No Way Out 2012

No Way Out (2012)

Promotion	WWE
Date	June 17, 2012
Venue	Izod Center
City	East Rutherford, New Jersey
Attendance	10,001
Last Event	Over the Limit
Next Event	Money in the Bank

No Way Out (2012) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the WWE promotion, which took place on June 17, 2012 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The show was the twelfth No Way Out event and the first one since 2009.

Event summary[]

Brodus Clay vs David Otunga[]

If the recent attacks on Brodus Clay had any Superstars thinking that the big man was slipping, they learned during No Way Out’s live Pre-Show Sunday night that The Funkasaurus is a competitor who should not be underestimated.

Facing off with David Otunga mere days after the underhanded Harvard grad brutalized Clay in an assault that caused considerable damage to the medial collateral ligament, or MCL, of his knee, the dancing destroyer rallied to beat the litigious competitor by count-out despite only having one leg working in his favor.

It was an inspiring performance by the monster from Planet Funk. On a roll since exploding onto Raw Jan. 9, Clay had the dance floor pulled out from under him when Big Show decimated him in a shocking attack May 28. Sensing an opportunity to take advantage of Clay’s supposed vulnerability, the sleazy Otunga blindsided The Funkasaurus following Brodus’ victory over Heath Slater on June 15’s SmackDown. The focused assault was enough to cause a grade II tear to the super heavyweight’s MCL.

The bum wheel may have stopped a lesser Superstar, but the funky fighter wasn’t about to go out like that. Bravely facing the chiseled lawyer on No Way Out’s free Pre-Show event, Clay suffered trouble early as Otunga wisely targeted the weakened joint with clinical strikes. The barrage nearly buckled the aggressive 375-pounder, but with the WWE Universe and his beautiful Funkadactyls cheering him on, Clay found the adrenaline to force Otunga to the outside of the ring.

Then, in an act that baffled many inside the IZOD Center, the Ivy Leaguer opted not to get back into the squared circle and intentionally lose by count-out. It was unclear whether the move was a cowardly decision on Otunga’s part or a piece of a bigger puzzle, but it hardly mattered to Clay. Overjoyed with his heroic win, The Funkasaurus and his Funkadactyls broke into a dance party, proving that despite a few setbacks, the funk is still on a roll.

Sheamus vs Dolph Ziggler[]

Facing an upstart challenger who became the No. 1 contender only six days earlier on Raw SuperShow, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus instead turned his title match at No Way Out into a teachable moment for Dolph Ziggler.

The lesson? When a Superstar has pure power like The Celtic Warrior, there’s no need to show off.

Sheamus successfully retained his championship gold in a hard-fought battle against Ziggler at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday evening. The Irish brawler broke through his foe’s many upper body holds to connect the Irish Curse backbreaker and Brogue Kick in succession, which cinched the victory for the World Title holder.

Though The Showoff only became the No. 1 contender at the last minute due to a concussion suffered by Alberto Del Rio, the change in challenger caused The Great White to adapt his customary crush-and-conquer strategy. Both match combatants were certainly familiar with one another after clashing in non-title bouts on SmackDown and Raw earlier in the month.

The raucous crowd in attendance created an atmosphere worthy of The Grandest Stage of Them All, which was fitting considering how the bout commenced. Following a pre-match pep talk on the ring apron, Ziggler solicited a kiss from his manager, Vickie Guerrero, which appeared eerily similar to the one that Daniel Bryan received from AJ at WrestleMania XXVIII. Fortunately for Ziggler, he saw how that championship clash ended in 18 seconds and in Sheamus’ favor. As a result, The Showoff promptly dodged Sheamus’ early attempt for a knockout blow with a forceful Brogue Kick.

Both combatants then fought to establish an edge in the early moments, with the champion relying on brute force and Ziggler calling upon an arsenal of upper body holds. It was Ziggler’s focus on The Celtic Warrior’s head and neck that appeared to swing the momentum behind The Showoff.

Feeling the course of events may be in his favor, the cocky challenger added flourishes to his maneuvers that were designed to show up The Great White. He paired an effective chinlock with a seemingly unnecessary headstand, and later pumped his fist upon connecting a timely Zig Zag – instead of rushing to pin the reigning titleholder.

