Rob Van Dam : One of a Kind DVD Review

Rob Van Dam DVD Review


I figured that this was appropriate since RVD is making his return at this years Money in the Bank PPV.


So lets begin.



Disc 1 Matches :


Robbie V vs Scotty Flamingo
For some reason, Bill Watts, the promoter, didn't like the name Rob Van Dam, so instead he wanted Robbie V. I'll still refer to him as RVD. RVD looked very slim at the time, and he was still wearing the same kind of outfit that he does today, but something was off about it. No boots either. Scotty would later become known as ECW's Raven. Nice, short, athletic showing from both guys as RVD hits the split legged moonsault for the win. *



Rob Van Dam vs Axl Rotten
This was RVD's debut in ECW. Big moment for him. RVD was intimidated by the ECW crowd, but they welcomed him into the ECW family once they had seen what he could do in the ring. The match itself wasn't bad. It was mostly just for showcasing the athletic ability of RVD. Another split legged moonsault ends the match. **



RVD vs Sabu
From Hardcore Heaven in 96. These two guys have history, as they trained with Sabu's uncle, The Sheik, to become pro wrestlers. They taught each other different things that would solidify their in-ring styles. The ring ropes broke partway through the match, but that didn't stop the high flying. The match didn't seem to have much momentum though. Still a  pretty damn entertaining match with some nice high spots. Sabu hits the Arabian facebuster for the win. ***



Rob Van Dam & Sabu vs The Eliminators
Tag Titles are on the line here at Crossing the Line Again 1997. From enemies to a tag team. RVD and Sabu did make a cool looking tag team. I'm not sure if both teams were faces, but the crowd seemed to be cheering both teams. Probably for their athleticism. The double team moves by RVD and Sabu were awesome. Eliminators manage to win with a double team move of their own. Kick-ass match that had non-stop action from start to finish. Very entertaining. ***3/4




Rob Van Dam vs Lance Storm
From Barely Legal 1997. Mr Pay Per View's first PPV match. RVD wasn't even booked on the show, but he was a replacing an injured Chris Candido. RVD had to prove that he deserved to be booked on the big show. Both men looked great here, as they hit some nice-looking high-flying moves. RVD hits the standing moonsault for the win. Entertaining match that could have done with a little more time. ***




Rob Van Dam vs Jeff Hardy
This was from an episode of Raw in 1997. Jeff looks strange with tights. Looking at this match, you would never believe that both guys would go on to hold the WWE Championship one time each. Just a squash match for RVD here. Split legged moonsault gets him the win. 1/2*



Rob Van Dam vs Tommy Dreamer : Flag vs Flag Match
Two of ECW's biggest ever stars going at it here. I think this was meant to be an ECW vs WWE match. Obviously Dreamer was the fan favourite here. Turns out that there are no flags involved in the match, but the winner gets to parade his company's flag in the ring. The fans were really hostile towards RVD. This started a little slow, but picked up as it went along. This got a little confusing as the referees even started fighting each other. RVD wins the match. Lots of fun to be had here. ***



Rob Van Dam vs Bam Bam Bigelow
RVD going up against the highly underrated Bam Bam here. This match is mainly remembered for RVD's absolutely insane dives out into the audience. He probably would have killed himself had that went wrong. This little gem of a match never really stopped once it started going. Quite the star-making performance for RVD. RVD gets some aid from Sabu to beat Bam Bam. ***1/2



Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn
From Living Dangerously 1999. Jerry Lynn was probably RVD's best ever opponent. RVD calls this one of his best matches and for good reason. Their match from Hardcore Heaven can be found on the Rise and Fall DVD and is definitely worth checking out. There were some fantastic 'holy shit' reversal spots in this match. Just some brilliant counter wrestling here, and you never knew where the match was going to go. Five star frog splash hits to end this awesome match. ****1/4



Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn
From Guilty as Charged 2001. I think this may have been their last ECW match together. I have their Hardcore Heaven and Living Dangerously matches rated at over four stars. This one had a lot to live up to and it delivered. Another awesome counter after counter match between the two, capped off by a brutal looking terminator from RVD. Another classic from these two. ****1/4



Disc 2 Matches :




Jeff Hardy vs Rob Van Dam 
Hardcore Title is on the line. Four years after their squash match on Raw, these two were ready to prove that they had the skills to steal the show. I almost had a heart attack when Jeff fell off that huge ladder on the outside. That could have been a bad injury. Insanely fun match in which the action never seemed to stop. Great match from the two. RVD hits the frog splash for the win. ***3/4



Rob Van Dam vs Chris Jericho
This was a semi-final match in the 2002 King of the Ring. While this is a great match between the two, their best match was their Hardcore bout from Unforgiven 2001. Like I said, this was a great little match, although that should be expected from these two. Great stuff as RVD hits the frog splash for the win. ***1/2



Rob Van Dam vs Christian : Ladder
IC Title on the line. I've heard some great things about this match so I'm looking forward to it. Two of the best ladder match competitors here. The military press and then the moonsault on the ladder was awesome . Nice ladder spots in this one and the crowd loves it. Pretty damn stiff too. Van Dam wins it. Great match and it was amazing how they could keep these constant ladder matches so fresh and fun. ***3/4



Disc 2 Extras :


Rob Van Dam vs Balls Mahoney
Not sure of the story behind this match, as RVD doesn't discuss it like he does for the main matches of the DVD. Probably just to show off one of his many ECW TV Title matches. For a big guy, Mahoney worked very well with an athlete like RVD. This match is much better than I thought it'd be. RVD's senton into the audience was insane and looked amazing. Five star frog splash ends it. ***1/4



Rob Van Dam vs Sabu
Man these two went through a lot together in ECW. They've been both opponents and a tag team. Hopefully this is better than their earlier match on the DVD. I would say that this was a little better than the earlier match. Pretty fun match as Sabu wins with the triple jump moonsault. Entertaining spotfest here. ***1/4



Robbie V vs Pat Rose
This was RVD's WCW debut match and probably one of his first properly televised contests. Good debut for RVD, as he got to show off his athletic moves. Quite entertaining for a debut match too. RVD gets the win with the split-legged moonsault. *




7.5/10. Very good DVD set, but I think it would have been a lot better if it had some kind of documentary with it instead of the talking segments before each match. WWE might release another RVD set with his return anyway. Great selection of matches to make up for it though, with most of them being from ECW. There's not really any repeats here either unless you count the ladder match with Christian. And the two matches with Jerry Lynn are worth the price of the set alone. I don't know how hard this one will be to find as I don't think they make them anymore, but if you can find it, I would recommend buying it.