411 PPV Roundtable Preview: WWE No Way Out 2008

CAREER MATCH: Ric Flair vs. Mr. Kennedy

Stephen Randle: I think this match came about because they’re still not sure about doing Flair-HBK at WrestleMania, and this feud would be the next best choice, as retiring Flair would finally give Kennedy that push he’s been seemingly destined for. If that’s true, Flair could win here via luck of some sort, and Kennedy could start stalking Flair for a rematch. Really, no matter what the plans are, Flair’s winning here.

Winner: Ric Flair

Jerome Cusson: Even though Kennedy doesn’t have a great chance of winning this match, the build-up has been fantastic. We’ve even got a great “Can he win it?” factor when it comes to Ric Flair with the injury. Expect one of the better efforts from both men as this storyline continues. It’s good to see Kennedy finally regain some of his momentum from the injury.

Winner: Ric Flair

Scotty Flamingo: First, let me say that on paper, this show could be the best No Way Out ever (not saying much) and also is a contender for PPV of 2008. I don’t even normally bother with WWE PPV other than the “Big Four” but I want to see this one

Now for the Flair match. I think this match could really help Kennedy, and he doesn’t even have to win. Have Kennedy dominate with Flair making small comebacks and kicking out of pins just in time. Kennedy gets frustrated and starts bending rules. Flair comes back with blatantly breaking them. Turn it into a contest of “Who can play dirtier?” with Flair narrowly stealing a win. Kennedy looks strong, Flair wins, the crowd eats it up.

Winner: Ric Flair

Jarrod Westerfeld: I’m still slow to catch up with all of my WWE, and I’ve not seen all of the build to this match, but from the few things I saw, and the few that I recall hearing about, this should be an interesting way to get Kennedy over without having him win. I agree with Scotty – let’s make this a “who’s the dirtier player in the game,” and have ourselves a fun match to make up for the bad performance from Flair at the Rumble.

Winner: Ain’t it obvious? Ric “WOOOO!” Flair!

Larry Csonka: While they could surprise us and has Kennedy win, I just doubt it. I figure Kennedy will head onto MITB again this year, while Flair goes onto face HBK. If Flair is Flair and Kennedy is on, this could be a damn good match. Could be. And I hope that it is.

Winner: Ric Flair

T.G. Corke: I’m writing in (crap) limericks this time. No reason.

He couldn’t face anyone greener,
Than Kennedy or MVP, yeah? (Oh yeah, you know this idea was a bad one.)
His career furthers more till
The Showcase of the Immortals,
Where I foretell his rival is Cena.

Winner: Ric Flair

Andy Clark: If I thought Flair was losing anytime between now and WrestleMania I would totally be buying Kennedy as his last opponent. The last time I checked this was only No Way Out though, so Flair wins. I’ve enjoyed the feud though.

Winner and STILL Not Retired: Ric Flair

Michael Bauer Kennedy would be a great person to end Flair’s career, but it’s a month too early for that to happen. The only way it does happen is they decide to swerev it with Flair having a guarenteed contract for one last match at Wrestlemania. But I don’t see it happening.

Winner: Ric Flair

Michael Weyer: Well, this should give Kennedy a nice rub but I think we all know they’re saving Flair for Mania and a major opponent, maybe Michaels. Still, a good matchup that can help boost Kennedy and show Flair’s still got it.

WINNER: WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Smackdown Elimination Chamber: Batista vs. MVP vs. Finlay vs. Big Daddy V vs. The Undertaker vs. The Great Khali

Stephen Randle: Good Lord, how thin is the Smackdown main event scene? I mean, in theory Big Daddy V isn’t even part of the Smackdown brand, plus he’s been getting beaten like a red-headed stepchild by the Undertaker for the past month anyway. Everyone already knows that the top two contenders are Taker and Batista, anyway, so I fail to see why they needed to cram four other people into a #1 Contender’s match, especially since Batista-Taker sells itself. Anyway, unless they’re planning to give Taker another easy Mania win to extend the streak against V, Khali, or Mark Henry (or some combination), he’s supposed to be the guy to face Edge on the big show.

