World Wrestling Entertainment presents Heat
Date: 12/8/2002
From:
Matches:
1.) Test defeated Justin Credible
2.) Steven Richards defeated Johnny Stamboli
3.) D’Lo Brown & Chris Nowinski defeated Al Snow & Maven
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Test works over Credible with a right hand and a swinging neckbreaker. Credible bails to the floor and is spanked by Stacy. Credible misses a clothesline and is rolled back into the ring. Test delivers a press slam dropping Credible gut first to the mat. Test works over Credible with strikes in the corner. Credible sends Test chest first into the corner and hits an arm breaker. Credible wraps Test’s arm around the ring post a few times. Credible keeps arm control on Test, but Test delivers a side slam. Test misses an elbow drop and runs into a boot in the corner. Test plants Credible with a tilt a whirl slam. Credible runs into a clothesline a few times by Test. Test knee lifts Credible and tries for the pump handle slam, but settles for a full nelson slam for a near fall. Test signals for a big boot, but Credible puts the referee in the way. Credible kicks Test and sends Test shoulder first into the corner for a near fall with his feet on the ropes. Credible walks into a big boot for the three count. (*. I’m liking the new direction for Test even if it is centered around his testicles.)
2.) Backstage, D’Lo Brown is talking with Christopher Nowinski. Brown doesn’t want to be Nowinski’s partner because he doesn’t like him. Nowinski notes that Brown’s glory days are behind him. Nowinski says that Maven used his sick mother to get a contract and steal D’Lo’s air time. Nowinski knows that Maven isn’t better than D’Lo. Nowinski wants to show the world that Maven isn’t better than him. Brown isn’t going to let Maven steal his air time.
3.) Richards kicks Stamboli followed by knee strikes and right hands in the corner. Stamboli shoulder blocks and dropkicks Richards leading to a near fall. Stamboli ram Richards into the corner followed by a clothesline. Stamboli misses a shoulder ram in the corner and Richards dumps Stamboli to the floor. Richards rams Stamboli into the railing and ring post. Richards splashes onto Stamboli’s arm and wrenches on the left arm. Richards slams Stamboli by his arm and continues with an arm bar. Stamboli breaks free with a side slam for a two count. Richards takes Stamboli down with another arm bar, but lets go quickly. Richards misses a splash in the corner. Richards collides heads with Stamboli in the corner. They trade a few right hands until Stamboli delivers a clothesline. Stamboli knee lifts Richards followed by a neckbreaker. Stamboli tosses Richards with an overhead suplex for a near fall. Richards kicks Stamboli hitting a double arm DDT and gets the clean win. (*. There wasn’t much behind this match as it just felt like two dudes doing moves the hell of it. Regardless, I like that Richards got a clean win. I can get behind a serious Richards push on the undercard.) After the match, WWE Women’s Champion Victoria comes out and bites Richards chin.
4.) Backstage, Raven sits down with a guy named Mike. Raven says tonight is the first night towards immortality. Raven isn’t doing this for him, but rather doing this for Mike. Raven asks if Mike considers himself a greedy person. Raven asks if he would take $100 for his sandwich. Raven puts his foot on the sandwich and tells Mike to eat the sandwich for $500. Raven cleaned his foot the other day. Mike eats the sandwich from between’s Raven’s toes. Raven proves that Mike is greedy. Raven tosses money at Mike and then hits Mike with his boot and breaks Mike’s finger.
5.) Brown attacks Snow from behind with right hands in the corner. Snow fights back with headbutts to the chest, but Brown stops Snow with a right hand. Snow slams Brown a few times. Snow shoulder blocks Brown a few times before tagging in Maven. Brown forearms Maven and hits a heel kick to drop Maven to the mat. Nowinski tags in, but quickly tags out when Maven pops up. Maven slingshots Brown into the ring and continues to work over the left shoulder. Snow tags into the match and comes off the top rope with an axe handle. Brown sends Snow into the ropes where Snow gets dropped over the ropes by Nowinski. Brown hits a swinging side slam for a near fall. Nowinski hammers away on Snow in the corner as the fans chant that Harvard sucks. Snow drops Nowinski with a right hand, but Nowinski trips Snow allowing Brown to deliver an elbow drop. Snow is stomped on by both men, but Maven tries to get involved and is stopped by the referee. Brown slams Snow, but doesn’t do the leg drop. Nowinski sends Snow chest first into the corner, but Snow comes back with a clothesline. Brown decks Maven off the apron and rams Snow into the corner. Brown controls Snow with a sleeper on the mat. Snow sunset flips Brown, but is stopped by a right hand. Snow almost wins with a rollup, but Brown comes back with a clothesline. Brown slams Snow, but Snow counters Sudden Impact with a tornado DDT. Nowinski and Maven are tagged in with Maven yanking Nowinski down to the mat. Maven backdrops Brown, but Nowinksi forearms Maven. All four men are in the ring at this point brawling. Nowinski clotheslines Maven while Snow flapjack Brown. Nowinski decks Snow, but Maven dropkicks Nowinski. Brown drives Maven down with the Sky High. Nowinski misses Maven with the book and Maven nearly wins, but Brown broke the cover. Nowinski and Maven trade strikes in the corner. Nowinski takes Maven down and puts his feet on the ropes to steal the victory. (*1/2. A formula tag match for the most part. I liked Snow in the match, and Brown did well carrying his side of the team, too. I don’t know if a Brown heel turn is the right move or if this was just a one-night situation. I’m hoping it’s more of a one-night deal than long-term.)
Final Thoughts:
While the matches weren’t standout, I liked the booking decisions. Steven Richards and Victoria can be a fun duo if Richards continues to build momentum. I’m curious about where D’Lo is going and if he’s going to remain a heel. The Raven storyline is intriguing and probably should be on RAW.
Thanks for reading.