to get him disqualified, offering HBK a chair to hit him with. HBK paused a moment, then threw the chair aside, realizing a DQ would mean servitude to JBL for life.
The next stages consisted largely of HBK getting beaten down with several powerful moves from JBL, including two Clotheslines From Hell. When JBL went to confront HBK on the outside, Bradshaw was slapped by Shawn's wife, and Shawn used that to gain momentum enough to hit all his signatures, including a scoop slam, elbow drop, and a VERY Sweet Chin Music all in succession for the win: a routine that hasn't been done uninterrupted for quite some time, and was never more rewarding. Shawn left with his wife in tow, and the two celebrated their victory, and Shawn's emancipation, on the ramp before the show moved on.
WINNER: Shawn Michaels
MY THOUGHTS: There are two things that bother me about this match. The first is part of the psychology to it. Bradshaw hit TWO Clotheslines from Hell on Shawn back to back, but rather than go for the cover, threw HBK to the outside onto the floor. Why wouldn't you cover him? It's an easy win!
The second thing that bothered me about this match was that it finished rather abruptly. All of a sudden Shawn was in control, and then all at once the match was over. Shawn knows how to build anticipation in the crowd. He showed us that countless times (his street fight with Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania 22 is a great example of how he can turn any match into a showstealer). I'm not sure what the cause was for the apparent quick finish, but it was sweet nonetheless, and the crowd was behind Shawn the whole way.
I could also complain that Shawn should've lost by default when his wife interfered, but I won't. In any case, this should free Shawn up for a fresh feud at Wrestlemania, though I don't know who is on the roster worth facing that Shawn hasn't already faced.
WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
ELIMINATION CHAMBER MATCH
World Heavyweight Champion John Cena vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kane vs. Mike Knox
Well, that's how it was billed, anyway. Unfortunately, just as Kofi Kingston was making his way down to the ring, he was attacked from behind by an angry and frustrated Edge (yes, Smackdown!'s Edge). Kingston was knocked unconcious and deemed not to wrestle. As Kofi was taken out on a stretcher, Edge forced himself into one of the pods inside the chamber. Referees did not move to stop him, and he was locked inside, officially now part of the match.
It would come down to Edge and Rey Mysterio. Cena's elimination, like that of Edge in the first Chamber match, guaranteed the fans a new Champion.
The crowd was strongly and solidly behind Rey for the entire final stage of this match. There were many near falls and pinning combinations that were some of the most exciting moments of anticipation in recent memory. Finally Edge pinned Rey to capture the victory, and, presumably, the title.
WINNER: Edge
MY THOUGHTS: This was exciting, and certainly entertaining. Edge inserting himself into the match brings up a string of questions to be answered on Raw. Is his win legitimate? Does have any real claim to the Championship? What will John Cena and the other participants have to say? What does this mean for Wrestlemania?
While this has sparked a wave of controversey in the WWE Universe, I'm a bit tired of the Edge screw jobs. While they have been creative (in that they don't all end in DQ finishes), it's almost expected now that Edge will steal the headlines depending on who he screws over next. Granted, this builds an incredibly strong heel character for Edge, and keeps him at the top of the ladder. I picture Edge going into 'Mania as the Champion. Unfortunately, there really is only one here the WWE will send in to vanquish the Ultimate Opportunist: John Cena. While I think John deserves to main event the biggest show of the year (he is still WWE's biggest superstar) I've grown weary of his 'Mania victories. The only match Cena ever lost at Wrestlemania was his loss to Randy Orton in the Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 24. Cena has defeated the likes of Big Show, JBL, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels at every Wrestlemania since 2002, all involving championship gold. It is likely that if Cena faces Edge at Wrestlemania 25, it will be to win back the World Heavyweight Championship, and frankly, I'm tired of the same old song and dance.
FINAL THOUGHTS: The popular saying in professional wrestling is that "you're only as good as your next show". It will be interesting to see what WWE does in the aftermath of this controversial PPV that saw the crowning of two new World Champions. While I am not thrilled with a couple of the finishes, I'm glad to see things happening here that are getting fans' attention.
Overall, I'd give this show a 7/10. The Shane/Orton feud reminds me a lot of the old feuds from the Attitude Era, where it wasn't about wins and losses, but deep, personal rivalries that fans could get into. The other matches were good performances all around (those which I saw), and HBK getting out from underneath JBL's thumb is a relief to almost every fan out there. However, there is a lack of representation here, particularly for the WWE and World Tag Team Championships, the Intercontinental and United States titles, and the women's division was nowhere to be found. Back on the positive side: clean finishes all around! No DQ's, no count outs, just good, clean wrestling! Major props to WWE for FINALLY giving fans what they paid to see: pay-offs!
As for my Wrestlemania predictions: I'll post those in a new blog entry following tonight's Raw.
Also, for those who haven't heard, the 2009 WWE Draft Lottery will be held Monday, April 13, 2009 on Raw. I'll be giving my picks for those moves in an upcoming entry.
Ladies and gentlemen: this is the home stretch on the Road to Wrestlemania 25!
