WWE Sunday Night Heat (11/3/02)

 

WWE Sunday Night Heat

November 3, 2002

Joe Louis Arena

Detroit, Michigan

Commentators: Jonathan Coachman and Lita

Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel

There's a lot going on WWE Raw these days and none of it good although its time for Sunday Night Heat. As per norm, this was taped before Raw started the week before. I already covered the dark matches on the Raw show so let's get right to the action.

Match 1

3 Minute Warning (Jamal and Rosey) with Rico vs Bobby Rude and Mark Maraculi

Yes, THAT Bobby Roode....or Rude in this case. For those that don't remember, Bobby was a Canadian wrestler trained by Val Venis that made his name in TNA before coming to WWE at the end of his career. Maraculi was local talent, not much is known about him. As usual Coach and Lita babble on about that week's Raw so I'll just ignore them. Rosey starts with Rude and Rosey starts with forearms to the back. Rosey taunts Rude as the crowd erupts with a "We want Shawn" chant. Rude ducks the line but runs right into a shoulderblock. Rosey heaves Mark in the ring and makes the tag to Jamal. Jamal runs into a double drop toe hold and a double clothesline. Bobby and Mark waste too much time celebrating so Jamal double clotheslines them down before heaving Rude over the top rope. Jamal clotheslines Maraculi over the top rope as Rico gets in some kicks on Rude over by the heel corner. Rico throws Bobby in the ring as Jamal chokes him in the corner with his boot. Rosey tags in and slingshot splashes Rude in the corner. Rude walks into a kneelift by Jamal. Maraculi heads up top and goes for a flying bodypress but somehow Jamal catches him mid-air for the Samoan drop. Jamal hits the Superfly splash off the top rope but the ref tells him Rosey is legal. Rosey makes the academic cover for 1...2.....3 to win the match. Rude was destined for good things in the future but that bodypress into a Samoan drop was awesome. Rico celebrates with the Samoans as we go to the replay of Jamal's big splash. Just like his older brother, Jamal did a hell of a top rope splash. Coach hypes up the next match, Justin Credible vs Mark Jindrak....yay.

Time of match: 2:53

Winners: 3 Minute Warning by pinfall

Back from break we get our Boot Of The Week which was Kane trying to abduct HHH at the end of Raw. Then we get our recap which was the opening segment of last week's Raw featuring HHH wheeling out the casket, Hurricane making fun of him, Kane running out and causing a scrum, Bischoff  makes the main event a casket match. After this we go to break again. Back from break we get our Overdrive of the Night which is Trish Stratus retaining her title on Raw in the three way match. In real time, Lillian Garcia catches up with the demented Victoria who's hanging around in the bag gathering up weapons in a trash can. Victoria says she got hurt by Trish and had to sweep at night to make rent. She also had to haul garbage in the snow in order to pay bills. Victoria blames Trish for everything and she challenges Trish for the Women's title in a hardcore match at Survivor Series. Victoria says she's going to show her the true feeling of pain and scares Lillian with the kendo stick. We cut to Stevie Richards with Raven who asks what Raven's masterpiece is. Raven tells Stevie he and everyone else will find out next week and to be more concerned about D-Lo Brown. Never understood why Raven and Stevie didn't have a little reunion on camera, oh well. On to the next match.

Match 2

Justin Credible vs Mark Jindrak

As mentioned in the Halifax show, Credible was just wrestling out his contract while Jindrak was being considered for a big push....how big? More on that another time. Bell's gone and they lock up with Credible getting a takedown. Credible messes with Mark and attacks with a knee to the gut. Credible tries an up and over in the corner but Jindrak fakes him out and does a waistlock takedown. Jindrak messes with Justin and delivers a series of dropkicks. Justin begs off then runs into an armdrag takedown. Credible gets a thumb to the eye and chops Mark in the corner. Mark retialliates with right hands and hits a modified stinger splash in the corner. Jindrak rams Credible's head in the corner and hits a sunset flip. Credible grabs the rope and referee Jack Doane tells Credible to cut the crap. Justin chops Mark in the corner again and taunts the crowd before hitting a baseball slide. Credible gets in a chinlock as Coach brings up the Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon kiss that was never mentioned again. Credible rams Mark's head in the corner and punches him down. Mark rallies with left hands but misses the dropkick. Justin covers for a deuce and locks in another chinlock. Jindrak blocks a suplex and hits a vertical one of his own. Jindrak rallies with left hands, a scoop slam and a dropkick. Jindrak runs into a boot in the corner but hits a tilt-a-whirl slam. He covers for 1...2...noooo. Mark puts his head down and eats a forearm to the back but Credible runs into an inverted atomic drop. Mark hits a springboard clothesline off the top rope and covers for 1...2...3 to win the match. Good crash style match and Jindrak looked headed for good things....then wasn't. Coach hypes up our main event next.

Time of match: 5:15

Winner: Jindrak by pinfall

We come back from break with an update from Tough Enough 3. Scott hurt his hand playing volleyball and Lisa suffered a nervous breakdown, quitting. Apparently that was a real breakdown that nearly got the show cancelled. Then we get an ad that Batista is making his Raw debut soon, no more church boxes. Our next Raw recap is the casket match between HHH and Kane where Shawn Michaels popped out of it to help Kane win the match. Also the Elimination Chamber for Survivor Series is booked and Shawn Michaels has been invited to be the sixth and final man for it. We'll get our answer on Raw. Next up is an ad for Scott Steiner to make his WWE return. For which show is yet to be determined. Finally its time for our main event.