Winner: The Undertaker

Jerome Cusson: Four of these guys have no chance in hell of winning this match and even sniff a main event at Wrestlemania. MVP and Finlay will likely move on to “Money in the Bank.” Big Daddy V won’t make the cut. Khali will be involved somehow, maybe with whatever Vince McMahon is doing. That leaves Batista and Undertaker. With Edge having never been pinned and that potential angle create a whole lot of intrigue, it almost has to be Undertaker. Batista could perhaps be inserted into an angle with Randy Orton and/or Triple H.

Winner: The Undertaker

Scotty Flamingo: This is obviously the weaker of the two Chamber Matches, but should still be strong with Taker, Finlay, and MVP involved. Batista can hold his own as well. Even Big Daddy and Khali can use the gimmick of the Chamber to hide their weaknesses. The only downside is that it is predictable who will win.

Winner: Undertaker

Jarrod Westerfeld: I just talked about this in my latest article, (Your Viral Dose of Reality 2.12.08: Randomly Viral); MVP is in Mark Henry’s spot, and Finlay’s only role should be to get screwed up by McMahon, as his focus should be on little Horny. You have to start with the two big men so that you can’t have them both over powering a smaller guy and not have them destroy the chamber pods with [smaller guys] body. Let Taker be the second to last out of the chamber, have him clear as much house as needs to be cleared, this way you don’t get a winded Batista for the ultimate face off between the Deadman. After all, this is their stage, and should be the big payoff between the two.

Winner: The Undertaker

Larry Csonka: I think that we can all agree that Big Daddy V and Khali have no chance of winning, due to a high concentration of suck. Finlay is heading to a WrestleMania meeting with Vince, and MVP is heading towards a WrestleMania meeting with Matt Hardy. So that leaves us with Batista vs. The Undertaker, who I figure will be the final two men. While in theory there is a small chance of Batista winning, the plan all along has been Taker vs. Edge, so I will stick with that here.

Winner: The Undertaker

T.G. Corke: Six wrestlers confined to the steel,
Shall battle with ultimate zeal,
But the race is of one,
He known as the Phenom,
Is the only contender, I feel. (Not awful.)

Winner: Undertaker

Andy Clark: There are really only two combinations for this match to end with, Undertaker vs. Batista or Undertaker vs. MVP. Since I see a face vs. face final in the Raw EC I’ll go with Taker-MVP here. Big Daddy V is eliminated first, then Finlay, then Khali, then Batista, and finally MVP.

Winner and NEW No. 1 Contender: Undertaker

Michael Bauer This is the definition of a clusterfuck. We all know it is going to be Edge vs. The Undertaker, streak vs. streak and title, and all of that hoopla.

Winner: Undertaker

Michael Weyer: Ugh, Khali AND V in a Chamber match? This can be ugly. I know a lot of guys are saying Undertaker but Batista is still a major force for Smackdown and a Batista/Edge battle would be good for Mania. So while it might be nice for MVP to get it, I see Batista winning here to set up the Mania battle.

WINNER: The Animal

Raw Elimination Chamber: JBL vs. HHH vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Umaga vs. Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy

Stephen Randle: You have to wonder what the plans were had Cena’s injury been worse. I’m kidding, no you don’t, because for once, the spoiler warning is true: Triple H wins.

Winner: Triple H

Jerome Cusson: I’m not sure what the WWE has in store for what will be the main event at Wrestlemania. I firmly behave that if Triple H was going to be the winner, it should be changed to Jeff Hardy. He is the hottest wrestler going on any of the three brands. JBL and Jericho have a feud to settle in Orlando. Shawn Michaels is likely going to have one last rodeo with Ric Flair. Triple H has a ready made angle with Orton and Batista. Sadly, we all know who’s winning here. Have fun getting the consolation prize of “Money in the Bank” Jeff.

Winner: Triple H

Scotty Flamingo: This match should be awesome. Four of the best workers in the company in one match. Plus, JBL and Umaga thrive in brawls, so they are hardly liabilities. This match will most likely be won by HHH, but I could also see Michaels winning if they want a different direction for Flair. Cena Vs Michaels III anyone?

