RuthlessCEE Aggresive: Heat and Velocity reviews (October 4th and 5th, 2003)

 

Check out the audio version of Ruthless breaking down Raw and Smackdown from the previous week!

    We are greeted by our hosts Josh Mathews and Tazz.  I think Ernest Miller is gone.  It's a slamming Saturday Night here on Spike TV.

Match 1: Jamie Noble with Nidia vs Shannon Moore

Noble starts with two headlock takedowns.  There is some cat and mouse as Shannon avoids Noble.  Eventually Noble traps Moore in the corner lays in some boots and chops and transfers into a suplex, leg drop, but misses a clothesline.  Moore hip tosses Noble upside down into the corner.  Moore starts stomping, a rope choke, and the side slam for 2.   Moore locks in a back and arm stretch.  

Noble drops out of the hold and kicks Moore in the chest.  Moore quickly recovers and blasts Noble with a drop kick to the mush.  Noble hits a big clothesline, some quick kicks and then a running knee.  A spinning powerslam gets a two count.  Moore backdrops to escape a tiger driver and then hits a corner plancha for 2.  Moore throws his signature tantrum.  They trade some pinning combos.  Shannon tries to get his feet on the ropes. Nidia gets on the apron to complain.  Noble rolls up Moore for two using the distraction.  Noble nails a DDT and never releases Moore and locks in the dragon sleeper to get the submission win in 6:08. (***)

Match #2 Sean O'Haire vs Kevin Kruger

Kevin Kruger isn't even shown during his introduction as it's a wide shot of the arena.  Sean O'Haire throws Kruger down like a middle school bully.  O'Haire spends a few minutes just destroying Kruger with punches, kicks, and clotheslines.  Kruger goes for a crossbody but gets caught and O'Haire hits a fireman's carry/DDT type move for the win in 2:36. (DUD)

Match #3 Rhyno vs Funaki

Rhyno jumps Funaki as the cruiserweight enters the ring.  Funaki fires back, hits a head scissors and slams Rhyno's head into the turnbuckle multiple times.  Funaki nails a spring board crossbody until he gets mowed down with a big clothesline.  Rhyno takes over with corner shoulder blocks and knees to the gut.  Funaki comes back with a enziguri.  Both men are down as the ref begins his count.  They both get to their feet and trade some chops.  Rhyno ends the stalemate with a belly to belly.  Funaki dodges a gore attempt and Rhyno hits the turnbuckle. Funaki takes advantage with a bulldog for a 2 count.  He tries a school boy for another 2 count.  Rhyno takes back the advantage with a spinebuster.  He sets up for another gore and connects on this one for the win in 4:23. (*1/2)

Match #4 

Rey Mysterio vs Nunzio

They start with some gentleman's reversals.  Mysterio hits a head scissors.  Nunzio catches Rey off the top turnbuckle and drapes Rey's arm over the top rope.  Nunzio spends a decent stretch of the match working over Rey's arm with a variety of arm submissions such as top wrist locks and key locks.   He hits a flying armnbar called the Arrivederci.  Nunzio puts in more arm work.  Mysterio works Nunzio into the corner and climbs the ropes while still locked in the submission to hit a top rope hurricanrana.  He follows it up with a seated senton, spring board cross, reverse DDT flurry.  Rey climbs to the top rope but Nunzio stops him and flips him face first to the mat.  Nunzio catches a head scissors attempt and plants him.  Rey recovers with a drop toe hold to the second rope, and you know the rest.  619 and west coast pop for the win in 7:03 (** 3/4).

Johnathan Coachman and Al Snow sadly greet us after losing the RAW commentary gig after only one week.  

Match #1 

Spike Dudley vs Rico

Rico starts of with the usual ambiguously gay shenanigans to start.  Spike moves past his homophobia to hit a clothesline, hip toss, rapid chest stomps in the corner.  Spike runs the corner for a Dudley dog but for some reason just holds on to the headlock. Not sure why you wouldn't hit your finisher when you could hit your finisher.  Rico works out and hangs Spike on the top rope and knees him in the face to send him to the floor.  Once Spike pulls himself back into the ring, Rico hits a powerslam but Spike is in the ropes for the cover.  He pulls the littlest Dudley to the center of the ring for a neck vise.  Spike tries to get out and go for an up and over in the corner but Rico catches him and parks him on the top rope.  Spike blocks the super plex attempt, bites Rico's forehead and pushes him off the top.  Spike hits the top rope stomp.  Spike comes in with a flurry of an inverted atomic drop, clothesline, hurricanrana for 2.  He tries a rollup for another near fall. Spike hits Rico in the stomach with a battering ram charge.  Miss Jackie gets up on the apron and Spike heads over.  He grabs the Tough Enough champion but manages to dodge Rico's attack from the rear.  He collides with his valet.  Spike gets a roll up attempt but Rico reverses it and grabs a healthy handful of tights to pick up the victory in 6:34. (*)