Match 3

Steven Richards vs D-Lo Brown

Its a shame the office never really forgave D-Lo Brown for hurting Darren Drozdov as he still got a decent pop for his entrance. Bell rings and they circle to start. Richards back D-Lo in the corner and gets a cheap shot. The ref stops D-Lo from retaliating from some inane reason. D-Lo hiptosses and scoop slams Richards as Lita asks who Raw got in the trade for Big Show. D-Lo gets an armdrag and an armbar in but Steven powers out of it. D-Lo is sent off and stuns Richards with a swinging neckbreaker. D-Lo delivers a second rope elbow and covers for a deuce. D-Lo sends Steven into the opposite corner and is backdropped to the apron. Richards knocks him off with a back elbow smash then throws him back in, Richards takes over with forearms to the back then calls for a suplex. He hits it as Coach says Steven had too much coffee tonight. Lita says eventually someone will get a pinfall with a simple suplex. Steven goes for D-Lo's legdrop with the head shaking but misses completely. D-Lo hits an atomic drop to make Stevie hop around before hitting an inverted run. A clothesline and cover gets a two count but Richards kicks him in the head. Stevie chokes D-Lo on the second rope then pounds away on D-Lo's back in the corner. Steven does a back suplex and covers for a deuce then locks in a chinlock. D-Lo powers out of it, hits the rope and schoolboys Steven for 1......2...nope. Steven clubs on D-Lo's neck and locks in a full nelson before D-Lo elbows his way out of it. D-Lo drops Steven with a flying elbow smash and both men are down. Both men are down for an 8 count before Steven gets up first. D-Lo rallies with right hands to drop Steven and a backdrop. D-Lo flips over Stevie and delivers a scoop slam. Coach and Lita go nuts for the D-Lo Legdrop as he hits it. He covers for 1...2...nope. D-Lo continues to punch away on Steven and goes for Sky High but Steven counters it. Steven runs into the flying heel kick then goes upstairs. Steven kicks D-Lo causing Brown to crotch himself. Steven sets up for a superplex with chops then goes for it. D-Lo counters with SKY HIGH OFF THE TOP ROPE! D-Lo puts his hand on Steven's chest for 1..2....3 to win the match. That was pretty damn good for a one off on Sunday Night Heat. Amazing what happens when there's no bullschmidt, just good wrestling. Coach and Lita says they've never seen a top rope Sky High before. Coach hypes up Raw tomorrow night as he signs off.

Time of match: 7:46

Winner: D-Lo Brown by pinfall

For Sunday Night Heat, that was pretty good. 2 of the 3 matches were better than expected and even the squash match had a young Bobby Roode. At this point, the show was half hour of wrestling and half hour of recaps & commercials. The guys on the show may either be middling mid-carders or guys wrestling out their contracts but at least they're trying. For those that don't know, Mark Jindrak was the original choice to be in the upcoming Evolution stable with Triple H, Ric Flair and Randy Orton. He was even filmed in the vignettes but Triple H argued he didn't fit. They would eventually find a suitable replacement but that's why Jindrak was being showcased around this time. As for the next show, believe it or not its not Raw. For some stupid reason Vince had his Smackdown guys work a house show in Bangor, Maine so I'll see you there.

WWE Sunday Night Heat (10/27/02)

Gaylord Entertainment Center

Nashville, TN

October 27, 2002

Commentators: Jonathan Coachman and Lita

Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel

Welcome to another edition of Sunday Night Heat featuring the stars of Raw. As usual, this was taped before Raw went on the air this past Monday and aired six days later. Tonight we got Raven taking on young prospect Cassidy O'Reilly, ex-WCW star Mark Jindrak against Mike Owens, Steven Richards going up against another ex-WCW star Johnny Stamboli and the main event has Molly Holly taking on Jacqueline. We don't waste any time, we get right to the first match.

Match 1

Raven vs Cassidy O'Reilly

Raven was finishing out his contract while the 26 year old O'Reilly gets a look at in this one. O"Reilly comes out to the song Drew Carey used at the 2002 Royal Rumble as the announcers babble on about that week's events rather than introduce O'Reilly. Raven tells O'Reilly to just leave but Cassidy says no. Raven wins a tie up and beats Cassidy in the corner with fists and boots. Raven hits a backdrop and puts the boots to Cassidy before sending him off the ropes. Cassidy lands on his feet and goes for a superkick but Raven blocks it. Cassidy ducks a line and rolls up Raven for a deuce before Cassidy punches Raven. Cassidy up and overs in the corners before they exchange go behinds, only for Raven to throw Cassidy down by the hair. Cassidy does a 360 on a clothesline as Coachman babbles on and on about what happened on Raw. Raven taunts the crowd, whips Cassidy off the corner and drops him with a clothesline. Raven snapmares O'Reilly and locks in a nerve hold as Coachman hypes up tonight's main event. Cassidy goes for a plancha off the top rope but Raven moves and puts the boots to O'Reilly. Raven drives Cassidy into the mat face first with a top rope knee and covers for 1...2...no! Another snapmare and chinlock by Raven as Lita lets us know Cassidy grew up around this area and its somewhat of a homecoming. See? THAT'S what they should be talking about. Coachman ignores Lita and talks about Survivor Series coming up. Raven gets whipped in the corner and Cassidy hits a springboard elbow in the corner. O'Reilly goes for the tornado DDT but Raven blocks it. Cassidy and Raven collide as it looked like Cassidy wanted a crossbody and Raven wanted a clothesline. Whoops! Raven looks like he's going for the Evenflow but then clubs Cassidy in the back with forearms. Cassidy then hits a springboard crossbody (good audible by Raven) for 1.....2...nope. Cassidy charges in the corner but eats knee. Raven finally hits the Evenflow and covers for 1...2...3 to win the match. Cassidy had a future but that botch didn't help his case. He'd resurface in TNA but as for now, Raven gets the victory.

Time of match: 4:25

Winner: Raven by pinfall

Back to Coach and Lita who bring up what could happen at Survivor Series and hypes up tonight's Divas match. I'm guessing there was supposed to be a recap here but its not on this copy of the show I'm watching. Instead when we get back from commercial, we go right to the next match.

