Written by: Bob Colling
World Wrestling Federation presents Heat
Date: 2/13/2000
From: Austin, TX
Matches:
1.) D’Lo Brown defeated Thrasher
2.) Viscera defeated Funaki
3.) Big Bossman defeated Mark Henry
4.) Essa Rios defeated WWF Lightweight Champion Gillberg to win the title
5.) Tazz defeated Joey Abs
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) The show starts with the Pete Gas at the lineup board for Heat. Gas is laughing because Rodney is wrestling Tazz. Rodney doesn’t want to wrestle Tazz and Gas says he has stuff to do. Rodney decides to change the name to Pete Gas when Pete walks away.
2.) Thrasher shoulder blocks Brown at the start of the opening match. Brown hip tosses Thrasher followed by a few arm drags. Thrasher hammers away on D’Lo and sends him into the ropes where Mosh pulls the ropes down and gets a few cheap shots in. Mosh rolls Brown back into the ring and Thrasher keeps hammering away on D’Lo. Mosh chokes D’Lo over the middle rope while the referee is distracted by Godfather. Brown goes for a sunset flip for a two count. Thrasher cuts D’Lo off with a clothesline. Brown battles back with a neck breaker and both men are down. Brown hammers away on Thrasher delivering a backdrop. Brown scoop slams Thrasher and delivers his trademark leg drop for a two count. Brown drops Thrasher with a heel kick. Mosh switches with Thrasher and leaps into the Sky High, which gives D’Lo the win. (*1/2. It’s fine for what it was, but it wasn’t anything memorable or anything.)
3.) Funaki ducks Viscera’s right hand attempt but Viscera connects with a side walk slam. Viscera pummels Funaki in the corner and sends Funaki back first into the corner a few times. Funaki fights back with a splash in the corner but gets caught coming off the top rope. Viscera plants Funaki with a power slam. Viscera scoop slams Funaki but misses a splash in the corner. Funaki goes to the top and missies a missile dropkick attempt. Funaki is able to avoid an elbow drop attempt. Funaki heads back to the top rope and goes for a hurricanrana but is caught again and Viscera delivers a power bomb. Viscera comes off the ropes and finishes Funaki off with a big splash for the win. (*1/2. If Viscera just wrestled guys the size of Funaki every time out, I’d have no problem watching that.)
4.) Backstage, Pete Gas is reading a comic but Tazz comes over and confronts Gas since he’s wrestling him tonight. Tazz is going to choke him out. Gas knows that Rodney was up to this and goes to find him.
5) Henry shoves Bossman down at the start of the match. Bossman tries a shoulder block but just bounces off of Henry. Henry shoulder blocks Bossman through the middle rope to the floor. Bossman goes after Mae Young, who grabbed the nightstick in the corner. Henry works over Bossman on the floor to protect his woman. Bossman sends Henry shoulder first into the ring steps. Bossman brings Henry back into the ring and continues to hammer away on Henry in the corner. Bossman nails Henry with a big boot for a two count. Bossman continues to hammer away on Henry but Henry catches Bossman with a bear hug in the corner which turns into a belly to belly suplex. Henry scoop slams Bossman and comes off the ropes with a leg drop for a near fall. Henry headbutts Bossman causing him to lay across the middle rope. Henry proceeds to splash and slide off the back of Bossman to the floor, landing on his feet. Henry goes for the cover but only manages a two count. Young sends the nightstick into the ring and Bossman decks Henry with it for the win. (*1/4. It wasn’t awful and Henry showed some good agility during the match. It just wasn’t an interesting match.)
6.) Backstage, Pete Gas is changing the board back to Rodney but they are disagreeing over who is on the board. Rodney uses his brain and puts Joey Abs on the board. Abs comes over and asks what is going on. They motivate him before his match with Tazz tonight.
7.) Backstage, Tazz confronts Joey Abs in the bathroom as he’s insulted that Abs volunteered to wrestle him and then called him stupid.
8.) WWF Lightweight Champion Gillberg cuts a promo saying he’s been champion for fifteen months. He’s issuing an open challenge for tonights program.
9.) Essa Rios answers the challenge and is speared by Gillberg within five seconds. Rios handsprings and dropkicks Gillberg. Rios continues with a head scissors and hurricanrana. Rios comes off the top rope with a moonsault for the win. After the match, Lita hits a top rope moonsault. Rios is the new WWF Lightweight Champion and that’s probably the best decision.
10.) Tazz controls Abs with a drop toe hold and several strikes to the face. Tazz takes Abs over with a northern lights suplex for a two count. Tazz hammers away on Abs on the floor and rams him into the guard railing. Tazz rams Abs face first into the ring steps. Tazz gets attacked by Pete Gas and Rodney on the floor as Gas delivered a clothesline. Abs has control in the ring stomping away on Tazz. Abs takes Tazz over with a vertical suplex for a two count. Abs stomps away on Tazz in the corner but Tazz tries fighting out with strikes. Abs drives Tazz down with a power slam and hits a middle rope splash for a two count. Abs pummels Tazz to the canvas but Tazz hits an exploder suplex. Abs almost collides with Gas, until Tazz rams Abs into Gas and locks in the Tazz Mission for the win. (*. Felt like a filler main event.) After the match, Tazz takes out Rodney with a clothesline and sends Rodney over the top to take out Abs and Gas.
Final Thoughts:
Aside from Essa Rios winning the WWF Lightweight Championship, there isn’t much going on here. Viscera looked good because Funaki is a rag doll.
Thanks for reading.