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RADICAN'S TAKE
RADICAN: No Way Out gets big thumbs up for Chambers, Cena-Orton, Mayweather Angle Feb 18, 2008 - 5:59:18 PM
I really enjoyed the WWE No Way Out PPV from start to finish. The crowd was hot, which made a big difference in making even some of the more ordinary action on the card seem interesting (Punk-Chavo, Kennedy-Flair). Both of the Chamber matches were really good and the Cena-Orton match had a real main event atmosphere that sucked me right into the action, despite the lame finish.
The booking team made the right choice when they let Batista and Undertaker work the entire Smackdown Elimination Chamber match. They both have such a good chemistry in the ring and did a good job of holding the match up until they were the last two wrestlers left in the match at the end. Surprisingly, Khali and BDV didn't hold down the match, as they were showcased appropriately and dispatched of rather quickly. Throw in two big bumps from MVP and Finlay and a great finishing sequence from Taker and Batista that had the crowd gasping and we have a match well worth checking out.
The Edge-Mysterio match was disappointing and Mysterio really risked a lot in working even six minutes with his arm injury. When Big Show came out after the match, he seemed to be falling really flat until he went to the outside to attack Mysterio, who was being attended to by several WWE officials. When Mayweather came to the aid of Mysterio, everything changed and we had a red hot angle on our hands on PPV. The electricity surrounding Mayweather and Big Show as they went face to face was incredible and I can't wait to see how this plays out.
The Cena-Orton match was really good and likely would have gone over four stars without the DQ finish. The crowd was red hot throughout, as they were split in their support for both men. WWE threw a wrench in the Road to WrestleMania by not having Cena go over here, but they have over a month to let things play out on Raw before we know what Cena's involvement will be at WrestleMania, although I suspect it wll be Triple H vs. Orton vs. Cena in a Triple Threat match.
The Raw brand Elimination Chamber match was also great. I liked how the match was built around Umaga until just about everyone in the match hit their finisher on him and Hardy finished him off with the Swanton off the top of one of the pods. There some really nice sequences leading to the eliminations that left Hardy and Triple H alone in the ring. The crowd badly wanted Hardy to win and they did a great nearfall with Hardy kicking out of the pedigree. Hunter going over fell a little flat with the crowd, but this was another match on the card worth going out of your way to see.
Based on the two Elimination Chamber matches, the Cena-Orton match, The Mayweather-Show angle, and the red hot crowd, I give this show a big thumbs up.
Score: 8.0
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