WWE No Way out 2012: 5 of the Best Main Events in the PPV's History

This Sunday at No Way Out, John Cena and Big Show will meet in a Steel Cage match.

With an ironclad contract and the support of general manager John Laurinaitis, Big Show has been absolutely unstoppable. The World's Largest Athlete has taken out the likes of Brodus Clay and R-Truth and now his sights are set on the WWE's franchise player.

This main event does have potential. It may not go down as one of the greatest main events in the history of the No Way Out PPV, but it should be entertaining.

That said, let's take a look back at the five best No Way Out main events in WWE history. 

No Way Out of Texas

February 1998 marked the very first installation of the No Way Out PPV. In Your House: No Way Out of Texas featured an unsanctioned eight-man tag team match as the main event.

The match was just short of 18 minutes. Steve Austin, Owen Hart, Cactus Jack and Terry Funk defeated Triple H, Savio Vega and the New Age Outlaws. Hart and Triple H especially added a heated dynamic to the match. However, it was somewhat disappointing that Vega had to replace Shawn Michaels.

Funk and Jack were right at home in this unsanctioned match. A good portion of the contest consisted of weapons being swung left and right. Even once the match assumed some kind of order, they still played a big part in the babyface team's victory.

No one looked quite as dominant as Stone Cold, though. Near the end of the match, Jack was hardly able to tag in Austin. However, once he did, Austin made short work of his four opponents and delivered a massive Stunner Road Dogg.

His post-match Stunner on Chyna was also a nice touch.

No Way Out 2009

Starting in 2008, the Elimination Chamber match became a staple of the February pay-per-view. The new tradition has provided many memorable moments. Many of these memorable spots came during the 2009 No Way Out PPV.

In the opening match, Edge lost the WWE Championship when he was eliminated three minutes into the Elimination Chamber match. Edge would then attack Kofi Kingston and replace him in the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match in the main event. 

Edge would go on to defeat John Cena, Chris Jericho, Mike Knox, Rey Mysterio and Kane to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The 30-minute match was full of great action. It had good technical wrestling, courtesy of Jericho, and Mysterio provided the high-flying action.

In the end, what made this main event great was the shock value of Edge's bounce back. Edge truly lived up to his "Ultimate Opportunist" moniker. 

No Way Out 2006

At the 2006 edition of the PPV, Kurt Angle defended the World Heavyweight Championship against The Undertaker. 

The match went back and fourth. There were plenty of great near falls. Angle hit three Angle Slams, one of which was through a table. He even locked in the Ankle Lock at least a half a dozen times. Just when it seemed that the Deadman was closing in on a victory and the World Heavyweight Championship, Angle reversed the Triangle Choke into a pin.

Angle and 'Taker worked very well together. The Olympic gold medalist looked very impressive by taking down a man the size of The Undertaker. This was, arguably, one of Undertaker's best matches.

No Way Out 2004

Eddie Guerrero challenged Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at No Way Out 2004. Not only was this one of the best No Way Out matches ever, but it will likely go down as one of the better matches in WWE history.

Lesnar looked monstrous in the way that he threw Guerrero around the ring. A combination of Lesnar's size and the way Guerrero sold made every move look like it hit a little harder. On the other hand, Guerrero came off as very smart in the way he targeted Lesnar's leg.

The finish sequence was quite interesting. Lesnar knocked down the referee when swinging Guerrero around for the F5. While the ref was out, Goldberg interfered and Speared Lesnar. When Guerrero tried to take advantage and hit Lesnar with the belt, Lesnar lifted him for an F5. Guerrero would ultimately counter that into a DDT and then follow up with a Frog Splash.

Lesnar and Guerrero were a great match for one another. They put everything into it and delivered one of the best main events in the history of the PPV.

No Way Out 2000

At the 2000 installation of No Way Out, Triple H defeated Cactus Jack to retain the WWE Championship  in what was one of the most brutal matches in WWE history.

Jack absolutely thrived in this setting. Being a Hell in a Cell match, there wasn't expected to be much mat wrestling. That said, there was no shortage of beating, brawling and weapon use. There were steel steps being thrown, steel chairs being thrown and tables being broken.

There was a plethora of memorable spots and moments in this match. Most of these wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the crazy Mick Foley. Take, for example, Cactus Jack standing atop the Cell with a flaming barbed wire bat. And if that doesn't do it for you, Jack getting backdropped through the Cell shortly thereafter should!

Jack wouldn't recover from that plunge through the Cell. Triple H would pick up the pinfall victory following a Pedigree.

This match is arguably the best main event in the history of the No Way Out PPV. In the grand scheme of things, it is also one of the greatest Hell in a Cell matches ever. It's a shame that it is overshadowed by Foley's Cell match with The Undertaker.

Conclusion

Since 1998, No Way Out has presented the WWE Universe with a handful of spectacular main events. Returning from its hiatus, it will be interesting to see if this year's main event can live up to the legacy. Can Big Show vs. John Cena follow suit?

One interesting thing to keep in mind is that every other No Way Out PPV has preceded WrestleMania. Will not being in the midst of the Road to WrestleMania affect the quality of the show's main events? Again, we will have to wait until Sunday to find out.

Michael Prunka is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist. To stay up to date with his WWE and NHL commentary, you can like his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter.