WWE No Way Out Preview

Welcome to my No Way Out preview. I will be previewing each match on the card and giving my predictions. No Way Out will take place in East Rutherford, New Jersey at the IZOD Center which hosted SummerSlam three times. There are currently six matches scheduled for the Pay-Per-View and one Pre-Show match. The matches will be listed in the order I expect them to occur during the PPV.

Brodus Clay vs. David Otunga (Pre-Show Match)

I’m not expecting much from this match. It’s a Pre-Show match and the purpose of those matches is to get the fans in the arena excited about the PPV. WWE tried to make it more interesting by having Otunga attack Brodus Clay on Smackdown and then they posted an injury update on their website, but I think this match will be very similar to the Brodus Clay matches on RAW and Smackdown. The only difference I can think of is that maybe Brodus will sell his injuries and not dance to the ring, but he didn’t really sell the attack Big Show gave him a few weeks ago. When Brodus Clay finally loses, it won’t happen during a PPV Pre-Show match. In my opinion, the only cool thing about showing the PPV Pre-Show matches online is that fans can see what the PPV set looks like for free.

Winner: Brodus Clay

Intercontinental Champion Christian vs. Cody Rhodes (Intercontinental Championship Match) 

This is probably the sleeper match of the night. They got only seven and a half minutes at Over the Limit and if they get at least ten minutes, they could have one of the best matches of the PPV. I don’t think Christian and Cody Rhodes will steal the show, but it should be an interesting match. I don’t see Rhodes winning this match so I’m picking Christian to win.

Winner: Christian

United States Champion Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez (Tuxedo Match)

This match obviously won’t be a five-star classic, but I do think it will be very fun to watch. I’m a big fan of Santino and Ricardo is fun to watch too. I don’t mind comedy matches and I really think this match will be enjoyable for both the fans in the arena and at home. I don’t think many people will order the PPV just to see this match, but it should be one of the best PPV filler matches of the year.

Winner: Santino Marella

World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Championship Match)

This match was originally going to be Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio, but Del Rio suffered a concussion and couldn’t compete in this match. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, but I am happy that Del Rio is not in this match. I wasn’t interested in seeing Sheamus face Del Rio, but Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler should be a good match. Ziggler is very close to becoming a main event superstar in the WWE, but I don’t think Dolph Ziggler will win the World Heavyweight Championship at No Way Out. He is not quite ready yet. I’m hoping that this will be a back-and-forth match that has Ziggler looking strong despite the loss to Sheamus. I’m expecting a very enjoyable match that could steal the show.

Winner: Sheamus

WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kane (Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship)

Out of all of the matches on the card, this is the match I’m looking forward to the most. At first, I wasn’t excited about Kane being in this match, but now I’m okay with it because the storyline for this match has been interesting. I’m interested in this match because I think it will be a good match and also because I want to know who wins this match. AJ’s involvement during this storyline has made this match hard to predict. My theory is that Kane was added to this match so Daniel Bryan can get a cheap victory. I can see CM Punk hitting Kane with the Go To Sleep and then Daniel Bryan stealing the pin from Punk. Or maybe AJ will try to help CM Punk win and she accidentally helps Daniel Bryan. That would set up a CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan rematch at the Money in the Bank PPV in July which I think Punk would win and the blow-off match would be at SummerSlam.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

Divas Champion Layla vs. Beth Phoenix (Divas Championship Match)

I think Beth Phoenix will win this match and I will explain why. If Beth wins, there will be a rematch that will probably happen at Money in the Bank and if Beth retains the title at Money in the Bank, that could set up a Beth Phoenix vs. Kharma match at SummerSlam.

Winner: Beth Phoenix

John Cena vs. Big Show (Steel Cage Match – Cena will be fired if he loses and John Laurinaitis will be fired if Big Show loses)

Unfortunately, this match will be the main event. No Way Out will be the sixth consecutive PPV that both World Championship matches were not the main event. I’m glad that this match has a stipulation, but I’m not expecting a good match. I remember when John Cena faced Big Show at Judgment Day 2009 and it was one of the worst main event matches I have ever seen. The steel cage and the presence of John Laurinaitis and Mr. McMahon at ringside will help the match, but I don’t think this match will be more enjoyable than the WWE Championship match. I’m definitely more interested in the outcome of the match than the actual match. I think people will want to see this match because of the storyline, but without the stipulations, this match wouldn’t deserve to be the main event. This match reminds me a little bit of the Batista vs. Umaga match at WrestleMania 23. That match was interesting not because of the match-up but because Mr. McMahon and Donald Trump were at ringside and one of them would lose their hair after the match. This is a very difficult match to predict. I want to pick John Cena because he lost at Over the Limit and he always defeats Big Show, but it’s hard to see Big Show losing after seeing him destroy most of the WWE roster during the last few weeks. If the WWE really wants Big Show to look like an unstoppable giant, he has to defeat John Cena. Every time Big Show faces Cena, he is a huge favorite and he always loses. That needs to stop. If he is keeps losing to Cena, why should I think Big Show will win the next Big Show vs. Cena match? I also can’t see John Laurinaitis getting fired. The fans hate him too much and it’s rare that the WWE has a heel that nearly 100% of the fans actually hate. Even smarky crowds boo John Laurinaitis. I’m not worried about the “Cena gets fired if he loses” stipulation. There have been two PPV matches with a “Cena could get fired” stipulation recently in the WWE (Survivor Series 2010 and Money in the Bank 2011) and John Cena is still in the WWE despite losing the stipulations both times. Cena won’t get fired if he loses to the Big Show. The worst thing that will happen is that he might miss some time before getting “re-hired”. I could be wrong, but I think Big Show will defeat John Cena.

Winner: Big Show

I don’t have high expectations for No Way Out, but it does seem a little bit more unpredictable than Over the Limit. At Over the Limit, I successfully predicted the winner of each match. This time, I am less than 100% sure of the winners of two matches on the No Way Out match card. I don’t think there will be any match of the year contenders, but there should be enough enjoyable matches to make this a good PPV. There’s a good mixture of interesting match-ups and interesting storylines. The IZOD Center is very close to New York City despite being located in another state so No Way Out will unofficially feature a New York crowd and New York crowds are usually very good. Triple H will appear at No Way Out and his segment should be interesting. Leave your predictions and thoughts about the PPV in the comments below.