Grilling JR - No Way Out 2006 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

The Road to WrestleMania 22 stopped at the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore Maryland on February 19, 2006 for the eighth annual No Way Out pay-per-view. It was a Smackdown only event. 11,000 were reported in attendance that night - a sellout event. 218,000 bought it on pay-per-view. Since 2001, the buyrate for No Way Out has fallen each year...575,000 in 2002; 450,000 in 2003; 265,000 in 2004; 240,000 in 2005 and now, 218,000

(Do you think the show lost its appeal becoming a one-brand event? Or was there some other reason fans lost interest in this pay-per-view name?)

There’s a big main event on the card tonight: Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship. But the event is probably more well remembered for the feud between Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio.

We’re just a few months after the unexpected death of Eddie Guerrero. At the Royal Rumble, Rey Mysterio dedicated the match to Eddie. And won it. But before he could get his title shot at Wrestlemania, there had to be some sort of threat to him at the pay-per-view before, because that’s what always happens. So, on Smackdown, Randy tells Rey that Eddie’s not up there in Heaven. He’s down there. In HELL. It was supposed to be “heat.” But it just felt disgusting.

(Let’s get to the big question out of the gate. I’m sure there will be more on it throughout the show, though: What was your opinion of the “Eddie’s in hell” angle?)

The News

The company is opening up a new 12-man department in house in charge of marketing the PPVs and 24/7 directly. They had been working with Team Services, which are specialists in that field, for years. Team Services has also been working with UFC for years. In recent months, that had started to cause minor jealousy, combined with the feeling it's easier if there is a problem to have the people to change it in house; as opposed to having to set up a meeting in New-York. ·Time will tell if the outdated PPV commercials will come into·play. The commercials are done so far-in advance that often they advertise the wrong thing. On No Way Out, even as late·as show time, most of the TV commercials were listing Batista vs. ·Undertaker as the main event and Batista went down months ago

(Do you remember the company having challenges with advertising the wrong PPV matches and it having to do with a marketing firm that the UFC also used?)

So much of the news revolves around reaction to the Eddie’s in Hell angle. That includes our friend, Mick Foley. Mick is one of those guys that if something wrong happens, he has to speak up. And so he did. Meltzer wrote this:

Mick Foley wrote more this week about the Guerrero situation. He said he felt if he didn't write it, his doing a column on the web site would be a joke, plus he was having trouble sleeping because he was holding in his thoughts on the angle . . He said that the explanation on the 2/10 Smackdown where Orton said he didn't really mean it, but just said it to force Mysterio to put up his title shot, allowed him to rationalize what happened the week before "just barely." “I’m still not in favor of the whole scenario, but I'm going to sit back for the next few weeks and see how it plays out" Making the situation worse is that Foley watched the 2/3 Smackdown with a young Mexican-American child who was sick in a hospital visit. He sensed the child was upset by the show watching Mysterio's promo where he constantly brought up Guerrero's name, and then got worse when Orton said, "Eddie's in hell." He was also uncomfortable watching it, particularly as a representative of the company that was doing this, and Orton's line only made it worse:

Foley said that he has set up an appointments to change his will, and made it clear this is not a joke. He said if he meets an untimely death, and if anyone at the time cares, it will specifically state what he would have wanted, so there would be no arguments. He said the main points would be that be would be fine with a tribute show put on by WWE. He would not be fine with anyone putting on Mick Foley Memorial hardcore shows, even if promoters meant well. And he would not like his name used to push any wrestler or used for any angles.

(Do you remember any internal reaction to Mick’s public reaction on the distasteful angle? Do you think this made a lot of wrestlers reconsider how they would want to be used in a TV angle for the company if they died?)

Mysterio was interviewed in the Baltimore Sun on the subject, and took the new company party line, which was the smart way to handle it. "It's hard to hear what has to be said from Randy. Eddy Guerrero had such an impact on the fans, on the company, on the (wrestlers). He was loved by everybody. But I think the most important thing is that his wife has a lot of say in this. If she's comfortable with all of this being done, she knew Eddy very well and I think Eddy would want this to continue as long as it could. “I think he's up in heaven, and he's enjoying every single moment" Rey was also asked about the Dominick angle and said this: "It did concern me a little bit as to how he was going to react because it was such a strong storyline. But I think he handled it very well. He liked the acting. He liked the drama, and he liked the business. It showed me that maybe one day he will be in the ring….”

