[2000-05-14-ECW-Hardcore Heaven] Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn

[soup23]

This is perhaps my favorite match of their series. I think they shyed away from some of the more exhibition and masturbatory aspects of their previous matches. Again, the timing here was really smooth as evidenced by the complicated sequence they perform that results in Lynn hitting a legdrop onto the chair after a missed Van Dam move. This also had a nice sense of violence that was worked in between the spots. Lynn had something to prove being out of action for the last few months and he carried the action. Scotty Anton ends up turning on RVD and Lynn finally gets that elusive pinfall after two cradle piledrivers. I would never call this a classic feud but for overall enjoyment I do have it above Sabu and RVD. ***1/2

[AstroBoy]

This was good for what it was. RVD of course is overly flashy with everything and that fits but Lynn really kind of carried this with his urgency and aggression and that fit his character here too. Say what you will about all the gimmicky stuff but they worked some nice stuff around the chair spots and Lynn scouting things out and landing that leg drop on the chair is about as neat a learned spot as they could have worked. I thought the bulldog through the table outside seemed a bit odd and like a weird botch but this was a perfectly enjoyable match and then the wonky ending comes. Craziness leads to Lynn getting the pinfall even though he totally misses the chair on the second piledriver.

 

**3/4

[TravJ1979]

The finish drags this down quite a bit, but up until the last five minutes, this was really good and far and away the best of the series. This does, however, lead to what I remember being a very good match between RVD and Anton.

[BigVanCrush]

I thought this was an excellent match until the finish. I get not wanting Van Dam to lose clean since he's basically the top star, but it does kind of suck for Jerry that the biggest win of his career at this point has a 'yeah but' attached to it. This series isn't for everyone and on some days I'm not too fond of some of the matches myself, but I did enjoy this one for the most part and it was another very good match from a great show and I'd really love to know who the hell thought Credible/Storm should have gone on last over this. ***1/2

[GSR]

Scotty Anton, Rob Van Dam’s ‘best friend’, is in his corner tonight alongside Bill Alfonso.  I like the picture that Joey Styles is painting here, both men having been out of action for long periods due to injury, but Lynn pissed that RVD was still pushed during his off time while he was forgotten about.  A standing ovation from the fans after a fantastic second sequence.  Sadly RVD is back doing his usual showboating and posing to the crowd, hopefully this isn’t a sign of things to come.  Lynn ducks the spinning heel kick but not the second and a cartwheel into a backflip splash gets a two.  More flaming posing, this time though Lynn dropkicks him in the back.  Nice one Jerry, that should mean he’ll think twice about doing it again in the future!  A springboard dropkick sends Van Dam tumbling from the apron to the outside.  Slingshot somersault senton.  RVD reverses the Irish whip sending Lynn crashing into the guard rail.  He lays him over it, Fonzie holds a chair over the back of his head and Van Dam comes off the apron with a corkscrew guillotine leg drop.  Lynn avoids the moonsault off the guard rail as RVD crashes and burns on the wooden floor.  They return to the ring and Lynn picks up a couple of near falls after a middle rope leg drop and a spike DDT.  RVD holds on to block the tornado DDT before a double clothesline takes both men down.  Fonzie slides a chair into the ring, but Lynn with a couple of great counters; firstly firing the chair back at RVD to avoid the ‘Van Daminator’ and then with a leg drop to the back of the neck to counter the leg sweep.  Van Dam catches a Lynn front kick, steps through, and nails him with a spinning heel variety.  Rolling Thunder.  An inverted atomic drop sees Lynn collapse in the corner and RVD then dropkicks the chair into his face.  Van Dam has something else planned, this time though Lynn is ready, moves out the way and with RVD stranded on the turnbuckles, sunset flip powerbombs him onto that chair.   Suicideplex for a near fall.  They battle their way onto the apron and Lynn with a bulldog off the apron through a table on the floor.  As Anton helps RVD back to his feet he’s wiped out by a Lynn cannonball.  Lynn climbs the turnbuckles when Fonzie gives him a shove, crotching him on the top rope.  He then holds a chair in front of his face for a ‘Van Daminator’ off the top.  Steve Corino and Jack Victory are out (again!), waffle referee Jim Molyneux and then attack RVD.  Styles is certain that Lynn is now aligned with The Network, however he then takes it to Corino and Victory.  Rhino gives the numerical advantage back to The Network, goring Lynn and powerbombing RVD.  Van Dam fires back and another step through kick before blasting Cyrus with a ‘Van Daminator’.  One for Lynn, he heads upstairs for the frog splash when Anton turns on him and RVD takes an ugly spill to the floor.  It looks like his foot slips on the ramp way and he could’ve easily badly pulled something the way he slipped.  Not the kind of bump someone who is wrestling their first match since a broken leg should be taking.  Van Dam kicks out of the first cradle piledriver, Lynn gives him a second onto the chair and that is enough to put him down for the three.

An infuriating match.  Parts of this were outstanding, but although it’s par for the course of a Van Dam match, the Fonzie interference and use of a chair was overdone and less said about all the interference at the finish the better.  I know the story is ‘has Lynn sided with the Network’, but that’s Corino and Victory’s third outing of the night already, surely there was a better way do it than involving them again.  Still a very good match that could’ve been even better with some tweaks and less reliance on gimmickry.