What’s All the Hubbub: Rob Van Dam: One of a Kind

Alright, so I figured I might as well get this out of the way while the joke is relevant. Rob Van Dam is one of the most beloved wrestlers of the last two decades. He epitomized Extreme Championship Wrestling and made a huge splash in WWE. Some people call him a talentless hack who “does spots and points at himself”. Others admire his unique offense and athletic style. Whatever your opinion on Mr. Pay-Per-View is, you can’t deny that he is ONE OF A KIND.

Okay, I decided I’m not going to do the “match quality, personal enjoyment” thing. Too much trouble. I’m going to give a flat rating, but know that these are subjective ratings. I don’t put too much value on them, but I know a lot of people use them as a guideline.

Star Rating System
***** = A True Classic
****1/2 = Amazing
**** = Great
***1/2 = Very Good
*** = Good
**1/2 = Average
** = Solid
*1/2 = Passable
* = Poor
1/2* = Bad
DUD = Terrible
Negative Stars = Insulting

We start with a great opening segment that shows highlights of RVD’s arsenal. Josh Matthews welcomes us to the in-depth look at Rob Van Dam. He says RVD is one of wrestling’s true success stories. We then go to an interview with the man himself.

RVD talks about Rod Slinker, who gave him his name, arranged for him to compete in WCW. Bill Watts didn’t want him to be Rob Van Dam, so he changed his name to Robbie V. He also talks about performing in All Japan Pro Wrestling. Hey, it got acknowledged! Robbie V was undefeated until Vinnie Vegas (Kevin Nash) defeated him. He says “it was a good experience, never regretted going, never regretted quitting either.”

Robbie V vs. Scotty Flamingo, WCW Worldwide, 2.8.93
“What about Raven?” It’s odd to see Raven in such generic tights. Robbie looks REALLY young here. This match is mostly an exhibition for both men, and Robbie makes the most of it, jumping to the top rope and hitting a springboard crossbody. Flamingo does a good job getting himself over as the heel before V finishes him with the split-legged moonsault.
Match Rating: *

RVD talks about how intimidating his first match in ECW was. He talks about how bloodthirsty the crowd was. He didn’t have any hardcore moves yet, so he was hoping his martial arts and athletic moves would get him over. That worked pretty well for him.

Rob Van Dam vs. Axl Rotten, Hardcore TV, 1.5.96
This is a debut match, so I’m not expecting to see a classic. RVD is interesting at this phase because his whole gimmick is “martial arts guy”. He has all of the athleticism, but none of the cockiness and showmanship that makes him truly entertaining. He hits a splash, but it has none of the style that it would get later. As for Axl, he gets a nice modified sideslam, but other than that, he’s just taunts and basic offense. Van Dam finishes with the split-legged moonsault. Not a bad debut, but not the best.
Match Rating: *1/2

RVD talks about training with the Sheik. He also talks about how he battled Sabu as he was learning the business. According to him, Sabu taught him to wrestle, and RVD taught him to fly. He puts over Sabu’s kamikaze style and says he was very instrumental in getting him his ECW job. Sabu was already nearing legend-status in ECW, so RVD’s performances against Sabu got him over. Definitely an accurate assessment from where I’m standing.

Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu, ECW Hardcore Heaven, 6.22.96
This match is notable because the ring broke an hour before it took place. They decided to have a match anyway, and the ring breaks early. Sabu does the smartest thing right off the bat by going after the legs, which Joey Styles says cuts off about “80% of his offense, maybe even 90%”. Not that it really matters, because once the rope breaks, they decide to hit a bunch of spots anyway. Sabu impresses me by hitting the Triple Jump Moonsault off of the broken rope. Van Dam one ups him by hitting a hilo off the top rope, with a chair. Sabu breaks his finger, but of course fights through it because he’s Sabu.

There’s an ugly spot where RVD monkey flips Sabu onto a chair, except that the legs of the chair are sticking up and Sabu almost gets impaled. Sabu was more imaginative than RVD at this point, and gives the better performance. His springboard DDT through a table to a floor makes an appearance, and that’s appreciated. RVD finally takes control after Sabu slips on the broken rope, and busts out the super fisherman’s buster. That’s a brutal move, and it’s probably a good thing RVD retired it. It was also good psychology, because it injured Sabu’s neck in their first match. Sabu reverses a second fisherman’s buster and hits his own. The Atomic Arabian Facebuster finishes it. After this we stay with the match way too long as they get checked on.

This match is really disjointed. At some points it looks they want to wrestle, sometimes they want to brawl, and sometimes they want to do spots. There’s not a lot of rhyme or reason to it, but its fun. I appreciated their “screw the ropes, we’ll fly anyway” mentality and the psychology behind the fisherman’s buster was nice. Other than that, the match just lacks a flow. Add a largely apathetic crowd (understandable because they had to wait an hour due to a ring malfunction), and the match is rather middling.
Match Rating: **3/4

RVD says that he never felt a closer bond with anybody than he did with Sabu. They were good opponents, but a much better tag team, in my opinion. They talk about their matches with the Dudleyz and the Gangstas, but mostly their matches with the Eliminators, Perry Saturn and John Kronus. Which leads too:

ECW Tag Team Championship: RVD & Sabu vs. Eliminators ©, ECW Crossing the Line, 2.1.97
I like both teams, so this should be entertaining at the least. Predictably, there is no complicated chain wrestling or amazing psychology. It’s just a bunch of spots. It’s very reminiscent of an X-Division match, but at half the speed. Anyway, if you are going to have a spotfest, these guys are great at that. They all have entertaining movesets. Sabu and RVD’s double teams are always cool to see, and they even do the Hardy Boyz’ Event Omega combination. It’s interesting to see Sabu tone down his offense to have a cleaner match as opposed to a brawl. It eventually devolves into that, but it’s more of the icing on the cake than the actual cake. RVD is becoming much more of the RVD we know and love, with less of the martial arts moves and more of the cockiness. Random thought: Saturn kind of looks like Mickey Rourke.

Kronus gets the move of the match by hitting a corkscrew senton off of the second rope, which is amazing for a guy his size. A table and a ladder get involved, and there’s a cool spot where RVD and Sabu hit a double legdrop with the ladder onto both guys. The Eliminators hit Total Elimination on the ladder to regain the advantage. A creative but contrived spot leads to Sabu kicking Saturn off the ladder. Sabu accidently hits the Triple Jump Moonsault on RVD, leading to Total Elimination and a win for the Champs. Very fun showcase of all four men’s talents.
Match Quality: ***1/4

RVD talks about ECW’s first Pay-Per-View, Barely Legal. RVD talks about how he was left off of the card, and how he considered going to WCW. Chris Candido (R.I.P.) got injured, and Paul Heyman put RVD on the card against Lance Storm. RVD turned heel by declaring he was too good for ECW, and the character we love was born.

Rob Van Dam vs. Lance Storm, ECW Barely Legal, 4.13.97
Interestingly, my disc is scratched and the match plays with no sound. Is this permanent, or just a one shot deal? I need to buy a new set. Anyway, Lance Storm is a great talent, and RVD is motivated because of his anger, so this ends up being quite good. It’s mostly just an athletic showcase, something that RVD excels in. He hits all of his big moves, including the Frog Splash, the Split-Legged Moonsault, and the Skateboard. Lance doesn’t get much but what he gets is good, such as an inverted powerslam and a springboard forearm smash. He does the roll through into a normal Boston Crab instead of the Mapleleaf, but eventually applies it anyway. Storm also hits a sit-out powerbomb on a chair and a nice German Suplex. Hey, my sound is back!

The match ends with Lance hitting two of the weakest chair shots in history, so RVD makes him pay for it by hitting the Van Daminator. He follows with a standing moonsault with a chair to finish. Lance was still relatively new, so that’s understandable, but he at least deserved more than that. The match was mostly a spotfest, but since it was an exhibition that’s acceptable.

After the match, RVD cuts his greatest promo. “I sold out to myself by putting on my boots and wrestling tonight, after obviously being chosen as a second line wrestler, to fill in for somebody injured. Rob Van Dam is no second line anything.” I’d compare this to the “Austin 3:16:” promo, in that it took a guy who was looked at as a piece of raw talent, and made him a huge superstar. So glad they included this. The match was quite good, but the promo was better. You’ll definitely want to check it out.
Match Rating: ***

Rob Van Dam swerved everybody by going to RAW instead of Nitro. Jerry Lawler gave him the moniker of Mr. Monday Night. RVD even beat Flash Funk, which was unheard of. He actually references going to Smackdown! and becoming Mr. Thursday Night. In an interesting note, they show a clip of a match against Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak that I’d bet $20 was in Wichita. It sure looks like the match I saw live. I get a kick out of that.

Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy, WWE Raw, 5.12.97
Jeff is a jobber at this point, and a little over a decade later he would be a world champion. RVD hits a few of his signature moves, included the double underhook facebuster, the tope con hilo, and the Frog Splash. He finishes with the Split-Legged Moonsault without a scratch. Fun squash.
Match Rating: 1/2*

Rob Van Dam talks about the Van Dam Lift. The pressure on the groin on that lift is scary. RVD claims that “I’m not the Showstopper, I’m the Fucking Show”. Nice name, but it was pretty accurate.

ECW vs. WWE Flag Match: Rob Van Dam w/Bill Alfonso vs. Tommy Dreamer w/Beulah McGillicutty, ECW November 2 Remember, 11.30.97
This is a great concept for a match. It’s no stupid flag on a pole match. It’s just a brawl where the winner gets to raise the flag of their “respective company”. We now enter the Fonzy part of this DVD, where it becomes difficult for me to watch. He’s always annoyed me. Van Dam gets a rather nasty cut beneath his eye. The match is mostly a series of spots such as Tommy’s tree of woe dropkick as well as a hangmen’s DDT off the top rope. Other than that, RVD almost completely dominates the match. Down the stretch, we get interference from Beulah, Fonzie, and even referees. Entertaining though that may be, it’s still quite ridiculous. Tommy hits a piledriver that RVD sells by proving he is a bouncy ball. Furnas and LaFon, as well as Stevie Richards interfere at the end. RVD hits a frog splash with a trash can, and Furnas, LaFon and Stevie count the three. Just an overbooked mess, and Joey Styles rightly calls it a “load of crap”.
Match Rating: 3/4*

RVD says that Bam Bam Bigelow is one of the best big man wrestlers in the business. I agree with that statement. He also talks about his huge dives in that match, and how he was scared because of the possibility of the rope rolling and making him crash into the guardrail. He was more over than he’d ever been at this point, and this was his biggest match so far. He would win the ECW Television Championship in this match, and held it for twenty-three months.

ECW Television Title Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Bam Bam Bigelow ©, Hardcore TV, 4.4.98
This match is my argument that RVD and his style are more versatile than most people give him credit for. Technically, it’s a spotfest with RVD hitting all of his big moves, but he’s not doing them to be cocky. He’s doing it to survive. Bigelow is a tank and RVD can’t match up with him physically, so he uses his speed and agility to throw himself at Bigelow with everything he has. It’s David and Goliath storytelling with RVD’s spots thrown in. I like it because it shows that there is more than one way to take a giant down. If you are a human missile, you can beat the human tank. In the end, Van Dam can’t beat the tank without a little help from Sabu, which makes Bam Bam look strong even in the loss.

Obviously, the most memorable part of this match is the part where RVD hits two big dives from the top rope into the crowd. The crossbody is impressive, but the plancha con hilo is just INSANE. It is rightfully on most of Van Dam’s highlight reels. Bam Bam turns in an impressive performance, hitting several high impact moves including a powerbomb on a table and an elbow drop through said table, but it really is the Van Dam show. If the Barely Legal promo is RVD’s “Austin 3:16” moment, then this match is Rob’s equivalent of the I Quit Match with Bret Hart. It put him over the top and made him THE top star in ECW. Besides its importance to Mr. Monday Night’s career, the match is excellent, and really makes me want to see RVD vs. Abyss or RVD vs. Samoa Joe.
Match Rating: ***3/4

RVD says that if he only had one match to showcase himself, it would be an RVD-Jerry Lynn match. He says that he was totally behind the moniker “New F’n Show”. These guys had a unique match style where they treated it as an athletic showcase. The matches start simple, with counters and wrestling, but escalate and escalate to the point where “anything short of nuclear explosions” was bound to happen. Much like RVD was the first guy to really push Sabu, Lynn is the first person who really pushed RVD. This feud would provide ECW with its best matches.

ECW Television Championship Match: Rob Van Dam © vs. Jerry Lynn, ECW Living Dangerously, 3.21.99
And here is the reason to buy this DVD set. This match has everything. Chain wrestling, brawling, high flying, impact moves, and counter sequences that put everyone else to shame. I also like the interesting face-heel dynamic. Lynn is a Bret Hart-like babyface, and RVD is a Shawn Michaels-like heel. Of course, because this is ECW, Van Dam is treated as a god by the fans and Lynn is booed. That said, they still have a ton of respect for Lynn. I’m really glad I’m not recapping this, because this match is just nonstop action with a ton of complicated counters and counters to counters to the last counter.