Funny how that worked out.

(Rey Mysterio knew what to say to ensure his family’s future in this business, didn’t he? And doesn’t it feel even more rotten to think of the company forcing him to do interviews about why he’s okay with something he’s probably deep down, not okay with?)

The Event Itself

WWE NO WAY OUT 2006 POLL RESULTS

• Thumbs Up (79.5%)
• Thumbs down (14.7%)
• In life middle (5.8%)

BEST MATCH POLL

• Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker 150
• Randy Orton vs. Rey Mysterio 17
• Chris Benoit vs. Booker T 9

WORST MATCH POLL

• JBL vs. Bobby Lashley 106
• MNM vs. Hardy & Tatanka 49
• Boogey Man vs. Simon Dean 16
• Cruiserweight match 8

Meltzer said...

There weren't any big surprises, but an excellent main event with Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker paced a strong No Way Out...The WWE's final PPV show before Wrestlemania meant the results were either going to be predictable, or kind of stupid, when it came to the major matches. As is becoming the pattern for WWE PPV shows, the undercard wasn't much. In some ways. fans are now more than ever into "stars" as opposed to "matches," and thus undercard matches unless there is a really charismatic performer, or they put a main event match on early, aren't going to get much response. Even though it was a full house and WWE has more business momentum now than at any time in a good four plus years, the crowd was cold for most of the show. But you got three good matches. Chris Benoit beat a well less than 100% Booker T to win the U.S. title in a solid match. Randy Orton pinned Rey Mysterio in what appeared to be a toned down match, and Angle pinned Undertaker by flipping into a jackknife pin while caught in a triangle in the show stealer. The match was based on Undertaker continually not tapping and escaping the ankle lock, and to a much lesser extent, Angle doing the same while caught in the triangle. After the match, Undertaker told Angle that he had his number, obviously building for a return, which is scheduled for 2/27 at the double taping at the MCI Center in Washington, DC, which is probably where the Mark Henry interference finish that everyone expected on this show (and appears to have one time been planned for this show) may be taking place.

Most of the talk going into the show regarded the Orton vs. Mysterio match and the use of Eddy Guerrero's name in trying to get both men over. Whatever the original plans were for this show, they were greatly changed amidst the controversy. During the week, the plans changed to make Angle vs. Orton into a three-way with Mysterio.

(Is it a little insane to think that the original plan was for all of this to be said about Eddie and for Rey to STILL lose?)

I was surprised they didn't do more of a controversial finish where a three:way would be the only answer as opposed to making it like Mysterio was being given a gift to get in the main event. It's said Angle wasn't in favor of it, not because of any problem with Mysterio whatsoever, but because he was loo)dng forward to doing a classic Wrestlemania match, and felt Wrestlemania is about a one-on-one classic and not a three way. With Mysteno, it may very well be a better match, but a three-way needs more contrived spots and the injury spots and it's harder to get an all-time classic out of one, although I suppose the 9/11 TNA match could be the lone argument against that.

Vickie Guerrero and her daughters were not stationed at ringside, as was the original plan, and instead only Vickie came. and she was used backstage, with Chavo Jr. Their role was minimal. There was a script written for what they were supposed 10 say, but the day of the show, Bruce Prichard, who was the producer of the segment, never gave them the script and told Chavo and Vickie (who has done angles before, both the fake heart attack of Eddie's mother as well as the Dominick storyline and interfering in the ladder match between Mysterio and Eddie at SummerSlam) to just act natural as ifit was a shoot in their two segments. It was better that way, because if she had to do dialogue it wouldn't have come off as well. Vickie did have mixed emotions about being there (one friend said that she never fully decided on coming until 2/15), but in the end, felt that Eddy would have wanted her to attend if it was going to help out Mysterio's career, which is how it was sold to her. She was said to have been nice to everyone, but it was clear that being there, making the trip on her own, was a tough deal for her. Her daughters didn't go. Shaul, Eddy's oldest daughter, didn't go and specifically didn't want anything to do with it Vickie's role was simply to hug and congratulate Chris Benoit for winning the U.S. title, and to be the key figure in a group of people who sympathized with Mysterio after he lost the main event slot at Mania in the Orton match.

