WWE No Way Out 2007 Review

Match 1: MNM & MVP vs. The Hardys & Chris Benoit
Talk about a flashback. This is the opening contest of the night, just count how many of these guys are still around in 2016. This was just a fun opening contest to set the pace for the rest of the night. Fun action from all the guys involved and they really centered things around Chris Benoit being a badass. Saving him for the hot tags and JBL building him up on commentary was the perfect combination for this type of match. Everybody looked good here and the finish was really cool with Benoit rolling up Joey Mercury with his Crossface to score the win for his team. Nice way to open up the night!
Winners: The Hardys & Chris Benoit
Rating: ***1/4

Match 2: Cruiserweight Championship - Cruiserweight Open - Gregory Helms (c) vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Daivari vs. Jimmy Wang Yang vs. Funaki vs. Shannon Moore vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Jamie Noble
Gregory Helms has been the champion for over a year here and JBL is quick to let us know just how good Helms is. I love how good JBL is putting over these guys. Rules for this match are simple, two men in the ring at a time and after a pin or submission, a new guy enters the fray. JBL noted how Helms could have started the match before the show started and would still be the favorite. Action was nothing special. Fans kind of got taken out of the momentum from the previous match here but once Jimmy Wang Yang knocked off Helms, things did get a little more interesting. Wang Yank looked to have the win until Chavo Guerrero came out as a surprise entrant before hitting a Frog Splash to score the win.
Winner: Chavo Guerrero
Rating: *3/4

Match 3: Finlay & Little Bastard vs. The Boogeyman & Little Boogeyman
I can't believe what we're actually seeing here and nor can JBL on commentary. Finlay was the first guy to knock The Boogeyman out of the win column and stands here with Little Bastard to take on The Boogeyman and the little version of him. Can you believe this? They go through the bag of tricks before Finlay decks Little Boogeyman with his shillelagh. That part was actually not bad to see considering how badly I hate The Boogeyman and anything related to him. Other than that, this was a disaster from the top.
Winners: Finlay & Little Bastard
Rating: 1/4*

Match 4: Kane vs. King Booker
After King Booker was eliminated by Kane at the Royal Rumble, he looks to score some revenge here at No Way Out. I feel like we've been watching these guys for ages. Probably because we have. You get what you would expect from these two. Nothing really flashy, just really smart wrestling. Kane is truly the best at working these types of matches. He is able to not exert an insane amount of energy, he is just able to work a match with perfect pacing. It perfectly explains why he's had such incredible longevity upon his career. Queen Sharmell tried to become a factor here but Kane was still able to capture the win with a Chokeslam. Funny how a very basic match with fantastic psychology can turn into a great one. Two veterans out there doing their thing.
Winner: Kane
Rating: ***

Match 5: WWE Tag Team Championships - Paul London & Brian Kendrick (c) vs. Deuce 'N Domino
Paul London & Brian Kendrick have been dominating the tag team scene for over a year as the champs. However, Deuce 'N Domino seemingly have their number down. I personally enjoy watching both these tag teams, I think they definitely got overlooked back in 2007. Credit to Deuce 'N Domino, different gimmick and they made the absolute most out of it despite the fans not really giving them the credit for it. They played their roles nicely here as bullies and were in control of the match before London & Kendrick sneak out the win to retain the gold. Decent tag match that definitely could have used a little more time to really get things going. Deuce 'N Domino would go on to win the belts a couple months later on an edition of SmackDown!
Winners: Paul London & Brian Kendrick
Rating: **1/2

Match 6: ECW Championship - Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Mr. Kennedy
It's no secret, I've always been a Bobby Lashley fan. And before you ask, that includes him during his ECW Championship run. But what also is no secret was how green this dude was back in the start of 2007. It felt like he wasn't ready to make the next step, almost as if he was holding himself back in the ring. His match here against Mr. Kennedy proved that for me. Nothing really stood out to me, it felt like watching Lashley go through the motions with Kennedy in a very beginner-like style. I didn't feel the hate, I didn't feel the emotion, and I didn't feel like a title was on the line. The finish didn't help matters as Kennedy nails Lashley with a steel chair as the referee is distracted after taking a shot to the face. I should also note how the referee sold the shot horribly. He wasn't able to hear or see Kennedy drill Lashley with the chair right in front of him. However, he was able to see Lashley do it and disqualify him for it. Referee bumps are the absolute worst when it's done this badly. Fuck old school, if it looks this stupid, then don't do it. Lashley is disqualified and retains his title. Afterwards, Lashley takes his anger out upon Kennedy with a series of chair shots.
Winner: Mr. Kennedy
Rating: *3/4

Match 7: John Cena & Shawn Michaels vs. Batista & The Undertaker
This is brilliant booking at its absolute best. A perfect way to build the two championship bouts for WrestleMania 23. The animosity between the two teams is through the roof and once again, JBL is incredible on commentary here. He truly was a shining point for SmackDown in 2007, he made this main event feel even more epic than what it already was. The top four guys in the business going at it here at the Staples Center. The two teams worked accordingly throughout the match, but they still made you understand that the tension was still there. When you got decades of combined experience, this comes relatively easy for them. Business really picked up at the end when Batista & The Undertaker looked to finish off the match with the win. Batista hit a Spinebuster on Shawn Michaels while Undertaker hit a Chokeslam on John Cena right after! Batista throws the plan out the window and hits a Spinebuster on Undertaker! Awesome! This allows Cena & Michaels to score the win. Batista then looks over the body of The Undertaker to close the show. Great main event and an even better way to build for WrestleMania 23. You knew someone was going to turn on someone, you just didn't know who and when. But when the trigger was pulled, it all made sense and it all took you off guard.
Winners: John Cena & Shawn Michaels
Rating: ***3/4

Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Despite a cool main event and a nice opener, this is the reason why they made PPVs include both brands. The slim roster allowed the show to come off as a bigger edition of SmackDown. Just a really weak show leading into the biggest show of the year, even with a great main event. And even then, the main event would later be featured on an edition of Monday Night Raw. Funny stuff.
Rating: 5.5/10