Match #2

Tommy Dreamer vs Sheik Shawn Davari

Sheik Shawn Davari is already in the ring when announced.  He is praying on his prayer rug in the corner.  Dreamer locks on an arm bar which Davari flips out of and prances around proud of himself.  This gets him slammed to the mat for his trouble.  Davari tries a crossbody but Dreamer catches him and hits Davari with the fall away sack of shit slam.  Davari starts praying to Dreamer for leniency but gets his fingers stomped.  Davari finally gets some offense in with a drop kick to the knee.  Davari continues to stomp Dreamer's knee in the corner.  He hits another drop kick to the knee and takes Dreamer to the opposite corner for the same sequence of leg work again. This time Dreamer moves and completely no sells the knee on a flurry of clothesline, back body drop, bulldog for a two count.  He hits a heavy spinebuster for another near fall.  Davari escapes the Death Valley Driver and hits a DDT.  He grabs his prayer rug and tries a flying carpet splash (yes seriously. photo above)  Tommy plants Davari with a DDT to get the win in 3:14.  (1/4*).

Match #3 

Rodney Mack with Theodore Long vs Kenny Anderson

The future Ken Kennedy gets jumped before the bell.  He lays in a flurry of punches and kicks followed with an Alabama Slam.  Snow and Coachman are busy talking about Rush Limbaugh saying that the media props up Donovan McNabb because they want a black quarterback to be good.  Snow uses this moment to say that he hates liberals.  Mack lays down some big elbow drops.  Mack hits a giant clothesline, a spinning power slam and a spine buster to win in 1:44.  (1/2 *) Other than a couple of punches Anderson didn't get any offense in.

Match #4 

Lance Storm vs Steven Richards with Victoria

Special Guest Referee: Jacqueline

The former ECW wrestlers trade headlocks, leg locks, and leap frogs.  Lance Storm hits two hip tosses.  Val Venis walks out with a handheld camcorder to record the match.  We are shown the match for a few seconds here and there throughout the duration of the match.  Last week Val was attacked post match by Stevie Richards and this appears to be related.  Click here to check out my recap/review of that show.   Lance Storm hits spring board cross body.  Stevie Richards finally gets on offense with a suplex and then locks in a chin lock.  Lance breaks free and punches are exchanged.  Storm hits a clothesline, drop kick and a delay vertical suplex.  Storm puts on a single leg Boston crab.  Victoria jumps up on the apron and Storm heads after her. Victoria gets flipped into the ring.  Stevie charges at Storm but he moves causing Stevie to bronco bust Victoria in the corner. Stevie staggers out to eat a top rope drop kick for the victory in 5:36 (*3/4)  All of the focus was Val and his camcorder.  Jacqueline did nothing of any interest.  She could have been anybody.  Coachman tells us that it looks like we won't find out what Val's doing this week.  Could this be a three week storyline on Heat?  

RuthlessCEE Aggresive: Heat and Velocity reviews (September 20/21, 2003) Pre Unforgiven Heat edition

 

Check out the audio from this week's Ruthless covering Raw and Smackdown!

We have Josh Mathews and Taz on the commentary again so I believe Ernest Miller is thankfully gone from role. 

Match #1

The Big Show vs Pat Cusick/Murray Happer

Big Show hits some punches and chest slaps.  He stacks both guys in the corner and beats on them some more.  Big Show slams the local competitors a bit mixed in with a few clotheslines.  He hands out back to back chokeslams to pick up the win in 50 seconds.

Match #2

Matt Hardy vs Joey Matthews

Matt Fact #1: Matt hates waiting in lines. 

Matt Fact #2: Matt tailgates slow cars in the passing lane.

Josh tells us that both men were in the local Omega promotion where they were rivals.  This match is in North Carolina and Matt is wrestling as a face and has the crowd behind him.  They trade arm bars.  Matt Hardy hits a hip toss and 9 mounted corner punches before a tenth super windup punch when Matthews staggers out of the corner.  Hardy heads to the top but Mathews rolls out of the ring.  Hardy tries to pull him back into the ring by the hair, but Mathews snaps Hardy's neck over the top rope.  Mathews goes on offense with a neck breaker and a mid rope choke. 

 Tazz asks Josh if he is related to Joey.  Josh says that his name only has one T.  Tazz says that he has one T in his name too.  Josh reminds him that he has two Z's in his name.  Tazz says he used to have 2 Z's in a funny aside.  

