Written by: Bob Colling
World Wrestling Federation presents Heat
Date: 4/9/2000
From: San Jose, CA
Matches:
1.) Essa Rios defeated Funaki.
2.) WWF Hardcore Champion Crash Holly defeated Mark Henry to retain the title
3.) Val Venis & Stevie Richards defeated The Headbangers
4.) Viscera defeated Chris Jericho
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Rios kicks Funaki in the midsection and delivers a few strikes followed by a vertical suplex and elbow drop. Rios pummels Funaki with right hands backing Funaki against the ropes. Funaki gets lifted into the air and dropkicks Rios. Rios comes back with a quick dropkick to Funaki’s knee. Rios goes for a splash but Funaki moves causing Rios to bounce off the ropes. Funaki takes Rios over with a snap suplex for a two count. Funaki plants Rios with a DDT managing to get a two count on the cover attempt. Funaki runs into a big boot in the corner and misses a splash. Rios chops Funaki a few times in the corner. Rios head scissors Funaki and distracts the referee to allow Lita to perform the same move. Rios goes for a cover but Funaki kicks out at two. Funaki boots Rios followed by a bulldog and plays to the crowd. Funaki drives Rios down with a back suplex for a near fall. Funaki plants Rios with a dangerous looking piledriver for a two count. Funaki puts Rios in the tree of woe and delivers a baseball slide dropkick. Funaki connects with a vertical suplex but Rios kicks out at two. Funaki chokes Rios over the middle rope. Rios goes to the apron and Funaki hits the corner. Rios misses a corkscrew attempt but face plants Funaki out of a wheelbarrow. Rios hits a top rope moonsault for the win. (**1/2. A solid opening match as these guys worked well and kept my interest.) After the match, Lita does a top rope moonsault.
2.) Backstage, Val Venis is with a lady friend when Stevie Richards comes over and cuts them off. Richards says that tonight he will teaming with Venis to take on the Headbangers. Richards smells money since they are both sex symbols. Venis tells the lady that they aren’t friends and says tonight is going to be a long night since he has to team with Richards. The lady likes the idea of a long night, but Venis seems more annoyed about teaming with Richards.
3.) Crash hammers away on Henry before the bell on the floor, but Henry fights back with strikes. Crash smashes Henry with a trash can lid before they get into the ring. Holly kicks Henry in the corner several times. Holly gets caught on a splash attempt and Henry plants Crash with a power slam. Henry goes to the floor and grabs a cooking sheet. Henry brings a trash can and kendo stick. Henry smashes Crash over the back with the kendo stick. Henry puts a trash can over Crash and whacks the can with a cooking sheet to knock Crash down. Henry goes for the cover but Crash kicks out at two. Crash kicks Henry several times followed by a dropkick and a chop block. Crash goes to the top rope and nails Henry with a missile dropkick for a two count. Crash grabs the cooking sheet and whacks Henry over the head. Henry seems to get pissed from that but gets met with a drop toe hold onto the cooking sheet. Crash goes for the cover and the referee counted really fast to give Crash the win. After the match, the referee chokes Crash with his shirt and tries to win the title! There was another referee out there as Jack Doan hits Crash with a cooking sheet for a two count. Crash plants Doan with a DDT! (*1/2. It’s harmless hardcore fun and the referee stuff was actually pretty funny and clever.)
4.) Stevie Richards is mimicking Val Venis this week as his tag partner. Richards was going to take his towel off but forgot to put on clothes underneath. Venis kicks Richards out of the ring to the backstage area.
5.) Mosh works over Val’s left arm by wrenching on it for a few moments. Venis counters with a wrist lock and yanks down on Mosh’s arm. They continue to trade strikes as Richards is back at the ring. Venis clotheslines Mosh in the corner and goes for a back suplex but Mosh lands on his feet. Venis stops Mosh with a knee lift to the midsection and a side Russian leg sweep for a two count. Venis tags in Richards and Mosh ducks a clothesline. Mosh clotheslines Richards and Thrasher tags in. Thrasher misses a clothesline and Richards hip tosses Thrasher a few times. Richards plants Thrasher with a side slam for a two count. Richards gets dropped throat first across the top rope and is clotheslined by Thrasher. Richards drops Thrasher with a super kick. Venis gets the tag as does Mosh, but Venis cleans house. Venis plants Mosh with a spine buster. All four men are brawling in the ring. Headbangers collide in the ring by bumping hips and flapjack Venis for a two count as Richards breaks up the cover. Venis catches Mosh in the corner hitting a back suplex. Thrasher sends Richards into the ring steps. Thrasher stops Venis on the top and Mosh gets up there only to be shoved off. Venis hits the Money Shot for the win. (*1/2. The Richards mimicking gimmick is kind of funny but it’s going to have a short life. There wasn’t much going on here.)
6.) Chris Jericho cuts a promo saying that Viscera looks like a lovechild between Mr. T and Fat Albert. Jericho rips on Eddie Guerrero and Chyna calling Chyna a whore.
7.) Viscera shoves Jericho down out of a lockup a couple of times. Jericho tries to hammer away on Viscera, but isn’t successful. Viscera misses a clothesline and Jericho chops Viscera several times. Jericho kicks Viscera and leaps off the middle rope to hit a dropkick. Viscera nails Jericho with a spinning heel kick. Viscera scoop slams Jericho and heads to the top rope. Jericho springboards off the ropes to dropkick Viscera. Jericho does another springboard and dropkicks Viscera off the apron. Jericho attempts a cross body to the floor but Viscera catches him and rams Jericho into the ring post followed by a slam on the floor. Viscera chops Jericho against the railing and brings him back into the ring. Viscera chokes Jericho over the top rope and drives Jericho down with a side slam for a two count. Viscera chokes Jericho in the corner but Jericho comes back with a dropkick to the knee. Viscera tosses Jericho into the corner rather dangerously. Viscera runs into a boot in the corner and Jericho hits a bulldog. Jericho gods for the cove but Viscera kicks out and Jericho landed on the referee. Viscera attempts a Samoan Drop but Jericho wiggles free. Viscera nearly splashes the referee in the corner but the referee escaped to the floor. Jericho low blows Viscera and puts the Walls of Jericho on the big man! Chyna comes down to the apron and distracts the referee. Eddie Guerrero whacks Jericho with the WWF European Championship and Viscera delivers a big splash for the win. (*1/2. Despite the interference, this is easily the biggest win of Viscera’s career in recent memory. Viscera is a dangerous wrestler and seems really reckless a lot of times in his matches. The loss isn’t going to hurt Jericho, but I doubt there is much followup for Viscera.)
Final Thoughts:
An enjoyable episode of Heat as there was some solid action. The matches are short but fun although not memorable by any means.
Thanks for reading.