The 2002 No Way Out was the fourth
No Way Out professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
pay-per-view (PPV)
event
Event may refer to:
Gatherings of people
* Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion
* Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest
* Event management, the organization of e ...
produced by the
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
(WWF, now WWE). The event took place on
February 17, 2002, at the
Bradley Center in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
. It was the final No Way Out promoted under the WWF name as the promotion was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May. It was also the final No Way Out event held before the WWF introduced the
brand extension in March.
Eight professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card. In the main event,
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jerich ...
defeated
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...
to retain the
Undisputed WWF Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
. In other prominent matches,
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
defeated
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...
to become the number one contender for the Undisputed WWF Championship, and
The Rock defeated
The Undertaker
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...
in a singles match.
This event is notable for the onscreen WWF debut of the
New World Order (nWo), a dominant faction in
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...
(WCW), which the WWF had acquired in March 2001. This iteration of the nWo consisted of the faction's three original members,
Hollywood Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
,
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his ...
, and
Scott Hall, with this also being their respective returns to the WWF. Coincidentally, No Way Out has the same three-letter abbreviation as the faction.
Production
Background
No Way Out was first held by the
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
(WWF, now WWE) as the
20th In Your House pay-per-view (PPV) in February 1998. Following the discontinuation of the
In Your House
In Your House (known as NXT TakeOver: In Your House in 2020 and 2021 and then NXT In Your House beginning in 2022) is a professional wrestling series of events created by WWE, a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. The events o ...
series,
No Way Out returned in
February 2000 as its own PPV event, thus establishing it as the annual February PPV for the promotion. The 2002 event was the fourth event in the No Way Out chronology and was held on February 17 at the
Bradley Center in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
.
Storylines
The biggest storyline for No Way Out was when
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...
revealed that he would unleash the
New World Order (nWo) upon the World Wrestling Federation in an attempt to "kill (his) creation". Ever since he had become (kayfabe) equal ownership partners with
Ric Flair in November 2001 (after
Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
), he had gone to great lengths to try to undermine Flair, which led to the angle. McMahon promised that he would not bring the nWo in if Flair agreed to sell his fifty percent stake in the WWF back to McMahon. Flair refused to sell, leading McMahon to reveal several vignettes over the next several weeks with
Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
,
Scott Hall, and
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his ...
, the three original members of the nWo in
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...
, appearing as McMahon's hired guns.
After defeating
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
on the January 28, 2002 episode of ''
WWF Raw WWF may refer to:
Non-profit organizations
*World Wide Fund for Nature or World Wildlife Fund, a nature conservation group
*World Water Forum, an international forum for water issues
*Working Women's Forum, a training, trade and credit union in In ...
'',
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...
earned a match at No Way Out for the
Undisputed WWF Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
against champion
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jerich ...
, to whom he had lost in the finals of the tournament to crown the first undisputed champion at
Vengeance the previous December. Jericho had just retained the title against
The Rock at the
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
. Afterward, he successfully defended the title again against
Maven
MAVEN is an American spacecraft orbiting Mars to study the loss of its atmospheric gases to space, providing insight into the history of
the planet's climate and water. The spacecraft name is an acronym for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolu ...
on the same night where Austin earned a title shot. Jericho and Austin spent the weeks before No Way Out getting back at each other, including a segment where Jericho knocked out Austin and poured beer all over him. On the February 14 episode of ''
WWF SmackDown!'', after Jericho got himself
disqualified in his non-title match against
Kane, Austin retaliated by assaulting Jericho then finished off Jericho with the
Stone Cold Stunner then poured beer all over him.
After winning the 2002 Royal Rumble match,
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...
was guaranteed a shot at the Undisputed WWF Championship at
WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania 18 (stylized as WrestleMania X8) was the 18th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 17, 2002, at the SkyDome in Toronto, ...
.
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
, who Triple H last eliminated, felt that he should have won the Royal Rumble instead so he challenged Triple H to a match at No Way Out with his WrestleMania title shot on the line. Triple H accepted, but was also having trouble with
Stephanie McMahon
Stephanie McMahon Levesque (born Stephanie Marie McMahon; ; September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is the current chairwoman and co-chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the world's largest prof ...
, his on-screen wife, outside the ring. It was due to the
face
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
Triple H growing tired of Stephanie's
heel characteristics that had led to some hostility between the two. On the February 4, 2002 episode of ''Raw'', Stephanie demanded that they renew their wedding vows on the following week because she was pregnant with their child. On the February 11, 2002 episode of ''Raw'', just before the wedding, Triple H was met with a phone call by his mother-in-law
Linda McMahon
Linda Marie McMahon (née Edwards; October 4, 1948) is an American political executive, retired professional wrestler, executive, and performer. She served as the 25th administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019.
