|Date: February 19, 2006
|Venue: 1st Mariner Arena |City: Baltimore, Maryland
|Attendance: 11,000 |Buys: 220,000
|Brand: Smackdown

|tweet me: @BastionBlogger

No Way Out is the final stop on the road to Wrestlemania and there area couple of matches on this show with huge Wrestlemania implications. The World Heavyweight Championship is set to be defended as Kurt Angle puts the title on the line against The Undertaker. Undertaker returned at The Royal Rumble last month and made it very clear that he has his eye on Kurt Angle’s title. Kurt Angle would accept The Undertakers challenge, making it very clear that Kurt is ready for all challengers. Angle and Undertaker have had a rivalry built on respect and the two even teamed up to defeat Mark Henry and MNM in a handicap match on Smackdown a few weeks ago.

Rey Mysterio booked himself a spot in the Wrestlemania main event when he won the 2006 Royal Rumble match but he did not expect one final obstacle. Randy Orton has berated Mysterio, telling him that he’s a fluke and demanded an opportunity at Mysterio’s Wrestlemania spot. When Mysterio was reluctant to give Orton the opportunity, Orton told Mysterio that Eddie was in hell, goading Rey into accepting the challenge. With Rey accepting the challenge it means that the winner of the match between the two will headline Wrestlemania.

There are two other title matches tonight. Booker T meets Chris Benoit once again after Benoit won a fatal four way match to become number one contender. Booker T has been recently spooked out by The Boogeyman but must face Benoit one on one once more. Gregory Helms defends his Cruiserweight Championship against every single member of the Cruiserweight division after making an enemy out of everyone on Smackdown. Helms has ran away from his competition for too long and so Teddy Long made the match for No Way Out.

Also tonight John “Bradshaw” Layfield takes on a man that has stepped up to him after Layfield said he could beat anybody on the Smackdown roster. Well he has to prove that as he take son the undefeated Bobby Lashley. And MNM won’t be defending their titles tonight but Matt Hardy has the opportunity to find a partner to take on the WWE tag team champions. Melina tried to recruit Hardy to her managerial services but Hardy instead got himself a match with MNM. Who will his tag team partner turn out to be? We’ll find out tonight.

On Heat prior to the event The Boogeyman defeated Simon Dean.

A video package kicks us off highlighting the two main matches, firstly between Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio and then between Kurt Angle and The Undertaker. We should know our Wrestlemania main event following this pay per view. Michael Cole then welcomes us to the show, he is of course joined by Tazz.

Gregory Helms (c) vs. Scotty Too Hotty vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Paul London vs. Funaki vs. Super Crazy vs. Psicosis vs. Nunzio vs. Kid Kash   – Cruiserweight Championship Match

This match marks No Way Out debuts for Gregory Helms, Super Crazy, Psicosis, Kid Kash,  Brian Kendrick & Nunzio. Scotty Too Hotty has a 2-1 record, Paul London has a 0-1 record and Funaki is 0-1 at the event. There was a similar match at last years No Way Out PPV but only Funaki and Paul London wrestled in last year’s are in this one. We’re told it’s one fall to the finish in this one. The bell rings and Helms dives out of the ring, letting the other 8 men go at it. Scotty hits some big right hands on Nunzio whilst Super Crazy chokes Brian Kendrick in the corner. Kid Kash hits a mule kick on Nunzio. The Mexicools throw Kendrick and London out of the ring. Kid Kash and Funaki are left in the ring where Funaki hits a bulldog on Kash. The Cruiserweight title has changed hands every time it has been defended at No Way Out. Unless you count the Light-Heavyweight title back in 1998 where Taka Michinoku successfully defended his title against Aguila.

