With a new world order set to descend upon the World Wrestling Federation, No
Way Out kicked off live from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee!
Indeed, the show opened with Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Hollywood Hogan
emerging from the TitanTron! The charter members of the nWo made their way to
the ring, where Nash took the microphone as the crowd cheered wildly. Nash
said they were there to set the record straight. He said that when the trio
arrived at the arena, they received a lot of heat with the boys backstage.
Nash said that in the last couple weeks, the nWo had been associated with
words like "cancer" and "poison". Some people, according to Nash, labeled the
nWo a bunch of "company-killing bastards". Nash said the group wanted a clean
slate and the opportunity to prove to the fans the doubters wrong.
Scott Hall took the microphone next. He said the three were really just a
bunch of marks who wanted to take a few pictures, get a few autographs and
perhaps drink a few beers with the boys. Deep down, Hall said, they were no
different from anyone else and they didn't want any trouble.
Hogan then addressed the crowd and said he couldn't agree with Nash and Hall
more. He said they weren't there to kill the Federation, they were there to
make it better. Hogan asked the fans and the Federation Superstars to give
them a chance. Hogan credited Vince McMahon for being the first to give them
the opportunity to come to the Federation. "God bless Vince McMahon," Hogan
said. The three men then took their leave, with Jim Ross doubting the nWo's
sincerity.
The first match of the evening featured the Tag Team Turmoil competition
consisting of a total of 12 men. Two teams would face each other at one time
with the winner of each match advancing in the tournament and the loser being
eliminated. The team left standing will get a shot at the Tag Team
Championship next month at WrestleMania!
Lance Storm along with Christian started things off against Albert and Scotty
2 Hotty. At one point, Scotty went to hit the Worm to finish of Christian,
but Storm interfered and helped his partner pin Scotty!
Without delay, the Hardy Boyz rushed to the ring and dismantled Christian and
Storm. With Lita coaching from ringside, Jeff dropped Lance with a Russian
Leg Sweep while Matt pounded on Christian outside the ring. Soon after, Matt
hit Storm with a Twist of Fate and Jeff followed with a Swanton Bomb and took
the pin.
The Dudley Boyz with Stacy Keibler entered the fray next. The Hardys picked
up right where they left off with Jeff nailing the Poetry in Motion on Bubba
Ray. But the Dudleys stormed back, with D-Von earning a near fall on Jeff
after a lateral press.
But the Hardys came back. Jeff dodged a flying elbow from Bubba Ray and
tagged in Matt. Matt dropped Bubba Ray with a DDT and landed a leg drop onto
D-Von. Matt was about to nail a Twist of Fate to finish off Bubba, but Stacy
Keibler assaulted him! Lita raced in and took down the Duchess of Dudleyville
until Bubba Ray came to her aid. When Bubba turned back to Matt, Lita climbed
the top turnbuckle and hit him with a Litacanrana!
The high-flying continued with Jeff twirling a somersault plancha off the top
turnbuckle to Bubba Ray outside the ring! Meanwhile, Matt rolled up D-Von and
pinned him for Team Xtreme's second win! Afterward, though, the Dudley Boyz
vented on Jeff by hitting him with a 3D onto the concrete floor surrounding
the ring.
The exhausted Hardys were no match for Billy and Chuck, who came down to the
ring next. Within a minute, Billy won the pinfall with the Famouser!
The APA sauntered into the ring next and a slugfest ensued. Bradshaw caught
Chuck with a fall-away slam and tagged in Faarooq. But moments later,
Bradshaw came back in and smashed Billy with a Clothesline From Hell that
knocked his opponent head over heels! All Bradshaw had to do was roll over
and collect the pin to win Tag Team Turmoil and get a championship match at
WrestleMania!
Backstage, Michael Cole caught up with Ric Flair. An animated Flair said the
nWo had some nerve to say what they said earlier. Flair said there were
plenty of men backstage ready to punish the nWo the minute they step out of
line.
Rob Van Dam stepped into the ring with Goldust for the second No Way Out
match of the night. RVD came right out and overpowered the Bizarre One with
his unorthodox offense. Goldust was forced to flee from the ring and regroup.
Goldust suddenly grabbed RVD and pulled him outside the ring, where the fight
continued. RVD smashed Goldust's head into the ring barrier, then climbed the
ring skirt and hit his opponent with a flying spinning heel kick!
Goldust returned the favor moments later by landing a flying elbow onto RVD's
head. The action worked back inside the ropes shortly after. Goldust set out
to injure Van Dam's back. He catapulted him into the ropes then locked him
into a submission move that stretched RVD out.
At one point, RVD regained control when he dropped Goldust with a stiff kick
to the abdomen. He followed with a kick launched from the top rope but could
only get Goldust's shoulders to the mat for a two count. Not even a Rolling
Thunder could get Goldust down for the count. RVD tried to end things in a
hurry, but Goldust moved out of the way of a Five-Star Frog Splash!
