WWE Heat
June 22 2007
by SamoaRowe
Sunday Night Heat used to be a vital part of the WWE product, and has been reduced to an internet only program for the past couple of years. Is Heat still relevant or entertaining? Let us find out.
Chuck Palumbo vs. Christian York
See, this is why I need to watch Heat. I didn't
realize that Palumbo's new biker character had
officially debuted. I don't think anyone in the crowd
watches Heat either, because no one seems to remember
him. Palumbo shoves York off and they lock up.
Waistlock by York is broken easily by the much bigger
Palumbo. Shoulder block by Palumbo, but his power slam
is reversed. York gets some shots but suffers a back
suplex. Apparently Palumbo beat Charlie Haas on Heat
last week (according to Josh Matthews). Interesting.
Anyhow, Palumbo hits a swinging slam, but misses a big
elbow drop. Jobber punches by York don't go anywhere.
Big clothesline by Palumbo, who then rams York into
the turnbuckles. Sick clothesline by Palumbo. York
gets a boot to the face and goes high risk. He leaps
onto Palumbo and gets hit with an overhead belly to
belly suplex. Palumbo hits his new finisher, the "full
throttle" and pins York at 3:01. Palumbo looked damn
good in this match, I can't wait to see him utilized
on Raw. 1/2*.
Winner: Chuck Palumbo
William Regal vs. Super Crazy
This is Regal's first match as part of the Raw brand
since the draft. I wasn't even aware that Super Crazy
was back from injury yet either. See, this is why
everyone needs to watch Heat. They lock up, with Regal
getting an armlock. "Regal sucks" chant by the crowd,
shows what they know. Super Crazy flips out of a
wristlock and takes Regal down. Regal wants a time out
and the match restarts. Regal applies the headlock,
but gets pushed off. Regal hits a side shoulder tackle
and then falls victim to a pair of drop-kicks from the
extreme luchador. Match restarts again. Crazy corners
Regal, which Regal takes the opportunity for a cheap
shot. Regal hits a flurry of knees to the face,
cornering Crazy. Hard Irish whip by Regal, and more
ground strikes. Reverse chinlock by Regal. Super Crazy
fights out, but gets stuck in headlock. Super Crazy
pushes Regal off the ropes into a big back body drop.
Regal regains his composure and applies an armlock,
which is broken in the ropes. More hard strikes by
Regal and a suplex into an unusual submission spot.
Regal corners Crazy, but runs into his boot. Super
Crazy hulks up with a flurry of strikes and
drop-kicks. Cover by Super Crazy only gets two. Scoop
slam by Crazy positions Regal for high risk. Regal
dodges the moonsault. Running boot to the temple
finishes Super Crazy at 5:22. Basic Heat match, Crazy
looked out of it, but Regal was as sharp as ever, *.
Winner: William Regal
-Hype video for Vengeance. This feels so dated already, considering what went down this past week.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Murray Harper
Harper is a big, bald, intimidating looking jobber.
Big "USA" chant for Duggan. They lock up and break in
the ropes. Harper gets a cheap knee to the gut and
some shots before Duggan floors him with a series of
clotheslines. Harper returns to the ring after taking
a breather, and becomes a punching bag for Duggan.
Harper gets a kick and a clothesline, and chokes
Duggan on the ropes. This fires Duggan up, and he hits
a series of punches. Harper fights back with, you
guessed it, punches. Awful looking snapmare by Harper
gets him a chinlock. Duggan heroically fights out but
misses a shoulder block to the corner. More punching
by Harper and another chinlock. It takes Duggan a
while to break the hold this time, but when he does he
runs into Harper's knee. Harper hooks the leg for a
cover, and it gets two. Another chinlock by Harper.
Ugh, please end this. Duggan eventually fights to his
feet, and blocks getting his head rammed into the
turnbuckles. Turnbuckle punches by Duggan. Harper
thrusts to the throat and hits more strikes. Harper
misses a splash in the corner. Huge clothesline by
Duggan is enough to put Harper away at 5:15. The
jobber was in control too long for this to have been
considered a squash, but I would have preferred that
in the place of an overly long resting affair. DUD.
Winner: Hacksaw Jim Duggan
-An ad for the ladder match DVD airs, followed by more hype for Vengeance.
Non-title match:
World Tag Team Champions Trevor Murdoch and Lance Cade
vs. The Highlanders
Murdoch starts things off with Robbie McAllister. They
lock up, with Murdoch taking control with hard open
hand strikes. Murdoch takes Robbie down and
obnoxiously goes for a cover already. Robbie gets a
takedown and also annoys me with a cover. Rory tags in
and works over Murdoch by the arm. Robbie tags in and
drops an elbow off the second turnbuckle. Robbie works
the arm and tags Rory in, who drops a head strike to
the arm off the turnbuckles. Murdoch whips Rory into
Cade's corner and makes the tag. Rory hits a sunset
flip for a cover attempt, but Cade kicks out and hits
a spinebuster. Cade hits some nasty shots to the chest
and tags Murdoch in. Cade assists Murdoch in a leg
drop for a cover on Rory. Murdoch hits some aggressive
strikes and makes another pointless cover attempt.
Cade tags in and lets Murdoch whip him into Rory.
Another cover by Cade. Power slam by Cade, but misses
an elbow drop. Murdoch tags in, prevents a tag by
Rory, and gets a cheap shot on Robbie. Suplex by
Murdoch for yet ANOTHER damn cover. Chinlock by
Murdoch. Rory breaks the hold with a jawbreaker. Cade
tags in and prevents another tag, isolating Rory.
Murdoch tags in and the champs briefly double team
Rory. Power slam by Murdoch, who then goes high risk.
It doesn't pay off, as Murdoch lands on Rory's boots.
Cade and Robbie tag in, with Robbie cleaning house on
the champions. Robbie goes high risk, and misses a
drop-kick on Cade. Rory unwittingly distracts the
referees as the champs hit the High/Low on Robbie for
the win at 6:36. Match was completely by the numbers,
as you might expect, but Cade and Murdoch looked good.
I think it's high time to do something different with
the Highlanders, *1/4.
Winners: Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch
Final Thoughts: You know, I forgot how much I used to enjoy shows such as Heat and Velocity. The midcard wrestlers get some time to show what they've got and to get the star treatment they usually aren't afforded on the main shows. The matches were all pretty vanilla, which is expected, but it's worth watching if only to see the revitalized Chuck Palumbo.
Thumbs up for Heat.
Sound Off!Comment about this article on Da' Wrestling Boards!