No Way Out 2003: Three Huge Returns Cannot Turn a Transitional Show into a Classic

Jericho and Hardy give No Way Out a solid opening match by leaning on a simple contrast between Jericho's control and Hardy's ability to create sudden momentum. Hardy remains popular enough that his comeback spots carry the crowd, while Jericho is experienced enough to keep the match organized without turning the opener into a collection of disconnected risks. The finish is decisive when Jericho forces Hardy to submit to the Walls of Jericho, which gives the heel a meaningful win and avoids the kind of interference-heavy ending that hurts several later matches on the show. It is not a classic and does not need to be. As a thirteen-minute opener, it establishes a competent baseline for the card.

Regal and Storm against Kane and Rob Van Dam has enough talent to be interesting, but the match never becomes more than a functional Raw tag-title defense. Van Dam provides the pace, Kane gives the challengers power, and the champions rely on positioning and opportunism instead of trying to match the babyfaces athletically. The finish is clever enough for the story when Storm pulls Kane's mask, leaving Kane unable to see and causing him to chokeslam Van Dam by mistake. Storm then pins Van Dam to retain, which protects the champions while creating friction on the losing side. The angle works better than the wrestling, leaving the bout respectable but firmly in the middle of the card.

Kidman and Hardy produce one of the card's stronger undercard matches because the championship stakes and Hardy's weight-cut storyline give a clear reason for both men to wrestle with urgency. Kidman is the cleaner high flyer, Hardy brings more character and physicality, and the contrast keeps the match from feeling like a generic cruiserweight showcase. The decisive sequence is memorable when Hardy catches Kidman and lands a Twist of Fate from the top rope to win the championship. The title change gives the match consequence without requiring outside interference, and the nine-minute runtime keeps everything tight. It is a very good supporting match and one of the easier pieces of the show to recommend.

Undertaker and Big Show work a slow, physical match that depends heavily on size, history and crowd investment rather than pace. The feud has been built around Big Show putting Undertaker out of action, so the match carries more story weight than the bell-to-bell quality alone would suggest. Undertaker survives the heavyweight offense and eventually traps Show in a triangle choke, forcing a technical submission and giving the returning veteran a decisive victory. The finish is useful because it lets Undertaker win without needing a conventional pin and makes the submission feel like punishment for the earlier attacks. Fourteen minutes is a little long for the style, but the rivalry gives the match enough purpose to stay above average.

The handicap tag is the best wrestling match on No Way Out because the talent level is high enough to overcome Edge's late removal from the bout and turn the numerical disadvantage into a useful story. Lesnar supplies explosive power, Benoit provides the technical center, and Kurt Angle, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas work like a unit rather than three unrelated opponents. The match also matters because it keeps the WrestleMania XIX title program moving without giving away Lesnar against Angle in a full singles match. Benoit ultimately forces Haas to submit to the Crossface, giving the babyface side a clean victory despite being outnumbered. It is not the defining match of the Lesnar-Angle rivalry, but it is easily the strongest complete bout on this card.

Triple H and Scott Steiner improve only marginally on their Royal Rumble disaster, and the rematch still feels like a world-title program WWE is trying to finish rather than one audiences are eager to see. Steiner's offense remains repetitive, Evolution's presence adds interference, and the crowd never fully buys the challenger as the person who should dethrone Triple H. The champion eventually uses the title belt and then lands the Pedigree to retain, giving the feud a cleaner ending than the previous month's disqualification. That is an improvement in booking, not in match quality. As one of the advertised championship attractions, the bout again pulls the event downward and functions as a genuine negative anchor.

Austin's first WWE match in eight months is not really structured as a competitive contest, and grading it as though Bischoff were a serious opponent would miss the point. The entire attraction is built around the Montreal crowd getting Austin back, seeing Bischoff punished and hearing the Stunner hit repeatedly after months of storyline anticipation. Austin dominates, deliberately breaks his own pin after the first Stunner and eventually delivers three before ending the match. As a wrestling match, there is very little substance. As a return segment, it succeeds completely, which is why the score stays above outright failure even though the bell-to-bell content is basically an extended squash.

The WrestleMania X8 rematch has enormous names and an ideal Montreal atmosphere, but it cannot recreate the organic magic of their first meeting. The Rock's heel presentation gives the match a different flavor and Hogan still generates huge reactions, yet the wrestling is more mechanical and the finish overwhelms the action. The lights go out, Vince McMahon appears, referee Sylvain Grenier becomes part of the scheme and Rock ultimately uses a chair before hitting the Rock Bottom for the win. The result launches the next stage of both men's WrestleMania programs, but it makes this pay-per-view main event feel more like storyline machinery than a satisfying sequel. The crowd and star power keep it watchable; the overbooked finish keeps it from being much more.