(Who was the driving force behind the idea to use Vickie here for this angle?)

The match itself, a well done bout, had a surprising lack of heat. That was really the case for most of the show until the last ten minutes of the main event. There were a lot of "Eddy" chants during the match, but Orton got very little heat while working on top and crowd, aside from the chants for Guerrero, didn't seem as much behind Mysterio working from the bottom as most WWE crowds have been the past few months. The crowd didn't really seem all that upset that Mysterio lost, although they did seem surprised. WWE did more post-match than in any match in its history in trying to make the crowd sympathetic with the loser. It's pretty clear the company realized certain aspects of the angle were getting the wrong kind of heat, but they are most definitely continuing the storyline. While it's doubtful anything is fully planned this far, the idea that Orton would get the title, lose it and regain it from Mysterio, and then do a program with Batista as the key main event programs for most of2 006 is how things looked. It is not a given Orton wins the title on this show, which was the original plan, and if the plan has changed, it would be Orton's out-of-the-ring immaturity as a key reason. Batista also returned at the show. Because he was unadvertised and hadn't been seen since his surgery, he got the biggest reaction of the show. He's dropped noticeable weight, but also looked far more rested. He's been living in Birmingham since his surgery and doing constant intense rehab under the guidance of Dr. James Andrews, very similar to the lifestyle HHH kept up after he tore his quadriceps in 2001. The surgery took muscle from his hamstring and transplanted it into his right triceps, so it actually should be far stronger than the uninjured side. He will be staying in Birmingham for at least another month before moving back to Florida, where he now lives. He's been told by doctors not to return until the middle to latter part of the summer although there is pressure on him to make it back quicker. When someone asked him about an appearance at the end of May, he said he expected he would be back on the road.

In his promo, he talked about missing the crowd and missing wrestling, but he also looked more rested than in a long time without the travel grind. He said that it doesn't matter who holds the title when he gets back, he'll reclaim it.

As compared with last year's show, we were down 13% in responses. Last year's show was one of the weakest of the year, and I don't think anyone was expecting this year's to do any better. But as with a lot of the recent shows, it's probably saved by international, although it was free in the U.K.

A. Boogey Man pinned Simon Dean in 1:55. This was just hilarious in that nonsense way. This match was being advertised ahead of time on Heat and promoted throughout the show. So Dean gets in the ring like nothing is wrong. Then Boogey Man's music plays, and Dean does that shocked and scared deal as if he had no idea who his opponent was. It was mostly stalling and had a surprising lack of crowd reaction, since people are usually into Boogey Man. This was hilarious if you watch OVW. In OVW, before Boogey Man does his finisher, he takes these big steps as the crowd (largely planted) chants "B-0-0-G-E-Y-M-A-N" and then he hits his finisher. He set up Dean, started stepping, and nobody chanted anything. 99.9% of the people watching missed it but it was hilarious. He then finished the pump handle slam for the pin.

(Simon Dean did a shoot interview after he left saying he wouldn’t be coming back. What made him unhappy during his time with the company?)

Before the first match, Michael Cole started talking about the history of wrestling in the building. He said it was the building, in its three highlights, and I kid you not where Billy Graham beat Bruno Sammartino for the WWE title, where Tito Santana beat Greg Valentine for the IC title, and where Vince McMahon beat Stephanie McMahon in their only singles match. What were you expecting, them saying it wawa where Sting beat Ric Flair to win the NWA title for the first time or where Magnum TA walked to the ring for the first time at a wrestling arena after his near fatal accident?

(That’s got to be a rib or a joke, right? Vince vs. Stephanie?)

1. Gregory Helms retained the cruiserweight title in what amounted to a battle royal with a first pinfall stipulation over Scotty 2 Hotty, Paul London, Brian Kendrick, Funaki, Super Crazy, Psicosis, Nunzio, and Kid Kash in 9:42. People weren’t much into this. The bad news was this felt like a battle royal which doesn’t televise well but the good news is it was a really good battle royal. Helms was the focal point, mostly staying out of the ring to avoid contact. Tons of near falls as everyone got to do their winning move with another guy breaking it up. It was built around big moves and dives. Psicosis and Crazy did simultaneous pescados on Kendrick and London. London and Kendrick did simultaneous planchas to the floor. Finish saw the ring clear and Kash use the brainbuster on Psicosis. Crazy then did a moonsault onto Kash as he went for the pin. Helms knocked Crazy out of the ring and jumped on Psicosis to steal the pin. ** ½

(Why did this match not get more out of the crowd? On paper, it seems like a four-star. But watching it back, I really felt like it didn’t click.)

