WWE Sunday Night Heat- June 22, 2007
by Samoa Rowe
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.
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