WWE Heat Report-25th November 2007
By Shaun Best-Rajah.com Reporter
Commentators: Todd Grisham & Jonathan Coachman
Ring Announcer: Lilian Garcia
Welcome aboard to a Tag Team themed edition of Heat. As Shelton Benjamin makes his final Heat appearance and Carlito gets ever closer to the exit door, Chris Jericho makes his much anticipated return to WWE. Welcome back Chris. You have beeen missed. On the heels of an excellent Survivor Series, Heat starts with…….
Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs The Highlanders
Coachman puts over Londrick as Grisham remarks on a shuffle in the Tag Team division in regards to finding the next championship contenders. London gets a waistlock and hammerlock reversal on Rory. London gets backed to the corner. London ducks a backelbow then re-applies the hammerlock. Rory uses a single leg takedown but misses an elbow. London armdrags Rory. Rory gets his arm worked over with several shots by Londrick from the top rope. London with a snapmare and armbar. Rory gets London in the wrong corner allowing Robbie to get some shots in. London ducks a clothesline before hitting Robbie with a flying shoulder tackle and armdrag. Londrick give Robbie a double armdrag off the ropes. Kendrick armdrags Robbie before London connects with a top rope fistdrop on the arm and a kick to the head. London traps Robbie in a front facelock an Kendrick springs over into a sunset flip for a nearfall. As Kendrick stays on the arm, punching and twisting, Robbie lands a punch then suplexes Kendrick onto the top rope. Robbie kicks Kendrick to the floor and with the momentum turned, Heat cuts away for an Armageddon commercial. When we come back, Robbie has Kendrick grounded with his arms outstretched. As Kendrick gets up, Robbie headbutts him down. Kendrick clasps the bottom rope to break up a pinfall attempt. Robbie slams Kendrick before slamming Rory onto him for another nearfall. Rory stomps Kendrick onto the ring apron. As Kendrick hangs, Robbie drops a double axehandle across his back. When Kendrick gets back in, Rory pounds on the back before shielding Kendrick’s face and pulling at his arm. Rory cuts off a fightback attempt as Coachman calls Grisham on his mixing up of the Highlanders’ ground and pound technique. Rory sends Kendrick’s head into the corner then Robbie’s head into Kendrick’s gut. Robbie uppercuts Kendrick into the corner where he works over him a little. Kendrick elbows Rory who ends up choking and clubbing him as Robbie ties up the referee. Robbie gets a nearfall following a suplex. Robbie gets Kendrick on his shoulders and drives his back into the corner. The Highlanders re-attempt the battering ram spot from earlier but Kendrick gets a sunset flip on Rory for a nearfall. Rory cuts off Kendrick’s fightback and sends him off the ropes. Kendrick hangs on and pulls down the rope as Rory charges and goes sailing to the outside. Robbie throws Rory in but it’s too late as Kendrick mananges to tag out. London springs in connecting with a kick in mid-air to Rory. London follows up with a clothesline, backelbow and dropkick before firing up. Rory reverses off the ropes but London flips over him and counters a lunge with an inverted atomic drop followed by a heasdcissors. London takes care of Robbie with a forearm and kick just to make sure. London uses the bottom rope to jump over a charging Rory. London quickly sweeps Rory’s legs, kicks him onto his back and executes a standing shooting star press. 1-2-no Robbie breaks things up with a double axehandle. Robbie sets London up for a reverse springboard suplex but Kendrick catches London, saving him from defeat. Kendrick takes himself and Robbie over the top rope with a clothesline. Back inside, London goes to the corner and kicks away a charging Rory. London springs off the top rope and hits the Mushroom stomp on Rory. London covers. 1-2-3. Really good tag match which was given some time. The Highlanders held up their end and there were no missed spots. Best match these two teams have had against each other. Here Are Your Winners: PAUL LONDON & BRIAN KENDRICK. Post match, the commentators put over the match as Londrick embrace.
A vignette airs promoting Ric Flair’s return to Raw tomorrow night in Charlotte, North Carolina. I presume he’s returning as a face and with D.H Smith scheduled to return soon and with Y2J now in the mix it seems that the face side on Raw is pretty stacked. With that being said I see a heel turn coming as soon as tomorrow. My instincts tell me that Triple H will leave Jeff Hardy to the wolves in their tag match. I could be wrong and Triple H could stay face and mow through Umaga and Snitsky but hopefully that won’t happen.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Mai Tai Anoai
Hacksaw receives the usual fanfare. Mai Tai Anoai, aka Afa Jnr, is the son of Wild Samoan and Hall of Famer Afa. Here, Anoai looks a cross between Umaga and Carlito with his ring garb and perm. Anoai is currently attached to WWE’s developmental league FCW in Florida having previously been in the old DSW. Grisham remarks on Anoai possibly being related to Umaga. He actually is but that’s a long family tree i’m not getting into. Bell rings and both men tussle to the ropes where Anoai lands a throat thrust and several punches. Hacksaw comes back with a hiptoss off the ropes and two clotheslines. As Hacksaw plays to the crowd, Anoai clubs him into the ropes where he chokes him with his hands. Anoai ties up Hacksaw’s arm and applies a nerve hold under Hacksaw’s exposed armpit. Hacksaw elbows free so Anoai throws him down by the hair, stomps then gets Hacksaw up only to headbutt him back down. Coachman seems impressed by Anoai and hints at giving him a contract as Anoai goes back to the nerve hold. Hacksaw fights back with punches but favours his arm allowing Anoai to punch back and rake the face. Anoai applies a third nerve hold. Hacksaw tugs the hair before getting free with backelbows. Anoai clubs the back before Hacksaw counters a head ram in the corner. Hacksaw mounts Anoai for five punches in the corner. As Hacksaw argues with the referee, Anoai takes advantage with a face rake. Hacksaw manages to reverse an Irish whip then hit the three point stance clothesline for the 1-2-3. Here is Your Winner: HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN. I’d have had Anoai go over here as he looked quite good. He would fit into a heel stable led by Umaga quite nicely in my view. Post match, Hacksaw gives the thumbs up around the ring as Coachman tells us to keep an eye on Mai Tai Anoai.
Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch vs Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin (Non Title)
The World’s Greatest Tag Team come out first followed by the World Tag Team champions. Coachman states the obvious when he says that tonight is the World’s Greatest Tag Team’s swansong. Grisham adds that Shelton was contractually obliged to appear tonight. It seems to me that Shelton’s move to ECW proved to be a hasty last minute decision on Tuesday night. Hopefully this isn’t the end for Haas as he’s a hell of a talent. I think he’ll get used like Val Venis in future. Both teams get the silent treatment from the fans upon entering. Cade and Murdoch pose with their belts as Murdoch flashes his belt especially at Shelton. Shelton starts with a side headlock and shoulder tackle on Cade. Cade comes back with a hiptoss and armdrag. Cade sends Shelton off the ropes, Shelton ducks outside and goes to leave. Haas coaxes him into staying. Cade and Murdoch are playing the faces tonight. Shelton makes it back in at an eight count. Shelton talks trash then slaps Murdoch. Murdoch tags, Shelton bails outside with Haas blind tagging in and clubbing Murdoch’s back. Murdoch recovers to ram Haas’ head into the corner then Irish whip. Haas sends Murdoch onto the apron. Murdoch lands on his feet, punches Haas away and lands a top rope cross body for a nearfall. Haas sends Murdoch off the ropes, Murdoch boots him in the head then slaps Shelton off the apron, paying him back from earlier. Murdoch taunts Shelton with a hip gyration. Uuuuggghh. Cade and Murdoch give Haas a double hiptoss off the ropes then Cade lifts Murdoch into a legdrop onto Haas for a nearfall. Haas cuts off an Irish whip attempt before delivering one of his own. Haas charges and eats a front elbow. Haas catches Murdoch’s feet, spins him onto the apron and presses at the neck. As the referee reprimands Haas, Shelton springs onto the apron to kick Murdoch in the head. Cade runs around on the outside to kick Shelton away. Shelton laughs as Haas works over Murdoch’s head with stomps, knees and punches. Shelton takes over with some measured elbows to the head and chest for a nearfall. Shelton wraps both hands around Murdoch’s head with a few wrenches. Haas gets Murdoch up for a snapmare and hard kick to the back. Haas tries to crush Murdoch’s head with his boot. Haas lies back on Murdoch with a reverse chinlock applied. Haas breaks to drop knees onto Murdoch’s head then takes it in turns with Shelton to ram Murdoch’s head into the corner. Murdoch punches back until Shelton brings the back of Murdoch’s head down across his knee for a nearfall. Shelton argues the count before wrapping himself around Murdoch with a chinlock. Shelton breaks to land some shots to the head and chest. Haas cuts off a possible Murdoch tag with several shots before clamping on a chinlock then a head vice. Murdoch lands a desperation jawbreaker then runs to tag but Haas keeps him at bay by catching him on his shoulders. As Haas goes to run Murdoch into the corner, Murdoch counters into a sunset flip. Haas manages to tag out before going over and Shelton hooks an ankle to keep Murdoch away from Cade. With Shelton too far away to tag out, Murdoch finally kicks Shelton off and makes the tag. Cade peppers Shelton with punches, taking him down with a tornado punch. Cade punches Haas off the apron before sending Shelton off the ropes into a spinning backelbow for a nearfall. Cade rams Shelton’s head into the corner then chops. Shelton reverses an Irish whip but misses a subsequent charge. Cade hits a big clothesline but Haas breaks up the cover at two. Murdoch punches Haas then tosses him through the ropes. Murdoch nails Haas with a plancha. Back inside, Shelton counters a suplex into a hangmans neckbreaker for a nearfall. Cade manages to avoid a dragon whip kick and deliver his sitdown spinebuster for the 1-2-3 as Murdoch stops a desperate Haas from getting back in on the outside. Good matchup. I think that’s the last job Shelton will be doing for a while.
Here Are Your Winners: LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH. Post match, Coachman wishes Shelton all the best in ECW as Cade and Murdoch get their arms raised with their tag belts.
Grisham thanks us for watching to end the show.
Best Match: Paul London & Brian Kendrick vs The Highlanders shades it for me.
Worst Match: Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs Mai Tai Anoai.
Show Verdict: Thumbs up for two good, long, solid tag matches. I can’t really call the other match a squash as Anoai dominated for the most part. This week’s show is well worth a view. Until next week, take care and have a good one. Shaun.
If anyone wants to sound off, chew the fat or talk wrestling get in touch. Comments/praise/feedback/criticism/discussion points please direct to shaunmb1@hotmail.com.