WWE No Way out 2012 Results: Stars Who Shined at June PPV

Coming off of a rather lackluster No Way Out pay-per-view on Sunday, there were a few stars that managed to steal the spotlight in a show that had very few highlights.

Among those less-than-memorable highlights from Sunday's action included a steel cage match to determine the future of the WWE and a triple threat match for the WWE Championship. Based on the last few years, June PPVs have not been the best month for WWE shows—Fatal 4 Way in 2010 and Capitol Punishment in 2011 were both forgettable shows.

However, even in the bad there is still some good and these are the superstars who took their opportunity to prove their worth to the company with their performances on Sunday's show.

Dolph Ziggler

Turning into an Internet darling and a fan-favorite, Dolph Ziggler took one man's missed opportunity and converted it into something that proved, once again, why he deserves to be a main-event mainstay in the WWE.

After Alberto Del Rio suffered a concussion that caused him to be removed from his World Heavyweight Championship, Ziggler earned his way into the match as the replacement for Sheamus.

Of course, nobody expected Ziggler to pull off the upset victory after losing to Sheamus two weeks in a row before their contest on Sunday, but that didn't keep Ziggler from performing at an extremely high level throughout the entire match.

What the Ziggler-Sheamus match really was, was a way for Dolph to prove that he doesn't need to be paired in a tag team in order to be relevant. He proved that not only can he hold his own in single competition, he can outperform anybody he goes against. Obviously, just because you outdo somebody in competition doesn't always mean you will pick up the victory.

In Ziggler's case, he is one of the best workers in the WWE, yet hasn't been given the complete green light for permanent main-event matches, something many feel he deserves. Sunday, he showed the world exactly why they should feel that way. Hopefully his great match with Sheamus will lead to something much bigger for the Show Off.

Kane

One of the best big-man wrestlers in the history of the WWE showed once again why he will go down as one of the greatest performers of all time.

Even in the midst of all the AJ drama surrounding the triple threat match for the WWE Championship with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, Kane went from being implemented as a feud-lengthening option to re-elevating his star power in the contest.

Kane was fighting for so much more than just a WWE Championship or even AJ. He was fighting for his career.

This may be one of the last chances for Kane to be into a main-event feud centered around a championship of the highest quality such as the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships.

The Big Red Monster has done it all during his time in the business and has a lot to be proud of when he finally does hang up the thick, black glove he sports so well. One of the most intimidating presences in WWE history, Kane used this feud over love and gold to elevate his career one final time.

While Kane may not have won the championship on Sunday, he performed very well for being the third, or even fourth wheel in the situation. If this is, in fact, Kane's final ride before retirement, he made us all remember how wonderful it has been to have him around.

A.W. (All World Promotions)

For a guy who really has done little of nothing over the past few months, A.W. made quite an impact on Sunday.

After his initial debut, A.W.—or as we all know him as Abraham Washington—started recruiting young talent to help build his stable of athletes. His first clients were Epico and Primo after they lost their Tag Team Championships to Kofi Kingston and R-Truth.

He even kind of, sort of signed Mason Ryan, giving him one of the biggest stables assembled in quite some time in the WWE.

On Sunday, after months of being away from television, All World Promotions made its return to the camera as Epico and Primo got set for a fatal-four-way tag team No. 1 Contenders match at No Way Out.

However, as the match started to break down, Darren Young of Prime Time Players—with Titus O'Neil—hit his finishing maneuver on Primo and went for the cover. Just as Epico was going in to save his partner from defeat, A.W. dragged Epico out of the ring, giving Young and O'Neil the victory.

What A.W. did set the wheels in motion for a revamped tag team division in the WWE, something we have all been waiting for for a long time now. Last year we thought he had it with the combination of Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston as Air Boom, but nothing came of it.

Now, A.W. has caused a stir with his promotion and ignited a rivalry that could become something much bigger if given the proper build.

This just goes to show, even someone who has been away from the action for quite a while can have a great impact on the overall product.

No Way Out may not have been the greatest show the WWE has had this year, but for the overall landscape, it actually did speak volumes to the potential direction of the company.

Ziggler, Kane and A.W. were not the biggest names on the card and yet they made some of the biggest impacts in their roles on Sunday. Each one put their stamp on a show that really needed it. Overall, these were the guys that stated their worth for company for different reasons.