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InterContinental Champion Shelton Benjamin (Orangeburg, SC, 248 pounds) vs Heat GM And Fellow 6th Place Finisher Steven Richards (Philadelphia, PA, 230 pounds) in an unfairly non-title match - your announcers are Coach and JR. Yes, really. The Todd was MIA on Experience and is being filled in for here, no exact reason given. Jim Ross looks looks THRILLED to be on Sunday Night Heat; he sells our Christian/Tomko vs Rhyno/Tajiri match as huge. Is this his first non-PPV appearance? And do we have no wrestlers to trust enough to sit in that chair? They let Jacqueline do this one week, it can't be that hard. Stevie's slipping - he didn't make this a title match! He makes "I want the belt" motions, but that doesn't fix it. JR starts of the lead topic for discussion with: "who's the champion - Chris Benoit or Edge?" Circle. Lockup. Shelton with a headlock, into a waistlock, takedown, into a front facelock, back into a waistlock, into an armbar. Coach points out it was Shelton (and a few other people) who eliminated Steven on Monday. Coach: "I think there are going to be certainly issues within the issues", right. Shelton stomps the left shoulder. Steven brought up to his feet, but Shelton uses the room to twist the armbar some more. Jim Ross LIES about watching Sunday Night Heat every week right here. Crank. Elbow to the shoulder. Twist. Steven forearms out. Off the ropes, into an armdrag, into an armdrag. Armbar, knee to the shoulder, knee to shoulder. Coach makes a big point about how Shelton looks good without having to work out a lot; maybe this is not the weak for that particular argument. JR compares him to Adrian Pederson (OK COUNT: 1!) which leads to a Heisman discussion. Standing armbar. Steven backs Shelton into the corner in hopes of getting a break and maybe even a move in here, but Shelton rolls through the armdrag and holds onto the armbar. Two minutes in, all Shelton. Top wristlock. Legdrop on the arm. Steven retreats to the ropes, and gets a knee lift. Whip, head down too soon, and Steven gets in a kick. Flapjack onto the top rope! Steven opts to follow up with a choke, eh. Making liberal use of the five count with multiple chokes. Your ref is Earl Hebner. Choke on the middle rope. Steven showing his versatility in choke holds. Off the ropes, dropkick to the back, one two no. Coach agility segues from Steven Richards to Jericho Is Raw. Forearm to Shelton's back. Knee to Shelton's chest. AAAAAAAAAAH Suplex/reverse neckbreaker works - either JR's lack of Sunday Night Heat watching was exposed by his call of the move, or he thinks it's as overly cooperative as I do. Steven poses while I try to phrase correctly. Kneedrop and a knee choke. Shelton tries to fight back. Doesn't work. Snap mare. Neck vice. C'mon, do the Rat Trap so we can see if JR really watches this show. Shelton tries to rally, but Steven stops him with a forearm to the neck. Shelton tries to punch his way up and that works. Coach: "Have you ever been as confused as you were going off the air last Monday night?" JR: "Not sober." Steven puts a stop to that with kicks. Shelton fights back with punches, and it goes on again till Shelton gets in kicks. Kicking and punching and chopping. Big right hand knocks Steven down. Clothesline, zero count. Big shoulderblock, zero count. Shelton with a whip, clothesline. One kickout.  Shelton with a slam, and heads up the ropes on the inside. JR talks about Shelton idolizing Sting, actually saying the name and all. Coach: "You can see a lot of Sting in Shelton, as far as in-ring style is concerned." Shelton top rope clothesline connects just barely, but very brutally. Shelton waiting for Steven go get up, realize he's not doing it soon, and picks him up. Whip, reversed, Steven puts his head down too soon, Shelton just gets over on a sorta-leapfrog, Steven off the ropes, into the T-Bone. One two three. (6:41) Whoa, really? I'd bet Steamboat was the agent for that one, though I don't think I can succinctly explain why I think that - "it wasn't your usual Heat match" is close.

Tonight: Tajiri and Rhyno vs Christian and Tyson Tomko
Tonight: Viscera vs Val Venis

WWE Slam of the Week, sponsored by Subway: Lita kicks Trish in the nose, kills her with a DDT last Monday

Viscera (487 pounds) vs Val Venis (Las Nevada, NV, 240 pounds) - they've been working on Viscera's music. No one knows why. Your ref is Jack Doan. Justin Jason Roberts is your ring announcer, though I don't think they're going to show him this week either. JR: "Viscera is wearing more black than the last Johnny Cash." It helps that Viscera is like, really fat. JR make believes he watches Viscera matches on Heat. As a Sunday Night Heel, you can't really go more than three weeks without facing Val Venis. JR calls Val "underrated", which I guess means most people think he's crap (but they're wrong!) Val Venis is a lot things. Radically right wing. On Sunday Night Heat every week. Bald. But he's NOT CHRIS JERICHO. Match revolves around Viscera being fat. He knows his role. Match turns on Val being stupid. He knows his role. Viscera's is this week's heel who's getting revenge for Coach. Crowd entertains itself with an oh-so-witty Mabel chant. Viscera, having either lost or won a bet, does the Val Venis hip swivel. Coach and JR are all a twitter over high level WWE officials meetings about the World Heavyweight Championship; JR doesn't even know. I hope they someday explain why this decision is not Jericho's or Orton's. Maybe that was a line in the memo I accidentally omitted? All controversial title decisions are up to Vince or Linda or the Board of Directors or whatever fictional device we're using that month. When Viscera gives Val Venis a suplex, JR talks about how it used to be taboo for big men to voluntarily leave their feet. Val gets his foot on the ropes on the belly-to-belly-to-belly-to-belly suplex cover. Viscera misses on a follow up corner charge, Val gets an inside cradle, and we're done here. (4:08) Well, I guess we know who the low man is. Also, the fat man. Val is too busy grabbing his back to give out his towel.