Match 2

Mark Jindrak vs Mike Owens

Another tryout match so to speak as ex-WCW guy Jindrak takes on Mike Owens. Who's Mike Owens? He's a Memphis local known as Flex. Actually, Jindrak was being groomed for a big push.....that ended up not happening. Bell's gone and once again Coach babbles on about Chris Nowinsky and Al Snow. Owerns gets the upperhand with a go-behind and Jindrak drops him with a toe-hold. Jindrak drops Owens with a shoulderblocka and a hiptoss. Jindrak hits a tilt-a-whirl slam and gets a two count while Coach once again babbles on about everything except the match. Jindrak misses a stinger splash and Owens kicks away at Jindrak. Lita talks about her training as Owens hits a russian leg sweep and covers for a deuce. Owens drops an elbow and covers for another two count before Owens locks in another chinlock. Coach once again babbles on about Tough Enough as Lita tries to talk about the match. Jindrak rallies to cut Coach off with dropkicks and a backdrop then covers for 1...2...nope. Owens goes for an O'Connor roll for a two count then ducks the line. Owens hits a powerslam and covers for 1...2...nope. Owens whips Jindrak in the corner but eats boot. Jindrak does a springboard clothesline off the second rope and covers for a deuce. Jindrak hits a sit down powerbomb for 1...2...3 and that's it. Like I said earlier, good match and Jindrak was being groomed for better things.....but got the rug pulled out from under him. I'll tell the story another time, as for now Jindrak gets the duke.

Time of match: 4:16

Winner: Jindrak by pinfall

Next up are highlights of the latest episode of Tough Enough Season 3.....won by the ill-fated Matt Cappoteli and the future John Morrison. After this, we get a recap of Shawn Michaels' return to Raw coming out of his wheelchair ready to return to active duty. At least we got Shawn coming back to look forward to. Let's get back to the ring.

Match 3

Steven Richards vs Johnny Stamboli

Post Right-To-Censor Steven is still searching for an identity while Stamboli is still the same character he was in WCW, only without a crew. Still, this should be a good match.....key word should. Bell's gone and Coach goes right into Shawn Michaels' return rather than call the action. A tie-up goes nowhere but Richards celebrates anyway. Lita gets a kick out of it as Stamboli throws Steven halfway across the ring. Once again Coach ignores Lita just to talk about Shawn Michaels some more. Worst part is its not even Coach's fault, he's probably got Vince McMahon or Kevin Dunn in his ear telling him to do it. Steven kicks Stamboli and chops him in the corner before unloading with right hands. Stamboli backdrops Richards and rallies with a scoop slam before covering for a two count. Once again Coach just babbles on and on about Triple H as Stamboli goes upstairs and catches Richards with a clothesline. A cover gets a two and Stamboli takes over with a headlock. Stamboli drops Richards with a shoulderblock, leapfrogs over but gets dropped inti the second rope with a drop toe hold. Richards covers for a deuce and stomps away. Richards sheds his elbow pad and kicks Stamboli in the head. Richards calls for a suplex and hits it before covering for 1...2...nope. Richards takes over with knee drops and a chinlock. Stamboli stands straight up and drops Richards backwards to a nice pop before he ducks the line. Stamboli catches Richards mid-air and powerslams him but can't capitalize. Lita rationalizes that Richards took too much out of Johnny. Johnny and Richards trade punches and Stamboli rallies with clotheslines. Stamboli hits a back elbow smash and a stinger splash. He goes for a second attempt but eats boot. Richards charges but walks into a tilt-a-whirl slam. Stamboli covers for 1...2...nope. Stamboli goes for his finisher but instead does a gorilla press powerslam. Stamboli jumps from the ring to the top rope but misses the leg drop off the top. Steven hits the Stevie Kick and covers for 1..2....3 to win the match. Damn good match for 5 minute crash style even if the commentary took too long getting into it. Steven screams "I showed you! I showed you!" Richards wins although its a wonder why Stamboli isn't getting a push, his athleticism was on full display there. Maybe someday.

Time of match: 5:27

Winner: Richards by pinfall

Another Raw recap of Triple H's godawful shenanigans I don't want to mention again. All you need to know is Katie Vick....ugh. We also see Big Show getting traded to Smackdown, which turned out to be a great thing. Let's get to the main event.

Match 4

Jacqueline vs Molly Holly

Its kind of funny how Smackdown had the best men's roster but Raw had the best women's wrestling. At least this match will be serviceable. Jackie gets a nice pop from the crowd as Molly looks mad. Coach speculates what Eric Bischoff's Elimination Chamber will be like as Molly starts with an armringer. They trade arm-ringers and Jacqueline cradles her up for a two count. Coach talks about Spike and Bubba Ray Dudley getting a tag title shot on Raw as Jackie caters to the crowd. Molly gets in a headlock and a shoulderblock before eating a hiptoss & arm drag. Molly bails to the outside and claims her arm is broken. Charles Robinson throws up the X sign as other officials get to ringside to help her. Molly then breaks free and rams Jackie's head into the steel steps showing she was playing possum. Molly hits a rollover suplex for 1..2...nope. Molly rakes the eyes as Coach babbles on and on about Shawn Michaels and Triple H as Molly locks in a nerve hold. Jackie powers out of it and hits a crossbody for a deuce. Molly drops Jackie to quel the momentum and covers for a two count. Molly continues to get near falls then uses the ref's 5 count to rake the eyes repeatedly. Molly chokes Jackie on the second rope and sends her into the corner, but a charge eats elbow. Jackie rallies with clotheslines and a dropkick before delivering a back elbow smash. Jackie covers for a two count and kicks away at Molly. Jackie goes for a tornado DDT but Molly blocks it. Jackie goes for ten punches in the corner but Molly powerbombs her and puts her feet on the ropes for 1...2....3 to win the match. Lot of cheating by Molly in this one but at least it was a good match between two veterans. Molly taunts the crowd up the rant as we go off-air. 

Time of match: 4:43

Winner: Molly by pinfall

Typical C-show but at least it got something done by showcasing guys who haven't had a WWE run yet like Mark Jindrak and Johnny Stamboli. Jackie vs Molly was pretty good as well even if the commentators just yapped about that week's Raw....which is par for the course with all these C shows. Too bad for the Cassidy O'Reilly botch otherwise he might have been featured in higher profile matches. Anyway tomorrow night is Raw, I'll see you there.

