Previewing No Way Out: JBL VS HBK (Winner Take All)

I'm really not interested in this storyline or this match, so I'll give this my best shot.

Late last year, we heard JBL say that he made a "business proposal" to Shawn Michaels that "he could not refuse". What the hell was JBL talking about?

Turns out, WWE Superstars aren't even immune to this economic crisis we're in these days. Shawn lost all his money in the stock market, was now flat broke, and needed JBL's help. Funny, doesn't Vince McMahon pay them a crapton of money for what he does?

So JBL hired one of the best in the business to help him become World Heavyweight Champion. In his qualifying match against Rey Mysterio, Shawn Michaels pulled JBL out of the ring and slapped him in the face. The referee saw this and rang the bell, giving JBL a DQ victory (good thing it wasn't that easy to beat Punk when he was World Champion).

That put JBL in a Fatal Four Way Match that also included Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho. Michaels eliminated both Jericho and Orton, then it came down to Employee v Employer in the final two.

JBL told Shawn to lie down to JBL could cover him for the victory. Shawn wouldn't lay down, he told JBL to hit him with the Clothesline From Hell so at least he wasn't coherent when JBL "beat" him.

At the Royal Rumble, HBK intervened in the match, but instead of superkicking John Cena's head off and giving JBL the victory and World Heavyweight Championship—he delivered the Sweet Chin Music to JBL.

I don't know about you, but when I heard about that, I thought that HBK was through with JBL for good—I was wrong. After that, Cena found out just how in tune the band really is when Michaels gave him a superkick to the jaw, then pulled JBL over him. Even then, with Cena lying motionless on the mat, Bradshaw still wasn't able to get the three count over Cena.

Eventually Cena came back after JBL missed a Clothesline From Hell and hit him with the FU for the win. Then Tony Chimmel says "Here is your winner and the NEW WWE Champion, John Cena!" Oh wait, sorry. I heard that JBL missed his finisher and then Cena all of a sudden hits his finisher for the win, I thought I was watching WrestleMania 21.

Now that I'm back on track as far as what year we're talking about, we shall continue. The next night, JBL and HBK were arguing back and forth about how good of a job HBK has been doing. He said he needed to do something to get Cena to lower his guard, that's why he superkicked JBL the night before.

Seems like a good reason, but was it? Or was HBK just looking for a reason to kick JBL's teeth right down his throat? I think it was a little bit of both if you ask me.

The next week on RAW, JBL performed an "Employee Performance Evaluation". In other words, JBL wanted to blame somebody else why he, once again, couldn't beat John Cena for a World Title.

HBK kept on saying how sick he was of JBL and how much he just wanted to kick his head off. JBL just laughed and made HBK an offer: You versus Me at No Way Out, winner takes all.

If JBL wins this Sunday, he owns Shawn Michaels—all the royalties and everything that comes with the name Shawn Michaels. He said he could make a movie of Shawn's life, and he'd get all the credit and profits from it because he would own Shawn Michaels, his name, and all that is associated with it.

If Shawn Michaels were to win, however, he would be free. I could just hear HBK doing his best impersonation of Martin Luther King Jr. "Free at last, free at last...by God almighty, I am free at last!"

Okay, maybe that was going a little too far, but oh well. If HBK wins, JBL will pay him the rest of the one year salary that would be owed to Shawn, and he would never have to work for JBL again.

JBL had to remind Shawn, however, that he is still under contract to JBL and that if he lays one finger on him, that this offer would be off the table for good.

So, as JBL stood there and insulted Shawn nonstop, all he could do was stand there and plot his revenge for No Way Out.

Michaels isn't just fighting for himself on Sunday...he's fighting for his wife and his children. He's fighting for financial security for the rest of their lives, the kind that apparently only JBL could provide.

I have a feeling that JBL may try and get Shawn disqualified somehow, trying to take the easy way out. Michaels will do what Michaels does best. He will fight tooth and nail and pull out all the stops to get the victory over JBL.

This one I'm really not sure how it's gonna play out. I would love to see HBK win. This whole gimmick with JBL is just stupid and boring. Then again, WWE is known for doing that in the past, so who knows what's gonna happen.

Since I already predicted that Undertaker wins the Elimination Chamber match to become the new WWE Champion, and that Shawn Michaels will then challenge him for the title...I'm picking Shawn Michaels to win his freedom.