No Way Out 2004: Eddie Guerrero Turns a Thin Card into a Night That Still Matters

The pay-per-view opens with a three-on-two handicap title defense that is built around one obvious visual payoff rather than sustained tag-team drama. Scotty 2 Hotty spends much of the match isolated while the challengers rotate through straightforward offense, and the Bashams never create the sense that they are about to seize control of the championship picture. The crowd responds most when Rikishi finally receives the hot tag and the match funnels toward his confrontation with Shaniqua. That ending gets the reaction WWE wants, but everything before it feels mechanical and disposable. As an opener it is easy to follow and short enough to avoid collapse, yet it never approaches the urgency expected from a pay-per-view championship match.

Jamie Noble and Nidia are asked to convert a relationship angle into a blindfold match, and the stipulation leaves almost no room for the kind of wrestling either performer could normally provide. The comedy consists largely of Noble missing charges, Nidia taunting him and the audience waiting for him to cheat by lifting the hood. Once that happens, the finish arrives quickly with Noble using the Dragon Sleeper. The segment advances his heel character, but as a match it is barely competitive and has almost no escalation, athletic payoff or suspense. Even sympathetic contemporary reviews treated it as an angle more than a bout. It is the clearest low point on the card and an easy skip on a modern rewatch.

Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin give the APA a workable seven-minute match by focusing on Faarooq's arm and using their speed to contrast with Bradshaw's power. The structure is sensible: the younger team controls through quick tags, Bradshaw supplies the hot-tag energy, and the finish protects the APA's strongest weapon when Haas absorbs the Clothesline from Hell before Benjamin catches Bradshaw with a superkick. Nothing is badly executed, but the match never develops the urgency or crowd investment required to rise beyond competent television work. The World's Greatest Tag Team looks crisp and organized, while the APA feels close to the end of its useful run. It is serviceable connective tissue rather than a reason to seek out the event.

Hardcore Holly and Rhyno work a physical, straightforward match immediately after the much hotter Goldberg-Lesnar confrontation, and the placement does them no favors. Rhyno targets Holly's ribs with repeated whips and power offense, while Holly answers with familiar strikes, a dropkick and the Alabama Slam. The best sequence comes when Rhyno hits the Gore near the ropes and Holly spills outside, buying enough time to recover before returning to the ring. That is a useful nearfall substitute, but the feud carries almost no emotional weight and the crowd is still processing the previous angle. The work is sturdy enough to avoid being bad, yet it feels like a SmackDown match occupying pay-per-view time.

Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero finally give the show a match with sustained rhythm, escalating counters and a crowd that is invested in more than the finish. Chavo works the ribs and repeatedly slows Mysterio's springboard offense, while Rey's comebacks create convincing nearfalls without turning the bout into a spot exhibition. The top-rope gutbuster, apron DDT and late 619 sequences all feel connected to the struggle rather than inserted for spectacle. Chavo Sr.'s interference ultimately gives the challenger the championship, so the ending is not clean, but it fits the heel story and arrives after enough high-quality wrestling to feel earned. This is the first match on the card that clearly belongs on a pay-per-view.

Kurt Angle, John Cena and Big Show turn a predictable outcome into an energetic WrestleMania-stakes triple threat by giving each wrestler a distinct role. Show supplies the size problem, Cena provides the explosive crowd-pleasing power spots, and Angle keeps the transitions organized while repeatedly attacking Cena's leg. The final stretch is especially effective: Cena lifts Show for the FU, Angle throws the giant over the top with an Angle Slam, and the Ankle Lock gives Angle a decisive submission without making Cena look outclassed. The match is compact enough that the formula never becomes repetitive. It is not a classic, but it succeeds as both a competitive attraction and a clean bridge to WrestleMania XX.

Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero deliver the exact main event this card needs: a physically credible David-versus-Goliath struggle in which every phase reinforces the larger story. Lesnar dominates through size, suplexes and body control, while Guerrero survives by attacking the knee and forcing the champion to fight at a pace he does not prefer. The crowd grows louder as Eddie's resistance becomes believable, and the match preserves enough patience that the final interference does not overwhelm the preceding work. Goldberg's spear creates chaos, but Guerrero still has to counter another F-5, use the championship as part of the DDT and land the Frog Splash. The victory and celebration complete one of WWE's great underdog championship moments.