McMahon ...
, who had sent him a video tape revealing that it was a trick, and the doctor that Stephanie had brought in to verify her pregnancy was fake. On the night of the ceremony, Triple H exposed the truth, and declared an end to their on-screen marriage. Three days later, on the February 14, 2002 episode of ''
WWF SmackDown!'', after Triple H and
WWF Hardcore Champion Maven
MAVEN is an American spacecraft orbiting Mars to study the loss of its atmospheric gases to space, providing insight into the history of
the planet's climate and water. The spacecraft name is an acronym for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolu ...
defeated Angle and
The Undertaker
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...
by disqualification, Angle and Taker manhandled Triple H while Stephanie announced herself as the guest referee in the match between Triple H and Kurt Angle at No Way Out.
On the January 24, 2002 episode of ''SmackDown!'',
The Rock mocked The Undertaker for his quick elimination by Maven during the Royal Rumble match at the Royal Rumble. The Undertaker's interference led to The Rock losing to Kurt Angle in the Semi-finals tournament to challenge for the Undisputed championship at No Way Out. On the February 4, 2002 episode of ''Raw'', during a tag team match, The Undertaker grabbed a steel lead pipe from his motorcycle and nailed The Rock in the head with it, allowing
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jerich ...
to score the pinfall win. Three days later on ''SmackDown!'', The Rock retaliated by hitting him with a chair and helping Maven win the
WWF Hardcore Championship
The WWE Hardcore Championship was a hardcore wrestling championship in WWE which was contested under "hardcore" rules (no disqualifications, no countouts, and pinfalls count anywhere). In the latter part of the title's history, a rule was imp ...
; however The Undertaker performed a
Tombstone Piledriver on The Rock onto the hood of a limousine in revenge.
A match was made between the two at No Way Out.
Event
Before the event aired live on pay-per-view, a dark match took place in which
Diamond Dallas Page
Dallas Page (born Page Joseph Falkinburg Jr., April 5, 1956), better known by his ring name Diamond Dallas Page (often stylized as DDP), is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. In the course of his wrestling career Page has wre ...
defended the
WWF European Championship
The WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, multiple wrestlers held the European and WWF Intercontinental Championships within short ...
against Big Boss Man, Page defeated
Big Boss Man by
disqualification.
Preliminary matches
The event began with the
New World Order (nWo) making their way to the ring.
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his ...
later explained that the NWO wanted to prove that nobody was better than them.
Scott Hall spoke briefly before
Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
explained that the nWo did not want to kill the WWF but to be given a chance.
The first match was a
Tag Team Turmoil match to determine the #1 contenders to the
WWF Tag Team Championship
The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...
at
WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania 18 (stylized as WrestleMania X8) was the 18th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 17, 2002, at the SkyDome in Toronto, ...
.
Scotty 2 Hotty
Scott Ronald Garland (born July 2, 1973) is an American professional wrestler who was most recently signed to WWE as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center. He also competed under the ring names "Too Hot" Scott Taylor (1991–1999) and Scotty 2 ...
and
Albert
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
were the first eliminated by
Christian and
Lance Storm after Christian pinned Scotty following an Unprettier. Christian and Storm were eliminated by
The Hardy Boyz
The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Shoot (professional wrestling), real-life brothers Matt Hardy, Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). ...
(
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time with WWE.
With his real life brother Jeff, Hardy gained notoriety in WWF's tag team ...
and
Jeff Hardy
Jeffrey Nero Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time and is regarded ...
) after Jeff pinned Storm following a Swanton Bomb.
The Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...
(
Bubba Ray Dudley
Mark LoMonaco (born July 14, 1971) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) and Impact Wrestling under the ring name Bully Ray. He was previously known as one-half of The Dudley Boyz tag te ...
and
D-Von Dudley
Devon Hughes (born August 1, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works backstage as a producer. Hughes wrestled for Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 1999 and for the WWF/E ...
) were eliminated by The Hardy Boyz after Matt pinned D-Von with a Roll Up. The Hardy Boyz were eliminated by
Billy and Chuck
Billy and Chuck were a professional wrestling tag team of Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo who performed in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2001 to 2002. They were two-time World Tag Team Championship (WWE), WWE World Tag Team Champions. ...
after Gunn pinned Matt following a Fameasser.
The APA (
Faarooq
Ronald Nasir Simmons (born May 15, 1958) is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. He performed for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) under his real name, and in the World Wres ...
and
Bradshaw) eliminated Billy and Chuck after Bradshaw pinned Gunn following a Clothesline from Hell to win the match.
Next,
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
faced
Goldust
Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE ...