Winner: HBK

Jarrod Westerfeld: Raw called dibs on the better Chamber match, and seeing the line-up, they’ll get to go all over the place. I see JBL and Umaga teaming up and tossing Jericho or Hardy through a pod chamber, or two, incapacitating him for a while, while HBK and Triple H get to play house keeper(s). Expect chaos, expect fun, and expect a predictable ending – The Game will get his pin back from Jeff Hardy, but it probably won’t kill Jeff’s push for the year.

Winner: Triple Barbarian

Larry Csonka: When it comes down to it I feel that HHH will be the one to win the match. JBL and Jericho should have their blow off at WM, Umaga I can see in MITB and HBK is slated for Flair. I feel that the final two will be HHH and Hardy, with HHH getting his win back, while Hardy has a great run in the Chamber. HHH goes onto the title match while Hardy goes onto MITB and wins that match. This match has the possibility to rock the house.

Winner: HHH

T.G. Corke: Once more, we do witness the sage,
Of a half-dozen men in a cage.
Out-witting the lot,
As if you care a jot,
Is the man that they call Triple H. (Acceptable.)

Winner: Triple H (actually, I think Jeff Hardy has a better chance than most are giving him credit for)

Andy Clark: There are two certainties in this match: 1) Triple H will get his win back from Jeff Hardy. 2) Triple H and Shawn Michaels will finish up this match. It’s very key how they eliminate Jeff Hardy if they want to keep his momentum. He obviously can’t be the first person eliminated, but I also think it’s a bad idea to have him be the last person eliminated. You don’t want the visual of Jeff coming up short again even if being second to last gone is actually worse than being last gone. While Jeff has a very small chance of winning, and Michaels even less so, Triple H is the way to go here.

Winner and NEW No. 1 Contender: Triple H

Michael Bauer Don’t kid yourselves here, this match was designed for HHH to thrive. He was in the first three chambers and won two of them. Yes, Michaels has been in four chambers, but only won once. And yes, Jericho has been in three chambers, but has always been the guy just put there. Jeff Hardy won’t win, but could easily have his star rise more in this match. In the end, The Game does it again.

Winner: HHH

Michael Weyer: This one looks better than the Smackdown one due to the talent involved. I know, I know, HHH is the likely guy but there’s potential for a surprise, especially with Jericho who could use the big win and a Jericho/Cena battle for Mania would be good. But I guess my gut does have to bow to the inevitable choice here.

WINNER: HHH

ECW Title Match: Chavo Guerrero © vs. CM Punk

Stephen Randle: Who the hell decided that Chavo Freakin’ Guerrero was Brand Champion material? There’s nobody on Earth who sees him as a credible champion, and I don’t think he’s even got the upside of a JBL, who eventually evolved into a credible main eventer. The ECW brand is even more of a joke than usual, and they should endeavor to save Punk from its ashes. Having him lose to Chavo here isn’t going to help much, sohopefully there’s lots of shenanigans involved.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero

Jerome Cusson: I don’t care. I just don’t care. Chavo Guerrero is someone I have a hard time even watching him anymore. Punk is stranded in mid-card hell and deserves to be pushed once and for all. I’d rather have him not win the belt here and win “Money in the Bank” so he can get off ECW and move to something better. No matter what Chavo wins this match to set up a final match at Wrestlemania

Winner: Chavo Guerrero

Scotty Flamingo: Another solid match. I’m no fan of WECW, but there is no reason this match should be anything but great. I imagine if there is a complaint, it will be that it might not get enough time. As for the winner, Punk needs to chase some more and Chavo needs a good reign.

