No Way Out 2001 – Three Stages of Hell:
Triple H vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
This was meant to be the payoff of a long-running feud, starting back at Survivor Series 1999 – when Triple H orchestrated Rikishi running over Austin. During the build-up, Vince McMahon brought in a “no contact” clause to the match contract, so neither man could touch the other before the match – if Austin did, he’d lose his Wrestlemania Championship match (earned by winning the Royal Rumble); if Triple H did, he’d be suspended for six months. They managed to abstain, but Austin did hit Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley with a Stunner, and Triple H hit Jim Ross with a Pedigree as retaliation.
The first fall was a straight-up singles match. Austin worked over Triple H’s left arm, to the point where Triple H can’t hit an early Pedigree because of it. HHH gains the advantage after countering a second rope elbow drop and works on Austin’s neck and leg. Austin reverses a Figure Four Leglock from Triple H, forcing The Game to grab the ropes to break. HHH manages to evade two Stunner attempts but eats the third.
Austin goes up 1-0.
The second fall was a Street Fight. Austin nails two suplexes on the ramp, and decks Triple H with a monitor from the announce table. Austin uses a chair to hit almost every part of Triple H’s body, then grabs a barbed wire 2×4 from under the announce table. Triple H hits Austin low, grabs the 2×4, and slices open Austin with the barbed wire. Back on the announce tables, Triple H attempts a Pedigree but Austin backdrops HHH through the Spanish Announce Table. Triple H gets a two-count after hitting Austin with the ring bell. HHH attempts a Pedigree on a chair, but Austin backdrops him over the ropes to the outside. Austin wipes out HHH with a chair, busting The Game open. Triple H grabs a sledgehammer from underneath the announce table. HHH counters a Stunner and hits Austin with the sledgehammer, then a Pedigree for the pin.
Triple H evens the score at 1-1.
The third, and deciding, fall is a Steel Cage Match. The weapons remain in the ring as the cage is secured. Austin is sent into the centre supports of the cage, and then has the barbed wire 2×4 dug into his head. Austin counters with a chair shot and returns the barbed-wire-flavoured favour. HHH gets a two-count with a DDT on a chair. The Game tries to escape the cage, but Austin stops him. Austin ends up crotched on the top rope. Triple H blocks a Stunner and hits a Pedigree for a two count. After a chair shot, Austin blocks another Pedigree and catapults HHH into the cage. He follows with a Stunner for a two count. Austin grabs the 2×4, Triple H grabs the sledgehammer. Both men connect at the same time. Triple H lands on top of Austin and gets the deciding pinfall.
Triple H wins 2-1.
This was an odd match. The commentary team did a commendable job at mentioning Austin beating Triple H at his own game (the straight-up wrestling match), and Triple H returning the favour (the street fight). Triple H was working as the heel against not a babyface Royal Rumble winner with a WWF Championship match at Wrestlemania – BUT, he went one fall down and performed the babyface comeback. This booking could have seriously derailed Austin’s challenge for the title at ‘Mania, which is probably why Austin hit a Stunner after the match and walked out. Besides, it never paid off the whole “getting him run over” angle – as Triple H and Austin ended up joining forces without Stone Cold ever getting his revenge win. A good match, but a really odd booking.
No Way Out 2001
Steven Richards vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler
Another “oh boy” moment. Steven Richards was the leader of The Right To Censor. Essentially a mockery of the Parents Television Council, Richards (along with Ivory, and eventually Val Venis, The Goodfather, and Bull Buchanan) tried to put a stop to the more “adult” side of the WWF. Jerry Lawler’s wife, Stacey “The Cat” Carter was petitioning for the “right to nudity” on WWF TV. This match was made with two stipulations. If Lawler won, The Cat would strip naked. If Richards won, The Cat would be forced to join The Right To Censor.
As you would expect, there wasn’t a lot of actual wrestling. Ivory and The Cat got involved a lot. Lawler did manage to hit 26 mounted punches rather than stopping at ten. Ultimately, The Cat miscued and hit Lawler with Ivory’s WWF Women’s Championship belt allowing Steven Richards to get the win. Right To Censor then put a black bag over The Cat and dragged her out of the ring.
This was awful. The entire build-up was awful. The match was awful. The stipulations were awful. The fact that The Cat was fired two days after this show (leading Lawler to quit in protest) so the angle never went anywhere, was awful. The fans quite clearly wanted the nudity, and I’m ashamed to say that 18-year-old me probably agreed with them. But The Right (To Censor) result prevailed. It’s a true sign of the passing of time when you realise just how awful the WWF’s treatment of women was and in enlightened times your side with the “heels” who were honestly just doing the decent thing.
No Way Out 2001
WWF Tag Team Championship: The Dudley Boyz © vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Undertaker and Kane.
This was a non-elimination triple-threat tag team match. The first team to put someone through a table wins. The build-up to this is way too convoluted to recap here but did result in Edge and Christian manipulating the Brothers of Destruction into attacking The Dudley Boyz in a parking lot.
Edge and Christian are met on the entrance ramp by Undertaker and Kane. The Dudley Boyz come out behind them, so Edge and Christian jump off the ramp to avoid being attacked. The Dudleyz get thrown off the stage by the Brothers of Destruction. Undertaker and Kane set Edge and Christian up for Last Ride’s through tables, but are attacked from behind by the Dudleyz with chairs. Bubba Ray Dudley avoids a Con-Chair-To, which leads to Edge hitting Christian in error.
