(Note: Billy James here, unfortunately there will be no PIPE BOMB! this week. I’m super busy with work. I’ll be back next with another PIPE BOMB! but until then here’s the latest Andrew B’s Wrestling Rewind)
Welcome everybody to another Wrestling Rewind and with the return of No Way Out I figured this time we would look at No Way Out 2003. The event saw Triple H defend the World Heavyweight Title against Scott Steiner. Also Stone Cold returns to battle Eric Bischoff. The Rock will battle Hulk Hogan in a rematch from WrestleMania 18. Plus Undertaker will battle Big Show and Jeff Hardy will battle Chris Jericho. So let’s begin right now.
The show opens from Montreal with pyro but no video package and our announcers are Jonathan Coachman and Jerry Lawler for Raw matches & Michael Cole & Tazz are there to cover the SmackDown action.
Opening Match: Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy
They lockup and Y2J pushes Hardy into the corner and they lock up again as Jericho locks Hardy in a side headlock and takes Hardy down. The exchange holds until Jericho slaps Hardy in the face & this anger Hardy who takes control & hits a backdrop and then a head scissors. Hardy punches Jericho in the corner and then Jericho levels Hardy with a clothesline. An Y2J chant starts as Jericho chops Hardy in the corner. Jericho charges the corner but Hardy moves and Jericho goes outside but gets hits by a springboard flip. They go back in the ring & Hardy hits a split legged moonsault for a near fall and Hardy throws Jericho across the ropes but Jericho goes to the outside and Hardy hits Jericho with a baseball slide. Hardy runs across the barricade and goes for a clothesline but Jericho ducks and throws Hardy into the steps. They go back in the ring and Jericho kicks Hardy in the ribs followed by a suplex. Jericho goes for a body slam but Hardy rolls up Jericho and then Jericho drop kicks Hardy and is in control. Hardy tries to fight back but Jericho pulls his hair and levels him with chops. Jericho charges Hardy but Hardy moves and Jericho crashes into the ring post. Hardy fights back with punches and a flying forearm and then some clotheslines and a code breaker. Jericho hits Hardy with an enziguiri and then a bulldog followed by a lionsault but Hardy gets his knees up. Hardy hits DDT for a near fall and then Whisper in the Wind. Jericho locks Hardy into the Walls of Jericho but Hardy grabs the ropes. Hardy backdrops Y2J on the apron but Jericho punch Hardy and goes to the top rope. Hardy then climbs up with him and gives him a hip toss off the top rope and Hardy goes to the top rope and hits the Swanton Bomb for a near fall. Jericho then goes for the Walls but Hardy rolls up Jericho. Jericho goes for springboards cross body but he gets hit with a dropkick from Hardy. Hardy hits a neck breaker and goes for the Swanton Bomb but he misses and Jericho hits a lionsault for a near fall. Hardy rolls up Jericho for a near fall but Jericho then takes control and tries to pin Hardy with his feet on the ropes but it’s only a 2. Jericho goes to the top rope and gets crotched and Jeff goes to the top but Jericho hits a power bomb off the top and then locks in the Walls of Jericho and Hardy taps after 13 minutes.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Match Rating: *** ½ out of 5
After the match HBK attacks Jericho but Christian saves Jericho & they attack HBK. HBK fights back with double DDT and he clotheslines Jericho over the top rope and then super kicks Christian.
Backstage Kurt Angle is with Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas. Angle says they are in Canada and not America and they have no Olympic heroes like America has Angle. He says they may say that they suck but they don’t because they are champions and Canadians suck because they try to be French. He says they will win and he will give Lesnar a preview of WrestleMania and he has an idea.
We then see a limo pull up and HHH, Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Batista come out but behind the limo there is an Austin 3:16 Pickup Truck.
Match 2: “The Big Red Machine” Kane & RVD vs. Lance Storm & William Regal for the World Tag Team Titles:
RVD & Storm start off and they lock up and RVD takes down Storm with a shoulder block and then goes for a monkey flip but Storm lands on his feet. RVD goes for kicks and Storm jumps over them all and RVD ducks a clothesline and takes down Storm with a spinning heel kick and Regal gets tagged in. Regal takes down RVD and they chain wrestle until RVD hits a split leg moonsault for a near fall. RVD hits a monkey flip and tags in Kane who hits an elbow drop. Regal then gets a body slam from Kane. Storm gets tagged in but Kane uses his power to take control and he levels Storm in the corner with elbows and punches and then a clothesline for a near fall. Kane tags in RVD and he goes for Rolling Thunder but Storm rolls to the outside. He then hits a spinning flip dive on Storm and they go back in the ring where RVD drops a leg drop on Storm and he tags in Regal. RVD elbows Regal in the corner and goes to the top rope but Storm pushes him off the turnbuckle into the barricade. In the ring Regal is in control and tags in Storm as RVD takes the baby face beat down. RVD fights back and tags in Kane who takes out both heels and is on fire now (no pun intended). Kane goes to chokeslam Regal but Storm jumps on Kane’s back and moves him mask so he can’t see as RVD tags himself in. Storm pushes RVD into Kane and Kane choke slams RVD as Regal pins RVD getting the win for his team after 9 minutes.
