All Rise...

Judge Franck Tabouring wishes he could easily find his way out of his bed in the morning.

The Charge

There is truly no way out of this.

The Case

The stars from Raw, Smackdown, and ECW gather in Seattle, Washington, for WWE: No Way Out 2009. Here's the complete lineup:

• Edge vs. Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Big Show vs. Undertaker vs. Vladimir Kozlov in an Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship
Wow, No Way Out 2009 really kicks off with a bang, as six of WWE's most popular athletes face each other in the big steel structure that is the Elimination Chamber. Two wrestlers start out inside the ring, and every five minutes another one gets to enter the battlefield. Whoever delivers the final pin or submission hold wins the title. At 35 minutes, this is quite a long but yet highly entertaining opener. The match slows down a tiny bit after a surprise opening, but as more wrestlers enter the game, this well-coordinated battle gets more and more intense and viewers get to experience a large variety of high-risk maneuvers and impressive stunts. Great first match!

• Shane McMahon vs. Randy Orton in a No Holds Barred Match
Even though it's pretty ridiculous of course, this extreme match between Shane and Randy is actually not as terrible as I thought. The first part is clearly the most entertaining one, with especially Shane delivering his regular high-risk moves. Unfortunately, the battle quickly slows down, and surprises remain rather scarce in this decent but forgettable 17-minute hardcore fight. Moving on…

• Jack Swagger vs. Finlay in an ECW Championship Match
Technically, this 8-minute ECW Championship battle is clean and precise. That said, it's also rather boring, with both wrestlers wasting too much time with standard kicks, blows, and Irish whips. Finlay and Swagger are both flexible enough to deliver an extreme show with some strong maneuvers, but somehow, they don't seem to be in the mood to pull off an entertaining show.

• JBL vs. Shawn Michaels in a All or Nothing Match
JBL and Michaels have been feuding for a while, and WWE writers finally decided to give them the opportunity to face off inside the ring. Clocking in at 13 minutes, this is a decent matchup, although it could have easily been better. Both wrestlers start off a little too slow by delivering mostly submission holds, but as the match progresses, the use of more powerful moves increases. Alas, the final part is a tad too predictable. I expected more out of this one.

• John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Edge vs. Kane vs. Chris Jericho vs. Mike Knox in an Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship
This pay-per-view started with a great match, and it also ends with a great match. The Elimination Chamber returns for this big main event, and the coordination among these top competitors is top-notch. Even though this 30-minute final matchup is not as intense as the impressive opener, it offers viewers a darn entertaining show filled with first-class high-risk moves, some surprises and a memorable finish.

As usual, the quality of the full-frame presentation works just fine, and so does the sound transfer. As far as wrestling is concerned, technical aspects certainly don't matter as much as the actual action inside the ring.

The special features on this disc are mediocre at best. Besides a lame interview with Edge, the bonus material also includes an unsanctioned match between Randy Orton and Shane McMahon from Raw. It's a mostly repetitive battle without surprises or suspense.

All in all, No Way Out 2009 is a decent PPV, even though it could have been a lot better. The two Elimination Chamber matches really deliver the goods, but everything else fails to impress.

The Verdict

Thanks to the big nasty cage, I find this pay-per-view not guilty.

Give us your feedback!

Did we give WWE: No Way Out 2009 a fair trial? yes / no

What's "fair"? Whether positive or negative, our reviews should be unbiased, informative, and critique the material on its own merits.

Share This Review

Follow DVD Verdict

Other Reviews You Might Enjoy

• Baseball's Greatest Games: 1986 World Series 6
• World Poker Tour: The Best Of Season Three
• WWE: Judgment Day 2008
• Bastard Out Of Carolina