Everyone gets back in the ring and The Mexicools double team Kendrick. Gregory Helms is quick to break up any pinfall attempts. Funaki gets the first near fall of the night. Kid Kash lays into Scotty Too Hotty whilst Paul London stomps away at Helms. Funaki and Nunzio are paired off in another corner. The Mexicools are the only two men in this match not to have held the Cruiserweight title in WWE. Kid Kash and Gregory Helms slug it out and Scotty rolls up Kash out of nowhere but that covers gets broken up. Helms then disposes of Scotty. And Kid Kash disposes of Helms! Kid Kash dives out at Psicosis and it’s him with a hurricanrana on the outside! Meanwhile, in the ring, Nunzio hits the Sicilian slice on London and covers him but Kendrick breaks it up. London then launches Kendrick into Nunzio and Funaki, sending them to the outside before going up top and diving out at them! Super Crazy then looks to dive out at them all but Gregory Helms stops that from happening.

Kendrick hits sliced bread on Helms and makes the cover but Super Crazy breaks it up. Paul London then hits a big senton off the top of Helms but it’s Scotty Too Hotty that breaks up the pinfall. Scotty hits a big kick on London, sending him out of the ring and then Scotty takes Helms down with a bulldog. Scotty then hits the worm on Helms and covers him but Psicosis pulls Scotty out of the ring. Lots of fast action between Kid Kash and Psicosis which results in Kash hitting his trademark brainbuster on Psicosis! Kid Kash makes the cover but Super Crazy breaks it up with a moonsault! Helms then slide sin the ring and covers Psicosis for the three! Gregory Helms retains his Cruiserweight championship tonight! Good way to kick off the show.

Rating: 7/10

Booker T and Sharmell are backstage telling Teddy Long that Booker isn’t 100% tonight. Teddy Long tells Booker that he looked 100% on Smackdown when he hit Chris Benoit with a chair. Sharmell tells Teddy that Booker T has aggravated his injury. Teddy tells Booker that he either wrestles tonight or forfeits his title.

Kristal is backstage when Finlay shows up and says he turned up for a fight tonight. Finlay says he’ll pick a fight instead, picks Kristal up and carries her to the ring! Bobby Lashley’s music then hits and out comes Lashley! Lashley lays into Finlay but Finlay hits him with a low blow. JBL’s music then hits. Layfield is scheduled to fight Lashley tonight. Bradshaw darts out of his limo and towards the ring but it’s just as Lashley belly to belly suplex Finlay out of the ring. Lashley is ready for his match and the bell rings!

Bobby Lashley vs. John “Bradshaw” Layfield

This is a first PPV match between these two men. Bradshaw has a 3-1 record at No Way Out PPV’s and it’s a debut at this event for Lashley. The referee’s escort Finlay from ringside. Bradshaw pokes Lashley in the eye as the match begins but Lashley fights back with right hands and kicks. Michael Cole claims that Lashley is undefeated in the WWE but he only has a 50% win record on PPV at this point. Lashley hits a back body drop and a modified back body drop/suplex which sends JBL to the outside. Layfield uses Jillian as a shield but Lashley bounces JBL off the ring steps. Lashley then hits a belly to belly suplex on the outside before tossing Layfield back into the ring for a near fall. Lashley hits a big time stalling suplex and looks like he struggled with it. Lashley sets up for a dominator but JBL tosses Lashley out of the ring and hits him with a big boot off the apron for good measure.

JBL bounces Lashley’s head off the ring steps a couple of times and then tosses Bobby back into the ring. Surprisingly JBL goes up top and dives off with an elbow drop for a near fall. Layfield hits a swinging neckbreaker and follows it up with another swinging neckbreaker before dropping some elbows for another near fall. The two men slug it out with right hands until Layfield locks on a sleeper. JBL breaks the hold and tries for a pinfall but Lashley kicks out. JBL then goes to the top but this time Lashley counters it into a slam. Lashley starts a comeback, hitting right hands and clotheslines and then four belly to belly’s. JBL is busted open now. Lashley sets up for the dominator but JBL slips down and goes for the clothesline from hell but Lashley ducks it and hits a t-bone suplex for a two count. Finlay then re-appears and throws Tony Chimel into the ring! With the referee distracted with Chimel, Finlay smashes Lashley with his shillelagh! Layfield hits the clothesline form hell and it’s over! John “Bradshaw” Layfield beats Bobby Lashley tonight with a lot of help from Finlay!

Rating: 6/10

Tony Chimel, fresh from causing Bobby Lashley to lose his match, introduces a special guest for the evening Batista! Batista says he is here for 3 reasons. The first reason is that he wants to see Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship. Secondly he misses the Smackdown audience and thirdly his torn tricep isn’t torn anymore. Batista says that sooner rather than later he’ll be back and he’ll be gunning after the World Heavyweight Championship.

Kurt Angle is backstage when Randy Orton turns up and says that he will be World Champion when Batista returns from his injury. Kurt says that he’s the World Heavyweight Champion and he’s not concerned with Randy tonight, he’s only concerned with The Undertaker.

JBL is backstage in the instant access room, happy with his win tonight.

MNM (Joey Mercury & Johnny Nitro) vs. Matt Hardy & Tatanka 

Matt Hardy picks Tatanka as his partner tonight. Mercury and Nitro are joined by Melina as always. Matt Hardy has a 1-2 record at No Way Out PPV’s whilst everyone else makes their No Way Out debuts. Tatanka made his return at the Royal Rumble and tonight teams with Matt Hardy. I’d rather have seen this as a tag team title match. Matt Hardy and Joey Mercury start the match and Melina is already up on the apron distracting the referee. Mercury attacks Hardy from behind and lays into him with stomps. Matt Hardy has wrestled more matches on PPV without main eventing than anyone else in history up to now. He lays into Mercury, working the left arm of the tag team champion. Hardy tags in Tatanka who is a big old unit. He knocks Mercury down with a chop. Mercury tags in Nitro and Tatanka takes him down with an arm drag. Tatanka tags in Matt Hardy who double team Nitro and then Mercury. Mercury drops Hardy on the top rope, allowing Nitro to lay into Hardy with stomps. Nitro chokes Matt on the middle rope and Melina gets involved with a slap.

MNM attempt a double suplex on Hardy but Hardy counters it into a double neckbreaker and then tags in Tatanka. Tatanka hits chops to both Mercury and Nitro taking them both down. Mercury exits the ring and so Tatanka lays into Mercury on the outside. Melina gets involved again, poking Tatanka in the eye. Nitro then hits a dropkick off the apron on Tatanka. Back in the ring and Nitro hits some shoulder charges to Tatanka in the corner and then tags in Mercury. Mercury hits a snapmare and then hits a kneedrop for a near fall. Mercury tags Nitro back in who hits a running knee on Tatanka and then mocks the Indian heritage. Nitro hits some big right hands but Tatanka fights back but only for Nitro to hit a kick to the gut and then tag in Mercury. Mercury applies a sleeper which Tatanka fights out of but Mercury drops him with a neckbreaker for a near fall. Mercury goes up top but Tatanka catches him and hits him with a reverse atomic drop.

Nitro tags in and comes in off the top but Tatanka hits him with a clothesline and tags in Matt Hardy! Hardy takes down both tag team champions with clotheslines, side slams and a nice bulldog which takes down both men. Hardy hits Mercury with a slam and then an elbow drop off the middle rope. Hardy then hits a side effect on Nitro and tries for a twist of fate on Mercury but Mercury shoves him off and Nitro hits Hardy with a superkick. Hardy fights back and takes both members of MNM down with a clothesline. Hardy tags in Tatanka who takes MNM down with a chop off the top rope. Tatanka then hits Mercury with a Samoan drop and Matt Hardy hits Nitro with a twist of fate! Tatanka pins Mercury and gets the 3! Matt Hardy and Tatanka win the match! Sadly not the titles though as it was a non-title match.

Rating: 4/10

There’s an advert for Wrestlemania 22.

Booker T (c) vs. Chris Benoit – United States Championship Match

This is the third PPV meeting between these two men. Booker T won the first at Survivor Series 2005 and Chris Benoit won the second at Armageddon 2005. Chris Benoit has a 1-2 record at No Way Out PPV’s whilst Booker T has a 1-1 record. Booker T is joined by Sharmell. Booker gets on the mic before the bell and says that there will not be a United States Championship match tonight. Booker says he isn’t healthy. Out comes Teddy Long and booker says he’s going to forfeit the title tonight. Booker T walks off and so Benoit calls him a coward. Sharmell slaps Benoit and blames him which allows Booker T to attack Benoit from behind! Booker lays into Benoit with stomps and chops and a reverse elbow. Benoit fights back with some chops of his own and hammers booker T out of the ring. Back in the ring and Benoit hits a snap suplex and then a side suplex for a two count.

