.:The Lead Up To No Way Out:.
.:RAW:.
With Batista having to face Triple H in a Unification Match at No Way Out, he spent the weeks running up to No Way Out preparing. He said that he could defeat Triple H, and that he had beaten him every time they had met, which was true. While Batista was friends with triple H and respected him, he would do anything to win the belts. Triple H showed he would do the same, as he showed up on the very last RAW before No Way Out, and Pedigreed Batista.
At the Royal Rumble, John Cena won the Rumble, guaranteeing himself a shot at the Undisputed Championship at WrestleMania. Well, almost guaranteeing him. On RAW, the night after the Royal Rumble, Randy Orton came out and said that Batista beating him was a fluke. He wanted another shot at the belt, and he was going to get that by beating John Cena, and taking his shot at the belt for WrestleMania. He said if Cena had any guts, he would accept the challenge. Cena came out, and he did indeed accept the challenge from Orton for No Way Out. The two traded insults week after week, with Orton sneaking into the ring and going for the RKO on Cena whenever possible.
Chris Jericho was none too happy about Shawn Michaels eliminating both himself and him. Jericho came out on RAW, and asked Michaels what the hell his problem was. He said he was an honest man, and that he just wanted to be done with Michaels. Michaels came out and said he knew that Jericho was the one who had assaulted him back in December, and that if Jericho wasn’t going to forget the past, then neither would Michaels. Jericho said what was done was done, and started to talk about he had forgiven and forgotten, when he suddenly hit the Codebreaker on Michaels. With Michaels down, Jericho then spat on him and left. Jericho wouldn’t show up at RAW all of the way up to No Way Out, supposedly negotiating with movie producers to become a Hollywood star. Shane McMahon said he didn’t care, and that at No Way Out, it would be Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels.
Evan Bourne had just come to RAW, after ECW had disbanded, and he instantly had problems with Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes. The two made fun of Bourne for his small stature, and said he would never be anything like they were. Bourne argued back, saying he didn’t want to be rich pricks like DiBiase and Rhodes. Bourne was then jumped from behind, as Manu assaulted him. The three would then assault Bourne the next week on RAW, as he was walking down to the ring for a match with Rey Mysterio. Mysterio jumped into the fray, as he helped his friend Bourne out, fighting off DiBiase, Rhodes and Manu. Stephanie McMahon made the match for No Way Out for the World Tag Team Titles.
At the start of February, it was announced that Kelly Kelly would be the diva who would be modelling for Playboy this year. This instantly caught the attention of new Women’s Champion, Katie Lea Burchill, as she claimed that Kelly was merely looking for attention, and that she was only doing this because she couldn’t wrestle. She then challenged Kelly Kelly to a match at No Way Out, to prove her point. She even put the Women’s Championship on the line. Beth Phoenix and Melina both claimed they wanted a rematch, so for No Way Out, a Fatal Four Way was set, with the Women’s Championship on the line.
.:SmackDown!:.
Triple H did much the same as Batista, trying to prepare for his match at No Way Out by facing the toughest possible opponents on the SmackDown! roster, such as The Brian Kendrick, Mr Kennedy and Edge. He wanted that Undisputed Championship. After attacking Batista on the last RAW before No Way Out, Triple H thought that he had gotten into the head of the ‘Animal’. But it seemed the other way around when Batista made an appearance on the last SmackDown! before No Way Out, when he ran through Triple H with a vicious spear. Batista now looked to have the upper hand, heading into No Way Out.
Carlito and Primo were fast becoming one of the most successful teams in the WWE. They had held the WWE Tag Team Championships for awhile, and had taken on all comers. They had seemingly beaten everyone there was to beat. Until two new teams emerged. After beating Jesse and Festus, Carlito and Primo were celebrating in the ring. Suddenly, they were jumped from behind by Kenny Dykstra and Jack Swagger. The two got on the microphone, and said they would now be referred to by their real names: Ken Doane and Jake Hager. They were sick of their lack of opportunities, so they were creating their own. They wanted the Champs at No Way Out. The next week, Doane and Hager assaulted them again. Only this time, someone came to make the save. Harry Smith, and the debuting nephew of Bret Hart, Teddy Hart. They ran in and stopped the assault from Hager and Doane, then fought them off. With that, Shane McMahon announced that at No Way Out, all three team would compete in a Triple Threat Match, with the WWE Tag Team Championships on the line.
After what had happened at Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble between Edge and Big Show, no one was surprised when Big Show came out and called out the ‘Rated R Superstar’. Edge proved that he had perhaps more guts than brains, as he came out and challenged Big Show to a match at No Way Out, telling him he would teach Big Show for being Vickie’s bodyguard when she never deserved protection. The two brawled over the next few weeks in the lead up to No Way Out, with their match promising to be an explosive one.
MVP was sick of losing, and when he saw Mr Kennedy lose to Triple H, he thought he had a chance for a win, as he challenged the loudmouth from Green Bay to a match on SmackDown! the next week. In that match, MVP hit Kennedy with everything he could, but he just couldn’t put him away. So MVP beat on Kennedy in the corner, with no remorse, resulting in a DQ win for Kennedy. MVP kept beating him down, until he eventually hit the Drive By, before challenging Kennedy to a match at No Way Out, and leaving the ring. After MVP knocked Kennedy out, Kennedy will be looking for revenge at No Way Out.
.:No Way Out:.
Undisputed Championship
Batista defeated Triple H
.:Batista was able to pin Triple H after hitting a second Batista Bomb. He had earlier kicked out of the Pedigree, proving that his drive to be Undisputed Champion could not be denied:.
WrestleMania Title Shot on The Line
John Cena defeated Randy Orton
.:Orton tried to get in Cena’s match throughout the match, but he couldn’t get the job done, as Cena caught Orton with a drop toe hold when Orton went for the RKO, then locked in the STFU, resulting in Orton tapping out:.
Big Show defeated Edge via Knockout
.:Big Show knocked Edge out with his deadly right hand, but not without controversy. After the referee went down, Show stripped the turnbuckle, then slammed Edge’s head into it repeatedly, causing him to be a bloody mess. This left Edge vulnerable, and later led to the knockout blow:.
World Tag Team Championship
Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase (c) defeated Evan Bourne and Rey Mysterio
.:Bourne and Mysterio looked to have the match, with Manu banned from ringside, and them controlling it. A new superstar, who would later be revealed as Mr Perfect’s son, Joe Hennig, ran down the ramp though and distracted Bourne, so that DiBiase could roll him up and grab a handful of tights for the victory:.
Mr Kennedy defeated MVP
.:MVP’s luckless run continued, as he fell to Mr Kennedy after Kennedy hit the Mic Check. MVP dominated most of the match, but he was unable to put Kennedy away:.
Women’s Championship
Fatal Four Way
Katie Lea Burchill (c) drew with Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, and Melina
.:The match ended in a draw, after both Katie and Beth got a pin at the same time. Katie pinned Kelly, while the ‘Glamazon’ pinned Melina:.
Shawn Michaels defeated Chris Jericho via Count Out
.:This match barely lasted five minutes, as Jericho clearly didn’t want to be there. He walked out, after taking Michaels down for the first time in the match, leaving everyone wondering what was going through Chris Jericho’s head:.
WWE Tag Team Championships
Triple Threat Match
Carlito and Primo (c) defeated The Hart Foundation Version 2 and Ken Doane and Jake Hager
.:With all hell running loose, Carlito was able to get Doane from behind with the Backstabber, and pull out the victory:.