WWE at Toledo Sports Arena (10/27/02)

Toledo Sports Arena

Toledo, Ohio

October 27, 2002

It was a busy Sunday for WWE. The stars of Smackdown were still on their European tour while the stars of Raw were on their mid-west swing. Also later tonight would be Sunday Night Heat. But let's get to the Raw roster's Toledo card first. If you've been following the past few house shows, the exact same card had been used during this run only with different finishes. It would be no different tonight as the same matches are presented. Mark Jindrak and Johnny Stamboli against Justin Credible and Steven Richards. Tommy Dreamer vs Rico, Redd Dogg vs Batista, Lance Storm and William Regal against Spike Dudley and The Hurricane, Chris Jericho and Christian defending the tag straps against Jeff Hardy and Bubba Ray Dudley, Jacqueline and Trish Stratus against Molly Holly and Victoria, D-Lo Brown vs Raven, Rob Van Dam vs Test and Kane vs World Heavyweight Champion Triple H. Let's get to the show.

Match 1

Mark Jindrak and Johnny Stamboli vs Justin Credible and Steven Richards

ECW vs WCW as we got Jindrak and Johnny against Justin and Steven. Both teams split the last two house shows but Richards and Credible get the duke on this night.

Winners: Credible and Richards

Match 2

Redd Dogg vs Batista

As mentioned in previous writeups, Batista was Deacon Bautista in a repackaging that was for the better. Redd Dogg was a good hand in Ohio Valley Wrestling after working for ECW at the end of their run. Batista took it with what would eventually be called the Batista Bomb, look for Redd Dogg to be renamed somewhere down the line.

Winner: Batista by pinfall

Match 3

Tommy Dreamer vs Rico

These two split the last two house shows and in the rubber match.....Rico takes it with a spinkick. So much for Dreamer.

Winner: Rico by pinfall

Match 4

William Regal and Lance Storm vs Spike Dudley and The Hurricane

Kind of an odd pairing in Spike and Hurricane as they take on the remnants of The Unamericans. Basically after The Unamericans split, Regal and Storm still teamed together while Christian won the tag belts with unofficial member Chris Jericho while Test turned babyface on his own. Dudley got the victory with an Acid Drop on Lance Storm

Winners: Spike and Hurricane by pinfall

Match 5

Raven vs D-Lo Brown

As mentioned in the previous writeups, D-Lo was about to get a repackaging so he was getting a few wins on the house shows while Raven was wrestling out the remainder of his contract. Naturally D-Lo got the win here with Sky High.

Winner: D-Lo by pinfall

Match 6

Jacqueline and WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus vs Molly Holly and Victoria

These four had been feuding on the house show circuit and it looked like Victoria would get the next crack at Trish on television with Molly still milling around. Apparently it was a double pin on both Molly and Victoria.

Winners: Trish and Jackie by pinfall

Match 7

Bubba Ray Dudley and Jeff Hardy vs Christian and Chris Jericho for the World Tag Team Championship

Once again the makeshift team of Bubba and Jeff team up to face the tag champs. Once again Jericho wins it for his team, pinning Jeff with the lionsault.

Winners: Jericho & Christian by pinfall (still World Tag Team Champions)

Match 8

Test vs Rob Van Dam

Test was in the middle of a face turn being paired with Stacy Keibler while Van Dam was cooling off after his World Heavyweight title chase. Still, Van Dam won it with the 5 Star Frog Splash.

Winner: Van Dam by pinfall

Match 9

Kane vs Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship

The good news was the Katie Vick garbage doesn't really carry over to house shows but the bad news was these two were still going at it at least until Survivor Series. As with the other shows, the finish was Kane going berserk with a chair and taking out the roster as Triple H made his getaway.

Winner: Triple H by disqualification (still World Heavyweight Champion)

Another house show that was exactly the same as the previous few. In the days of limited internet and no smart phones, the guys worked the same match every night because chances are those who were there in Wichita the night before wasn't going to be in Toledo the following night....unless you're Vlad The Superfan. Still, this was the fallout of No Mercy and last week's Raw, maybe Monday will bring new storylines for the crew to work with on the house show circuit. Still, Vince was insane for having two crews work every single night for so long. As mentioned in the intro, on this night the Smackdown crew was in Sheffield, England while Sunday Night Heat featuring Raw guys would be shown on American television. I'll see you in Sheffield.

WWE at Kansas Coliseum (10/26/02)

Kansas Coliseum

Wichita, Kansas

October 26, 2002

It was a busy day for WWE. While the stars of Smackdown were in London for the Rebellion pay-per-view, the stars of Raw were in Wichita for a house show. It was pretty much the same card as yesterday's show in Topeka with a few alterations. Instead of Trish vs Molly one on one, NOW its a tag match with Trish and Jacqueline facing Molly and Victoria. Apart from that, its the exact same card from Topeka. May as well get right to it.

Match 1

Mark Jindrak and Johnny Stamboli vs Steven Richards and Justin Credible

The exact same match to open the show in Topeka opens the show in Wichita. Only this time, Jindrak and Stamboli get the victory. Both these guys would be in WWE....eventually.

Winners: Stamboli and Jindrak by pinfall

Match 2

Redd Dogg vs Batista

Just like yesterday, the repackaged Batista takes on Redd Dogg from OVW. Just like yesterday, Batista takes it with the sit out powerbomb.

Winner: Batista by pinfall

Match 3

Rico vs Tommy Dreamer

Yesterday Rico defeated Tommy Dreamer with a roll-up. Today Dreamer wipes out Rico with the Death Valley Driver. Least they're switching it up today.

Winner: Dreamer by pinfall

Match 4

Jeff Hardy and Bubba Ray Dudley vs Christian and Chris Jericho for the World Tag Team Championship

A rematch from yesterday's show with the makeshift team of Jeff and Bubba against the tag champs. Jericho clocked Jeff with one of the tag belts then hit the lionsault for the three count.

Winners: Christian and Chris Jericho by pinfall (still World Tag Team Champions)

Match 5

Rob Van Dam vs Test 

Stacy Keibler was the special guest referee for this one. Even though she was being groomed as the manager for Test, Rob Van Dam took the match with a five star frog splash.

Winner: Rob Van Dam by pinfall

Match 6

Raven vs D-Lo Brown

As mentioned yesterday, D-Lo was about to be brought back on television for a push so he needed some wins to let the crowd know he was still there. He got the win here.

