No Way Out 2004: 15 Years Ago Today

[chazraps]

Rewatching this show now. Gotta love how hot the crowd was for Eddy, resulting in one of the greatest title win moments of all time. I don't know if anyone who wasn't watching at the time can grasp just how - even with the storyline putting it together perfectly - how surprising this title win still was. The trigger being pulled on Eddy getting a then super-rare February pay-per-view title win over Brock Lesnar right before Wrestlemania XX when two years prior he wasn't even in the company, you could make a case for it as the single best redemption story that WWE ever did. Just perfection.

Elsewhere, I forgot a lot about this show. The short montages illustrating each feud before the matches was just tremendous, perhaps the most consistent video packages that the company ever had. But as high as those production values are, the name plate graphic feature CONIC SANS FONT which - while it may read nitpicky - when watching it live it just momentarily takes me right out for just how out of place it looks.

Nidia vs. Jamie Noble is a problematic fav from the montage to the match itself, but it's a testament to how talented and underrated both Jamie Noble and Nidia are that this is as good as it was.

I also forgot that, even a month after the Royal Rumble, they were STILL having Lesnar's C-story be that Hardcore Holly was hunting him.

Finally, Kayfabe speaking, this was the first show under the Heyman Adminstration as Smackdown GM, and including Sunday Night Heat he did make as good of a top-to-bottom show as one could with this roster.

Anyone else revisiting this today? What are your memories of your first time seeing it?

[Chiral]

Great great show. I still remember looking up the results the night after and being stunned Eddie won. I probably still have the Originals CD with the PPV theme by Rey Mysterio lol.

[Deleted]

I remember marking when I went on WWE.com the following morning and saw the pic of Eddie with the title.

[ChitownKnight]

This was the last time that Cena tapped out as well. I started watching in June of 04, right at the end of Eddies title reign. Eddie became my favorite wrestler at the time and I was heartbroken when I found out he passed as a 13 year old. But looking back at the network, Eddie was booked great since his return in 2002 winning the IC title, los Guerrero’s blowing up, becoming the first ever us champ, and the parking lot brawl in fall of 03 put both Eddie and Cena on the top

[chazraps]

Feb 15, 2019 14:17:52 GMT -5 @dax said:

I remember marking when I went on WWE.com the following morning and saw the pic of Eddie with the title.

Dude, I found out about it reading it on the official AOL WWE Messageboard. 15 years, mang.

[chronocross]

The card was kinda eh, I was really hyped for Brock/Goldberg at this point and thought Goldberg would be jumping to Smackdown after Mania but did not know both guys were in the process of leaving.

I liked the triple threat with Cena/Angle/Show and really was into the main event with Eddie/Brock.

[MiLB Fan]

It’s the featured article on Wikipedia today.

[Perfect Timing]

Crazy how by 2005 he really seemed to be spinning his wheels up until his death.

[chazraps]

Feb 15, 2019 16:05:22 GMT -5 Perfect Timing said:

Crazy how by 2005 he really seemed to be spinning his wheels up until his death.

You didn't find the heel turn where he just held Rey's mask, or the Batista feud inspired?

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

Feb 15, 2019 17:12:43 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Feb 15, 2019 16:05:22 GMT -5 Perfect Timing said:

Crazy how by 2005 he really seemed to be spinning his wheels up until his death.

You didn't find the heel turn where he just held Rey's mask, or the Batista feud inspired?

That promo where he just stared at Rey's mask is legitimately one of my favorite promos of all time he says a lot without actually saying anything.

[thegatewaydrug]

Feb 15, 2019 17:17:14 GMT -5 A Platypus Rave is Correct said:

Feb 15, 2019 17:12:43 GMT -5 chazraps said:

You didn't find the heel turn where he just held Rey's mask, or the Batista feud inspired?

That promo where he just stared at Rey's mask is legitimately one of my favorite promos of all time he says a lot without actually saying anything.

That show was in my hometown and I was there for the terrible taping.

And boy, were we disappointed in this 'promo', the main event of Booker T. vs. Mark Jindrak, only getting a pre-tape / backstage segment from Kurt Angle and the fact that Paul London was on commentary (and not working) for a Velocity crusierweight match.

Smackdown sure sucked for years on end back then.

[Deleted]

I didn’t get to watch the ppv till weeks later cause I spent 2 straight months in the hospital due to poor health at the time and I was transported to a better hospital a couple hours away on valentines day night 2004 awaiting emergency surgery that monday so I had no idea what happened at the ppv and was pretty out of the loop on wrestling news I loved Eddie but I figured he had zero chance of beating Brock.On the day after as my parents where leaving the house going to visit me before surgery my next door neighbor shouted over “TELL HIM EDDIE WON THE BELT!” so I had some good news before surgery.I hadn’t watched the show since as that just reminded me of a pretty terrible time in my life but this week I rewatched it and The Eddie vs Brock match is brilliant and its like those fans were only there for eddie.Noble vs Nidia was shocking good noble’s great and nidia was really good in her role and the people liked her way more than she was pushed.The rest of the show was kinda blah but that doesn’t matter cause Eddie/Brock was so great.

[G✇JI☈A]

I remember the booking did spoil it... everyone knew that Goldberg v Brock was happening at Wrestlemania XX.. but we did not know if the WWE title would factor into that match..


Then WWE announced that triple threat match with the winner get the championship shot at Wrestlemania, which confirmed Brock would not be champion by Wrestlemania...

But still it was a great moment.

[Rumble McSkirmish]

One of the best opening video packages the WWE has ever done.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

Eddie’s one of my top three guys but a better heel in my opinion.

[chazraps]

Feb 17, 2019 3:09:44 GMT -5 G✇JI☈A said:

I remember the booking did spoil it... everyone knew that Goldberg v Brock was happening at Wrestlemania XX.. but we did not know if the WWE title would factor into that match..


Then WWE announced that triple threat match with the winner get the championship shot at Wrestlemania, which confirmed Brock would not be champion by Wrestlemania...

But still it was a great moment.

I mean, did you really think Eddie winning was that much of a for sure conclusion? Yes, all signs pointed to it, but until that hand hit the mat three times, were you absolutely certain that Eddy Guerrero - who three months prior was losing to the Bashams and the previous month was feuding with Chavo, was going to win the championship that night?

EDIT: Not trying to come at you, I'm just genuinely curious how much you felt the result was spoiled at the time.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

I don’t think they can ever recreate the kind of emotion that Eddie Guerrero’s title win had. Even for something Daniel Bryan at WM30 and (hopefully) Becky Lynch at WM35, it’s not the same with both having been top champions already before then and having healthy lives away from the ring (to my knowledge).

[G✇JI☈A]

Feb 17, 2019 19:04:33 GMT -5 chazraps said:

Feb 17, 2019 3:09:44 GMT -5 G✇JI☈A said:

I remember the booking did spoil it... everyone knew that Goldberg v Brock was happening at Wrestlemania XX.. but we did not know if the WWE title would factor into that match..


Then WWE announced that triple threat match with the winner get the championship shot at Wrestlemania, which confirmed Brock would not be champion by Wrestlemania...

But still it was a great moment.

I mean, did you really think Eddie winning was that much of a for sure conclusion? Yes, all signs pointed to it, but until that hand hit the mat three times, were you absolutely certain that Eddy Guerrero - who three months prior was losing to the Bashams and the previous month was feuding with Chavo, was going to win the championship that night?

EDIT: Not trying to come at you, I'm just genuinely curious how much you felt the result was spoiled at the time.

There was also the Goldberg thing.. on Raw leading up to NWO, Steve Austin gave Goldberg a ticket to NWO, so that pretty much confirmed that Goldberg was going to get involved somehow.. and he will probably wanna one up Brock, after Brock’s interference in the Royal Rumble got Goldberg eliminated.


I remember was excitement on this board at the time (still under the WrestleCrap banner) when that #1 contender triple threat match was announced.


You could see the result coming... but it’s one of those ones when it’s the right thing to do and it does not matter if the result was predictable.

[Deleted]

Feb 17, 2019 20:33:01 GMT -5 EoE: Well There's Your Problem said:

I don’t think they can ever recreate the kind of emotion that Eddie Guerrero’s title win had. Even for something Daniel Bryan at WM30 and (hopefully) Becky Lynch at WM35, it’s not the same with both having been top champions already before then and having healthy lives away from the ring (to my knowledge).

Titles just don't mean what they used to really to matter like it did when Eddie win it. Too many meaningless MITB victories and vacant champions over the years made it feel pretty inconsequential.

[Rolent Tex]

I remember that I was pretty spot on with a lot of predictions around this time. All of my friends that still followed at the time we’re convinced that Brock vs Goldberg would be for the title and I said no way in hell Eddie doesn’t win. Brock vs Goldberg didn’t need the belt.

Bastards laughed at me again when I said Goldberg was winning at Mania. 🙄