Raw certainly seemed to have the upper hand going in to No Way Out, with 3 big matches in comparison to Smackdown and ECW's one match each.
That being said Smackdown opened the show with a brilliant Elimination Chamber match, putting the ball firmly in Raw's court and inviting them to step up to the mark in the performance stakes. Did WWE's number 1 brand live up to expectations?
Well, in a nutshell; yes. Although part of the credit for this also has to go to Smackdown.
Orton Vs. McMahon opens Raw's night with a Bang
Shane McMahon and Randy Orton are two Superstars that very rarely fail to deliver in Pay Per View matches, especially ones that can readily feature a plethora of weapons and 'dirty tactics'. This match was no different and while the outcome won't be the one most fans would have been hoping for, the way in which it reached that conclusion was nothing short of brilliant.
Obviously Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase got involved at just the right moment to save their bloodied and battered leader from a Shane McMahon 'Leap of Faith' (an elbow drop from the top rope all the way to the announce table at ringside.) Perhaps they might be wishing they hadn't though, as Shane delivered a beating topped off with a trash can Coast to Coast to Cody.
Shane's second attempt at a Leap of Faith saw him crash and burn, and despite valiantly fighting back he eventually lost to a fantastically well delivered RKO from a crimson-masked Orton, which was sold to perfection.
HBK regains his dignity
The first match between JBL and HBK since the start of their bizarre business arrangement was sure to arouse some interest from the fans, especially with the 'all or nothing' stipulation thrown in for good measure. It was lucky this match did have enough background to carry it through because the wrestling wasn't anything to shout about and it didn't seem to last very long in comparison to the other matches on the card.
Shawn's wife Rebecca was at ringside for the match, and predictably played a part in the end of the match. JBL seemed to have the match in control and followed HBK to the outside where he began to chastise Rebecca, until she lost her cool and slapped him around the face. This slap seemed to rejuvenate Shawn, who began his finishing sequence hitting a big elbow and then the Sweet Chin Music to wrap up the match and regain his freedom.
Fans may have thought this would be the end of the feud, but it was announced on Raw the following night that the two will meet again in order to determine who will face The Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
World Heavyweight Championship changes hands and brands
Before the match this one looked like it was going to be a predictable John Cena title defence, with only one of the other entrants having a plausible chance of leaving with the title. All this changed when Edge attacked Kofi Kingston as he made his way to the chamber, then locked himself inside his vacant pod and refused to leave. Now the match had another serious contender and the match began.
Under used once again the Big Red Machine was the first eliminated; pinned by Rey Mysterio for the umpteenth time since the pint-sized luchadore returned to Raw last summer. Knox was next to go when Jericho hit him with a Codebreaker.
No one got eliminated until all the superstars had been released from their pods, and the next one would be one of the biggest shocks of the night. Just minutes after being released, John Cena got hit with a trio of finishers and pinned by Edge, becoming the second Champion to lose the title before the match was over that night.
Mysterio eliminated Jericho soon afterwards and looked to have the match sewn up, but the ever resilient Edge hit a spear out of nowhere and and managed to capture the World Heavyweight title just hours after losing the WWE Championship.
Find out what happened in the Smackdown and ECW matches by clicking Here.
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To read what happened at No Way Out 2009 as it happened, head to the Live Results section Here.
Jay Davies - Jay Davies is a 25 year old graduate of the University of Lincoln's School of Journalism, currently residing in South Yorkshire, ...
