WWE Classic of the Week: Big Show vs. JBL, Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match

The 2005 No Way Out pay-per-view was headlined by Big Show vs. John Bradshaw Layfield for the WWE Championship in the first Barbed Wire Steel Cage match in company history.

Designed to keep all of Layfield's associates out, and the champion in, the contest was the final stop for the champion on the road to WrestleMania. Escape with the title and he would cash his ticket to the biggest show of the year as one of the most unexpected and improbable champions in the history of the Showcase of the Immortals.

That match was easily the most hyped and advertised on the entire card. In fact, were it not for John Cena's No. 1 contender match against Kurt Angle, that evening's pay-per-view very much would have been a one-match show.

Nearly one decade later, World Wrestling Entertainment will again promote an event that is, essentially, a one-match show when Roman Reigns battles Daniel Bryan in the main event of Fastlane. Again, Cena will compete in the only other match of interest, this time battling the up-and-coming Bulgarian Brute, Rusev.

In preparation for this weekend's WWE Network broadcast, travel back and time and relive Big Show and JBL's historic encounter in this week's WWE Classic of the Week.

The Background

By the time 2005 dawned, John Bradshaw Layfield had been the WWE champion for six months, the top heel on the SmackDown brand and the closest thing to a modern-day Honky Tonk Man the company had ever produced.

He was a detestable heel, the type that fans loved to hate. More importantly, they legitimately wanted to see a conquering hero come along and knock the loud-mouthed Texan-turned-New Yorker off the mountaintop.

Eddie Guerrero, The Undertaker and Booker T all attempted to do just that. Thanks to a myriad of interference from the likes of Orlando Jordan, the Basham Brothers, Heidenreich and Kurt Angle, among others, they all failed.

In October 2004, Big Show returned from injury and immediately returned to the top of the SmackDown brand.

After defeating Olympic gold medalist Angle at No Mercy, Big Show continued to roll toward a date with Layfield.

At the 2005 Royal Rumble, Show and Angle challenged JBL for the WWE title in a Triple Threat match. The contest was wild, chaotic and full of high spots before the champion managed to retain by pinning Angle. As the man not involved in the pinfall, Big Show was irate, believing that he deserved an opportunity to challenge JBL for the title in a match in which no one would be able to get involved.

As Layfield celebrated his successful championship defense backstage, all of the champagne drinking and shouts of joy came to a standstill as SmackDown general manager Teddy Long announced the historic Barbed Wire Steel Cage match.

The Match

The Analysis

Fans expecting a great match out of Big Show and JBL were fooling themselves. Nothing either of those Superstars had ever done indicated that they would have the skill or ability to put together a match befitting the hype surrounding the match.

They lumbered around the squared circle, tossing each other into the cage and bleeding buckets to cover the fact that what they were presenting fans with was far from what one would consider a main event-quality match.

Still, there was enough theatricality late, with interference from The Cabinet and an appearance from Teddy Long, to keep fans interested.

That the performers capped off the match with a tremendous finish—in which Big Show chokeslammed JBL off the top rope and through the ring, thus allowing the champion to crawl underneath the ring and escape the cage—only helped to enhance what was an otherwise mediocre match.

At best.

Still, it ranks as a classic because of its historical significance. Never before had WWE booked this type of a match, and it has yet to again ever since.

The Aftermath

Layfield would roll into WrestleMania 21, where he lost the WWE Championship to John Cena, thus beginning the West Newbury, Massachusetts, native's reign atop the industry.

Big Show, on the other hand, floundered on SmackDown. First, he was part of the Sumo match at WrestleMania, battling Akebono in one of the worst and most awkward matches in the event's history. From there, he was programmed with Carlito and Matt Morgan before jumping ship to Raw, where he was partnered with Kane.

They would capture the WWE Tag Team Championships.

For both men, the 2005 No Way Out main event was the end of their time on top.

At least for the time being.