And WWE is really, really good at them.  Like this one.

This is a video looking at a variety of show introductions from over the years. There’s a little bit of everything in here, including random stuff like Jakked and Tuesday Night Titans. If nothing else, this shows you just how good WWE was/is at putting these things together, because they know how important it is to start the shows hot. Oh and WWE knows some awesome theme songs to set to a show.

Sunday Night Heat
Date: October 1, 2000
Location: Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz

This was another request for reasons I don’t remember. It’s the first episode of Sunday Night Heat that aired on MTV, which would be its home for the next two and a half years. Things are good in the WWF at the moment and would get even better in the coming weeks. We’re three weeks away from No Mercy so the main feuds are Rock vs. Angle and HHH vs. Benoit. Let’s get to it.

We open in WWF New York with two MTV airheads hosting. Thankfully the recently returned Steve Austin cuts them off and send the crowd through the roof.

Cole and Tazz are the real hosts.

William Regal vs. Crash

Regal easily takes him down for a series of two counts before putting on a cross arm chinlock. A backslide and small package get two each for Crash and a missile dropkick gets the same. Regal comes back with the fireman’s carry roll and the Regal Stretch gets the quick submission.

Regal won’t let go until Naked Mideon (don’t ask) comes in for a distraction to break it up.

Disturbed performs their big hit Stupify, as suggested by Steve Austin.

The MTV hosts annoy me some more.

Jonathan Coachman hosts WWF Live, which is a studio segment. We get a quick promo from Kurt Angle about how he can’t forgive Stephanie for what she did at Unforgiven but he’s going to think about himself from now on.

Light Heavyweight Title: Dean Malenko vs. Taka Michinoku

Dean is defending and is the Ladies Man at this point. They fight over a wristlock to start and hit the mat for a fast technical sequence with Taka knocking Dean out to the floor. Tazz: “Why did Steve Austin cross the road? So he wouldn’t get hit by another car. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Back in and Taka hits a low dropkick and a middle rope cross body gets two. Dean comes back with a release flapjack but the Cloverleaf is countered into a rollup for two. Not that it matters as a floatover suplex retains the title. Taka is holding his shoulder so I’m guessing a legit injury due to how fast that ended.

Road Dogg doesn’t think Chyna has her head on straight but after tonight, Eddie Guerrero isn’t going to have the Intercontinental Title on after tonight. That’s not how the promo went but it sounds better than Road Dogg speaking bad Spanish.

Austin wants Disturbed to perform again.

Intercontinental Title: Road Dogg vs. Eddie Guerrero

Eddie is defending but his girlfriend Chyna (also Road Dogg’s friend) is in Washington D.C. for an autograph signing. Dogg jumps him to start and the brawl starts on the floor. Back in and a suplex gets two on Guerrero before Dogg stomps away in the corner. Now Dogg stomps away in the other corner but Eddie pokes him in the eye and stomps away as well. The slingshot hilo gets two for the champion as this is already dull. Dogg hits the Shake Rattle and Roll but gets dropkicked in the knee. Eddie rolls through a powerslam and ties his feet in the ropes to retain the title. Another short match.

Steven Richards thinks MTV has corrupted the youth of America and hates that Heat now airs here. He complains while plugging a lot of other MTV shows.

The MTV hosts think Richards is a virgin and start a Chyna chant.

Austin introduces Disturbed to perform his theme song.

Right to Censor vs. Dudley Boys

Tables match and it’s Buchanan and Goodfather for the guys in suits. Bubba and Goodfather get things going with the latter taking over, only to miss the spinning legdrop. D-Von comes in and hits a middle rope legdrop as the announcers talk about Tazz and Mick Foley. Buchanan comes in off the tag and nails a shoulder block to take over. The fans chant for tables and Bubba goes into his trance.

D-Von clotheslines Buchanan down and goes for a cover, causing Cole to go on a rant about how stupid he is. Everything breaks down and it’s What’s Up to both of them. Tables are brought in but Goodfather and Bubba make quick saves for their partners. Goodfather is sent to the floor and the 3D puts Bull through the table.

Rating: D. Well that happened. Seriously that’s almost all there is to say. Nothing of note happened, the match was nothing interesting, and it doesn’t end the feud at all. This is a perfect way to cap off a show this boring as the main event is even more dull than most of the rest of the show.

Val Venis and Steven Richards come in and put the Dudleys through tables.

Austin doesn’t have much to say to Cole and Tazz but he beats up the latter to end the show.

Overall Rating: D-. This was horrible with the matches meaning nothing, the musical stuff being fast forward material and the rest of the show just being boring. Those MTV hosts shouting seem so tacked on and the whole thing is just a mess. To be fair Raw and Smackdown are the main shows, but having Austin do the most pointless cameo ever was a waste of time. Awful, awful show.

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Sunday Night Heat
Date: August 8, 1999
Location: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 13,793
Commentators: Michael Cole, Kevin Kelly

Somehow I’ve never touched on Sunday Night Heat. Introduced in 1998, it was the original second show until Smackdown debuted (a few weeks after this episode), after which it dropped like a stone in importance. This is actually a live episode for no apparent reason We’re two weeks from Summerslam 1999 and Austin is champion. The question is who will he be facing. Somehow we wound up with about four #1 contenders matches in a month so it’s hard to say who he’s facing at this point. Let’s get to it.