(We’ve heard before that the Mexicools gimmick was their idea. But, isn’t it possible they just pitched a really racist angle that they thought management would put on TV so they could get on TV and paid for it?)

2. JBL pinned Bobby Lashley in 10:58. This actually started in an interview Krystal Marshall was doing with Fit Finlay. Finally was mad he wasn’t on the card and wanted a fight. He then kidnapped Marshall and carried her to the ring. She acted scared but she is the one who wanted to learn wrestling and he seems to be the best teacher. Lashley ran in to save her. Finlay beat on Lashley when JBL arrived in his limo. He ran, not particularly fast, to the ring. Lashley started to get an advantage when JBL jumped him and the match was on. Mostly bad. Lashley looked green and hesitant out there and JBL. wasn't the kind of worker who could carry him. Match was dying for a few minutes, Lashley did a belly to belly on the floor with JBL. In the ring, as strong as he is, Lashley nearly lost JBL on a vertical suplex. JBL actually came off the top with an elbow. Lashley hit four straight belly to belly suplexes in the ring and somewhere there, JBL’s eye was busted open pretty badly. After an exploder, Finlay came back out. He attacked Tony Chimmel who must have done something wrong of late because this was clearly not his night. He threw Chimmel into the ring and with the ref distracted, hit Lashley with his chilleleigh. JBL then hit a clothesline on Lashley for the pin. It appears the idea here was to set up Finlay vs. Lashley for a house show program. The idea behind this is it’s Finlays one on one nightly tutorial sessions, with Finlays job to teach Lashley how to bea  worker. ¾*

(There’s been stories of JBL not exactly cooperating with new guys and hurting their momentum. Do you think Lashley looked green on his own or did he get a little help here?)

3. Matt Hardy and Tatanka beat MNM in a non-title match in 10:28. It appears Tatanka is getting the spot formerly earmarked for Animal. Tatanka got no reaction as a surprise partner, or for his comebacks. Michael Cole was going off on what great shape Tatanka was in. Well, he was in great shape for a guy who looked to have about a 41 inch waist. But he looked thick and powerful even at the age of 44. Match was okay. They got heat on Hardy and then on Tatanka. Melina thumbed Tatanka in the eye on the floor and Nitro came off the apron with a dropkick to him. Hardy made the hot tag. It ended with Tatanka doing a Samoan drop on Mercury for the pin when Hardy gave Nitro a twist of fate. This sets up a mid-card tag-title program. *¾

(Why did Tatanka get a second career resurgence here? Who was big behind that? What did you think of Melina doing her super loud scream to get heat during a match?)

Next up, the feud between Chris Benoit and Booker T continues. As a reminder, they had been involved in the Best of Seven Series that started at the Survivor Series the year before. But, after Booker T was injured. Randy Orton subbed for him against Benoit, eventually winning the title FOR Booker T to conclude that series.

Tonight’s match isn’t part of the best of seven. It’s just a good old fashioned championship match.

4. Chris Benoit beat Booker T to win the U.S. title in 18:13. They stalled before the match.  Booker said he was injured and was going to forfeit the title. Benoit told him he didn:t want the title that way and told him to be a man. Sharmell slapped Benoit twice (she can talk but her slaps need work) and was leaving, With Benoit distracted Booker jumped in and we’re off. Booker worked a groin injury, which probably wasn't much of a stretch. He did a lot of his moves but you could see he wasn’t close to 100%.. It had most·of the same moves as their Smackdown matches, but it wasn’t quite as good. Benoit did the three amigos and a top rope superplex, Booker came back and missed the old Harlem Hangover (somersault off of the top that he probably hasn’t done since the WCW days) (stan: wonder why?).

Benoit came back with three German suplexes. Benoit went on top and Sharmell distracted, so Booker scooped his leg and he got crotched. Booker used his ax kick finisher but Benoit kicked out. Finish saw Sharmell take a bump off the apron and Benoit put Booker in the sharpshooter and then moved into a crossface for the tap out title change win. They made a big deal out of the title change and I think it’s important they do things like this. All the babyfaces, plus Pat Patterson, congratulated Benoit in his win. He hugged Chavo and Vickie Guerrero and told Mysterio to win it for Eddie. *** ¼.

(It’s a good - not great - match. And these two had a great series. But, why does it feel like watching Chris Benoit after Eddie died is like watching the breakdown in slow motion? Was Benoit having a hard time at this point? And did he insist on working through it?)

(Was this supposed to make me feel better about the stuff we got next with Rey?)

Up next is one of the two main matches on the card tonight: Rey vs. Randy. Their feud started at the Royal Rumble. Mysterio won the 2006 Royal Rumble match and a world championship match at WrestleMania 22 by last eliminating Orton. On the February 3 episode of SmackDown!, Orton claimed that there was no way Mysterio could beat him in a normal match and that he won the match because of some divine intervention. Orton then challenged Mysterio to a match at No Way Out for his title match at WrestleMania 22, and claimed that Eddie Guerrero (Mysterio's friend who had died months prior) was not in heaven, but in hell. Later that night, Orton along with Mark Henry defeated Mysterio and Kurt Angle.  Midway through the match, Davari confronted Angle and was chased outside the ring and into the crowd. Henry followed, leaving Mysterio and Orton on their own. Orton gained the pinfall after sitting on Mysterio. After the match, Orton claimed that Mysterio had as much chance of defeating him as Guerrero did of coming back to life. Mysterio responded by accepting Orton's challenge on behalf of Guerrero.

(Phew. Too much? Because that just makes me not want to watch a show. It doesn’t invest me in the feud.)

The next week on SmackDown!, Orton set the record straight about the comments he made about Guerrero.] Backstage, he said that he only made the comments to get inside Mysterio's head, and that he did not know or care if Guerrero was in Hell. Orton later entered the arena in a lowrider to further explain his actions, and read an excerpt from Guerrero's book, Cheating Death, Stealing Life – The Eddie Guerrero Story, but Mysterio attacked him, dropkicking his head into the steel ringpost.

(It feels like there was backtracking here but it’s also like the saying goes when you’ve already started something you can’t stop...in for a penny, in for a pound)

On the February 17 episode of SmackDown!, Mysterio faced off against Sylvan, which Mysterio won after a West Coast Pop. After the match, Orton came out and said that Mysterio would never main event WrestleMania, he would never become World Champion and that he could never beat him. And that brings us to our match tonight. Mysterio has to win this match...right?

5, Randy Orton pinned Rey Mysterio in 17:28. Orton worked on Mysterios left arm for several minutes. He got a near fall putting Mysterio in the old Sammartino style backbreaker and then dropping him almost like a powerbomb. At another point Orton had Mysterio on his shoulders and set up doing an electric chair drop standing on the middle rope but Mysterio reversed it into a sunset flip power bomb. At another point when the crowd was chanting “Eddie” Mysterio did the Guerrero dance and the reaction was mixed. In fact, a lot of fans were cheering for Orton but not enough that made it a big difference. Orton bled hardway. A nice spot was Mysterio coming off the top rope and Orton met him with a perfectly timed dropkick. Finish was sudden, as Mysterio hit a dropkick, missed a 619, and Orton schoolboyed him and held the ropes for the pin. After the match, they followed Mysterio to the back. All the undercard babyfaces (cruiserweights and Lashley) were all sad for him. He went to Chavo and Vickie and said he let them down. They told him he didn’t because he tried his hardest but he said that he didn’t and blew Wrestlemania *** ¼.

It’s bizarre to think that this was the original plan. We will talk about how things would change again on Smackdown once we get through the show...but…

(What did you think about this finish? About the walk of shame at the end? And about the proposed match between Angle and Orton?)

(Why wasn’t Benoit backstage when Rey lost?)

(In your opinion, what was the biggest factor contributing to why the angle was changed?)

Time for our main event and for what was the big feud going into tonight.