Winner: D-Lo Brown

Match 7

WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus and Jacqueline vs Molly Holly and Victoria

Yesterday Trish faced Molly one on one with the others in their corners, now its a straight tag match. Molly and Victoria got the win when Molly rolled up Jackie and hooked the tights.

Winners: Molly Holly and Victoria by pinfall 

Match 8

Lance Storm and William Regal vs Spike Dudley and The Hurricane

Same match from yesterday only with a slightly different result. Spike pinned Storm with a crucifix to win the match.

Winners: Spike and Hurricane by pinfall

Match 9

Kane vs Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship

Same match from yesterday with the same ending. Kane went absolutely nuts with a chair to get himself disqualified. Then he started fighting off the guys on the card until Batista pulled Triple H out of the ring. At least that's more entertaining than what was going on during Raw.

Winner: Triple H by disqualification (still World Heavyweight Champion)

Almost the exact same show as yesterday only with slightly different results. As mentioned earlier, Smackdown was far and away the better roster but without the god awful storylines on Raw, at least the house shows probably were better to sit through. Kane vs Triple H was coming to an end but the Katie Vick angle pretty much ruined it. Still, things were about to get a little better because an old star was coming back to active duty. As mentioned earlier, later on that night was the UK ppv Rebellion but first, we got Velocity. I'll see you there.

WWE at Landon Arena (10/25/02)

Landon Arena

Topeka, Kansas

October 25, 2002

The superstars of Raw invaded Topeka, Kansas for a Friday night house show. After the God awful Raws the past two weeks, fans could breathe easier knowing the tasteless skits wouldn't be on house shows....right? Anyway we got some ex-WCW guys in Johnny Stamboli and Mark Jindrak take on ECW alumnists Justin Credible and Steven Richards. Deacon Bautista has been rebranded simply Batista and he takes on Redd Dogg, another OVW guy looking for a break. ECW aluminst Tommy Dreamer takes on Rico of 3 Minute Warning and more WCW alumni Lance Storm and William Regal take on ECW star Spike Dudley and WCW guy The Hurricane. Test takes on Rob Van Dam, D-Lo Brown goes one on one with Raven and the tri-main event has the titles on the line. Women's champion Trish Stratus takes on Molly Holly with Jacqueline in Trish's corner and Victoria in Molly's corner. The tag straps are on the line with Chris Jericho and Christian taking on the makeshift team of Jeff Hardy and Bubba Ray Dudley. Finally, World Heavyweight Champion Triple H defends the title against Kane in the main event. Let's get to it.

Match 1

Mark Jindrak and Johnny Stamboli vs Justin Credible and Steven Richards

WWE wanted to take a look at Jindrak and Stamboli, the ex-WCW guys and they put them against the ECW guys in Credible and Richards. Probably due to seniority, Credible and Richards won the match.

Winners: Credible and Richards by pinfall

Match 2

Redd Dogg vs Batista

OVW alumni Batista takes on another OVW guy in Redd Dogg. Batista was transitioning from Deacon Bautista to simply, Batista. They had BIG plans for Batista and he beats Redd Dogg here.

Winner: Batista

Match 3

Tommy Dreamer vs Rico

This entire house show is basically OVW, ECW and WCW guys as Rico takes on Dreamer here. Shockingly, Rico got the duke.

Winner: Rico

Match 4

Lance Storm and William Regal vs Spike Dudley and The Hurricane

And once again we got ECW and WCW guys with the remnants of The Unamericans taking on the motley crew of Spike and Hurricane. Apparently the babyfaces were victorious after Spike hit the Acid Drop on Storm.

Winners: Dudley and Hurricane by pinfall

Match 5

Raven vs D-Lo Brown

Believe it or not, D-Lo was about to be brought back on mainstream TV for a push and he needed a few wins on the house show circuit to be taken seriously again. Raven was wrestling out his contract and Brown got the victory.

Winner: D-Lo Brown

Match 6

Molly Holly (with Victoria) vs Trish Stratus (with Jacqueline) for the WWE Women's Championship

Molly gets the title shot but has the insane Victoria in her corner, but Trish has backup of her own in the form of Jacqueline. Trish won the match....hooray!

Winner: Stratus (still WWE Women's champion)

Match 7

Jeff Hardy and Bubba Ray Dudley vs Christian and Chris Jericho for the World Tag Team Championships

We got 1/3 of TLC with Hardy, Bubba and Christian so this must have been an interesting matchup. Jericho pinned Jeff with the lionsault to retain the titles.

Winners: Christian and Jericho by pinfall (still World Tag Team Champions)

Match 8

Test vs Rob Van Dam

If it wasn't for Brock Lesnar, this would have been the King of The Ring Finals. Kind of a random match but RVD takes it with the 5 Star Frog Splash.

Winner: Van Dam by pinfall

Match 9

Kane vs Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship

Raw on Monday raked the eyes of all the fans that watched it with the god awful Katie Vick garbage and it continued with Kane getting another title shot in Topeka. Apparently this match was full of mayhem. Kane went nuts with a steel chair on Triple H, the refs and some of the boys before HHH made his getaway. Why couldn't they just do that on Raw instead of the god awful storyline? Ah well, HHH retains.

Winner: Triple H by disqualification (still World Heavyweight Champion)

House shows were known for featuring guys that weren't on television as either a sub or for a tryout. Guys like Redd Dogg, Jindrak and Stamboli hadn't been on TV yet while they were grooming D-Lo and Batista for future roles. Like I said, most of the time the terrible storylines on television didn't carry over to house shows and watching Kane take a steel chair to a bunch of hapless referees would have been far more entertaining than what HHH did on Monday. Still, if you can get past the crap, matches featuring Chris Jericho, Christian, Lance Storm and Rob Van Dam at least on paper look good. Unfortunately this show has been lost to time, too bad there weren't smart phones back then. Now this show was Raw's midwest outing, the soliders on Smackdown had a show on this night in Belfast, Ireland as apart of their European tour. Once again Vince McMahon splitting up the rosters allowed him to promote two shows a night.....and people wonder why so many people died young or got burnt out. I'll see you in Belfast for the Smackdown show.