Winners: William Regal & Lance Storm Retain the Tag Titles
Match Rating: ** ¾ out of 5
Backstage Josh Matthews interviews Matt Hardy and Hardy talks about how hard it was to drop weight to be able to compete for the Cruiserweight Title. He then sees Jeff Hardy and talks down to his brother but Jeff just slaps Matt.
Match 3: Matt Hardy with Shannon Moore vs. Billy Kidman for the Cruiserweight Title:
The match starts with a lock up and Kidman runs into an arm drag and Hardy does jumping jacks. Hardy body slams Kidman and then Kidman arm drags Hardy and then hits a hurricanrana and then trade hip toss attempts until Hardy hip tosses Kidman on the apron and throws him into the ring post and then Hardy drops elbows on Kidman as he lies on the apron. Hardy then hits a leg drop in the ring & then Kidman tries to fight back but he gets hit with a neck breaker. Hardy is in control but Kidman tries to fight back only for Hardy to attempt a side effect but Kidman counters into a roll up for a near fall. Hardy pokes Kidman in the eye & then hits a neck breaker followed by a pin with Hardy’s feet on the ropes but Kidman kicks out. Hardy then locks Kidman in a front headlock but Kidman fights back and locks Hardy in a sleeper but Hardy fights out with a back suplex into an elbow drop. Hardy grabs Kidman’s leg but Kidman jumps up on 1 leg & hits an enziguiri and then Kidman fights back with punches and clotheslines. Hardy gets thrown into the corner but Kidman runs into a clothesline and Hardy hits a leg drop off the top rope for a near fall. Hardy goes for Twist of Fate but Kidman counters and hits a dropkick that sends Matt to the outside followed by a cross body to the outside. They go back in the ring and Kidman jumps off the top rope but Hardy kicks him and goes for the twist of fate but Kidman counters it into a roll up. Kidman goes for a bull dog but Moore hops on the apron and Hardy pushes Kidman into Moore and hits the side effect for a near fall. Kidman hits Hardy with a bulldog and goes for the SSP but Hardy moves and then hits the Twist of Fate but Kidman kicks out. Hardy puts Kidman on the top rope and goes for a superplex but Kidman pushes Hardy down & goes for the SSP but Moore grabs his leg and Hardy hits Kidman with a Twist of Fate off the top rope.
Winner: Matt Hardy wins the Cruiserweight Title
Match Rating: *** ¼ out of 5
Backstage Edge is knocked out as someone attacked him.
Match 4: Undertaker vs. Big Show with Paul Heyman:
The match starts with a brawl outside of the ring and Taker levels Show with punches and then Taker jumps off the apron but Show catches him and rams him into the ring post. Show then throws Taker into the barricade and then they enter the ring and Taker hits a dropkick. Taker then hits a running elbow as Taker lies on the apron followed by the leg drop as Show lies on the apron. Taker grabs a chair & Show punches the chair in Taker’s face and then throws him in the corner. Show then runs into a boot as Taker levels Show with punches but Show throw Taker into the corner and goes for a splash but Taker moves and goes for a body slam but Show falls on Taker for a near fall. Show then suplexes Taker for a near fall. Show then drops his elbow on Taker multiple times but Taker fights back with punches & Show falls in the corner and Taker goes for a splash but Show catches him and locks him in a bear hug. Taker fights out with punches but then runs into a sidewalk slam for a near fall. Show then throws Taker to the outside & he comes back in the ring but gets hit with a head-butt as Taker is now bleeding. Show then hits a huge punch followed by more head-butts and punches but Taker comes back with a punch but Show knocks Taker down with a punch but Taker comes back with punches and a splash in the corner. Taker goes for chokeslam but Show counters with a head-butt. Taker then connects with Old School and then goes for a chokeslam and they grab each other by the throat and Taker hits Show with a low blow and then DDT. Taker goes for Last Ride but Show counters with a spinebuster. Show then hits Taker with Snake Eyes for a near fall. Taker then locks in the Dragon Sleep but Heyman hops on the apron and Albert comes down and Taker hits a dive outside the ring on Heyman and Albert. Back in the ring Taker gets choke slammed by Show but Taker then locks Show in the triangle choke and Show taps out after 14 minutes.