It goes to a twenty minute draw, and the referee offers to give Lynn the title. Lynn wants a clean win though and asks for five more minutes. He gets it and RVD beats Jerry with the five-star frog splash. This match didn’t have any amazing psychology. No body part was a focus and they don’t pace themselves. What it does have is the story of a competitive rivalry between two great athletes trying to outdo each other and win a title in the process. There are few matches that showcase two men as well as this one. Suffice to say it’s awesome, and you want ALL of this.
Match Rating: *****

Unfortunately, an injury to his ankle did what no athlete could do and cost him his television championship. He also talks about an incident where he and Sabu delivered simultaneous legdrops to Bam Bam through a table. For some reason, part of the table went UP, and rips his eyelid from the rest of his face. He almost lost his eye. They show this and sure isn’t pretty.

RVD also talks about the origin of the Van Daminator. It was a cool thing because RVD had come up with this move and hyped it up. Scott Anton would be the first subject, and the crowd was chanting “Terminator” before he hit the move. Needless to say, once he hit, the place exploded. For my money, he still does it better than anyone else.

Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn, ECW Guilty As Charged, 1.7.01
This must have been one of the last great matches in ECW history. I don’t know what the storyline at the time was, but Cyrus challenges anyone to face Rhino for the ECW Title. RVD answers to a huge pop, but Jerry Lynn sneak attacks him and we get a match. This one is unusual because the heel-face dynamic is switched. Lynn is a whiny heel and RVD is WORSHIPPED by the ECW audience. Unfortunately, this means that a large portion of the match is RVD pandering to the crowd. It’s great to see him connect with the audience, but it is a little excessive. Anyway, this match is an RVD-Lynn match, and they can have a good match in their sleep. However, RVD had a little ring rust at the time, Lynn was having an off night, and the dynamic just doesn’t work as well as when Lynn is a face and RVD is a cocky tweener.

My favorite part of the match is when a large bald guy gets a little overly touchy-feely with RVD and Lynn, and the crowd loudly chants “Hit the bald guy!” Anyway, much like the other Lynn-RVD match, I’m not going to bother talking about highlights, because the whole match is a series of highlights. It is notable for being the only match on this set with the Van Terminator, accomplished via a guest appearance by Joel Gertner. That of course finishes the match. I think only the Burning Hammer and the Tiger Driver ’89 have more of a success rate than RVD’s Van Terminator.
Match Rating: ****

That ends Disc I, so time for Disc II.

Now it’s time for the WWE years. He talks about how he went for the Hardcore Title immediately because it allowed him to be out of the boundaries of a typical match. He talks about how he is a bigger star, but also talks about how the travel schedule keeps him from wrestling the thirty minute ECW matches that he used to. He thinks that they retired the Hardcore title because nobody could keep up with him. I agree with that.

WWE Hardcore Championship Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy ©, Invasion, 7.22.01
For all of the things that went wrong in the Invasion, the early booking of Rob Van Dam was done right. His athletic style was very different from everyone else in the WWE, and it made him a huge star. This match is unusual for a hardcore match because they avoid all of the typical garbage spots and instead use their athleticism to get the match over. Jeff turns in one of his best singles performances in this match, getting himself over while still allowing RVD to steal the show. Eventually, a chair and a ladder get involved, but only to add to an already good match. They also give J.R. the opportunity to say “how do you learn to fall off a twenty foot ladder” and “how’s he even able to stand” that you hear on the “Don’t try this at home” videos.

Some of my favorite spots include a sunset flip powerbomb by Jeff and a Van Daminator that sends Jeff into a pit near the entrance way. Good use of the set. Back in the ring, Jeff spikes RVD twice, first with a DDT and then with a German Suplex. Van Dam gets the big win after Hardy misses a Swanton Bomb, allowing RVD to hit the Five-Star Frog Splash. Not a psychological match, but extremely exciting. I loved it.
Match Rating: ****

RVD talks about how his finisher is the most unoriginal move in his arsenal. His finisher used to be the Split-Legged Moonsault, but Rod Slinker told him he needed a more impacting finisher. RVD figured the most impact he could get was to jump as high as he can and splash his opponent. He does say that his Frog Splash is unique because he can hit it from anywhere in the ring.