WWE at Four States Arena (10/19/02)

Four States Arena

Texarkana, Arkansas

October 19, 2002

Of all the places Vince McMahon could book the night before a pay-per-view, he goes to a county fairgrounds in rural Arkansas? I know the ppv would be in Little Rock, but still. Anyway the stars of Raw made their way to Texarkana with the same card they had been running for a week now. Let's get to the action.

Match 1

Redd Dogg vs Al Snow

Once again we're in Redd Dogg's trial run before making his Raw or Smackdown debut. Al Snow gets the duke here, gotta pay your dues Dogg.

Winner: Snow

Match 2

Johnny Stamboli, Mark Jindrak and Charlie Haas vs Justin Credible, Rosey and Jamal

Stamboli, Jindrak and Haas were on their trial runs just like Redd Dogg earlier and they face 3 Minute Warning and Credible here. Credible and the Samoans get the win.

Winners: Rosey, Jamal and Credible

Match 3

Steven Richards vs Batista

Batista was on his way to Raw on television but for now he was piling up wins on the house shows. Steven was his victim here. 

Winner: Batista

Match 4

The Hurricane and Spike Dudley vs William Regal and Lance Storm.

No Kane tonight for Hurricane so he tags with Spike instead against the remnants of the Un-American. Hurricane and Spike win.

Winners: Spike & Hurricane

Match 5

Test vs Kane

Speaking of Kane, here he is in singles action against Test. Kane wins it. Needed that one going into No Mercy.

Winner: Kane

Match 6

Raven vs D-Lo Brown.

The Sunday Night Heat mainstays do battle once again in the middle of Arkansas. D-Lo wins it.

Winner: D-Lo Brown

Match 7

Molly Holly and Victoria vs Trish Stratus and Jacqueline

The same women's tag match that had been going on through the circuit comes to us again. Trish and Jackie win it.

Winners: Trish and Jacqueline

Match 8

Booker T and Goldust vs Christian and Chris Jericho for the World Tag Team Championship

This was going to be part of the No Mercy card so may as well warm up on a house show. Christian and Jericho win.

Winners: Christian and Jericho (Still World Tag Team Champions)

Match 9

"Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs Rob Van Dam

This match would also be on the No Mercy card tomorrow night. This is the main event here since HHH didn't want to work apparently. Van Dam wins it.

Winner: Rob Van Dam

The same card that had been going on the past few weeks remained the same here. Although the concluding storylines at No Mercy should give us fresh cards next week. We only have one hurdle to get through before we get to No Mercy and that is this week's Velocity. I'll see you there.

WWE Sunday Night Heat (10/13/02)

WWE Sunday Night Heat

Thomas & Mack Center

Las Vegas, Nevada

October 13, 2002

Commentators: Jonathan Coachman and Lita

Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel

So far this week's Raw, Smackdown and Velocity all sucked....can Heat be the saving grace? It doesn't look likely since Raw Roulette flopped like a dead deer. Tonight we only got two matches for Heat, Justin Credible vs Mark Jindrak and Johnny Stamboli vs Lance Storm. Apparently Raven is going to unveil his masterpiece as well. It won't be Chris Masters, he comes later. We go right to our first match.

Match 1

Mark Jindrak vs Justin Credible

Lita says this is Mark's debut on Heat as Credible makes his entrance. Lita brings up Mark Jindrak's WCW tag title run with Sean O'Haire (did Vince let her say that?) as they lock up. Coach literally does the worst segue of all time to talk about Raw Roulette as instructed by whoever is in his ear as Mark backs Justin in the corner. The crowd chants ECW as Credible bails to the outside for some heat. Credible gets a knee to the ribs and some strikes but Mark doesn't fall for the up and over. Mark hiptosses Credible and gets in some armdrags. Coach babbles on about Booker T/Big Show/Chris Jericho. Credible pounds on Jindrak's back but walks into a tilt a whirl slam. Mark covers for 1...2..nope. Credible crotches Jindrak on the top tope and Mark falls into the tree of woe. Credible taunts the crowd as Coach now babbles on about the TLC match. Credible slaps Mark but Mark rallies with left hands only to eat another boot to the ribs. Credible gets in a chinlock but Mark powers out of it. Jindrak gets superkicked in the face and Justin covers for a two count. Coach goes to plug Tough Enough 3 but Credible baseball slides nut first into the ringpost. Lita mocks the Tough Enough 3 contestants...one of them was John Morrison who would eventually be a long time WWE star and the other talented one, Matt Cappotelli would have been a star if he didn't contract what would eventually be terminal brain cancer. Mark rallies with a left hand and a scoop slam before executing a dropkick. Jindrak faceplants Credible and covers for a deuce as former ECW alumni Lita says "He's not just the coolest, he's not just the best..." She remembers. A charge by Jindrak eats boot but his springboard attempt connects and covers for 1..2....nope. Jindrak catches the superkick and hits an inverted atomic drop. Jindrak follows with a neckbreaker and covers for 1....2....3 to win the match. They were pushing Jindrak as a classic babyface but, as Randy Orton and John Cena were about to find out, classic babyfaces doesn't work in 2002. Decent match between the two.

Time of match: 4:31

Winner: Jindrak by pinfall

Coach hypes up the main event with Lance Storm taking on Johnny Stamboli before saying we got Raw Roulette highlights after break. Back from commercial we get a Tough Enough 3 plug then a vignette for Deacon....er just Batista now, coming to Raw. Then of all the things to highlight, they go through the entire Stacy Keibler/Trish Stratus segment backstage and the match. Then we cut to Victoria's interview from Raw saying she's going to hurt Trish like Trish hurt others. Before we go to break, another reminder for Stamboli/Storm coming up.

Our JVC Kaboom of the Week is the drag match between William Regal and Goldust where Regal waffles him with brass knuckles. Our next recap is for Triple H and Ric Flair at the Wheel picking a blindfold match. HHH cheats to beat D-Lo Brown to win that match. Before we go to break again we get a montage of Kane vs Triple H for No Mercy.