Triple H in Blade 3. (1:10)

WWE Rewind, sponsored by Wrangler Jeans Co: Eugene eliminates Maven, Maven tries to get a piece of Eugene backstage. 

La Resistance vs Eugene/Regal (2:08)
Best of Hassan vignettes. (1:46)

Gene Snitsky (Nesquehoning, PA, 300 pounds) vs Danny Morrison (Wildwood, NJ, 212 pounds, already in the ring) - Danny's not wearing the Danny Doring tights this time. DORING IS NOT JERICHO. SNITSKY IS NOT GOOD. This is his Heat debut. Let's list the moves: blockbuster suplex, elbow drop, choke on the mat, kneelift, backdrop, turnbuckle smashes, choke on the ropes, big boot, pumphandle powerslam. Danny got in nothing. (3:46) Do you think Test sits at home, yelling "I COULD'VE DONE THAT" at his TV? 

Next: Who Won?

WrestleMania Recall: Chris Benoit beats Triple H (and Shawn Michaels) for the World Heavyweight Title, last year.

Recap of Orton announcing the match for the title, Vince making it not for the title (Steven Richards mention cut out, his reaction left in), battle royal highlights, triple threat match highlights - was it just me, or did seem like Orton was supposed to RKO Triple H and it got screwed up? - and the finish. I don't see how Benoit's shoulders were done, but I don't think it matters. (2:15)
RAW: An answer? JR guarantees - that no one will know at the start of RAW.
Next: Tajiri and Rhyno vs Christian and Tyson Tomko

RAW Live
Monday - Charlotte, NC
Friday - Columbus, GA
Saturday- Macon, GA
Sunday - Chattanooga, TN
Next Monday - Huntsville, AL

Christian & Tyson Tomko (509 pounds) vs Rhyno & Tajiri (481 pounds) - JR: "I'm out of the loop on hip. I've got to get back to being hip." Coach: "That's why you're here with me." JR: "I'm glad to be here tonight, um, Sunday Night Heat. Where the hell IS Grisham anyway?" Out solving a case, no doubt. Coach says Grisham asked for a couple weeks before the holidays. JR notes Tajiri eliminated Rhyno, but Coach thinks Rhyno doesn't know Tajiri eliminated him, tonight. Expect angle on Monday? Christian and Tajiri start, circle, and lockup. Christian with an armbar, Tajiri reverses into a hammerlock. JR talks about Tajiri's econ degree. Christian with a headlock, off the ropes, shoulderblock. Christian off the ropes as Tajiri kips up, Tajiri hiptoss blocked, but the cruiserweight escape into a 'rana works. Tag to Rhyno, who immediately clotheslines down his old friend. Clothesline. Rhyno rushes Christian into the corner. Stomping Jericho into the corner. Corner whip, Christian rebounds out into a backdrop. Rhyno sets up for the Gore, Christian does the slow stand and turn, but dives out of the ring in time. Your referee is Mike Choida, and he's counting Christian out. Christian ducks in the ring just long enough to tag Tomko. Lockup with Rhyno, Tomko with a headlock, cinching it in. Rhyno trying to rally out, no luck. Rhyno shoves Tomko away, and Tomko comes back with a shoulderblock. Pose as the crowd boos. Rhyno slow up, and Tomko talking trash all the way. Rhyno gets the fans clapping, off the ropes, shoulderblock, and Tomko stays up. Tomko's really proud of himself for staying up. Rhyno says words we're not allowed to hear. Rhyno off the ropes, ducking a clothesline, and knocking Tomko down with a shoulderblock. Rhyno punches, corner whips Tomko, and shoulder tackles him in the corner. Christian tries to help out, and gets pressed by Rhyno. Rhyno drops Christian over the top rope, but turns right into Tomko's big boot. Tomko goes for mounted punches instead of covering. Tajiri comes into argue fists, and gets held back. Choke by Tomko, and then finally a cover, one tow no. Tag to Christian, hold for a Christian kick to the midsection. Stomp down by Christian. Boot choke. Rhyno tries to fight up, and Christian punches him now. Reverse neckbreaker. One two NO. Choke. Tag to Tomko. Christian holds up Rhyno for a kick. JR references Al Bundy. Coach talks about how well he and JR are getting along; not quite. Rhyno fights up, but gets stopped by a knee. Tomko whip is reversed into a Rhyno spinebuster. Both crawling for a tag - tag to Christen, tag to Tajiri. Wheel kick for Christian, dropkick for Tomko, kick for Christian, kick for Christian, whip, reversed, Tajiri back with a handspring elbow, one two no. JR: "Shades of the Great Muta" - wow, deep. Tajiri with a slam, Christian slips out, Tajiri pushed into the corner, Christian charges into a back elbow. Seated Tornado DDT is shoved off, adn Christian clotheslines him. Christian waves Tomko up to the apron, whip, Tajiri takes out Tomko with a handspring kick, and nails Christian with a reverse thrust kick, one two th-NO. Tajiri can't believe it. Christian sneaks in a punch and a corner whip. Christian takes his time to recover before charging, and that costs him - Tarantula! Tajiri lets the hold go at the four count, then sidesteps a Tomko boot. Tomko doesn't avoid the Gore, and Rhyno rolls both of them off. Christian off the top rope, but right into a Tajiri side kick. Buzzsaw Kick - is ducked! Unprettier! One two three. (6:52)     

RAW: Who's the champ? Lita vs Trish (c) and the biggest party in WWE history. That' sit.