Winner: Chavito

Jarrod Westerfeld: This has been some good solid action from these two, with some fun build. I don’t care how badly Punk’s been looked down upon for his attitude, they can’t bury him here because the fans won’t allow it – they don’t care to see him get shit upon. Again, I’m calling for Punk to get the bigger pop of the night, and while it’s good momentum to have him roll into this match dominating, and the fans will be behind him, I don’t see any different an outcome here – though I wish this would’ve been the event Punk actually dropped the strap.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero (Retains the ECW World Championship)

Larry Csonka: I would expect this to be our opener, well, because it is the ECW Title match. These guys have worked fine together, although they have really under achieved in my eyes. I know both men have way more talent and ability than their feud has shown, and I hope that they get the time and have the handcuffs removed enough to go out there and have a good match. I will say that Chavo retains here and that they will likely continue the feud.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero

T.G. Corke: Chavo was not given the strap,
Just for Punk to win it right back (Poor. Poor.).
So I only wonder
If the ‘E will squander
This feud before Wrestlemania (sharp, so it sounds like…oh, forget it).

Winner: Chavo Guerrero

Andy Clark: It’s been fun but now it’s time to get back to our regularly scheduled program.

Winner and NEW ECW Champion: CM Punk

Michael Bauer The title changing this close to Wrestlemania is something I don’t buy, though I think the title should stay with Punk. I expect some bullshit finish to set up yet another match between the two.

Winner: CM Punk by Countout or DQ

Michael Weyer: A little shakeup for Chavo as champion but I think it’s time we get back on track with Punk as the titleholder to give ECW what little credibility it has left back. Should be a good battle though.

WINNER and NEW ECW Champion: CM Punk, baby!

World Title Match: Edge © vs. Rey Mysterio

Stephen Randle: Well, this outcome, which was probably never in doubt, became even less so with the announcement that Rey tore his bicep this week in Chile. Nothing to predict here, move along.

Winner: Edge

Jerome Cusson: I know Mysterio earned this rematch because he got screwed at MSG. I just don’t see how Mysterio even earned a title shot in the first place. Rey Rey has looked very sluggish since returning, and there’s not a chance he wins the title a second time since the only he reason he won it the first time was because of the death of Eddie Guerrero.

Winner: Edge

Scotty Flamingo: The only downside to this match is that we’ve already seen it, and there is no way in hell Rey is winning. Still should be good.

Winner: Edge

Jarrod Westerfeld: This, too, has been fun build from what I’ve seen and heard, and this is one of those matches that looked like it could’ve been something special, at the Rumble, had it just gotten more time. Unfortunately, this is stuck on a card similar to the Rumble – more themed matches that are designed to eat up a lot of time taking away from the undercard. Expect another fun match, good story telling, and a finish that should get people interested in talking about this match for a while.

Winner: Edge (Retains the World Heavyweight Championship)

Larry Csonka: Rey has just been a bridge to get Edge to WM. Hopefully this match will be better than their last one and Rey brings his A-Game.

Winner: Edge

T.G. Corke: Mysterio is rightly renowned,
For being athletically sound.
But, come No Way Out,
I lack even doubt,
That Rey shall be pinned to the ma-er, ground. Fuck.

Winner: Edge

Andy Clark: For some reason I have a funny feeling about this match. While I’m still going with Edge since he’s the safe bet, I just have a hard time seeing Edge beat Rey twice on PPV. Still, funny feeling aside there is no reason not to go with the top heel on the brand to head into WrestleMania as champ.

Winner: Edge

Michael Bauer Yes, Rey is hurt, but WWE.com says he is still planning to compete, so there is no reason to change that here. But even if he was fully healthy, why do I think that he would win here? Edge has been on a roll, has the momentum, and has a date with a dead man in a month.

Winner: Edge

Michael Weyer: This is obviously a “treading water” battle before Edge loses at Mania. Should still be a fair matchup but obviously they’re waiting for whoever wins the Chamber to face Edge at Mania so no underdog victory again here.

WINNER and still World Champion: The Rated R Superstar

WWE Title Match: Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Stephen Randle: I think it’s fairly obvious to most people that Randy Orton is about to get thrown under the bus, and none too soon, really. You don’t lie about the severity of an injury, bring someone back in a shocking surprise, have them win the Rumble match to earn a title shot, have them demand the match a month early in a massive display of ignoring the Rumble stipulation, then have them lose the big match, especially when the Superstar being discussed is John Cena, WWE’s current money machine.