Winner: Undertaker
Match Rating: ** ½ out of 5
After the match Taker grabs a chair but Albert hits Taker with the Derailer.
Backstage they show Edge on a stretcher going in an ambulance.
Eric Bischoff is backstage with Chief Morley and Morley tells Bischoff that Lance Storm, Jericho & William Regal want to help him. Eric Bischoff says he can make it whatever match he wants but Mr. McMahon comes in and says that if anyone interferes in his match tonight he will fire there ass on the spot and there is No Way Out for Eric Bischoff.
Match 5: Chris Benoit & Brock Lesnar vs. Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas & Kurt Angle in a Handicap Match:
The match starts with Benoit & Shelton & they lock up with Shelton pushing Benoit in the corner. Shelton then knees Benoit in the gut and works on the arm but Benoit takes Shelton down and puts him in a headlock. Shelton fights out but runs into a shoulder block & then some chops and punches but Shelton fights back & tags in Haas. Haas attacks Benoit in the corner and goes to throw him in the corner but Benoit counters & throws Haas in the corner & then hits him with a back drop. Benoit then tags in Lesnar who stomps Haas in the corner and then shoulder blocks Haas in the corner. Lesnar hits Haas with a suplex and then a hip toss. Angle distracts Lesnar & Haas takes control but then gets hit with a press slam & Shelton runs into a press slam as well and Angle then runs into a punch. Haas throws Lesnar across the ropes and Angle locks Lesnar in a sleeper hold but Lesnar brings Kurt into the ring and Benoit clotheslines Haas but Shelton super kicks Brock saving Kurt. Haas then tags in Kurt and Angle locks Lesnar in a rear chin lock. Brock fights out and tags in Benoit as Kurt tags in Shelton. Benoit takes it to all 3 men hitting all 3 of them with German suplexes. Benoit goes for the diving head-butt but Haas grabs his ankle. Benoit kicks Haas off and Angle hits Benoit with a belly to belly suplex off the top rope & then Haas is tagged in & works on Benoit. Haas hits Benoit with a belly to belly suplex for a near fall & then tags in Angle. Angle stomps away on Benoit as Angle locks Benoit in a headlock. Benoit fights out and hits Angle with a chop but Angle hits Benoit with a German suplex for a near fall and then tags in Shelton but Benoit hits him with chops but Shelton trips Benoit with a drop toe hold. Benoit then fights back and makes the hot tag to Brock who takes out all 3 men and hits Angle with a Belly to Belly suplex and then goes for the F5 but Shelton saves him. Benoit goes to German suplex Angle but he counters into an Ankle Lock but Benoit fights out and locks Angle in the cross face & they keep switching submissions until Haas & Shelton save Kurt. Brock then hits Angle with the F5 as Benoit locks Haas in the cross face & Haas taps out.
Winners: Brock Lesnar & Chris Benoit
Match Rating: ****
Match 6: Triple H with Evolution vs. Scott Steiner for the World Title:
They lock up at Steiner goes for the arm and HHH punches Steiner and throws him the corner and levels him with punches. Steiner kicks the bandaged knee and HHH backs off but Steiner goes right for the leg but HHH fights back with punches in the corner but Steiner fights back with chops and punches in the corner and then a clotheslines followed by an elbow drop and some pushups. Steiner takes off the bandage on HHH’s leg and works on the leg with kicks and elbow drops. Steiner locks on the figure four leg lock but Flair pokes Steiner in the eye as the ref check on HHH. Steiner goes to the outside and chases Flair & then punches him and as Steiner is on the apron HHH knocks him off and his face hits the steps and Flair chokes Steiner with his jacket. HHH then throws Steiner into the steps and they go back in the ring as HHH hits a neck breaker for a near fall. They trade punches & HHH hits a neck breaker for a near fall. They trade punches & Steiner hits a belly to belly suplex followed by chops in the corner. Steiner then runs into boots in the corner from HHH and HHH rolls up Steiner with his feet on the rope but Earl Hebner sees it but HHH pushes him down but Earl pushes him back & this allows Steiner to take control with a back drop and then chops in the corner followed by a belly to belly suplex. Steiner then throws HHH to the outside & he hits the barricade. Steiner then throws HHH into the steps and they go back in the ring where Steiner levels HHH with punches & then a belly to belly suplex. Steiner then locks in the Steiner Recliner as Orton hops on the apron and he gets knocked down. Steiner goes to the outside and throws Batista into the stairs & goes back in the ring. Flair hops on the apron but gets knocked down & HHH goes for the pedigree but Steiner reverses it and clotheslines HHH to the outside. Orton is on the top rope but Steiner takes him down and throws him on top of Batista. Earl Hebner throws Evolution to the back and Steiner turns around and HHH hits Steiner with the World Title for a near fall. HHH then hits the Pedigree for the win.
