Sunday Night Heat was first broadcast in August of 1998 with WWE looking to capitalize on the incredible success of the Attitude Era. In its early days, it was the company's secondary program and would feature top stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and The Undertaker.
SmackDown would arrive less than a year after the debut of Heat and soon it would become an afterthought. As a result, the top stars would no longer feature on the show and instead it became a show for those who were struggling to get time on the company's primary programming.
10 The only WWE bout between Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn
One of the most celebrated wrestlers of his generation, Jerry Lynn would never quite make it in the WWE. He joined the WWE in 2001 when the company bought out ECW but never got a fair shot in the company although he would win the Light Heavyweight Championship in his debut.
He was released by the company less than a year later but would have one highlight under his belt when he faced Rob Van Dam for the Hardcore Championship on Heat. The two had had a legendary rivalry in ECW and WWE could have done so much with them if they wanted. Instead, this would be the only time the two would face each other in the company.
9 E&C vs The Dudleys vs APA
Before they would go on to revolutionize tag team wrestling along with The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian and The Dudleys competed with APA in a triple threat tag team match on an episode of Sunday Night Heat. This was a period when the tag team division was stacked in the WWE and that is clear from the fact that none of these teams held the titles here.
In fact, this was only three months after The Dudleys' debut in the WWE and at this point, they were struggling to find their feet after coming over from ECW. This match would become the launching pad for far greater things to come for two of the three teams involved.
8 Gangrel turns on Edge & Christian
Before they would go on to revolutionize tag team wrestling and then both become World Champions, Edge and Christian were the part of The Brood along with Gangrel, who was their leader. They were most famous for being a part of The Undertaker's Ministry but would leave the group when The Deadman wanted Christian punished.
In late 1999, they were part of a feud with The Hardy Boyz when Gangrel would turn on them to associate with their rivals on an episode of Sunday Night Heat. This would allow Edge & Christian to come into their own as a tag team and the duo would go to create wrestling history.
7 The Rock vs Mankind vs Big Bossman vs Ken Shamrock
Just the star power involved in this match shows how big of a deal Sunday Night Heat was during its initial run before SmackDown became a thing. The Rock and Mankind were two of the biggest stars in the entire business and The Rock was the WWE Champion. The Big Boss Man was the Hardcore Champion at that point in time while he and Ken Shamrock were the Tag Team champions as well.
The match would also feature a memorable beat down of Mankind when Mr. McMahon used the 'Corporate Socko' on Mankind and DX made the save by attacking The Corporation.
6 Triple H becomes The Game
Before he was one of the most dominant champions in the history of the wrestling business, Triple H was struggling to become a main event player in the WWE with the likes of Steve Austin and The Rock dominating at the top. Yes, he had had a great run as part of DX but he was never the top star.
This was the starting point of his rise to the top as he would proclaim himself to be The Game for the first time in an interview with Jim Ross on Heat. It was an incredible worked shoot promo as Triple H claimed how he had been held back by the company and it was not too long before he would win his first WWE Championship.
5 Lita's Debut
Over a decade before there was the women's revolution in the WWE, the company would be forced to give significant television time to its ladies as a result of their incredible talent and charisma. Lita was one of the women who was at the forefront of this early revolution and would forge out a Hall of Fame career.
Lita made her debut on Heat as she was the valet of Essa Rios and would mimic the moves that he would do. The two debuted together and Rios defeated Gillberg for the Light Heavyweight Championship on the show. Lita was the one who caught the attention of the viewers though as it was pretty clear that there was something special about her.
4 The Debut Of Trish Stratus
It's hard to mention Lita without mentioning Trish Stratus, as the two would change how WWE looked at women's wrestling. They were arch-rivals and both would end up in the Hall of Fame for their contributions to the business.
Before she was tearing down the house in singles matches though, Stratus made her name as a valet. She made her debut on Sunday Night Heat, scouting Test and Albert and the two would go on to form a tag team together with Stratus as their manager. Of course, there were bigger things in Stratus' future.
3 A Rare CM Punk Sighting
One of the biggest stars that WWE has produced in recent years, CM Punk would manage to overcome all the odds to become a top star in the company. Despite not being the type of guy usually associated with being the face of the company, at one point in time Punk's popularity even overtook that of John Cena. Ultimately he would walk out of the WWE, having become frustrated with them.
While most people believe that he debuted on ECW, CM Punk's WWE television debut came a year earlier when he teamed up with Chad Russell Simpson in a losing effort against Maven and Simon Dean in the humble surroundings of Sunday Night Heat.
2 The debut of Kurt Angle
When Kurt Angle entered the WWE there were high expectations already as a result of him winning the Olympic Gold medal in 1996. He would take to professional wrestling like a duck to water and was a main event player in less than a year.
WWE had held negotiations with Angle as early as 1996 but they broke down after he refused to lose any matches. Ultimately he would join the company and made his debut on an episode of Sunday Night Heat in 1999 when Tiger Ali Singh offered him money to blow his nose on the American flag. Angle would attack Tiger Ali instead and a superstar was born.
1 Halftime Heat
This was an incredible idea and perhaps the greatest segment in Sunday Night Heat history which produced a 6.6 rating. WWE booked an Empty Arena Match between The Rock and Mankind for the WWE Championship that was scheduled to take place during halftime of the 1999 Super Bowl.
The Rock and Mankind were two of the biggest stars in wrestling and in the midst of an epic rivalry. As a result, the show didn't have any problem pulling in viewers and it was a stroke on the genius on the part of Vince McMahon.