King of the Ring Semi-Final Match: Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho, King of the Ring, 6.23.02
Oh yes! I love this match. Jericho was the closest thing to Jerry Lynn in WWE, and these two have great chemistry right off the bat. This match is a typical RVD match, by which I mean it’s an athletic showcase and a spotfest as opposed to a great psychological battle. These guys are always going for a win, because they want a quick victory to save their energy for the next match. Unfortunately for them, they are pretty much equal and end up having to bust out every move in their arsenals. Almost every signature spot of both men is in this match, but Jericho’s smart enough to pace the match so that it is more than a gymnastics contest.

Actually, this is very reminiscent of X-Division and ROH matches. Unfortunately, the crowd mostly sits on its collective hands, whereas an ECW, ROH or TNA crowd would be completely into it. It completely steals the show, albeit on a very lackluster pay-per-view. I have a few problems with the match, however. There’s an obvious spot where Jericho shifts his body so that the split-legged moonsault can hit cleanly, and the finish is poorly done. Other than that, I really have no complaints. Underrated match of the year candidate in a year that had a lot of great matches. Also notable for being the only match over twenty minutes without any hardcore spots.
Match Rating: ****1/2

RVD talks about how being in WWE is different in ECW, because he is no longer the lead player who is expected to steal the show. He talks about people asking “How come you are toned down?” I don’t understand that, because I think his workrate actually improved when he got to WWE. I suppose he stopped busting out all of his big hardcore moves, but that makes those spots more meaningful when he gets the chance to use them.

Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match: Rob Van Dam © vs. Christian, RAW, 9.29.03
These guys had a very competitive rivalry in 2003 that ended with this match. They are in Chicago, so the crowd is hotter than most WWE crowds. There are a lot of contrived spots with the ladder, where both men are obviously setting up the ladder for a spot as opposed to a more practical approach. However, these spots make sense in the context of their rivalry. First off, the rivalry is personal, and they want to hurt each other. Secondly, it’s competitive, and they want to prove that they are better than their opponent. The result is an exciting, brutal match that deserved the main event spot that they got. This is somewhat of a forgotten match, and Jim Grimm should cover in his column some time. RVD wins the match after hitting a Frog Splash off the top of the ladder. Good way to finish the main portion of the DVD.
Match Rating: ***1/2

Extras:

Before They Were Superstars: Remember when these overly long features played on WWE Confidential? The one thing I notice is that RVD has had the same grin he’s always had even when he was a baby. His real name is Rob Szatkowski. No wonder he changed it to Rob Van Dam. Apparently, he was academically gifted, and school started to bore him. I sympathize with that. He also used to flip off of the top of the school roof. Man, too bad there were no crazy cats like that in Rose Hill. They also show him kissing Ted DiBiase’s foot to win some money. Like most wrestlers, he decided on this career in high school. They talk about how he was trained by the Original Sheik and some of his early work. He also talks about wanting to add the Van Daminator when he went to ECW. He also says that he wants to prove that he’s a normal guy and inspire other people.

Airbrush Artist: Van Dam name drops Giant Baba(!), who told him to get a more unique look. Joe Holland is the genius behind all of his singlets. They talk about some of their favorites. They really are pieces of art.

Frog Splash: Van Dam and Eddie compare their Frog Splashes. Eddie says his has more impact, but RVD’s is prettier. Objectively, I gotta say that Rob’s splash is better.

Jakks Pacific Tour: RVD takes a look at some of his figures and informs Jakks Pacific that they need more RVD figures. Jamie Noble makes a cameo as they show how they scan the wrestlers for the toys. Due to his outfits, his toys are some of the most detailed. Too bad he’s more flexible than any of them. They also have this funny thing where the toys do his thumbs pose and squeak “Rob Van Dam”.

Fantasy Match-Up: This is a feature that wasn’t done enough on confidential. They show a lot of moves from both men. Spike points out that if RVD took it outside, he would have an advantage. Cena, Spike, and Lawler pick Snuka, while Slaughter picks Van Dam to win. I gotta go with the Sarge. Snuka never really impressed me.

Wrestlemania Moments: Van Dam says it was cool to perform in front of a large crowd and win the IC Championship from Regal at Wrestlemania X8.

Outside the Ropes: Van Dam comes up with seven words that rhyme with dude, and says Eddie says “Esse” more than he says “Dude”. Coach asks “How high do you get…when you do the Frog Splash.” What did you think he was asking? His favorite cartoon was “Underdog”, which he says sends a bad message to kids because of his wonder pill. Classic.