Winner: Triple H Retains the World Heavyweight Championship
Match Rating: ** out of 5
Backstage Eric Bischoff is walking to the ring and he sees the whole roster backstage ready to watch the next match. Test tells Bischoff he has nothing to worry about & then laughs as Eric walks away.
Jim Ross comes out as he will be calling the next match with Lawler & Coach.
Match 7: Eric Bischoff vs. “The Texas Rattlesnake” Stone Cold Steve Austin:
In the ring Bischoff cuts a promo saying nobody wants to see this match and he will forfeit right now. Austin comes out and Bischoff says we don’t have to do this but Austin just jumps on Bischoff and levels him with punches. Austin chokes Bischoff with his jacket and stomps a mud hole on Bischoff in the corner. Bischoff pokes Austin in the eye and then kicks Austin but it has no effect so he runs to the outside where Austin attacks him and throws Orange Juice in his face. He then throws Bischoff over the barricade and then into the ring. Austin then hits Bischoff with a Stunner but then he lifts up Bischoff’s arm. Austin hits another Stunner but then lifts up Bischoff’s arm again. Austin then hits a third Stunner and pins Bischoff for the win after 4 minutes as JR yells Stone Cold. After the match he hits Bischoff with a fourth Stone Cold Stunner.
Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin
Match Rating: * out of 5
Main Event: Rock vs. Hulk Hogan II:
The match starts with Hulk laying in punches & Rock goes to the outside. Hogan goes to the outside and lays in punches & they go back in the ring where the Rock is in control with punches and kicks. Hogan slams Rock into the turnbuckle and then punches Rock to the outside. Rock goes on the apron but hangs Hogan up & then goes in the ring and hits the Rock Bottom for a near fall. Rock then puts on Hogan’s bandana and takes off Hogan’s belt and whips Hogan’s back with it multiple times. Rock then asks for a water bottle and takes a drink but walks in a clothesline from Hogan and then Hogan whips the Rock with the belt multiple times. Hogan then goes for a clothesline but Rock ducks and hits DDT. Rock kicks Hogan and locks in the sharpshooter but Hogan fights out and sends the Rock to the outside. They are both outside and Rock clotheslines Hogan on the outside. Rock slams Hogan’s face on the announcer’s table and goes for a chair shot but Hogan ducks and Rock hits the ring post. Hogan hits Rock in the back with the chair and they enter the ring. Rock low blows Hogan and hits a spinebuster followed by 2 People’s Elbows for a near fall. Hogan “Hulks Up” and hits the big boot and then the leg drop & goes for the pin but the lights go out and when they come back on the ref is down and Mr. McMahon is on the stage. The ref slides Rock a chair and he hits Hulk in the face and Hogan is bleeding. Rock then hits a Rock Bottom for the win after 12 minutes.
Winner: the Rock
Match Rating: ** ¼ out of 5
Then they all leave except for Vince and he shakes hands with the ref and the Rock. In the ring Mr. McMahon unbuttons his shirt & then he is wearing a Hulkamania Sucks shirt & he mocks Hogan’s hand to the ear and he rips his shirt & then throws the shirt on Hogan.
Overall:
I don’t know what to say about this event I mean it was good with plenty of good matches but nothing special or news worthy happened. The match of the night in my mind was the handicap match followed by the opening bout. The worst match of the night was Steiner vs. HHH and for some reason they never had a good match. Stone Cold vs. Bischoff was an entertaining squash while Show vs. Taker was better then I remembered. The Cruiserweight title match was good and the Tag Title Match reminded that WWE can put on a good mid card Tag Title match. The main event was decent but enjoyable. It was not as good as the 1st Rock vs. Hogan but I enjoyed this match but the thing is there were too many rest spots.
Overall Rating for WWE No Way Out 2003: 7 out of 10
Well that’s it for this Wrestling Rewind so until next time remember bigger is not always better. (Hey Scott Steiner)
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