Booker T tries rolling Benoit up but Benoit rolls through and lays in some more right hands and then baseball slides Booker out of the ring. Benoit throws Booker T into the railings and then into the ring steps. Back in the ring and Booker T takes the advantage with a thrust kick and then applies a wristlock. Benoit gets out of it but Booker T keeps his arms locked around the waist of Chris Benoit. Booker then applies a full nelson but Benoit gets out of it and hits a German suplex. Benoit tries for a second German but Booker counters it and hits a spin kick for a near fall. Booker applies a sleeper and the crowd are behind Chris Benoit. Benoit hits a side suplex to get out of the sleeper but Booker T is up first and drops Benoit on the top rope. Booker hits two suplexes for a near fall. The two men exchange chops and it’s Benoit who comes out on top until he runs into the boot of Booker T. Booker T tries for the scissors kick but Benoit gets out of the way and lays in some chops and running forearms. Benoit hits three consecutive suplexes, a move used by Eddie Guerrero for a two count.

Booker T hits a big spinning heel kick and then heads to the top but Chris Benoit meets him up there and hits the United States Champion with a superplex for a two count. Booker T hits a spinebuster and then heads to the top again, this time diving off with a flipping legdrop but Benoit gets out of the way. Benoit hits three consecutive German suplexes and then heads to the top but Sharmell gets up on the apron, distracting Benoit and allowing Booker T to crotch Benoit on the top rope. Booker then hits his trademark scissors kick and pins Benoit who kicks out at 2! Benoit tries for a sharpshooter but sharmell gets up on the apron. Booker kicks Benoit off and Benoit knocks Sharmell off the apron! Benoit then locks the sharpshooter on before turning it into a crossface! Booker T taps out and we’ve got a new United States Champion! Good match between these two men!

Rating: 7.25/10

Rey Mysterio celebrates with Chris Benoit backstage. Benoit the get congratulations off Teddy Long, Matt Hardy, Tatanka, Scotty Too Hotty, Funaki, Pat Patterson, The Mexicools, Chavo Guerrero and Eddie’s late wife Vickie. Benoit then says he’ll return the congratulations when Rey beats Randy. And puts a load of pressure on Mysterio by saying that he’s doing it for him, Chavo, Vickie and Eddie.

There’s a video package next for Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton.

Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton – Wrestlemania main event on the line

This is a first time PPV match between these two men. It’s a No Way Out debut for Orton but Mysterio has a 1-1 record at the event. Mysterio is having the best run of his career at the moment. This is the highest profile singles match Rey has had up to this point. Orton has been a solid heel since joining Smackdown last year. There’s a big “Eddie” chant as the bell rings. Randy teases Mysterio in the early going and then hits a waistlock takedown. Orton then slaps Mysterio in the back of the head. Mysterio hits a kick to the gut and then a nice headlock takedown. Mysterio hits a bulldog for a near fall and then some big lefts and rights in the corner. Rey then attempts a springboard cross body but Orton ducks out of the way. Orton lays in the boots and then a knee to the throat of Rey. Orton has never headlined a Wrestlemania himself so this is a big opportunity for him. Randy hits a knee drop as a “Randy sucks” chant breaks out. Orton hits a hard Irish whip for a near fall.