Back from break our Rewind of the Week is Raven defeating D-Lo Brown on Heat last week. Coach is in the ring with Raven for a chat. Coach asks about what Raven's masterpiece is. Instead, Raven whines that he's languished for two years in WWE and he's been treated like an outcast. He goes on to say he's resisted temptation to lash out and quit WWE (remember this) but didn't because he has a statement to make. He will reveal that statement in the next couple of weeks as the crowd chants "You suck!". He says the crowd has the chastity of a three dollar tramp and they look down at him for being different. Raven says he's not depraved, its the people. Raven calls off the interview and leaves. Lita mocks him by saying we've learned nothing from this interview. Yeah really, talk about a waste of time. You could have had a 3 minute match with Raven grabbing a mic after and saying those words. Lita then says the Saliva music video for "Always" will debut next week on Heat on the No Mercy pre-show.

Back from break we get a plug for the Divas Undressed magazine (porn for kids) and the recap of the HHH vs Kane feud so far. Yeah, Katie Vick is underway....great.  We do get to see highlights of the TLC match which was still good. Finally we got our main event after this last break. On to the match.

Match 2

Lance Storm vs Johnny Stamboli

Its funny how this was pre-recorded before Lance Storm's Canadian babyface run on the house shows but he actually comes out to his pre-Unamericans titantron. He still makes his entrance yapping at the fans as a heel. Bell's gone and Storm takes over with right hands and knees in the corner. Lance whips Johnny into the other clothesline and hits a another one. The crowd chants USA as Storm takes Stamboli over and drops a leg. He gets a two count but Stamboli blocks a suplex. He hits one of his own but misses an elbow drop. Lance hits an axehandle to the back as Coach and Lita babble on about Kane being a murderer and asking who Katie Vick is. Oh we're going to find out the hard way as the weeks go on. Lance sends Stamboli off the ropes and Lance drops him with an elbow smash. Lance covers for a two count and gets in a neck vice. Stamboli powers out of it and hits an overhead suplex. Stamboli hits a heel kick and a backdrop, followed by a stinger splash. He faceplants Storm and covers for a deuce as Coach plugs Tough Enough 3 again. Stamboli hits a tilt-a-whirl slam and covers for a deuce but Lance hits a jawbreaker. Coach babbles on and on about Eric Bischoff as Storm hits the fireman's carry roll and covers for 1..2....nope. Storm goes for a half crab but Stamboli cradles him up for a deuce. Stamboli goes for an overhead press slam but Storm rolls out of it. Stamboli charges in the corner but Storm counters with the superkick. He covers for 1...2....3 to win the match. Storm outwits his WCW alumni to win this one. Storm celebrates after the match and that was okay for what it was. 

Time of match: 4:09

Winner: Storm by pinfall

Surprisingly this Heat wasn't that bad. The matches were okay although this episode was CLEARLY Raw Roulette recap focus heavy. The TLC match was good for what it was worse. The Raven interview was a waste of time but oh well. Raw and Smackdown this week both were lackluster and now we're deep into the outhouse of the Katie Vick storyline. Tomorrow night Raw is coming from Montreal but Smackdown has a house show in London, Ontario. I'll see you there.

WWE at HSBC Arena (10/13/02)

HSBC Arena

Buffalo, New York

October 13, 2002

The stars of Raw continued their trek through upstate New York with a house show in Buffalo. Its funny how No Mercy was just seven days away but the only official match signed was Kane vs Triple H. Ric Flair vs Rob Van Dam looked like it would be on the card but hasn't made official yet. Kurt Angle, Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo were still on loan from Smackdown with Chris Jericho, Lance Storm and Christian in Canada for the Smackdown shows. Let's get started.

Match 1

Rico vs The Hurricane

Same match from yesterday with the exact same result. Hurricane pins Rico after a crossbody.

Winner: Hurricane by pinfall

Match 2

Justin Credible vs Deacon Bautista

Credible was wrestling out his contract while Bautista was about to be brought to Raw. The writing is on the wall for this one. Batista wins it with a spinebuster.

Winner: Bautista by pinfall

Match 3

Mark Jindrak, Charlie Haas and D-Lo Brown vs Raven, Steven Richards and Red Dogg

Charlie Haas and Red Dogg were getting their tryout run while Jindrak was already being featured on C shows. D-Lo pinned Raven with the sky high.

Winners: Jindrak, Haas and D-Lo by pinfall

Match 4

Booker T vs The Big Show

Not only was Booker being jobbed out on Raw for no good reason, he didn't fare any better on the houses either. Big Show wins it with the chokeslam.

Winner: Big Show by pinfall.

Match 5

Kurt Angle (With Stephanie McMahon) vs Kane for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

So not only was Kurt brought in for the New York house run but Stephanie came with him for this.  Kane wins it with the chokeslam.

Winner: Kane by pinfall (still IC champion)

Match 6

William Regal vs Jeff Hardy

Standard match until the end. Apparently Test did a run in and Hardy won with the Swanton Bomb. With The Unamericans breaking up, it was unclear who Test attacked.

Winner: Hardy by pinfall

Match 7

3 Minute Warning (Rosey and Jamal) with Rico vs Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo

Gunn and Palumbo had been winning these house show matches and this one was no different. Billy and Chuck win this one as well.

Winners: Billy and Chuck

Match 8

Rob Van Dam vs Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship

The rematch from Unforgiven main evented this house show in Buffalo. HHH hit Van Dam with a chair and then the pedigree to win the match.

Winner: HHH by pinfall (still WHC)

Too bad about Billy Gunn, although his injury would indirectly lead to Chuck getting a push in a few months with other people. As for the rest of the card, standard house show stuff. Kane was being built for HHH and HHH looked unstoppable as the WHC. We got seven days until No Mercy with no matches official other than HHH vs Kane. Hopefully tomorrow night on Raw will shed some light on what's coming up. While this show in Buffalo was going on, Smackdown was holding their own house show in Calgary, Alberta, home of the Hart Dungeon. I'll see you there.

