WWE No Way Out

No Way Out is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, produced every February by the American professional wrestling promotion, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The event was created in 1998, with its inaugural event produced as an In Your House event in February of that year. The event in 2000 was rebranded as an annual PPV event for WWE. To coincide with the brand extension, the event was made exclusive to the SmackDown brand in 2004. In 2007, to follow the format of WrestleMania, all PPV events became tri-branded.

Since its inception in 1998, the event has been held in two countries: the United States and Canada. It has been held in eight U.S. states and one Canadian municipality, where every event has been held in an indoor arena. Each event features talent from WWE competing in various professional wrestling match types. Since the inaugural event, seven championship matches have taken place in the main event.

History

No Way Out is a pay-per-view (PPV) event consisting of a main event and undercard that feature championship matches and other various matches. The first No Way Out was originally produced as an In Your House event for World Wrestling Federation (WWF), the former name of WWE. The In Your House event was titled , named after the location of the venue, Houston, Texas. It took place on February 15, 1998 and aired live on PPV.cite web|first=Eric|last=Cohen|url=http://prowrestling.about.com/od/ringresults/a/nowayout.htm|title=History of the WWE PPV No Way Out|work=About.com: Professional Wrestling|publisher=The New York Times Company|accessdate=2008-07-13] In 1999, production of In Your House events were canceled, though many of the former In Your House events, such as No Way Out, Backlash, and Judgment Day among others, were rebranded as annual PPV events.

In 2002, WWF was court ordered to change their name, which resulted in the promotion changing its name to WWE. [cite web|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_05_06.jsp|title=World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Drops The "F" To Emphasize the "E" for Entertainment|date=2002-05-06|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment Corporate|accessdate=2008-07-13] Later that year, WWE held a draft that split its roster into two distinctive brands of wrestling, Raw and SmackDown. [cite web|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_03_27.jsp|title=WWE Entertainment To Make RAW and SMACKDOWN Distinct Television Brands|date=2002-05-27|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment Corporate|accessdate=2008-07-13] , and ECW in 2006. [cite web|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2006/2006_05_25_02.jsp|title=WWE Launches ECW as Third Brand|date=2006-05-25|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment Corporate|accessdate=2008-07-13] Before the draft, matches featured wrestlers from the roster without any limitations; after the draft, matches only consisted of wrestlers from their distinctive brands. The first No Way Out event to be produced under the WWE banner and with roster limitations was No Way Out (2003), which took place on February 23, 2003. The following year, WWE announced that PPV events, excluding WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and the Royal Rumble, would be made exclusive to each brand; No Way Out was made exclusive to the SmackDown brand.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/history/2003/mainevent/|title=No Way Out (2003) Main Event Synopsis|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|accessdate=2008-07-12] After three years of being produced as a brand exclusive event, No Way Out (2007) was the final No Way Out event (and the final PPV overall) that was brand exclusive, as WWE announced that PPV events from then on would feature all three brands of WWE. [cite web|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2007/2007_03_14.jsp|title=WWE Pay-Per-Views To Follow WrestleMania Formula|date=2007-03-14|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment Corporate|accessdate=2008-07-13]

In 2008, WWE held the ninth annual No Way Out event, which featured two Elimination Chamber matches, a specialty professional wrestling match type promoted on rare occasions in WWE.cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/matches/6364982/results/|title=The Deadman doubles down|last=Dee|first=Louie|date=2008-02-17|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|accessdate=2008-07-12] cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/matches/5908216/results/|title=The Game gets his title match at WrestleMania|last=Clayton|first=Corey|date=2008-02-17|publisher=World Wrestling Entertainment|accessdate=2008-07-12] Each No Way Out event has been held in an indoor arena, with nine events taking place in the United States and one event taking place in Canada. Four events took place in the United States west coast, three events took place in the east coast, two events took place in the midwest, and one took place in Southern Canada.

Events

"Note: (c) - Refers to the champion before the match occurred.

ee also

*List of WWE pay-per-view events

References

External links

* [http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/ Official website]