Heat Wave Review

Carlito Caribbean Cool Vs Booker T ( * ¾ )
Carlito has become quite an entertaining character in the couple of months since his debut and he’s now made it onto PPV. This wasn’t a great match but it did what it set out to do. It gave Carlito’s career a boost and gave him a decent win over a credible performer. One day he may look back on this match as the start of something very exciting indeed.
Xavier Vs Shawn Michaels ( * * * ½ )
So semi-final time in the Double Trouble tournament, a handy way of boosting star power on PPV after last months ITD debacle, and it actually threw up a couple of intriguing battles. This was super smooth stuff and the crowd really got into it and the performers responded with some wonderful back and forth exchanges. The end segment of the match may well have been the highlight of the night as the two exchanged some high-impact moves before HBK caught Xav in a roll-up for the 1-2-3.
Chris Kanyon Vs Triple H ( * * * ¼ )
The second match was an intriguing one too, again pitting former World Champions against each other. There is a certain chemistry between these two in the ring and it was evidenced here again. There was no wasted motion in this match whatsoever and it really did look like it could go either way, but in the end HHH wrapped it up with a pedigree for the 1-2-3.
Acid Vs Matt Morgan ( Sq ) – Acid’s latest character, as the Cruiserweight determined to punch above his weight, has been quite funny over the past month or so. He’s sneaked past the likes of Rancour, Bill DeMott and, good god, Kamala, but seemed strangely reluctant on the Impact prior to the PPV to take on the returning Matt Morgan. Still he had no choice but to face him here and he got what was coming to him. That is a bloody and brutal squash beating, albeit one where Acid actually came out with some momentum as he quite simply refused to be beaten and sustained quite a few of Morgan’s brutal high impact moves before finally succumbing to the pinfall.
Jay Reso Vs Matt Hardy (No Holds Barred, * * * * )
These two have really cranked it up over the past month and it seemed like the only sensible thing to do was to let them hang it all out in a No Holds Barred match. There was of course lashings of brutality but this match was about much more than that. It was two wrestlers who were so evenly matched that they had to go to the depths of hell to pull out something to get the win. And in the end it was Hardy who had that little bit extras as he hit a stunning leg-drop from the top turnbuckle into the crowd where Reso was lain out. He dragged him back in the ring and got the 1-2-3 that reunited him with his European title. Afterwards the crowd showed their appreciation for both men.
Rick Shaw Vs “Heart-Throb” Gregory Helms ( * * )
These two couldn’t follow what preceded them and whilst this was nevertheless a tidy match, it was one that blatantly screamed CARD FILLER. Shaw took the win following the “Shaw-Thing”.
Rob Van Dam Vs Edge ( * * )
See, RVD IS still alive and is still under contract to the IWF. And when all other options are exhausted for these two guys, just pit them against each other in a match nobody cares about. Look, it was perfectly acceptable, but totally forgettable. For the record, RVD won, which is better than losing.
Triple H Vs Shawn Michaels ( * * * ¾ )
Time for the Double Trouble final now, and a match with a long history behind it in terms of the two participants which certainly heightened the excitement and what a great match it was too. The two really turned it on and it was only the screw job finish that dragged the mark down slightly…but WHAT a screw-job finish it was. After two long months away, Dean Roberts made his return to the IWF and for some reason, soon to be revealed on Warfare no doubt, targeted Michaels whilst the ref and HHH were down and hit him with a Scholarship onto a Steel Chair. The pin was a formality for HHH (who was seemingly unaware of Dean’s interference) and he won the Double Trouble tournament to become the number 1 contender to the Triple Crown and to secure himself a title shot at Xtreme Overload…but who would he face?
Kurt Angle Vs Randy Orton ( * * * ¼ )
Well, Randy certainly has come up in the world, and here he was, challenging for the world title in the main event of a PPV. Some were even saying he could win it!!! Which of course he didn’t. But he did put up a valiant effort and certainly showed he could swim with the sharks at this level. Angle finished him off with the Angle Slam, but certainly seemed to appreciate just what a hard fought battle it had been.
Now this was more like it. For the most part this was a hotly anticipated show with more than it’s share of good matches. Some nice surprises and some career advancement for some of the players was good news too. Hopefully this signals an IWF back on track.

Heat Wave 2005 Card

HEAT WAVE
SUNDAY 19th JUNE 2005

UNIFIED WORLD TRIPLE CROWN;
Kurt Angle Vs Randy Orton

DOUBLE TROUBLE TOURNAMENT TO DECIDE NUMBER ONE CONTENDER TO TRIPLE CROWN TITLE;
Xavier Vs Shawn Michaels
Chris Kanyon Vs Triple H

Winners of the match to meet in the final! ON THE SAME NIGHT!

EUROPEAN TITLE: No Holds Barred Match
Jay Reso Vs Matt Hardy

WORLD CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE:
Rick Shaw Vs “Heart-Throb” Gregory Helms

Rob Van Dam Vs Edge

Carlito Caribbean Cool Vs Booker T
Acid Vs Matt Morgan