Written By: Mark Armstrong
Running Time: 167 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Clear Vision Ltd/Silver Vision
Released: October 1 2012
After the recent backlash to, erm, Backlash 2018 whereby a lot of fans proclaimed it to be a contender for Worst PPV Ever, it was clear that many had short memories. Indeed, the standard of action in WWE today is much higher than it was even a few years ago. Take No Way Out 2012, for instance, which as an all-round card is no better than Backlash ‘18, yet is barely remembered that way, if at all.
Mind you, it still has some moments to shine, including the opening World Title clash where Sheamus defends against Dolph Ziggler (who was replacing an injured Alberto Del Rio). The match is compelling and fans are well into it, albeit backing the heel over the babyface as this particular trend was beginning to happen more and more in matches not involving John Cena (whose bouts had been the sole occasion for such reactions at one time).
A Tuxedo bout between Santino Marella and Ricardo Rodriguez is what you would expect (and the smarks in New Jersey hated it). Christian vs. Cody Rhodes is unsurprisingly better and is actually really good (it marked the end of Cody’s time in the Intercontinental Championship picture in hindsight), and the four-way tag match to determine new number one contenders is an unexpected gem.
After a Triple H promo where he challenges Brock Lesnar to a match from SummerSlam, we get two very forgettable bouts in the form of Layla vs. Beth Phoenix for the Women’s Championship and Sin Cara vs. Hunico. The subsequent Triple Threat for the WWE crown between CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Kane is a fun watch, though far from the best three-way ever, and a Ryback handicap match against two “locals” is pure filler.
The main event is a Cage bout between John Cena and Big Show, with the jobs of Cena and then-double GM John Laurinaitis at stake. Cena vs. Show headlining over a WWE Title match in 2012 was frustrating (not least to then-champion Punk), and the action is predictably dull. It does have a happy ending, as Vince McMahon officially fires Big Johnny, and Laurinaitis has yet to regain on-screen control in the company six years on.
When The Rock and Brock Lesnar weren’t around, the 2012 WWE product wasn’t particularly interesting at all, as this PPV demonstrates. It’s not a terrible card by any means, but hardly anything sticks out when all is said and done. Some matches are worth a look; however, this card simply shows how good WWE fans have it today from an in-ring standpoint, as this would be absolutely pillared if it were to take place in 2018 (as we have seen from the arguably superior, though still undoubtedly mediocre-at-best, Backlash).
Overall Rating: 6/10 – Reasonable
