RIPPA Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Sometimes I will do the predictable. Of course I think I am going to make this Family Feud week too. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greggulator Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 I know RVD largely stinks but I can watch him and Sabu in their car wrecks against each other or tagging together all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAhspD5QG5k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWT7VMc-FpY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Fowler Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 http://youtu.be/TLs17WGm_cM Michigan represent motherfuckers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 I wanted to post Goldust vs RVD from No Way Out 2002 but I could only find it broken up on dailymotion and as highlights on youtube. ---- Rob Van Dam is the worst wrestler ever. I'm not even sure entirely how to begin here. The easiest way would be to listing the litany of times where his opponent attempted some sort of limbwork (The Benoit series stands out, but that Goldust match is a great example too), but that doesn't really do it justice since that's just a symptom of a bigger problem. Maybe the best way to look at Rob Van Dam is as a Punch out character. Bald Bull. He has a limited number of things that he can do, that he is programmed to do, and if presented with a situation outside of the ability for the programming to handle, he'll just do what he would have done anyway. You can say "Giant Silva!" or "Great Khali!" or "Giant Gonzales!" or whatever, but to do so misses the entire point. RVD's physical skills make him a worse wrestler, because he cannot use them in any sort of meaningful way. It's far better to be a wrestler who can do almost nothing but that still manages to do that almost nothing with at least a little bit of competence, than to be a wrestler who can do anything but never manages to do anything right. Any wrestler who can only have good matches when another wrestler specifically caters to him is not a good wrestler. At best, he's a decent tool. If an idiot savant is someone who can do impressive things despite himself, RVD is a savant idiot. Despite his ability to do impressive things effortlessly, he somehow manages to completely get wrestling wrong. Maybe he's just an idiot. Or you know, high. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 http://youtu.be/_zRA6eCgMWI 4:00 for the greatest Japanese "move" call ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curt McGirt Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 He deserves credit for not being crippled up over all these years. In that way he's either incredibly lucky or incredibly smart in how he takes his bumps, which is not what you would think if you look at that piledriver or how he takes any RKO or DDT. The only match I could think of to post is the Bam Bam one where his leaps of faith completely sealed his worship from the ECW mutants, but I already did that one in the Bam Bam thread so go check that out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 He deserves credit for not being crippled up over all these years. In that way he's either incredibly lucky or incredibly smart in how he takes his bumps, which is not what you would think if you look at that piledriver or how he takes any RKO or DDT. I wanna say it was in one of his shoot interviews - but I know he credits his stretching (and natural flexibility) to helping him avoid injuries that other folks have naturally gotten over the course of time. Whether that is actually the reason... who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victator Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Love RVD and think from 98 to 2000 he was one of the best wrestlers in the world. He was able to go into a match with anyone and make the other guy look like the next big star regardless of their status. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Conn Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Rob Van Dam is one of my favorite wrestlers ever. w/Shane McMahon vs Chris Jericho and The Rock vs Tommy Dreamer vs Shawn Michaels vs Sting vs Sabu https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2i7YfzmkD8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyMax46 Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 The most amazing part of that Sabu match was that Sabu only botched once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Comedian Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Rob Van Dam is the worst wrestler ever. I'm not even sure entirely how to begin here. The easiest way would be to listing the litany of times where his opponent attempted some sort of limbwork (The Benoit series stands out, but that Goldust match is a great example too), but that doesn't really do it justice since that's just a symptom of a bigger problem. Man did I hate me some ECW Van Dam. Kicking out of things like top rope power bombs as if he just took a snap mare. Other than maybe Ruckus, he's the worst purveyor of "gymnastics as wrestling" I've ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Conn Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 vs Stone Cold Steve Austin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd7b8dPVxFU vs Kurt Angle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IZ3UB6mUFc vs The Rock https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BENtN_40Fmk w/The Rock vs Undertaker and Chris Jericho https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEaz5MXJsls w/Ric Flair vs Brock Lesnar and Undertaker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC5VjTm49-w 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Rob Van Dam is the worst wrestler ever. I'm not even sure entirely how to begin here. The easiest way would be to listing the litany of times where his opponent attempted some sort of limbwork (The Benoit series stands out, but that Goldust match is a great example too), but that doesn't really do it justice since that's just a symptom of a bigger problem. Man did I hate me some ECW Van Dam. Kicking out of things like top rope power bombs as if he just took a snap mare. Other than maybe Ruckus, he's the worst purveyor of "gymnastics as wrestling" I've ever seen. Ruckus at least had the schlock value when he was a big boy doing all those huge spots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCM Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Not gonna lie from 97-01 RVD was one of my favorites. I thought he was having a good run for the first time in forever around the time he won the WWE world title then that got cut short lol. Also remember really liking RVD vs Brock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spontaneous Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 His frog splash is pretty darn good. Always hit it right, no matter the angle he was landing at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Conn Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jstout Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I always thought he was fun on the mic during his heel run teaming with Sabu in ECW when he was constantly big-timing Sabu. Him sneezing "Hayabusa" was good, cheesy fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evil Otto Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Matt D, I love ya man, but you're totally harshing my mellow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 His match with Kroffat back a page was definitely a carry job of epic proportions, especially given Rob's limitations in that time period, but watch it for his strikes. They're hilariously bad even by modern RVD standards. It's like he watched Bloodsport that night and had to get in his little kick flurry that I think the audience laughed at. Alas, his punches were probably even worse then. When he was in WWE at first and stiffing the shit out of everyone with his kicks is when I enjoyed him the most for some reason. Probably because they actually looked dangerous for once because he kept busting guys open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I wanna say it was in one of his shoot interviews - but I know he credits his stretching (and natural flexibility) to helping him avoid injuries that other folks have naturally gotten over the course of time. Whether that is actually the reason... who knows? We all know it is the weed, man. Loved RVD's air brushed tights and hated his wrestling. For a guy who worked a martial arts gimmick, his martial arts needed a lot of fucking work. His kicks were either sloppy or too stiff and he could not throw a punch to save his life. I will sing with the choir extolling the virtues of the Five-Star Froggie and the Van Terminator. RVD could hit that splash no matter where or what the position was of the guy taking the move, so no business exposing prone movement from the guy on the mat (*cough* Kevin Sullivan *cough*) and the Van Terminator was just a devastating spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastleVania Rey Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I loved it when Christopher Daniels called him Bob Van Dam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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