Winner: John Cena

Jerome Cusson: Before I discuss this match, I have to point out that this is likely the strongest No Way Out Pay-Per-View in its’ history. Not only do we have two chambers matches, but three huge world title matches and a potential career-ender. Props to the WWE for finally making this more than just a placeholder show. Now to the main event. Certain internet marks have complained that this match should be saved for Wrestlemania since it’s the natural match-up. A man who never lost the world title against the current champion. I think those people are stupid. Triple H and John Cena will not only be the better match, but will help draw an even stronger buyrate. Not to mention the live crowd will get into it more. Randy Orton had no business ever being world champion. He just doesn’t have the in-ring skills to measure up. I need only point out every match of his title reign except against Shawn Michaels as my examples. Cena is going to win the match and end Orton’s reign of terror. Then we can have ourselves a decent main event.

Winner: John Cena

Scotty Flamingo: This is the most up in air match on the card. Logic says that Cena should chase until Mania, but that would make the main event a 3 way, and I’m just not a fan of Mania main events being anything other than 1 on 1 matches. Plus, the company loves Cena and it totally wouldn’t surprise me to see them get the belt back on him ASAP. I’ll stick with my longshot prediction of Cena/Michaels III at Mania.

Winner: John Cena

Jarrod Westerfeld: You know, I kind of like the build for this, but the problem here is, it makes no sense. This is TNA logic – a match that was designed to send the winner to the main event of the biggest show of the year, gets over ruled by a challenger that can’t wait to get his hands on his opponent that sat him out of action for about 3 months, playing on his opportunistic nature by selling Orton a bag of goodies about his arm not fully healed yet. Sorry, but this undervalued the Rumble, and made Mania seem like it wasn’t that big a deal to Cena. Oh, and like the rest of this card, it’s predictable in that we know what’s going to happen here, and we know what the result will be – Triple H looking to get his win back on the big stage. It’s time for Triple H’s big payday – so Cena, your time is up, his time is now.

Winner: John Cena (And NEW WWE Champion)

Larry Csonka: And here we are, Cena vs. Orton. I am not that happy with the match as I feel that it should have been the Mania match, since they have the built in history. Apparently WWE didn’t think so. This could be a really good match, but I don’t think that we’ll get a finish here. I could see some colossal fuck finish, which will lead to HHH vs. Orton vs. Cena for the title.

Winner: Randy Orton Retains

T.G. Corke: The Doctor returned at the Rumble,
And won it without much of a stumble,
But Orton retains,
To take on The Game,
Lest his credibility crumble. (Ok, come on. That was all right.)

Winner: Randy Orton

Andy Clark: There is one certainty in this match: Randy Orton will not beat John Cena. Now that’s not to say Orton might not retain the title as I can see a no contest or a DQ or something to keep the belt on him. But Randy Orton will not pin John Cena. No way, no how. At the end of the day, even though Orton stands a chance, Cena is winning the title. Cena-Triple H is the Rock-Austin of this era and I don’t see WWE deviating from that plan, and frankly I’m not even sure that they should. Come Sunday night THE CHAMP WILL BE HERE!.

Winner and NEW WWE Champion: John Cena

Michael Bauer Call me crazy, but Andy, you are dead fucking wrong. Randy Orton will not only defeat John Cena, but he will do it CLEANLY!!! I am calling it right now because I can already see what happens. Orton wins and is set to take on HHH, but sneaky Cena still plays the Royal Rumble winner gets a Wrestlemania shot card. We will have the triple threat at mania, but it will be screwy on Monday’s Raw, not at the PPV.

Winner: Randy Orton

Michael Weyer: Ah, this should be good as we were denied a top matchup with them when Cena got hurt. I know some are suggesting Orton retains to set up a triple threat at Mania which would be cool but the momentum is all with Cena and it’s clear they want him going into Mania as champion. So after a wild battle, there’s only one clear conclusion.

WINNER and NEW WWE Champion: The Champ is here