RVD Vignette 1 & 2: A couple of decent vignettes.

Behind the Scenes: A look at the making of the video for his entrance theme. There’s a cool spot where RVD is supposed to toss the keys up in the air and kick them to the lead singer. It was eventually done with CGI, but they show RVD actually hitting the keys. Bret (the lead singer) can’t catch though. Still pretty cool.

WWE Invasion Promo: RVD says he appreciates the wrestlers that were more creative then the big guys. He puts over Lanny Poffo, Brady Boon, and Owen Hart for their athletic style. Jeff also makes an appearance. RVD says he respects tradition, but that he felt his role was to stand out. Mick Foley also puts him over.

Rob Van Dam vs. Balls Mahoney, ECW Anarchy Rulz, 9.16.99
I’m going to watch this with the alternate commentary with Rob Van Dam and Paul Heyman. You can do this by pressing the audio button on remote. According to Heyman, this was the largest crowd for ECW to that point. They go out of their way to put Balls over as more than just a brawler, and I agree. Not that he’s amazing or anything, but he’s a solid hand. It’s kind of a nice contrast in styles, with Balls beating the crap out of RVD and RVD hitting his spots. He busts out the plancha con hilo and I swear that was farther than the dive in the Bigelow match. Impressive. This was a much slower match than the typical RVD fair, but it’s still fun. Balls hits a few flying moves and RVD shows some impressive power by superplexing and monkey flipping the 350+ pound Mahoney. Balls impresses me by going almost twenty minutes with RVD. He doesn’t look like he’d be able to do that. Balls manages to kick out of a Van Daminator from the top rope, but the Frog Splash (with a huge height) finishes him off. Solid match. Nothing amazing, but definitely above average.
Match Rating: ***

Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu, ECW Hostile City Showdown, 4.20.96
Given the participants, the date of this match is just hilarious. True story: Rob Van Dam once asked my older brother for pot at a house show in Wichita. Anyway, Sabu shows surprising focus in going after the leg of RVD. Of course, Sabu eventually gets tired of that and goes to his typical spot-filled brawl. RVD actually avoids several attempts to set Sabu up. He also hits one of my favorite spots, the somersault senton with a chair off the apron. Rob works in a few holds that Joey points out never really has any continuity. There’s a great spot where Sabu falls to the mat when RVD picks him up, due to Van Dam working the legs for a bit.

Shortly after, there’s an awkward spot where RVD sets up a chair, only to hit the tope con hilo without kicking off the chair. So what was the point of setting the chair up? Sabu takes a nasty bump through a table when Rob counters a Springboard Frankensteiner. Of course, you can’t put Sabu through a table without being put through one yourself, and a pair of somersault legdrops put Van Dam through a table. Rob hits a lot of high impact moves, but Sabu takes advantage by legdroping him into a chair when RVD tries to set it up for a springboard, which is a nice bit of storytelling. Rob eats a nasty hangmen’s DDT and Sabu wins with the Triple Jump Moonsault.

Despite Van Dam’s lack of focus, (check the date), this still manages to be better than the match that is on Disc 1. Rob would eventually develop a smoother style that allowed him to transition between his spots seamlessly, but here, he looked way out of his league. RVD would develop more as a worker and as a character by teaming with Sabu as opposed to facing him. Sabu pays respect to RVD, but Van Dam refuses a handshake and clearly makes himself a heel. Sabu should be proud of himself, because that was one Hell of a performance on his part.
Match Rating: ***1/4

Robbie V vs. Pat Rose, WCW Saturday Night, 1.23.93
This is RVD’s debut match for WCW. Robbie proves within a minute that he is an amazing athlete, and his flips are enough to get the crowd behind him. Rose fails to do anything interesting other some basic heel tactics and a few rear chinlocks. They trade sleeper holds and Robbie dodges an elbow drop. He hits a series of kicks to wake the crowd up and finishes with the Split-Legged Moonsault. Other than some impressive gymnastic moves from V, this was a nothing match.
Match Rating: 1/2*

The 411: A very entertaining look at perhaps the most unique professional wrestler of all time. If you want to see a ton of psychology or Hogan-esque spectacle, you won't get that from this DVD. What you will get is a showcase of an extremely talented athlete who showed that there is more than one way to become a success in wrestling. The Living Dangerously match with Lynn is justification enough to buy this set.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]