With RVD reeling from his errant finisher, Goldust signaled for the curtain
call, but RVD countered with a spinning heel kick. Shortly after, RVD lived
up to his billing as Mr. Pay-Per-View by landing a Five-Star Frog Splash that
put Goldust away!
Stone Cold Steve Austin ran into the nWo backstage and all four men entered
into a stare down. Hall said they didn't want any trouble, and presented
Austin with a six-pack of Steveweisers. Stone Cold said he wasn't thirsty,
but at Hall's urging, took the beer for later. Instead, the Rattlesnake
dropped the beer on the floor and stomped away.
Booker T and Test attempted to become three-time Tag Team Champions by taking
on Spike and Tazz. Test set to work early on Tazz at the start, but the thug
toughed it out and tagged in Spike.
Spike was definitely not the biggest man in the ring, but he managed to give
Test and Booker T all they could handle. He weaseled out of a Test powerbomb
attempt and slugged Booker T.
The action went back and forth from there, with each team gaining the
advantage. Things seemed to be well in hand for Booker T as he sliced into
Spike with a scissors kick, but he managed to tag in his partner to keep his
team alive.
Tazz went for the Tazzmission, but Test avoided the maneuver, then fended off
Spike's Dudley Dawg. Shortly after, Test tried to pin Tazz, but the ref saw
Test using the ropes for leverage! Test argued angrily, which allowed Tazz to
lock on the Tazzmission and make Test tap out!
Backstage, The Rock said that the Undertaker had no idea what it was like to
be disrespected by The Rock. For 10 days straight, The Rock said he had
stayed home and thought about nothing but beating Taker's candy behind. Tonight,
The Rock said that Taker was exactly what he said he is: a Dead Man walking!
Next up came the Brass Knuckles on a Pole Match for the Intercontinental
Championship. Edge came right out and took down William Regal, the defending
champion, with a backdrop. Edge continued his assault on his opponent and
held control.
Edge actually managed to climb the ropes and get a finger on the suspended
brass knuckles, but Regal knocked him down and took the fight outside the
ring and into the crowd. Edge continued to slap Regal around, and eventually
both men reentered the ring.
Regal mounted some momentum by locking Edge into a submission hold, but Edge
countered and threw the Englishman out of the ring. Edge climbed toward the
brass knuckles, but Regal knocked him down. Regal continued to assault Edge
both in and out of the ring. Regal latched the Regal Stretch on Edge, who was
now bleeding profusely from the mouth. Edge endured the intense pain and
reached the bottom rope to break the hold!
With Edge lying on the mat, Regal climbed the top turnbuckle, but was knocked
down hard by Edge. Shortly after, Regal tried to powerbomb Edge on the ring
skirt, but Edge countered and sent both men flying to the hard ground below.
Edge was the first one up, and he groggily made his way toward the brass
knux. Regal met him halfway and punched Edge repeatedly until he staggered
off the rope. Regal climbed toward the prize, but Edge stopped him with a
super backdrop off the top rope! Soon after, though, Regal produced his own
pair of brass knux and cracked Edge in the head with them to retain his
title!
Backstage, Kurt Angle said he was confident that Stephanie would do a fine
job as the guest referee later on. He also said he was confident in his
chances because he was better than Triple H at everything. He told Triple H
that Stephanie lying about her pregnancy was the best news ever because The
Game would have made a lousy father. But that night, Angle said he would be
Triple H's daddy and walk away with a title shot at WrestleMania!
Undertaker set out to force The Rock to show some respect in the next match,
but it was the People's Champion opening with a furious assault. Taker came
back and overpowered The Rock. The Dead Man dropped the Great One with an
elbow followed by a punch to the head.
The People's Champion stormed back when the brawl left the ring. The Rock
smashed Taker's head into the announce table then cleared off the monitors.
But Taker caught him from behind and took over control. The Dead Man stuck
his boot onto The Rock's throat to choke him. The fight spread to the back of
the arena with Taker slamming Rock's head into a steel door!
Once back in the ring, Taker had trouble putting The Rock down for the count.
Not even a crushing DDT could do the trick. The frustrated Taker picked Rock
up and wrapped him into a bear hug. Rock's eyes widened from the intense
pressure, but he refused to submit.
The Rock mounted a huge rally and slammed Taker with a spinebuster! But when
The Rock went for a People's Elbow, Taker sprung up and grabbed The Rock for
a chokeslam! The Rock averted the maneuver, but Taker caught him again
moments later and this time connected! But The Rock just could not be pinned!
Obviously frazzled, Taker left the ring and climbed on his motorcycle. When
the referee protested, Taker threw him into the steps and grabbed a steel
pipe from his bike. Suddenly, Ric Flair raced down and smacked Taker a few
times. Then, the Dead Man returned the favor and smacked him down to the
ground!
