Review of WWE: No Way Out 2007

Introduction

You know, tag-team wrestling isn`t what it used to be. Back in the good old days of the 1980s, American wrestling had such superb tandems as The Midnight Express, The Rock`n`Roll Express, Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson, The Rockers, The Hart Foundation…I could go on and on.

But somewhere in the mid-1990s, tag-team wrestling slipped. The WWF was the main culprit, as they steadily ignored the appeal of tag-team wrestling, instead opting to concentrate on trying to find their next big singles superstar. And sadly, as the company showed apathy towards the tag-team product, so did the fans.

A little over ten years later, with the WWF now the WWE, there are signs of a tag-team revival. On the current roster, teams like Paul London & Brian Kendrick, Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, and Matt & Jeff Hardy, have excelled in the ranks. With that, fans have begun to respect tag-team wrestling once again, and the dream main-event of John Cena & Shawn Michaels vs. Batista & The Undertaker at No Way Out 2007 was another step in the right direction.

The story of the match was that in the following month`s Wrestlemania, Cena would have to defend his WWE Championship against Michaels, and Batista would have to defend his World Heavyweight Title against The Undertaker. Could each man be trusted to work with his partner? Would the lure of an advantage in the Wrestlemania match prove too much? And moreover, which team was the stronger?

All of the answers, and more, were provided at No Way Out, held on 18th February 2007, from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California.

Video

Video is presented in 4:3 fullscreen PAL, and is very good for a DVD of this genre.

As usual, the production values are extremely high, with this event looking every bit the big-budget production that it is. Furthermore, it has been expertly captured, especially considering its live-to-tape nature. There are also no issues with the transfer, making this a sterling effort all-round.

Audio

Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, a fact which after the 5.1 experiment of the previous release (Royal Rumble 2007), continues to be a treat.

With the "in your face" type of approach WWE often takes to its programming, it is pleasant to note that this 5.1 mix isn`t aggressive at all. Rather, it is very nicely balanced, with the usual effects coming from the front speakers, and entrance music, crowd noise, and in-ring action being supplemented from the rear. The subwoofer use is very subtle indeed.

Of memorable note is the commentary for No Way Out, which is provided by Michael Cole and JBL. At least it is until about half way through the main event, at which point Cole loses his voice!

Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks are also available here in Spanish, German, Italian, and French. There are also subtitles in Portuguese, Dutch, and Greek.

Features

There are the usual limited extras on this disc - not surprising given that the main feature lasts close to three hours.

To begin, there is an interview with Chavo Guerrero, and then a less-than-a-minute look at Ashley Massaro`s Playboy shoot. Neither feature is worthy of repeat viewing.

But the main extra feature is the 21st February eight-man tag team match from the Raw TV show, as John Cena, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, and Batista faced Mr Kennedy, MVP, Edge, and Randy Orton. This was a very good television match, with lots of fast-paced action. It also did its job in that it further built tension for the upcoming No Way Out event.

Conclusion

No Way Out 2007 began with a six-man tag team match that was pleasantly received, given that its television build-up had been virtually non-existent, as Chris Benoit and Matt & Jeff Hardy collided with MVP and MNM. With this amount of talent on show, the bout was always likely to be entertaining, although allowing the bout a little more meaning would have escalated it.

As fine as the match was, however, it was sad that its quality embarrassed the next five bouts, all of which were higher profile. The Cruiserweight Title Gauntlet Match (with champion Gregory Helms defending against a myriad of challengers) was a waste of time, with far too many pinfalls squeezed into a short period. Finlay & Little B*****d`s (yes, his actual moniker) encounter with Boogeyman & Little Boogeyman was so embarrassing that it was likely one of the worst bouts of Finlay`s thirty-year career. Totally based on comedy, there was nothing funny about this at all.

King Booker and Kane did nothing to relieve the monotony in the next bout, which was a rather plodding affair, before Paul London & Brian Kendrick at least added a little speed and enthusiasm to their title defence against Deuce & Domino, although that tandem are not capable of contesting the great matches that London & Kendrick fans are used to. Then, in the penultimate match for the ECW Championship, Bobby Lashley and Mr Kennedy fought what was a rather average match until a dreadful finish scuppered that.

To some extent, at least, the main event saved the show, though - much like the opening contest - that was not surprising given the combatants. The match was extremely well-paced, and was a nice change of tack, since more than 99% of bouts during the year are contested as baby faces (good guys) vs. heels (bad guys), whereas this was an all-babyface affair. The crowd was also very into the bout, something which was certainly not the case prior to the main event.

In the end, the match only lacked a finish that was worthy of the bout`s hype, something akin to the fantastic back-and-forth end to the previous month`s Royal Rumble. The finish here did make some sense, but it was very much an anti-climax to what had been an intriguing, well-executed match.

Overall, No Way Out 2007 began well, and finished well, but was hideous in the middle. And whilst the Finlay vs. Boogeyman debacle is plenty reason to avoid this title (or at the very least, that match), neither Benoit/Matt Hardy/Jeff Hardy vs. MVP/Nitro/Mercury or Cena/Michaels vs. Batista/Undertaker is enough to swing that thought through a full 180º.

As purely a build-up to Wrestlemania, No Way Out 2007 may qualify as an interesting show. Looked at singularly, though, it is certainly a title on which to pass.