No Way Out (2005) - Event

Event

Before the event went live on pay-per-view, Hardcore Holly and Charlie Haas defeated Kenzo Suzuki and René Duprée, with Hiroko, in a match taped for Heat. The match ended after Holly performed an Alabama Slam on Suzuki and pinned him. The first match that aired on pay-per-view was the WWE Tag Team Championship match between the champions, The Basham Brothers, Doug and Danny, and the challengers, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio. Early in the match, the Bashams kept Mysterio isolated from Guerrero, until Mysterio was able to use a moonsault to gain some time. He tagged Guerrero, who hit Doug with a title belt. After a 619 from Mysterio, Guerrero pinned Doug for the win and tag team championships.

The second match was the bout between Heidenreich and Booker T. Heidenreich dominated Booker for the entire match, both out and in of the ring. He ended up being disqualified after hitting Booker in the throat with a Steel chair. After he had been disqualified, Heidenreich attempted to pin Booker in the ring.

The next match was the Cruiserweight Open for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. The first two competitors were the defending champion, Funaki, and Paul London. London pinned Funaki with the help of Spike Dudley, who entered early. Then, with the help of the eliminated Funaki, London pinned Dudley. The next participant was Shannon Moore, who missed a Corkscrew Moonsault. London performed a 450° splash to gain the pinfall victory. The fifth entrant was Akio. He was eliminated by countout after he and London collided, but Akio failed to make it back up to his feet in time. The final participant was Chavo Guerrero. Guerrero took control of the match, and when London tried to use a roll-up, Guerrero countered, and pinned London, using the ropes for leverage.

The fourth match on the card was The Undertaker versus Luther Reigns. Mark Jindrak accompanied Reigns to the ring, but was thrown out before the match started. Reigns hit the Undertaker with the ring bell, before using submission moves to try and win the match. The Undertaker, however, countered with a Tombstone piledriver to pin Reigns. The fifth bout was the final of the Number One Contenders Tournament between Kurt Angle and John Cena. Angle performed a German Suplex, throwing Cena into the turnbuckles to gain control in the early stages of the match. Angle applied his Ankle Lock, but Cena was able to get out of it, and eventually hit an FU. He was unable to capitalise, however, and Angle fought back, applying another Ankle Lock, but this time Cena was able to get the rope-break. Angle continued to dominate, until the referee was knocked down. Angle attempted to get Cena's signature steel chain to attack him with, however, Cena quickly countered with the FU to pin Angle, and earn a Championship match at WrestleMania 21.

Immediately before the main event, the third event in the 2005 Rookie Diva of the Year competition took place. The participants were Michelle McCool, Joy Giovanni, Lauren Jones, and Rochelle Loewen, and the segments were hosted by Torrie Wilson and Dawn Marie. The first event was an "evening gown" competition, which took place after the WWE Tag Team Championship match. The next event was the "Talent Contest", and the final one was the "Swimsuit Competition". The eventual winner was Giovanni, with 65% of the online votes that took place throughout the show.

The main event was the Barbed Wire Steel Cage match for the WWE Championship between the champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) and the challenger The Big Show. JBL took the early advantage in the match, and tried to climb the cage to escape, but was stopped by the barbed wire on the top. He then sent Big Show head first into the steel cage, cutting him open. Big Show retaliated and took control, prompting JBL's Cabinet to run down to try and help. Orlando Jordan attempted to climb the cage, while the Basham Brothers used a pair of bolt cutters to cut a small hole in the cage. General Manager Theodore Long ejected the Cabinet from ringside, but Jordan passed the bolt cutters through the cage to JBL. JBL used them to hit Big Show, but only got a two-count. Big Show recovered and performed a chokeslam from the top rope, sending JBL through the mat. Big Show then broke through the door of the cage, but JBL had crawled out from underneath the ring, and had hit the floor first, making JBL the winner. Big Show then attacked JBL after the match, until the Cabinet intervened. They attacked Big Show, until Batista made the save, followed by Cena, who attacked JBL.