When Taker reentered the ring, Rock took him down and locked in the
sharpshooter, but there was no referee to call for the bell! Suddenly, Vince
McMahon raced down just as the ref was reentering the ring. Vince loudly
distracted the ref. Well, The Rock had enough of these shenanigans, so he
began assaulting Vince! Before Taker could catch Rock from behind, Flair
ambushed the Dead Man and smacked him with the lead pipe! The Undertaker
staggered directly into a Rock Bottom and lost the match!
The special guest referee for the next match, Stephanie McMahon (no
Helmsley), made her way into the squared circle. Kurt Angle and Triple H
followed and the match to decide who would become the No. 1 contender was set
to begin. Triple H launched into a heated argument with his former wife,
which allowed Angle to roll him up quickly and Stephanie to start a quick
count that The Game kicked out of.
Shortly into the match, Angle missed a clothesline attempt and knocked Step
hanie over the top rope! The referee lay unconscious on the ground outside
the ring, but Triple H and Angle continued the fight. More officials came
down and carried Stephanie backstage while another took over responsibility
for calling the match.
The Game and Angle each displayed their abilities, with each taking turns
controlling the other. The Game nearly got a pin following a big spinebuster.
Shortly after, a facebuster produced another pin attempt that Angle kicked
out of.
Angle, realizing that he was in trouble, sprang off the ropes and knocked the
referee down from behind! He followed with a low blow to Triple and an Angle
Slam! Suddenly, Stephanie raced back to the ring! She began counting, but
Triple H kicked out! Stephanie screamed for Angle to continue his bashing.
Angle went for the ankle lock, but Triple H kicked him right into Stephanie,
who again went down!
Triple H managed to roll Angle up into a pin, but with two referees down,
there was nobody to count! Angle picked himself up and hit a German Suplex on
The Game and then brought a steel chair into play. The Game dodged a wild
swing and nailed a Pedigree on Angle! Referee Tim White got to his feet and
started counting, but Stephanie came alive and knocked him down and delivered
a shot to the midsection! Triple H caught Stephanie and set her up for a
Pedigree, but two chair shots from Angle stopped him!
Angle followed with an Angle Slam and Stephanie happily slapped out a three
count as her ex-husband lay broken and drooling on the mat!
Outside the arena, Angle got in his car and made a hasty exit. Before driving
off, he told the parking attendant to tell anyone looking for him that he is
going to WrestleMania!
Backstage, the nWo found The Rock. Hogan asked for a picture with The Rock
because he was his son's favorite wrestler. Rock turned to Scott Hall and
told Razor Ramon to take the camera and shove it. He then turned to Kevin
"Diesel" Nash and told him where to stick it. Finally, he told Hogan to take
the camera, shine it up, eat his vitamins and jam it!
Stone Cold Steve Austin attempted to dethrone Chris Jericho of the World
Wrestling Federation Undisputed Championship in the night's main event.
Jericho showed no respect for Austin. He stood eye to eye with him in the
center of the ring and flipped him the bird! Austin returned the favor then
the men locked up and began to throw down.
Austin chased Y2J around the ring, finally catching the champ and deliver
several slaps across the chest, each one punctuated with shouts of "What?"
from the crowd.
The fight spread up the entrance ramp to the TitanTron, where Stone Codl
tossed the champ into the side of a tractor trailer being used as part of the
No Way Out set. When the action worked back to the ring. Austin continued to
dominate.
Jericho soon showed why he is the Undisputed Champion. He took Austin down
and tried to turn him into the Walls of Jericho! Austin frantically managed
to free himself, but Y2J stayed in command. He flung Austin out of the ring
and nearly clobbered him with a steel chair. But the ref took away the weapon
before it could inflict any damage.
Back in the ring moments later, Austin caught Y2J on his back and tried to
put the champ in the Walls of Jericho! When he couldn't execute the move, he
settled for flinging Y2J into the turnbuckle. A powerslam shortly after
nearly caused the title to change hands, but Jericho kicked out and stayed
alive.
The crowd would soon see the Walls of Jericho as the champion locked the
challenger in the feared submission hold. Austin used every bit of energy he
could muster to crawl over and grab the rope to break the hold.
The referee inadvertently got in the way and had the wind knocked out of him,
which allowed Jericho to bring the Championship belt into the ring. But the
strategy worked against him as Austin gave him a spinebuster onto the jagged
gold Title!
Within moments, Austin had Y2J locked in the Walls of Jericho and Y2J started
tapping! But the referee was struggling to catch his breath! Austin then
knocked Jericho down with a Stone Cold Stunner when suddenly Hogan, Hall and
Nash raced down and beat the stuffing out of the Rattlesnake! After all that
tomfoolery, Jericho rolled over onto Austin just as the ref caught his
bearings. The ref counted three and Jericho once again held onto his title.
Afterward, Hogan, Hall and Nash delivered a more savage beating to Austin.
Hogan reached beneath the ring apron and produced two cans of spray paint
that he handed to his cohorts. Hall and Nash branded the beaten Rattlesnake
with the nWo insignia as No Way Out drew to a close!