WWE at Blue Cross Arena (10/12/02)

Blue Cross Arena

Rochester, New York

October 12, 2002

The stars of Raw were in Utica last night for a house show and today they're in Rochester to continue the tour. The Katie Vick stank is hanging over Raw like a dark cloud but the house shows aren't storyline related. We do have a special guest though, Kurt Angle of all people will be in the main event against Kane. Smackdown had their own show that night with Christian and Lance Storm on the card due to it being in Canada so my guess is Kurt was sent to Raw to fill out the card. Let's get to it.

Match 1

Rico vs The Hurricane

STAND BACK! The tag team champion is coming through. Hurricane had spent the last few weeks as a hilarious sidekick to Kane and here he faces the manager of 3 Minute Warning. Hurricane wins it with the chokeslam.

Winner: Hurricane by pinfall

Match 2

Raven, Justin Credible and Red Dogg vs D-Lo Brown, Deacon Bautista and Mark Jindrak

Here's an interesting hodge podge with some bit of trivia. Dogg and Jindrak were doing their trial runs while Bautista was about to jump to Raw. The sad part is, Mark Jindrak was originally going to be given a push that later went to Bautista. I'll let you guess what that means. Bautista pinned Credible after a spinebuster.

Winners: Brown, Bautista and Jindrak by pinfall

Match 3

Jeff Hardy vs William Regal

Lance Storm is in Edmonton tonight leaving Regal by himself. Then again, Matt Hardy was in Edmonton too so Jeff has a technical beef too. Regal wins by using the brass knuckles.

Winner: Regal by pinfall

Match 4

3 Minute Warning (Rosey and Jamal) with Rico vs Billy and Chuck

Why are Billy and Chuck here? Chris Jericho, Lance Storm and Christian are in Edmonton tonight. May as well continue the feud. Billy wins it with the fameasser.

Winners: Billy and Chuck by pinfall

Match 5

"Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs Rob Van Dam

Last night's main event is the fifth match on the card tonight. Rob Van Dam wins it with the five star frog splash.

Winner: RVD by pinfall

Match 6

Charlie Haas vs Steven Richards

Kind of weird to have what should be a dark match on TV to be this close to the main event but Charlie is in the middle of his trial run on the house shows. Richards gets the duke with the Stevie Kick.

Winner: Richards by pinfall

Match 7

Goldust vs The Big Show

You know the drill, Big Show has 10 minutes to beat Goldust or else he'll kiss his ass. Big Show wins with 30 seconds left.

Time of match: 9:30

Winner: Big Show by pinfall

Match 8

Test vs Booker T

Why isn't Test in Edmonton? He's Canadian too. Talk about drawing the short end of the stick. Worse, Booker wins it with a scissors kick.

Winner: Booker by pinfall

Match 9

Kurt Angle vs Kane for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Yes you read that right, Kurt Angle makes the jump from Smackdown to face Kane for the IC strap. They had to replace Jericho, Christian and Storm so Kurt, Billy and Chuck did it. Kane wins it with the chokeslam.

Winner: Kane by pinfall (Still IC Champ)

Kind of a weird card with matches out of order but with some of the guys in Edmonton, they had to make due. Kurt making a rare Raw appearance was good even if it was just a house show. Still, imagine the surprise of the fans expecting to see Raw guys and Kurt Angle shows up. As grueling as the house show schedule was, it was stuff like that which added excitement to the cards. As mentioned a bunch of times already, the stars of Smackdown were in Edmonton for a Saturday night house show. I'll see you there.

WWE at Utica Memorial Auditorium (10/11/02)

Utica Memorial Auditorium

Utica, New York

October 11, 2002

The stars of Raw descended upon the Utica Memorial Auditorium for a Friday night house show after the god awful Raw Roulette. We finally have some new matches after having the same card for about a week and a half. Let's get to our card.

Match 1

Red Dogg and Justin Credible vs Charlie Haas and Deacon Bautista

Lot going on here as Haas and Red Dogg were getting their trial runs before being used on TV while Bautista was on his way to Raw. Bautista wins it for his team with a spinebuster on Dogg.

Winners: Haas and Bautista by pinfall

Match 2

Steven Richards vs Mark Jindrak

Jindrak had been used on C shows but still was looking for his Raw or Smackdown debut. He defeats Richards with a crossbody.

Winner: Jindrak by pinfall

Match 3

Raven vs D-Lo Brown

This match had already been seen on Heat and most likely other house shows. D-Lo Brown takes it with sky high.

Winner: D-Lo by pinfall

Match 4

3 Minute Warning (Rosey and Jamal) with Rico vs Billy & Chuck

Unlike the others, this match had been on the circuit with almost the same result every time. Gunn pins Jamal with the fameasser.

Winners: Billy and Chuck by pinfall

Match 5

Goldust vs The Big Show

If Big Show doesn't win within 10 minutes, he has to kiss Goldust's ass. Naturally Big Show wins with the chokeslam 9 minutes in.

Winner: Big Show by pinfall

Match 6

William Regal vs Booker T

After the Unamericans broke up, William Regal and Lance Storm stayed together as a team. Naturally their TV opponents are most likely Booker T and Goldust. Regal did have one hilarious sequence with Booker T during World War 3 1996 where Booker T poked him in the eyes and called him a sucka. Book wins it with the scissors kick here.

Winner: Booker T by pinfall

Match 7

Test vs Kane for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

The battle of the big boys as Test goes for the gold. Unfortunately for him, Kane wins with a tombstone. Guess stars weren't allowed to use the tombstone on TV but houses were fair game.

Winner: Kane by pinfall (still IC champ)

Match 8

"Nature Boy" Ric Flair vs Rob Van Dam

The main event stems from the main event of Unforgiven where Flair cost RVD the World Heavyweight Championship. Van Dam wins with the 5 star frog splash.

Winner: RVD by pinfall

Kind of an interesting card with some dark match quality matches and Smackdown guys Billy and Chuck working with 3 Minute Warning. Usually these kind of show matches were previews of TV matches so most likely some of these matches will be on Raw eventually in one form of another. The only good news about these cards is worthless TV storylines like Katie Vick don't apply. Still, that stigma is still hanging over Raw like a dark cloud as we head closer to No Mercy. Tomorrow is Saturday which means a double shot for house shows and Velocity. Raw is heading to Rochester, New York so I'll see you there.