The Rewind - Rob Van Dam Vs. Sabu (ECW Guilty As Charged 2000)
Rob Van Dam Vs. Sabu (ECW Guilty as Charged 2000)
By 'The Outlaw' Alex Brennan
Before professional wrestling was merged and diluted into the mainstream form we know and see today on Monday and Thursday night, the big three wrestling organisations, the WWF, WCW and ECW each were unique to watch as they all possessed their own attitude, style and vibe. Extreme Championship Wrestling was the most unique of the three as it threw the rules out the window and made the fans almost as much a part of the wrestling show they were putting on, as the wrestlers in the ring. It was by no means as well produced as the McMahon or Turner-esque productions of its time, but its raw, blemished and ad-lib format had an appeal to it that more than satisfied its solid and loyal fan base. ECW was special for a whole bunch of reasons, but no more than what went on in the middle of that ECW ring.
Stepping into the world of Extreme Championship Wrestling from the other big two wrestling organisations was much like observing a completely different culture. It was the amusement park of the wrestling industry and it was not only the hardcore rules that gave it this ideology. The style of what each wrestler did in the ring was so diverse from the next, not only making each match incredibly captivating, but giving a welcome change from the standard, traditional style too often exemplified in the WWF and WCW rings at that time. That's what made the invasion era so exciting, the influx of this horde of such unique talent, particularly that from the bingo hall in Philadelphia, finally showcasing their skills under the bright lights of the World Wrestling Federation. At ECW's first pay per view of the new millennium, Guilty as Charged, the gimmicks, the lawlessness, the inappropriate behaviour, the raucous crowd and the amazing in-ring performances were out in force from the events beginning to its end. The animal that was, ECW was perfectly exemplified in the match of the night pairing off two of the organisations best ever performers when the ECW Television Champion Rob Van Dam, would defend his title against the homicidal, suicidal and genocidal Sabu.
With Bill Alfonso's loyalties on the line a bitter battle was shaping up between the former tag team partners and best friends. The match, live from Birmingham, Alabama, got off to a high-flying, unorthodox start with heaps of amazingly athletic moves that exercised as Jim Ross would put it, 'educated' feet of both wrestlers, some face cracking strikes and bodies of the two gentleman being launched over all areas of the arena. With Bill Alfonso screaming encouragement to both Sabu and Van Dam, they both would put their bodies on the line, hurling each other onto the concrete from the top rope and repeatedly pulling off some incredible offence involving the guardrail all the while introducing chairs and tables in some incredibly creative ways.
Their own personal wellbeing didn't seem to mean much as Sabu flew off the top turnbuckle, splashing Rob Van Dam through a table that rested across two guardrails, smashing his own ribs into the steel in the process. As Van Dam crawled to his feet, Sabu sat in the ring, taping his knee up with masking tape to support it for the remaining duration of the match. The two soon enough would go at it again, jousting with steel chairs resulting in Rob Van Dam having the Van Daminator countered, only to receive a steel chair to the head in the process. Leg drops, top rope moonsaults, unconscious referees and two flying Van Daminators would leave Sabu bloodied in the middle of the ring and the whole F'N show in a world of hurt before a failed dragonrana by Sabu led to Rob Van Dam regaining momentum with a crazy split-legged moonsault off the top rope.
Bill Alfonso would once again stick his ugly, annoying head in the middle of this match, offering and denying both wrestlers a steel chair? This of course backfired when Rob Van Dam would put an end to Alfonso's pathetic behaviour, Van Daminating the old, dentally challenged cling-on almost out of the ring. Sabu tried to take advantage of a distracted Van Dam but when attempting a match-ending triple-jump splash and meeting nothing but a Rob Van Dam-initiated steel chair, the match was pretty much over for Sabu as RVD would make his way to the top rope in style, launching himself at the fallen Sabu, smashing him with an epic Five Star Frog Splash. The ref's hand hit the mat three times and Mr. Pay Per View had once again secured his ECW World Television Title. Sabu would leave the ring, shaking the hands of both Van Dam and the unconscious Alfonso, before giving them both, as well as the crowd a one finger salute.
The Outlaw's Opinion
Wow, that match is definitely a great example of what made the names of Rob Van Dam and Sabu two incredibly impacting names in the world of the extreme. I haven't seen a match in years that replicated the talent that was shown in Birmingham that night, so raw, so brutal, so authentic and so flowing. So? if ECW is now once again alive and well, how come this hard hitting style of wrestling is becoming extinct on network television?
When Paul Heyman came out to the ring opening ECW One Night Stand 2006 in New York City, it was exciting to hear that this would be the rebirth of ECW. He glorified and promised that once again, the hard hitting, attitudinal, no rules attitude of ECW would finally be back after its 6 year hiatus, leaving wrestling fans around the world with nothing but mainstream WWE and TNA still in its nappies to watch. Finally it was going to be back! An alternative to watching John Cena be a hero each week or listening to Sharmell cry out "All Hail King Booker" as the former world champion made an idiot of himself on Smackdown. Finally, we're going to once again see the light?and by light we mean in your face ass kicking, the breeding ground for tomorrow's stars, some swearing, some out of control audiences and some gimmicks and wrestling styles we had not yet seen. They were bringing back the old ECW right? I mean, Rob Van Dam won the world title that night, that's gotta mean something? WRONG.
After watching the last few weeks of ECW on Sci-Fi I am left to wonder where in the planning for the relaunch of ECW these ideals that made the name 'Extreme Championship Wrestling' great went out the window. CM Punk is glorified to be the next big thing in professional wrestling, yet the last series of matches I've watched him wrestle have not only been far from extreme, but far from entertaining. He is yet to show me that he is more than just a long haired grappler with the Pepsi logo tattooed on his arm. And since when did Vince McMahon have a place on ECW programming let alone be the champion? What the hell is going on? The only guys I see bringing weapons to the ring or doing anything remotely extreme are the same guys who've been doing it for the last ten to fifteen years. Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, Balls Mahoney? The ECW 'Originals' seem to be a testament to what ECW once was? if the 'New Breed' are an example of what's to come then they might as well remove the brand's 'extreme' namesake because it will destined to become just another Monday Night Raw or Friday Night Smackdown.
It's time to get together and pray that sometime soon they break down the barriers of conventional wrestling production and bring back the blood, the foul mouths and the authenticity of ECW as opposed to this watered down imitation on Sci Fi. The name of ECW is losing its impact and if the legacy of ECW is allowed to die at the hands of political correctness, business dealings or poor story-writing (whatever the hell is going on behind closed doors in Stamford, CT) then nothing we love about professional wrestling is safe from change or destruction. Soon enough, it might be best to go watch school kids fight down at the park after school instead of watching Sci Fi on Tuesday nights.