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diversions
'No Way Out' for
WWF viewers
Fans, since Wrestling
Roundup now runs on Tuesdays, this allows more timely analysis
of Sunday pay per views, like this week's focus, the World Wrestling
Federation's "No Way Out."
Normally, the February
pay per view lays the foundation for March's "WrestleMania,"
WWF's biggest event. "No Way Out" dealt more with
settling scores than forcing fans to pay $29.95 to get a preview
for next month's event, which was a plus, but Sunday's pay
per view had more nonsense than good, high-quality slobberknockers.
Big Show defeated
Billy Gunn to become the new Hardcore champion. The match
started out with Big Show battling the Hardcore champion,
Raven. But, because of the WWF's rule that the belt must be
defended 24/7, a few midcard wrestlers stayed busy by interjecting
themselves into the match, such as Crash Holly, Hardcore Holly
and Steve Blackman. Billy Gunn's interference proved successful,
as he pinned Raven to become the new champion. A few minutes
later, Big Show choke slammed the artist formerly known as
Mr. Ass to win the Hardcore belt.
Chris Jericho retains
the Intercontinental championship, defeating X-Pac, Chris
Benoit and Eddy Guerrero. I have no idea why title matches
are broadcast so early in the evening. All four wrestlers
put on a solid performance in this match. Benoit and Guerrero
fought in the middle of the match, which is teasing a second
Radicalz breakup. Jericho had hooked his three opponents in
his signiture move, the Walls of Jericho, one after another,
but none submitted. Extreme Championship Wrestling immigrant
Justin Credible tried to interfere, but Jericho stopped in.
In the end, Jericho used a roll-up and bridge to pin X-Pac
to keep the title.
Triple H defeated
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin two falls to one. Who
was responsible for match placement tonight? This is the main
event and should be the last match. This was a best of three
falls match as stipulated by Triple H, who won the rights
to dictate the rules of this battle. Austin won the first
fall, which was a regular match. Triple H won the second fall,
a streetfight, when he walloped Austin with a sledgehammer
and finished him with the Pedigree. In the deciding fall Austin
and Triple H clobbered each other, in a steel cage, with weapons
and both fell. Triple H landed on top of Austin for the pin.
Although the outcome was predictable, both men wrestled a
fantastic match.
The Rock pinned
Kurt Angle to win the World championship. Both men put on
a long but decent match. The low point was when Big Show came
out and choke slammed everyone in the ring. Rock and Angle
went back and forth for the next several minutes, building
the drama. After two Rock Bottoms, Rock defeated Angle and
captured the World title for a sixth time.
The Rock-Angle,
Austin-Triple H and the four-way Intercontinental matches
were fun to watch, but the rest of the card dragged the entire
show down. "No Way Out" also had the most ornery
match order out of any pay-per-view in recent history. Austin
and Triple H should have been the penultimate or final match
of the night, while the dreck matches should never air 30
minutes past start time.
Chris Ledermuller
is a print journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.
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