The videos play to start things up, and before you wonder, yes the Heat video package still has no wrestling clips in it whatsoever. It is still insanely idiotic. Oh, well; I guess I’m going to have to get over it for another week as we got some actual matches tonight!
Carlito Vs. Taylor Phoenix
This was just a fun little match and probably the best non-Flair match Carlito has had in a long time. Seriously, it’s nice to finally see Carlito wrestling and wrestling well that is! As you would guess, Phoenix was in trouble for about ninety percent of the time and Carlito was doing well in control. Even more, the crowd loved him for it. Seriously, Carlito was over like sliced bread across the pond and it didn’t matter that he was beating up one of their own; he was Carlito! As far as Phoenix goes, from what little offense I saw from him, I enjoyed. He had some good agility mixed in with basic common sense (meaning not too much when not needed) so I’d like to see more from him. It’s a Heat match so you can’t really expect much else! In the end, Phoenix made a comeback and went for a dropkick, but Carlito countered with a dropkick of his own. He then lifted Phoenix up and did a modified swinging DDT for the win.
Winner: Carlito
Star Wrestler: Carlito
Carlito was in very rare form tonight even if only for a basic elongated squash. He was in control, playing to the crowd, mixing it up with some nice moves, and dictating the pace. Basically, he summed up why everyone marked for him so much when he debuted last year. Hopefully, Carlito will stick to this new philosophy and actually work and have good matches. What a novel concept!
An advertisement is then shown for Shawn Michael’s autobiography which should be a must-read, even though it’s already been said by around three reporters that HBK contradicts everything that has mostly been said about Montreal making it an even wilder story than before.
Snitsky & Tyson Tomko Vs. Brandon T & Chris Chaos
Before I start, I have to get something off my chest. First, I love how neither Coach nor Todd Grisham knew which jobber was which. Now, they never acknowledge this and played it cool, but for someone who has commentated on people’s matches while having no idea who is who, they did just that. You think a promotion like WWE could bother and tell the commentators who is who. Second off, I love how one of them (don’t know which as they never said) had the generic Indy wrestling tights. They are the ones with the big blue spot in the crotch and inner thigh. Now, how do I know this? Well, in NWA Virginia, there is a wrestler currently who is wearing them. He got them from another wrestler currently in NWA Virginia who got them off of a generic tight website. Finally, if you look at the first Ring Of Honor shows, you see the same tights appear twice on two different wrestlers. I love when I notice things like that. Even though it’s small as hell to notice, I still get a kick out of it. Anyway, this was the kind of squash matches that people like Tomko and Snitsky need to have. It’s like the squashes Monty Brown has been having only times ten in terms of stiffness. The shots to the head were bountiful and I loved Tomko driving his knee into one of the generic Indy guys. I hate to say it, but I think this tag team of Snitsky and Tomko might actually work! I know, I know; I must be smoking something, but it’s better than having them float up the mid-card once in a while (thus making me want to vomit) and also will yield some fun stiff squashes like this one. The only thing is that they desperately need to work on their finisher. I really have no idea what they are going for, but whatever it is, they aren’t doing it right. That’s much for sure. After they did that mess, they basically covered one of the jobbers and got the win, naturally.
Winners: Snitsky & Tyson Tomko
Star Wrestler: Tyson Tomko
Tomko is one of the guys who has really learned to use what he has and do what he knows how to do. He doesn’t try and do crap he has no business doing or talent doing, unlike other big men like Snitsky, Monty Brown, Kane (at times), et cetera. Tomko knows his limits and he is able to adapt within those limits very well, or at least he has this summer/autumn. Personally, the guy still needs a lot of work, but he’s improving, and that’s a good thing. It’s all on WWE’s fault though. Another year or two in OVW, and this guy would be raring to go; but WWE saw a big guy, shat their pants, and brought him up prematurely. Not Tomko’s fault at all, but it’s not like that’s stopped any critics including me. As best as I can see, the guy is improving now and I love his stiff kicks and those repeated knee thrusts to the head he did; if he keeps going down that road, he’s going to find much more success than just being a guy trying to do wrestling moves.