. Van Dam executed a Rolling Thunder Senton on Goldust for a near-fall. After Van Dam missed a Five Star Frog Splash, Goldust executed a DDT on Van Dam for a near-fall. Goldust attempted a Curtin Call on Van Dam but Van Dam countered the move and executed a Spinning Heel Kick on Goldust for a near-fall. Goldust attempted a Bulldog on Van Dam but Van Dam countered the move and performed a Step Over Spinning Heel Kick on Goldust. Van Dam pinned Goldust after a Five Star Frog Splash to win the match.
After that,
Tazz
Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz) is an American radio personality, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator and manage ...
and
Spike Dudley
Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing as Spike Dudley in the 1990s with E ...
defended the
WWF Tag Team Championship
The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...
against
Booker T and
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
. Test pinned Tazz but the referee noticed Test using the ropes for leverage, voiding the pinfall. After Test argued with the referee, Tazz forced Test to submit to the Tazzmission to retain the title.
In the fourth match,
William Regal
Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his t ...
defended the
WWF Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roste ...
against
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
in a
Brass Knuckles on a Pole match. Regal retrieved the brass knuckles but Edge knocked Regal off the top rope. Regal knocked the brass knuckles out of the ring to prevent Edge from using them. Edge performed a Spear on Regal and retrieved the brass knuckles whilst Regal pulled another pair out of his tights. Regal hit Edge with them and pinned Edge to retain the title.
Main event matches
In the fifth match,
The Rock faced
The Undertaker
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...
. Undertaker executed a Chokeslam on Rock for a near-fall. Undertaker threw the referee into the steel steps and retrieved a lead pipe from his motorbike.
Ric Flair interfered, attacking Undertaker but Undertaker performed a Big Boot on Flair. Undertaker attempted to hit Rock with the pipe but Rock applied the Sharpshooter on Undertaker. Vince McMahon interfered, distracting the referee. Rock attacked Vince, which distracted the referee. Undertaker attempted a Tombstone Piledriver on Rock but Flair hit Undertaker with the pipe and Rock pinned Undertaker after a Rock Bottom to win the match.
Next,
Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...
and
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler, Olympic gold medalist in American freestyle wrestling, and former collegiate wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and Total Nonstop Action ...
wrestled to determine the #1 contender to the
Undisputed WWF Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
at WrestleMania X8 with
Stephanie McMahon
Stephanie McMahon Levesque (born Stephanie Marie McMahon; ; September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is the current chairwoman and co-chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the world's largest prof ...
as
special guest referee
In professional wrestling, a referee is an authority figure present in or near the ring during matches. The referee's purpose is similar to that of referees in combat sports such as boxing or mixed martial arts, that is, as an arbiter of the rul ...
. Angle attempted a Clothesline on Triple H but Triple H avoided the move, resulting in Angle knocking out Stephanie and Tim White replacing Stephanie as the referee. Angle attacked White and performed a low blow on Triple H whilst Stephanie returned to officiate. Angle applied an Ankle Lock on Triple H but Triple H countered the hold, resulting in Angle knocking Stephanie down again. After Angle missed a chair shot, Triple H performed a Pedigree on Angle and attempted a pin but Stephanie attacked White with a low blow. Triple H attempted a Pedigree on Stephanie but Angle hit Triple H with a chair and pinned Triple H after an Angle Slam to win the match.
In the main event,
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jerich ...
defended the Undisputed WWF Championship against
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...
. Austin fought with Jericho in the entrance way, where Austin threw Jericho into the production trucks. Whilst the referee was distracted, Jericho performed a low blow and two Lionsaults on Austin for a near-fall. Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho on Austin but Austin touched the ropes, forcing Jericho to break the hold. After Jericho retrieved the title belt, the referee was knocked down. Austin performed a Spinebuster on Jericho onto the title belt and attempted a Stone Cold Stunner on Jericho but Jericho countered the move into a Breakdown onto the title belt for a near-fall. After the referee was knocked down again, Austin forced Jericho to submit to the Walls of Jericho. Austin performed a Stone Cold Stunner on Jericho but the nWo interfered, attacking Austin. Hall performed a Stunner on Austin whilst Jericho helped the referee. Jericho pinned Austin to retain the title. After the match, Austin fought with the nWo but Hall performed another Stunner on Austin and Hall spray-painted the initials "NWO" on Austin's back while Nash and Hogan held him down, as the event ended.
Aftermath
After his win over Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Jericho aligned with Stephanie McMahon (with whom he had been feuding over the past few years), in an attempt to take down Triple H, who had won back his title shot on the episode of ''Raw'' immediately following No Way Out. Jericho lost the
Undisputed WWF Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
to Triple H at
WrestleMania X8
WrestleMania 18 (stylized as WrestleMania X8) was the 18th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on March 17, 2002, at the SkyDome in Toronto, ...