At the previous pay-per-view, Royal Rumble, Angle defeated Mark Henry to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. When the match was over, Undertaker came out and issued a challenge to Angle for the World Heavyweight Championship. On the February 3 episode of SmackDown!, Angle accepted his offer and the match at No Way Out was made official. The next week on SmackDown!, Undertaker defeated Henry by disqualification after MNM, along with Daivari, came out and attacked Undertaker. After the match, MNM, Henry, and Daivari attacked Undertaker until Angle came out and made the save. SmackDown! General Manager Theodore Long then announced that Undertaker and Angle would face off against Henry and MNM in a 3-on-2 Handicap match next week. On the February 17 episode of SmackDown!, Undertaker and Angle defeated MNM and Henry after Angle forced Johnny Nitro to submit to the Ankle lock.

6. Kurt Angle pinned the Undertaker in 29:37 to retain the world title. Match started slow. The first big spot was Angle whipping Undertaker’s knee into the ringpost and doing a figure four around the post. Haven’t seen that move in years. Funniest line of the night from Tazz: Angle’s one of the best of all time That’s a fact in my opinion.” Undertaker came back and gave him a legdrop on the apron. WHen he tried to follow-up Angle snatched him and put him in an ankle lock on the floor. He worked on the ankle until Undertaker caught Angle with a triangle. Boy did that need an education process because the first time he put it on, nobody reacted to it. It’s okay, by the end, they figured it out. It’s all about the education process. I think both guys really liked the idea of working with each other because Undertaker is such a big fan of real fighting and Angle is a fan of making his matches look real, so they’re on the same page with their ideas. Undertaker escaped and whipped Angle into Tony Chimmel. After Chimmel took the bump, Angle gave Undertaker an Angle slam through the English announcers table. Undertaker at one point was about to be counted out but Angle broke up the count. Not sure if that made sense but whatever. Undertaker whipped Angle into the ring steps and part of the broken table caught Angle in the throat. That looked seven kinds of scary. But Angle quickly came back. When Undertaker was on the top rope, Angle ran up and did a botched belly to belly off the top for a near fall. Undertaker came back and went for a choke slam but Angle rolled it into an ankle lock. Undertaker nearly made the ropes but Angle pulled him to the center. They pushed the idea that Undertaker has never tapped in his life. Undertaker was lasting forever in this but it didn’t feel as silly as Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania. Undertaker got out again, used a choke slam but Angle kicked out. Taker went for the last ride but Angle did a Toyota roll into a sunset flip and bank into the ankle lock. Undertaker got out after a long struggle again. Angle used another Angle slam, Undertaker kicked out, and sat up, but was put in another ankle lock. Undertaker kicked Angle to break it. Undertaker kicked out of ANOTHER angle slam, then he did another triangle choke and Angle teased tapping. They did the spot where the ref lifted Angle’s arm and it went limp twice but not the third time. Angle then teased tapping but then flipped over while still caught in the triangle with a jackknife cradle for the pin.

Has anyone asked a question why someone is on his back applying a triangle, the ref doesn’t count ap infall on them. That used to be the entire rationale of why the guard can’t be used in pro wrestling 50 years ago when jiu jitsu vs. pro wrestling worked matches were held, because holding guard, the guy on the bottom was being pinned. Well, that’s food for thought for another day. This match was great. ****

(Once again, Kurt Angle steals the entire show. How much did you enjoy this match?)

(Do you agree that holding guard should mean getting pinned in pro wrestling? Or do the rules need to be adjusted to more MMA style than traditional amateur wrestling falls?)

(Overall, give us your thoughts on No Way Out 2006? Good show?)

It would be a mistake for us to wrap this show up without talking about the Smackdown that aired later in the week.

Rey Mysterio comes out to address what happened at the show. He walks slowly and looks terribly sad.  Rey begins apologizing to everyone for losing his Mania title shot. He said he let everyone down and it’s no one’s fault but his own. He sits the microphone down and begins to leave the ring. Then, Teddy Long’s theme song hit. Teddy said what happened to Rey was wrong (with Randy cheating, not with Rey having to do the entire angle). Teddy says the referee’s decision is final. He can’t take Randy Orton out of the match - but he damn sure can add to the match. Teddy makes the Wrestlemania 22 match a triple threat.

(Did this make things right? Does this lessen the No Way Out pay-per-view show? What did you think of this choice? And can you tell us anything about it from inside?)