Rey Mysterio gets back into the match with a flying head scissors which sends Orton out of the ring. Rey then tries for a hurricanrana on the outside but Randy catches him and swings Mysterio into the ringpost. Back in the ring and Randy hits a big neckbreaker for a two count. Orton applies a hammerlock and then a wristlock but Mysterio manages to hit a hurricanrana out of nowhere. Randy continues to have the advantage though and he stomps on the back on Mysterio’s neck before taking Mysterio out of the ring and smashing Mysterio’s hand into the ring steps. Back in the ring and Randy gets a near fall. Orton continues to work the arm of Mysterio but Rey manages to arm drag Orton, sending him out of the ring. Mysterio then heads to the top but Randy goes up with him just for Rey to hit a sunset flip off the top for a near fall. Mysterio hits a spinning heel kick and then a dropkick to Ortons knees before hitting a springboard seated senton and a neckbreaker for a near fall.

Orton is bleeding form the middle of his forehead now. There’s some decent wrestling between the two resulting in Mysterio taking Orton down for a near fall. Orton hits a thumb to the eye but Mysterio continues to fight back and heads to the top but Randy sees him coming and hits him with a dropkick. Randy looks to hit the RKO and there is actually an “RKO” chant but Rey hits Orton with a dropkick which perfectly sets Orton up for a 619. Orton ducks out of the way and rolls Mysterio up, grabbing the ropes and getting the three! Randy Orton wins after using the ropes! A shocking result tonight and it looks like Mysterio is out of the Wrestlemania main event! Orton gets on the mic after the bell and brags about his win.

Rating: 5/10

Rey Mysterio is backstage apologising to Chavo and Vickie Guerrero. Chavo tells Rey to keep his chin up and that he’s not let anybody down.

There’s a video package for Kurt Angle and The Undertaker up next.

Kurt Angle (c) vs. The Undertaker – World Heavyweight Championship match

This is the third PPV singles match between these two men. Their last two matches were back in 2000 and they have both won a match each. At No Way Out events Kurt angle has won 3 and lost 3 whilst The Undertaker has won 2 and lost 2. As the bell rings Undertaker uncharacteristically runs at Angle with a big boot bug Angle avoids it. Michael Cole tells us that neither of these men have ever tapped out. Undertaker applies a headlock which Kurt gets out of but Undertaker hits him with a shoulder knockdown. Undertaker then works the left arm of Angle which is surprising as Angle struggles. We’ve had a new United States Champion so far tonight. Orton against either of these men would be good for Wrestlemania. We’ve nit seen Angle and Orton go though so that would be preferred. Undertaker hits the old school sledge from the top rope and then his face first modified DDT for a two count. Undertaker hits snake eyes and then tries for a running boot but Angle gets out of the way and hits a German suplex for a near fall. Kurt lays in some boots and then chokes The Undertaker with his boot.

Undertaker reverses an Irish whip and then hits Angle with a running knee. Undertaker then attempts a running boot but for the third time in this match, Kurt gets out of the way. Angle then forces Undertaker to the outside and bounces his face off the steel steps. Kurt then comes off the apron but Undertaker catches him and smashes him into the ringpost. Undertaker then hits a legdrop on the apron for a near fall and then motions for a chokeslam but Angle fights his way out of it but Undertaker takes Kurt down with a big right hand. Kurt gets back into it with a chopblock and then stomps away at Undertakers leg. Kurt smashes Undertakers knee into the ringpost a couple of times and then applies a figure four around the ringpost! Back in the ring and Kurt continues to work the leg but Undertaker manages to toss Angle out of the ring and buy himself some time. Undertaker heads to the outside and hits Angle with some knees before rolling him back into the ring. Undertaker then tries for another legdrop on the apron but Kurt sees it coming and manages to apply an ankle lock to Undertaker on the outside!

Somehow they don’t get counted out so Kurt rolls Undertaker back into the ring and drives his elbow into Undertakers knee. Undertaker has wrestled more PPV matches and recorded more wins than anyone else in history up to this point. Kurt hits Undertaker with some big right hands but Undertaker manages to lock on a triangle choke! Kurt gets his foot to the ropes to break the hold. Undertaker throws Kurt into Tony Chimel and then lays into him with rights and lefts on the outside. Undertaker then takes apart the announce desk, but Kurt hits Undertaker with an Angle slam through the announce table! Referee Nick Patrick nearly counts The Undertaker out but Kurt stops Patrick from counting. Kurt exits the ring but Undertaker reverses an Irish whip, sending Angle into the ring steps. Undertaker then heads to the top rope but Kurt crotches him and tries for a superplex but Undertaker fights him off. Kurt jumps back up and hits Undertaker with a belly to belly off the top for a near fall. The two men slug it out and Undertaker hits a big boot for a two count.

