[2000-10-01-ECW-Anarchy Rulz] Rob Van Dam vs Rhino

[soup23]

We get a hot opening that worked in not falling into the worst RVD traps of him just showing off. Rhino also gets a ton of offense in on RVD and RVD is selling well enough. The ending run of this match was the worst part with some absolutely ridiculous acrobat nonsense from RVD doing his chair spots. Fonzie hilariously does a somersault tumble to place a chair in position. Rhino winning and kicking out of the Five Star does help put him over. One of the better RVD matches of the year and not even good so that shows you the year he is having. **3/4

[GSR]

A very brisk entrance from ‘Mr PPV’ tonight which is unlike him, guessing he’s been given strict instructions in the back to keep it short and stick to their timings.  Van Dam avoids a charging Rhino, who goes sailing out over the top rope, as this one gets going on the floor.  Both men take turns whipping the other into the guard rail, however when RVD leaps up onto it, Rhino gives him a shove sending him flying into the fans.  The fight continues amongst the crowd, Rhino whipping Van Dam with force into another security barrier.  He presses him overhead and drops him face first to the concrete as they return to ringside.  Rhino is climbing back over the railing when he’s caught by a RVD kick, crotching himself and in perfect position for one of his fancy kicks, Fonzie of course on hand to provide assistance with the chair.  There has been no playing to the crowd out of him yet so he makes up for that now.  A great flip dive to the floor, Van Dam easily clearing the top rope.  More highly convoluted Van Dam offense, Rhino collapsing in the corner after an inverted atomic drop.  Yeah you guessed it, Fonzie chucks him a chair which he dropkicks into his face.  Rhino, whilst sat on the middle, cuts off this random forward roll with a flying clothesline and then gores him against the turnbuckles.  All impact no give according to Joey Styles.  Rhino collects a table from under the ring, which he slides inside, before looking to slow the pace with a rear chinlock.  Van Dam frees himself and an enziguiri only stuns Rhino, leading to the step through kick.  Blah, blah, this is so contrived.  RVD lifts Rhino onto his shoulder (those strong legs of his!), forward roll slam, straight into a middle rope moonsault and finally the ‘Five Star’ frog splash.  He slightly delays making the cover and, when he does, Rhino kicks out.  There’s no reaction at all to that, just a hush over the arena.  I don’t know if the fans were stunned to silence or what but I was shocked at the lack of response.  At least they couldn’t hear Styles though who was overselling things on commentary so much that it was pretty obvious Rhino was going to kick out.  Van Dam is in disbelief and when he turns around he turns straight into a gore.  Rhino drags him out onto the apron, from where he piledrives him through a ringside table.  I always wince at that spot.  He shoves RVD’s limp body back inside but somehow he gets a shoulder up on the cover.  Fonzie is now in the ring and slams a chair across Rhino’s back, right in front of referee Jim Molineaux who just lets it go (by the way I’ll be amazed if I haven’t confused him and John Finnegan at various points throughout the year).  Fearful of what might happen to him, he tosses the chair to Rhino, who catches it, and RVD with the ‘Van Daminator’.  Quelle surprise he falls into the corner (have I said how contrived this is yet?) then has to lie there, Fonzie holding a chair in place while Van Dam plays to the crowd.  Justin Credible is out, canes RVD, but he instantly shakes that off and hits the ‘Van Terminator’.  Unbeknown to him though Rhino had pulled Fonzie in front of him and he took the brunt of it.  Rhino picks Van Dam up, gores him through an upright table in the corner, piledriver onto a chair and Danny Daniels appears, fast counting the pin.  I genuinely have no idea what happened to Jim Molineaux as he didn’t get bumped or anything and can’t see why a replacement official was even out there.

Watching the house show footage you can really see how they try stuff out, see what works, and then bring that to the TV or PPV matches.  A prime example here is with the brawling at ringside; it worked at the Cleveland house show from last month and it worked again here, an ideal way to kick this off.  There is absolutely nothing from when Rhino’s on top, however it’s a different matter altogether when Van Dam is in charge.  The showboating is kept to a minimum but his moves looks worse, as in co-operative, totally unbelievable, than ever.  Everything seemingly involves Rhino conveniently falling into position for his next spot.  The kicking out of the frog splash was a cool moment but Van Dam is probably my least favourite regular performer of the year at this point.