Unfortunately, it was Ziggler’s strategy of focusing on Sheamus’ upper body that ultimately proved his undoing. Attempting his signature sleeper hold for the third time in the match, The Showoff underestimated the champion’s resiliency, as Sheamus broke the hold with sheer force. He proceeded to plant his opponent with a painful Irish Curse backbreaker before lying in wait to connect a Brogue Kick that would ultimately put the bout’s outcome in the World Heavyweight Champion’s favor.

With the win, Sheamus also prolonged his current undefeated streak in all pay-per-view competition to seven consecutive events and counting. The Celtic Warrior’s run of success dates back to last December, when he defeated Jack Swagger in singles competition at WWE: Tables, Ladders & Chairs.

Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match[]

With their victory over Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd, The Usos and Primo & Epico in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Match Sunday night, Titus O’Neil & Darren Young not only earned the No. 1 contendership for the WWE Tag Team Championship. These Prime Time Players have proven that they’re ready to make an impact in the tag team division.

O’Neil & Young, who left WWE NXT for SmackDown recently after getting their big break thanks to John Laurinaitis, scored the monumental victory after A.W. turned against his All World Promotions tag team, Primo & Epico, costing them the match. This opened up an opportunity for The Prime Time Players to get the No Way Out win, which to them is likely worth “millions of dollars."

The loss for Primo & Epico is a particularly harsh blow, as their promoter, A.W., mistakenly cost them their rematch for the WWE Tag Team Titles against Kofi Kingston & R-Truth. During the No Way Out Pre-Show that live-streamed on WWE.com, YouTube and Facebook, Primo & Epico learned that because they didn’t exercise their automatic rematch clause within 30 days after losing their titles, they forfeited their opportunity. Even though A.W. promised his team the spotlight and urged them to stay positive at No Way Out, it wasn’t exactly the outcome Primo, Epico and Rosa Mendes were hoping for.

During the match, Kidd used Primo as a weapon, tossing him into their opponents off the top rope. At the time, Young was one of the legal men, and A.W. threw Primo back into the ring for Young to pin for the victory. Then, A.W. made his true allegiance known, as he congratulated and high-fived The Prime Time Players, which prompted Primo & Epico to attack. But O'Neil, Young & A.W. reciprocated, beating down the former WWE Tag Team Champions to stand tall after the match.

Now that The Prime Time Players are No. 1 contenders, the WWE Universe is left wondering when they’ll use their opportunity to face Kofi Kingston & R-Truth for the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Layla vs Beth Phoenix[]

It was another day, another defining performance for the reigning Divas Champion.

Picking up at the IZOD Center where the two rivals left off one month ago at WWE Over the Limit, Layla produced another strong effort at No Way Out to successfully defend her coveted butterfly-emblazoned title against Beth Phoenix. The British bombshell withstood a fierce assault from The Glamazon and connected a timely Lay-out neckbreaker to seal the victory.

Tempers flared in the early goings as both Layla and Phoenix tried to subdue each other’s spirit in the middle of the ring. The Fabulous Firebird followed a brutal boot to Layla’s abdomen with taunts about the champion’s worthiness to be in the ring, while the Divas Title holder swiped Phoenix’s headpiece and proceeded to parade in and out of the ring with it.

However, it was Layla’s resiliency that ultimately helped her ground The Glamazon. She reversed an impressive Gorilla Press attempt by Phoenix into a DDT and later connected a powerful neckbreaker to put the challenger away.

Thirteen months removed from the ACL and MCL injuries that knocked her out of action for nearly a year, Layla now looks as strong as ever, and appears ready to rumble with any Divas aspiring for her championship gold.

Results[]

Singles match: Brodus Clay (with Naomi and Cameron) defeated David Otunga by countout
Singles match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Sheamus (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero)
Fatal 4-Way match to determine #1 contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship: The Prime Time Players (Titus O'Neil and Darren Young) (with A.W.) defeated Primo & Epico (with Rosa Mendes), The Usos (Jimmy and Jey), and Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel
Singles match for the WWE Divas Championship: Layla (c) defeated Beth Phoenix