Undertaker motions for a chokeslam but Angle rolls through it and applies an ankle lock! Undertaker manages to counter it into a triangle choke but Kurt counters that back into the ankle lock! Both men get back up their feet and Undertaker hits a chokeslam for another near fall. Undertaker motions for the last ride but Angle counters it and locks the ankle lock on again! Undertaker manages to power out of it but Kurt then hits him with the Angle slam but Undertaker kicks out of that! Kurt pulls down the straps and Undertaker sits up! The two men slug it out and Undertaker sets up for the tombstone but Kurt counters it only for Undertaker to counter it again! Kurt then rolls through with an ankle lock an once again Undertaker manages to kick his way out of it. Kurt hits another Angle slam and attempts a pinfall but Undertaker applies a triangle choke! Kurt fades but manages to flip over and turn the choke into a pinfall. The referee counts and then calls for the bell! Kurt Angle wins the match and retains his World Heavyweight Championship! Good match between these two.

Rating: 7.5/10

And that was No Way Out 2006. It felt like an above average PPV with a handful of good matches on it. The opening match was one of those good matches as it was fast paced and featured a very talented Cruiserweight division. Gregory Helms won the match and retained his title which is fine, I like the direction of the division and it creates a lot of interest. There are a lot of talented guys in this match, I’m a big fan of The Mexicools and Paul London in particular. I’m not sure where they go next though unless they continue with the Helms/Kid Kash storyline. Helms beat the entire division tonight so maybe it’s time for a newcomer?

John “Bradshaw” Layfield then defeated Bobby Lashley which really surprised me. Lashley is getting a great push but Layfield has put a stop to that. I expected Bradshaw to job a lot more since dropping the WWE title but he’s had some good PPV wins over the likes of Rey Mysterio and now Bobby Lashley. It looks like Lashley is going into a program with Finlay so I’m not sure where that leaves Layfield. Decent match from these two though. I just hope Lashley doesn’t suffer too many big losses like this. Matt Hardy and Tatanka beat MNM. I’m not sure how I feel about all this. I like Tatanka as Hardy’s surprise partner. I just don’t know why this wasn’t a title match. If they wanted to continue the storyline then Hardy and Tatanka could’ve own by disqualification or something. I like MNM though and I’d like to see them have a long reign as champions.

Chris Benoit beat Booker T to win the United States Championship. Benoit may as well have won the best of 7 series. I really like Booker T in his current heel state. I’d like to see him back in the main event picture which might be the idea here. Although he’s currently feuding with The Boogeyman so maybe that his plan for Wrestlemania. Chris Benoit is a solid champion, I think JBL would be a good feud for him into Wrestlemania. Randy Orton then beat Rey Mysterio for the Wrestlemania title match which shocked me. Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather see Angle vs. Orton at Wrestlemania than Angle vs. Mysterio. I think there are more twists in the tale yet though unless it’s a complete burial of Rey Mysterio. Kurt then beat The Undertaker in a great main event. Really good match showing that both men can still go. Kurt is on a different level at the moment. He heads to the Wrestlemania main event to presumably go up against Orton. Orton did cheat to beat Mysterio tonight, could that come back to haunt him? Only time will tell. A decent show overall, one of the best Smackdown PPV’s to date.

Overall Rating: 61.25/100 (ranked 56th out of 191)

Match Of The Night: Kurt Angle vs. The Undertaker
Worst Match Of The Night: Matt Hardy & Tatanka vs. MNM
Surprise Of The Night: Randy Orton beats Rey Mysterio
Worst Booking Of The Night: Bobby Lashley loses to JBL
Superstar Of The Night: Kurt Angle
No Way Out 2006 Will Be Remembered For: Being the night that Rey Mysterio lost his Wrestlemania main event