WWE No Way Out: What Stipulations Fit the Theme Besides Cage & Submission Bouts?

WWE’s June offering, No Way Out, will no doubt feature wrestlers in a steel cage as well as foes locked in submission holds, struggling to get free. 

How many other opportunities are there for No Way Out to utilize its theme?

Unlike gimmick pay-per-views like Hell in a Cell and Elimination Chamber, No Way Out offers more subtlety in its theme.

WWE can choose to play it up as little or as much as they like.  It’s not as if fans will be confused to why not every match relates to the idea of escape.

The upcoming showdowns could benefit from an added stipulation to provide a version of their encounters that we haven’t seen before. 

Fans may be a bit gimmick-match fatigued, but the following match stipulations offer some intriguing choices to plug in.   

Matches That Wouldn’t Work

A Barbed Wire Match is far too bloody and gory for a company with such a focus on their young audience. 

Similarly, fans would know that a PG Era Inferno Match has little chance of taking risks and pushing the envelope. 

It wasn't long ago that we saw an Ambulance Match, so it's too early to revisit that.

The Casket Match and Last Ride Match fit the No Way Out theme perfectly, but unless the Undertaker is involved it doesn't make much sense to pull those out. 

The Elimination Chamber consistently delivers great matches.  It fits the theme well, but WWE is already draining the novelty out of it by giving it its own pay-per-view.  

Lumberjack Match

The Lumberjack Match is generally used to keep cowardly heels from weaseling their way out of a fight. 

Daniel Bryan was still in full weasel champion mode when he stirred up the lumberjacks in his match vs. Mark Henry.  This was a brilliant twist.

If Chris Jericho hadn't been suspended, this would have been a good fit for him when facing Randy Orton.  

Jericho has compiled a healthy amount of enemies during this most recent run with WWE.  Any number of them could be waiting for him on the outside. 

The stipulation could easily work for other rivalries though.  It's the go-to gimmick match that allows little used guys to get into the action.

Texas Bullrope Match

Two men tied together by a length of rope, the Texas Bullrope Match forces two hated rivals into close proximity with each other, fists hitting flesh.    

Brawlers excel in this kind of bout.

Superstar Billy Graham and Dusty Rhodes' series of battles at Madison Square Garden in 1978 was highlighted by their vicious Texas Bullrope Match. 

Thematically, this match works best with someone with Texas ties, JBL for example.     

But for the sake of the lack of Texans around, the bullrope stipulation can be replaced with dog collars connected with chain or a leather strap. 

Before WWE announced John Cena and Big Show would be in a cage, I thought this kind of match might suit their styles, entangling the foes and adding to the intensity and grittiness of the action. 

Perhaps Kane and whoever he faces can go this route, or perhaps Ryback and his latest squash victim could be tied together.

Boiler Room Brawl

A trademark of Mick Foley, the Boiler Room Brawl's rules are simple: The first one to escape the confines of the boiler room wins.

The action seen in this type of match is similar to a Falls Count Anywhere match.  The wrestlers will use everything around them as a weapon from the walls of the arena to loose lumber. 

With Mick Foley not active, the next best candidate is Kane. 

Kane has been doing a lot of brawling with his opponents, in part to hide his fading ring skills, in part to amplify his viciousness. 

Does WWE think we'd be interested in another Kane vs. Zack Ryder clash, or does he move on to another victim?

Whoever he stalks next might benefit from standing tall with Kane in a match suited to his strengths. 

Lion’s Den

WWE's desire to compete with and scavenge off the popularity of MMA led to the creation of the Lion's Den Match.

Inside the unique cage structure, wrestlers could only win by pinfall or submission. 

The most notable of these MMA-influenced cage matches was when Owen Hart went against Ken Shamrock.  WWE received a mixed reaction.

The right wrestlers have to be involved for the concept to work.   

WWE has the perfect wrestler in former UFC champ Brock Lesnar for this type of match, but the company will likely save his appearances for more noteworthy pay-per-views. 

If they did decide to bring in Lesnar for No Way Out, Brock Lesnar and Triple H could lock horns to the sound of a psyched crowd in the Lion’s Den.