, and also failed to win a rematch on the March 25 episode of ''Raw'', in the process forcing Stephanie to, in storyline, leave the WWF per the pre-match stipulation. The feud with Triple H continued, and Jericho would get revenge a month later when he interfered in Triple H's championship defense against
Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
at
Backlash
Backlash may refer to:
Literature
* '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi
* ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston
* Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character
* ''Backla ...
and cost him the title. The two would feud in the following weeks until
Judgment Day, when Triple H defeated Chris Jericho in a
Hell in a Cell
Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fen ...
match.
The nWo set their sights on Steve Austin and
The Rock. Austin wrestled and defeated
Scott Hall at WrestleMania X8, while The Rock wrestled and defeated Hogan at the same event. Afterwards, Austin would continue to pursue the Undisputed title until he abruptly walked out of the company in June, and The Rock left for three months to make another film. Hogan was kicked out of the nWo after WrestleMania and, as mentioned above, later challenged Triple H for the Undisputed WWF Championship at Backlash and won it, tying him with Austin and The Rock for the record for most WWF Championship wins (which at that time was six and has since been broken twice;
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
currently holds the record with 13). Scott Hall defeated
Bradshaw at Backlash, but was released less than a month later. Kevin Nash injured his biceps shortly after his debut and was relegated to a non-wrestling role within the nWo until July, when he suffered a torn quadriceps tendon in his first match back and missed the remainder of the year.
After losing to The Rock,
The Undertaker
Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...
would feud with
Ric Flair, which ended with Undertaker picking up the win at WrestleMania X8.
Spike Dudley
Matthew Jonathan Hyson (born August 13, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Spike Dudley. Prior to WWE, Hyson began performing as Spike Dudley in the 1990s with E ...
and
Tazz
Peter Senerchia (born October 11, 1967), better known by the ring name Taz (also spelled Tazz) is an American radio personality, color commentator, and retired professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator and manage ...
would lose the
WWF Tag Team Championship
The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship in the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) promotion, and the promotion's third tag team championship overall. Originally established by the then- ...
to
Billy and Chuck
Billy and Chuck were a professional wrestling tag team of Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo who performed in WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2001 to 2002. They were two-time World Tag Team Championship (WWE), WWE World Tag Team Champions. ...
shortly after No Way Out. Billy and Chuck would soon go on to successfully defend them at WrestleMania X8 against
The Hardy Boyz
The Hardys, also known as The Hardy Boyz, are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Shoot (professional wrestling), real-life brothers Matt Hardy, Matt and Jeff Hardy, who are currently appearing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). ...
,
The Dudley Boyz
The Dudley Boyz (also known as Team 3D) are an American professional wrestling tag team that consisted of kayfabe half-brothers Bubba Ray Dudley (Mark LoMonaco) and D-Von Dudley (Devon Hughes). The team was also joined by various Dudley family me ...
, and The
APA in the four teams elimination match.
William Regal
Darren Kenneth Matthews (born 10 May 1968), better known by the ring name William Regal, is an English retired professional wrestler. He is known for his over 20 years spent in WWE, as both a performer and an on-screen authority, and for his t ...
would go on to defend the
WWF Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roste ...
against
Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
at WrestleMania X8, where Van Dam would get the first of six career reigns as Intercontinental Champion. After losing to Regal at No Way Out,
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
would enter a very short feud with
Booker T, which included Edge's first singles win at a WrestleMania event. After losing to Van Dam at No Way Out,
Goldust
Dustin Patrick Runnels (born April 11, 1969) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Dustin Rhodes. He is best known for his multiple tenures with WWE ...
entered the
Hardcore division, where he would win the
WWF Hardcore Championship
The WWE Hardcore Championship was a hardcore wrestling championship in WWE which was contested under "hardcore" rules (no disqualifications, no countouts, and pinfalls count anywhere). In the latter part of the title's history, a rule was imp ...
nine times.
No Way Out 2002 was the last No Way Out held under the WWF name, as the promotion was renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May.
It was also the last No Way Out held before the promotion introduced the
brand extension in March, a storyline subdivision in which the promotion divided its roster into two separate brands,
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
and
SmackDown!, where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform.
Results
;Tag Team Turmoil
References
External links
No Way Out 2002 official website
{{WWEPPV, No Way Out
Events in Milwaukee
2002
2002 in Wisconsin
Professional wrestling in Milwaukee
2002 WWE pay-per-view events
February 2002 events in the United States
es:WWE No Way Out#2002