No Way Out 2007: One Dream Tag Saved a Show Full of Detours

Chris Benoit and The Hardys against MVP and MNM gives No Way Out 2007 its best undercard wrestling by combining several existing rivalries into one energetic six-man tag. MNM's familiarity with Matt and Jeff Hardy makes the exchanges crisp, while MVP and Benoit supply a more physical contrast that quietly previews their WrestleMania program. The heels isolate opponents effectively without slowing the match into a long rest period, and the finishing stretch escalates through quick saves and tandem offense. Benoit eventually counters MNM's Snapshot attempt and traps Joey Mercury in the Crossface for the submission. It is a straightforward match, but the chemistry, pace, and clean finish make it considerably stronger than most of the card that follows.

The Cruiserweight Open uses a gauntlet format to keep the division moving without asking any one pairing to carry fourteen full minutes. Gregory Helms survives multiple entrants and looks appropriately resourceful before Jimmy Wang Yang finally eliminates the long-reigning champion. That creates a genuine shift in the match, only for Chavo Guerrero to enter last and immediately become the fresh favorite. Yang survives Jamie Noble first, but Chavo eventually lands the frog splash and wins the title. The action is consistently competent and the format gives several wrestlers a moment, though the late-entry advantage makes the final result feel more functional than dramatic. It is a useful division showcase rather than a memorable title match.

Finlay and Little Bastard against The Boogeyman and Little Boogeyman is built almost entirely around novelty comedy, and the wrestling never becomes substantial enough to justify the pay-per-view time. The size contrast is the joke, Little Bastard repeatedly hides or runs away, and the referee distraction exists mainly to set up Finlay's shillelagh finish. The audience understands the act, but there is almost no competitive tension because the match is structured as a sketch rather than a fight. Finlay eventually strikes Little Boogeyman with the weapon and scores the pin after less than seven minutes. The segment is brief enough to avoid becoming exhausting, yet it remains one of the weakest wrestling matches on a WWE pay-per-view from this period.

Kane and King Booker wrestle a conventional grudge match that is easy to follow but never feels important enough for twelve minutes. Kane controls the early physical exchanges, Booker uses Queen Sharmell's presence to create openings, and the match settles into a familiar big-man-versus-veteran rhythm. There are a few well-timed counters around the chokeslam and Scissors Kick, but neither man introduces enough urgency to make the rivalry feel hotter than an average episode of SmackDown. Sharmell's distraction gives Booker one last advantage before Kane catches him and finishes with the chokeslam. The clean result is useful, yet the feud continues immediately into a Money in the Bank qualifier, making this victory feel more like a chapter than a payoff.

Paul London and Brian Kendrick against Deuce 'n Domino is a tidy tag-title match that suffers from being substituted for the more ambitious ladder match advertised shortly before the event. Deuce and Domino slow the champions by isolating London, while Kendrick's eventual tag brings the speed and movement the match needs. The challengers look credible enough to threaten the reign without ever feeling like the better team, and the finish arrives when Domino misses from the top rope and Kendrick catches him with a roll-up. Eight minutes is enough for a coherent defense, but not enough to create a memorable championship story. The wrestling is sound; the context makes the match feel smaller than it otherwise would.

Bobby Lashley and Mr. Kennedy are given more than fifteen minutes, but the championship match never develops a rhythm strong enough to justify that length. Kennedy attacks before the bell and works methodically once the match starts, trying to keep Lashley grounded through holds and opportunistic offense. Lashley's power comeback creates the obvious path toward a decisive finish, only for the match to collapse when Kennedy brings in a chair and Lashley uses it himself. The disqualification gives Kennedy the official victory while Lashley retains the championship, then Lashley continues the chair attack after the bell. The angle adds aggression to Lashley's character, but the protected finish makes the actual title match feel unsatisfying and strangely inconclusive.

John Cena and Shawn Michaels against Batista and The Undertaker is the one match that makes No Way Out 2007 feel like a major event. All four WrestleMania headliners are protected, the crowd treats every pairing as important, and the match steadily teases the mistrust already growing between the two championship teams. The action is deliberately paced until the final minutes, when finishers and saves begin arriving in rapid succession. Batista finally turns on Undertaker with a spinebuster, allowing Michaels to land Sweet Chin Music and Cena to hit the FU for the pin. The finish advances Batista-Undertaker without weakening Cena or Michaels and gives the audience the interpromotional spectacle promised by the card.