 

Hardy comes back with a decapitating clothesline, followed by a back elbow and a leg drop.  Mathews pushes Hardy into the turnbuckle and locks on a desperation sleeper.  Hardy escapes via side slam.  Hardy then does a clothesline and a leg drop over the second rope.  Mathews escapes the side effect.  He comes back off the ropes but gets caught by the side effect this time.  Mathews kicks out of the pinfall attempt.  Mathews tosses Hardy into the turnbuckle again and follows it up with a top rope clothesline for a 2 count.  Mathews tries a charge into the corner but Hardy gets the boot up.  Matt hits the V1 downfall leg drop and twist of fate for the victory in 5:36

Match #3

Chuck Palumbo with Nunzio and Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli

vs. Orlando Jordan

Palumbo starts out knees to the stomach and heavy strikes to the back.  The FBI jumps up on the apron and are immediately ejected.  Jordan comes back with some quick punches and a back slide attempt. Palumbo leap frogs Jordan and hits a super kick to the back of the head.  Jordan flies through the ropes to the outside.  Jordan is dead weight and Palumbo can't get him up, goes back in to break the count and then comes back outside to throw Jordan back in.  Weird sequence.  He drives his shoulder into the midsection of Jordan in the corner.  He floors Jordan with a belly to belly suplex.  Then locks in a bear hug.  When that doesn't get a submission, he brings Jordan to the corner and hangs him in the tree of woe so he can lay some boots in.  The ref backs him off and frees Jordan.  Palumbo charges and misses only connecting with the steel post.  Jordan lands his shuffle punches from his mentor Rocky Johnson.  He lands a flying forearm.   "Shades of Tito Santana." Says Josh.  Jordan hits a drop kick and a back body drop.  "Shades of Rick Martel.  Not really I just wanted to talk about an old guy too." says Tazz.  Jordan goes for a cross body off the top. "It's time for some Strike Force." says Josh.  Palumbo rolls through the cross body and gets a two count.  Sloppy missed clothesline by Chuck and Jordan uses the momentum for a roll up for 2.  Palumbo grabs Jordan and lets go for no reason.  Jordan then hits the Black Ice neck breaker to get the victory in 5:37. (1/2 *)

Match #4

Billy Kidman vs Shannon Moore

Moore backs Kidman into the corner and taunts Kidman.  "It's all about me!" Kidman charges Moore who runs to the opposite corner and has the ref back Kidman off.  Kidman hits a tilt a whirl head scissors and follows it up with mounted punches.  Moore slips out and hits a really devastating looking hip toss into the turnbuckles.  Moore hangs Kidman on the middle rope and lands the leg over his back.  Shannon plants Kidman with a body slam followed up with a rear chin lock.  Kidman gets whipped hard into opposite corners.  Shannon snap suplexes Kidman and locks in a back stretch.  Kidman fights out and hits a drop kick.  Kidman lands a hurricanrana, back body drop, death valley driver into a neck breaker for a 2 count.  Shannon Moore gets control with a spinning leg lariat.  Kidman misses a corner splash and Moore hits a turnbuckle launching spinning dive for a 2 count.  Moore starts to pound the mat like he is a toddler throwing a tantrum.  Kidman captilizes with a BK bomb.  Kidman lands a shooting star press to gain the vicrtory in 5:31. (** 3/4). 

Since it is pre Unforgiven we get Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler on commentary which if they lose tonight to Coach and Al Snow will be our new Heat commentary team.  

We did get a change to the 6 man table match as Spike Dudley can't compete so it is now a handicap match according to Co GM Eric Bischoff, but Co GM Steve Austin makes it for the tag titles.  

The one and only match

Stevie Richards with Victoria vs Maven

We begin with a collar and elbow tie up, that Maven turns into this barrage of offense: headlock, shoulder block, leapfrogs, clothesline, fireman's carry, drop kick.  Stevie bails from the ring but Maven pursues.  Victoria grabs Maven's foot on the way back in.  Stevie drops an elbow to take his first advantage of the match.  Stevie distracts the referee so Victoria can hit her spinning leg drop off the top rope.  Stevie unleashes his own flurry of a neck breaker, rope splash, snap mare, full nelson.  Maven reverses the hold into a suplex.  Maven lands a barrage of fists, reverse elbows, spinning elbows, spinning heel kick, and finally a neck breaker. Maven to the top rope but Victoria grabs his foot and the delay allows Richards to move out of the way of Maven's drop kick.  Stevie goes for a double arm DDT, but Maven resends him over with a back body drop.  Maven heads back to the top rope and nails his float over neck breaker for the win in 5:15 (**).