D-Von hits the WASSUP! Headbutt on Edge. After the “Get the Tables” spot, ‘Taker and Kane return. Christian manages to hit The Unprettier on Bubba Ray. Undertaker and Kane drop Edge and Christian with double power slams, then double top rope clotheslines. Kane and Undertaker are the first to bring tables in the ring but are beaten down to stop their use. Undertaker avoids a 3D through the table. D-Von lands a low blow on Undertaker to avoid being choke slammed through a table. Edge and Christian attempt to suplex Undertaker through a table, but Kane moves it. After a few chokeslams, the Brothers of Destruction set up again for stereo Last Rides, but are interrupted by Rikishi and Haku! These four brawl, leaving Edge attempting a spear on Bubba Ray. Edge misses and hits a table that doesn’t break. 3D to Christian through a table for the win.
This was disjointed and largely poor. We’re expected to believe a chair shot each to Undertaker and Kane will take them out for a few minutes at the beginning of the match – completely against character. Once they returned, they threw off the entire complexion of the match. Everything felt laboured and forced until Rikishi and Haku appeared (I wish they’d had a proper run as a team), but by that point, it was the ending stretch. The chemistry between the Dudleyz and Edge and Christian was still firing on all cylinders and would continue to a belter of a match at Wrestlemania between them and The Hardy Boyz.
No Way Out 2001
WWF Championship: Kurt Angle © vs. The Rock
The backstory video package was confusing – it seemed to just be a repetition of catchphrases from The Rock, and Angle trying to sound tough. Wait… that was their gimmicks in 2001, wasn’t it? Right, as you were.
The match starts as you would expect. Lots of open slaps from Rock, and side Russian leg sweep. Angle takes advantage of a clothesline. Angle tries an early ankle lock, Rock gets to the ropes. Angle throws Rock with two superb belly-to-belly suplexes, Rock’s retaliatory belly-to-belly throw looks amateur in comparison. Rock attempts a sharpshooter, Angle gets to the ropes. Rock drops Angle groin first on the top rope and gets a two-count after a superplex. Rock tweaks his leg being thrown over the top rope but recovers to hit a DDT. With both men down, Big Show comes out (music and all). He chokeslams the referee (Mike Chioda), then Angle, then Rock – then leaves.
Earl Hebner and Tim White come out to help Chioda. Angle covers Rock, so Hebner drops Chioda on his face and slides in to count – only a two. Angle locks in the ankle lock, but Rock gets to the ropes. Angle stomps the ankle, but Rock comes back with some more slaps and a spinebuster. The People’s Elbow gets a two-count. Rock shoves Hebner while being pulled apart in the corner, allowing Angle to hit a low blow. Hebner then watches Angle remove the turnbuckle pad without trying to stop him. Angle blocks the Rock Bottom, bounces Rock off the exposed turnbuckle, and hits an Angle Slam – but only gets a two count. Rock sends Angle into the exposed turnbuckle, hits the Rock Bottom – but Hebner stops counting at two, with no obvious kick out from Angle. Rock hits a second Rock Bottom and gets the three count to become the new WWF Champion.
By Angle and Rock’s standards, this has to be classed as a poor match. This was a battle of the two over-acted right-hand strikes in the business – and there was a lot of them. The first half of the match was also full of Irish Whips – probably more in this first half than in the whole show combined. Big Show’s interruption made no sense whatsoever and didn’t seem to pay off anywhere after this. The only possible explanation was the referee bump and switch, but even that didn’t go anywhere. Hebner stopping his count when Angle didn’t kick out was awful. Even The Rock looked confused. A confusing end to WWF No Way Out 2001.
Overall, No Way Out 2001 will go down in history as one of the most forgettable parts of the Attitude Era. Part of this is because of the haphazard booking – a lot of the events of this show just didn’t make sense, and didn’t get a payoff (for various reasons). Also, with ECW and WCW both in the process of folding around this time, and the ongoing lawsuit against the other WWF, minds at the top of the company were obviously elsewhere.
That said, besides the in-ring action, there was still one point that made me smile when watching this back. The promotion of the WWF Music: Volume 5 CD on-screen during entrances was a positive reminder of just how important a theme is to a wrestler’s overall character. From Raven’s brooding slow, riff-heavy sludge to Motorhead singing out The Game; and from Disturbed’s taken on Stone Cold’s Glass Shatters theme to the now-iconic bombastic theme used for Kurt Angle; the music in No Way Out is probably more memorable than most of the rest of the show!
Twenty years later, we get this opportunity to look back and realise how far WWE has come. They have ridden the waves of numerous eras, and seem poised to be on the brink of a new one when crowds can return. Sure, the pay-per-views between Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania still don’t feel “special”. Sure, the momentum people are meant to carry through the “Road to Wrestlemania” still has fits and starts. And sure, we still have angles vanishing without resolution. But, at least we’re not relegated to having a wrestler and a commentator fight over whether a woman can be nude on television.
American journalist Finley Peter Dunne once wrote “The world is not growing worse and it is not growing better – it is just turning around as usual.” How true that is to the wrestling world.