The opening sequence sounds like metal being hammered. The main color being orange didn’t do the show much good either.

Intercontinental Title: Val Venis vs. D’Lo Brown

Brown is defending and is European Champion as well. Venis makes sex jokes about tax cuts. Here’s Jeff Jarrett, the man Brown beat for the Intercontinental Title, comes out before the match, allowing Venis to get in a cheap shot. Brown takes over with ease and drops a leg for two as Jarrett blames Debra for costing him the title. Venis comes back with a spinebuster for two of his own as the fans aren’t sure who to cheer for. A Russian legsweep puts D’Lo down but Jeff runs in for the DQ.

Venis and Brown clear the ring.

Here’s Al Snow with his dog Pepper for a chat. Snow wants to know why Kevin Kelly doesn’t believe Pepper talks to him like Timmy and Lassie, Dorothy and Toto, George Jetson and Astro or Shaggy and Scooby. However, tonight he’s here to challenge Boss Man to a Hardcore Title match at Summerslam. Boss Man says ok and threatens to rape the dog with his nightstick and deep fry him into a real corndog. Or maybe he’ll just step on Pepper’s head. DANG this guy has some deep seeded issues.

Tori vs. Les Lexie Fyfe

Tori was good looking but one of the worst workers all time so we get to see her in a squash. You might know Fyfe from Shimmer or various other female promotions. The match is of course sloppy junk until Tori spears Lexie down and wins with a powerslam.

Ivory, Tori’s opponent at Summerslam, runs in and attacks Tori, writing SL** on her stomach.

Tag Titles: Acolytes vs. Kane/Road Dogg

This is Ministry vs. others with the Acolytes defending. The Acolytes hit the ring before Kane is here and the beating is on. Dogg is taken apart but here’s Kane for the opening bell. Kane cleans house to start but the numbers catch up to him. Bradshaw gets taken down by a side slam but Kane goes after Faarooq instead of following up. There’s the top rope clothesline to take out Bradshaw and here’s Hardcore Holly of all people.

He gets on the apron in Kane’s corner and tags himself in which apparently counts….and turns on Kane (was he ever on Kane’s team?)…..before turning on the Acolytes and fighting everyone. The Acolytes lay out Holly and we cut to Big Show being held back by Undertaker for some reason. Did I mention this was when Russo was feeling stressed out and about to leave?

Meat (Shawn Stasiak) says Terri is wearing him out.

Godfather vs. Prince Albert

Albert is Tensai. No match as a fat guy in white (Vic Grimes I believe) comes in to help Droz and Albert attack Godfather but Val Venis and Chaz (Mosh of the Headbangers in a boring gimmick) make the save. No match.

Al Snow gives Pepper training in being a hardcore dog but he can’t get him to dive through a table. Snow goes to get something but leaves Pepper there. That’s just dumb man.

Smackdown is coming.

COUNTDOWN TO THE MILLENNIUM! 26 hours to go.

Meat is too tired for his match but goes out anyway.

Snow has Pepper back and introduces him to Blue Meanie, who wants to put the dog on his taco. Al hands the dog off to a woman and destroys Meanie.

Meat vs. Big Boss Man

Boss Man is Hardcore Champion but this is non-title. Terri accidentally distracts Meat to start and Boss Man takes over. Boss Man hits the running crotch attack to Meat’s back and follows up with the sliding uppercut. We hit a quick reverse chinlock before Meat avoids a charge in the corner. Not that it matters as his hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb to give Boss Man the pin.

Rating: D. Do I really need to explain this? Meat is the kind of one note character that is there to make Russo and Vince chuckle and little more. The match was junk other than the good powerbomb to end it, but it’s a squash match with the jobber being the subject of the match. Nothing to see here.

Rock comes out for commentary on the main event.

Billy Gunn vs. Undertaker

Billy jumps Taker to start but gets launched into the corner and stomped down. Rock is feasting on Cole and Kelly as Taker gets two off a big boot. Gunn comes back with a dropkick and a neckbreaker before choking away. Rock guarantees to beat Billy at Summerslam and demands Cole say something and “stop kayfabing like an idiot.” Taker comes back with a running DDT but Rock gets up and pounds on Billy. Taker’s partner Big Show goes after Rock but it’s a tombstone to end Billy.

Rating: D+. The match was just an excuse to have Rock out there doing his schtick. Billy was in the middle of a good push at this point but at the end of the day he was just Billy Gunn and that wasn’t enough. Rock would get back to the big times soon after this and never looked back.

Rock is chokeslammed to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. It’s easy to see when Russo is around and when he isn’t. This show was a mess with all kinds of odd characters and non wrestling, but a few months later everything was great and the WWF destroyed everything in sight. It’s amazing what happens when you let the great wrestlers put on great wrestling shows. This however, isn’t one of those shows.

Here’s Summerslam if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/08/04/summerslam-count-up-1999-an-out-of-body-experience/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of Complete 2001 Monday Night Raw Reviews at Amazon for just $5 at:

And check out my Amazon author page with wrestling books as low as $4 at: