Customer Reviews

WWE - Rob Van Dam - One of a Kind

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an awesome DVD set with some really killer matches and extras. Matches are rated out of 5 stars.

Robbie V vs. Pat Rose - This one is ok, it's only on here to show RVD's WCW debut, however he does show us that he was always an amazing athlete by pulling some high-flying moves off **1/2

Robbie V vs. Scotty Flamingo - Once again ok, but only on the DVD to highlight RVD's time in WCW. Here he's taking on a guy who would later be called Raven (for those who didn't know) not much going on, though **

RVD vs. Axl Rotten - Finally, we get to the ECW chapter. A very entertaining match, even though they don't use any weapons. Cool over-the-top flip by RVD ***1/2

RVD vs. Sabu (Hostile City Showdown) - The best RVD/Sabu match, this one will keep you begging for more when it's finally over, lengthy, awesome and crazy *****

RVD vs. Sabu (Hardcore Heaven) - First one's better, but that's not saying this match is any more horrible, some sick bumps taken by Rob and Sabu, both men carried out on stretcher ****1/2

RVD/Sabu vs. The Eliminators - Saturn and Kronus were always a great tag team but so was Rob and Sabu. A great tag team match with some seriously insane double team moves ****

RVD vs. Lance Storm - a really cool match, even though some people don't like it. Weak chair shots by Storm and great chair work by Rob cool finish ***

RVD vs. Jeff Hardy (Raw) - Squash match, only reason it's on here is too capitalize on the "Mr. Monday Night" name. Pretty weak match *1/2

RVD vs. Tommy Dreamer (Flag vs. Flag match) - The match is great with some great wrestling by both men, super weak ending ***1/2

RVD vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - This match is one of the very best on the DVD Rvd takes some awesome leaps and the way it ends was very creative *****

RVD vs. Jerry Lynn (Living Dangerously) - Oh my god what can I say that hasn't been said yet, this match is freakin' awesome way better than their 2nd match. Jerry Lynn could've been champ *****

RVD vs. Balls Mahoney - This is to only capitalize on the defenses of the television title. This match is still pretty good ****

RVD vs. Jerry Lynn (Guilty as Charged) - A so-so encounter compared to their first match, only good thing is the bumps that both men took, cool finish ***1/2

RVD vs. Jeff Hardy (Invasion) - One of Rob's finer WWE matches but not his greatest, again there were some serious bumps taken by both men ****

RVD vs. Chris Jericho - This is Rob's first ever actual time as being accepted as a member of the WWE roster, Rob would later lose the KOTR tournament to an undeserving Brock ****

RVD vs. Christian (Ladder match for the IC title) - I absolutely love this match, even if it is a little short, some really cool ladder moves and one of RVD's best singlets, I think *****

For those of you that only know Rob Van Dam from 2001 to the present, this is the DVD for you. With this DVD you will finally see why a large quantity of wrestling fans think it is a travesty at how RVD has been underused in the last two years. This DVD has 16 complete matches, 11 matches are from his days in ECW and that is what you need to focus on. The extras are so so, there is a couple of eastereggs with funny RVD interviews from ECW. The matches is worth the price alone. Here is a rundown of some of the greatest matches you will ever see and they are on this DVD.

Robby V vs. Pat Rose: Ok, th is isn't one of the greatest matches and the next match I review won't be either but it shows RVD 12 yrs ago when he was trying to make a name for himself.

Robby V vs. Scotty Flamingo: Like I said before, not a great match but you get to see both RVD and Raven before they got there big breaks in ECW.

Rob Van Dam vs. Axl Rotten: And the legend begins. This is his first match in ECW and he is still trying to find the character he wants to be but he gains the ECW fan's respect in his debut match.

RVD vs. Sabu(2 matches): These guys trained together under The Original Sheik and these are just two of there classic encounters. Both matches are around 20 mins in length and the action never slows down.

RVD and Sabu vs. The Eliminators: For new fans, this may be you only chance to see one of the best and most underrated tag teams of all time, seeing that The Eliminators have been broken up for almost eight years and neither one is in the WWE. The Eliminators were Perry Saturn and John Kronus and they were in my opinion, the best tag team at the time. Before The Dudleys got there huge push in ECW. This is a great hardcore tag team match that includes, Tables, Ladders, and Chairs, among the usual RVD moves.

Rob Van Dam vs. Lance Storm: Decent match, lets you see the story of how RVD became Mr. Monday Night.

Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy: Total squash. Only reason for this is to continue the storyline of the Mr. Monday Night angle.

Rob Van Dam vs. Tommy Dreamer: This was a flag match in which the winner would get to raise his flag. Tommy Dreamer carried the flag for ECW and RVD carried the flag for WWF, which is now WWE. Some hard hitting action. Only minus in this match is the screwjob ending. Should have been a clean decision. Not giving away the outcome, but a non ref makes the official three count.

Rob Van Dam vs. Bam Bam Bigelow: This is the match in which RVD became the individual that could do no wrong. No matter what he did after this match, he was a fan favorite. The aerial moves he pulls off in this match will astonish you.

Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn(two matches): Two of the greatest wrestling clinics ever displayed. Not much more I can say. The best match they had is not even one of these two. Thats my opinion of course and that match I am speaking of is on the Rise and Fall of ECW dvd. These two matches on this collection are classics as well and would complement the other match for anybody that has the Rise and Fall DVD. The latest ECW match on this dvd is RVD and Jerry Lynn from ECW's last ppv. It shows RVD use the Van Terminator, which is the best in ring move he has ever done.

Rob Van Dam vs. Balls Mahoney: Very similar to the Bam Bam Bigelow match. RVD doesn't do quite as many daredevil moves as he did in the Bigelow match but he still does a couple that are just amazing.

Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy: In my opinion, this is his finest match since coming into the WWE. There was so much difference in the four years since his other match with Jeff Hardy, that I couldn't group them in a review like I did the Lynn and Sabu matches. Jeff Hardy had come along way since 1997 and this was 2001. This was for the hardcore championship and in the introduction that RVD gives before this match, he states that he wish WWE would bring back the hardcore title and he thinks the reason they did away with that title is because no one could keep up with his own hardcore style. I can't argue.

Rob Van Dam vs. Chris Jericho: Great scientific display by these men and it took place in 2002, which was the year it appeared WWE was going to give RVD the proper push he deserved.

Rob Van Dam vs. Christian: One of the shorter ladder matches you will see but it was the most brutal in WWE history. This being a ladder match, I am not including the TLC classics. Good display by two men that in my opinion should be future world champions.

The intro into each match by RVD is insightful as well. Any fan of RVD or ECW should by this must have collection.

...because this DVD will show you how misused, undervalued, and basically wasted (stick your arms out & point to yourself with your thumbs) Rob Van Dam is in WWE. This is one DVD that's great for ECW fans or for fans who never caught RVD outside of WWE & want to know what allt he hype about his was all about. I watch it often because a majority (not all) of the matches are some of the best of modern wrestling today. And unlike how Undertaker's recent DVD set was...comments from RVD about certain issues are included. His time in WCW under Bill Watts & Ole Anderson; injuries; relationship with Sabu & The Sheik; the whole story behind his "Mr. Monday Night" run in WWE; differences between ECW & WWE; the world record setting Van Dam Lift; his views on the ECW Television & WWE Hardcore titles; and different finishing moves are subjects he touches upon.

vs. Scotty Flamingo (WCW Worldwide 02/08/93) - This match is just showing Rob in his early days as it's really nothing special past the irony that a little over 3 years later...there two jobbers in WCW would become two of the biggest attractions in ECW. And for those who don't know...Flamingo would later become known as Raven.

vs. Axl Rotten (ECW Hardcore TV 01/05/96) - It's RVD's debut match eventhough it's nothing special except Rob's style of wrestle was nothing that ECW had seen at that time.

vs. Sabu (ECW Hardcore Heaven 06/22/96) - This match has alternative commentary by RVD & Paul Heyman where they talk about how the ring broke, Kimona's striptease & how nobody wanted a refund after wating hours to fix the ring. This is a personal favorite of mine because this was the first ECW match I saw & the one that got me hooked. Great match between the two (actually, when did they ever have a bad one?) and the ring ropes were broken during the match so to see them pull off the moves they did while the ring wasn't safe is just amazing.

Sabu & RVD vs. The Eliminators (ECW Crossing The Line 02/01/97) - The Eliminations style as a tag team was very similar to RVD & Sabu's as singles stars so it was a great clash.

vs. Lance Storm (ECW Barely Legal 04/13/97) - They would go on to have better matches as Storm was really "green" to the ECW enviroment (as you can see by his weak chairshots to RVD). This is really just on here to show the beginning of his "Mr. Monday Night" run.
Note: Also available on the "ECW Barely Legal" DVD

vs. Jeff Hardy (Raw 05/12/97) - A squash match against a young Jeff Hardy who was just a jobber at the time. Again, only on here to showcase his "Mr. Monday Night" run.

vs. Tommy Dreamer (ECW November 2 Remember 11/30/97) - This was an ECW vs. WWF flag match. This match is the only one on here that's clipped as part of the match is cut out and some of the crowd chants were edited along with some of Joey's commentary ("RVD sells out to the WWF"). RVD takes one of the biggest piledrivers I've see in wrestling (Austin/Owen was the other one)as his head bounces off the mat. Cameo's from Sabu, Doug Furnas & Phil Lafon, and Stevie Richards. Also Beulah was nice to look at during this match too.

vs. Bam Bam Bigelow (ECW Hardcore TV 04/04/98) - The start of RVD's 23 month Television title reign. This was the match that took RVD from solid high mid-carder to main event status. One of the best big man vs. little man matches I've seen as RVD does all his high spots against Bigelow's power moves.
Note: Also available on the "ECW Path Of Destruction" DVD

vs. Jerry Lynn (ECW Living Dangerously 03/21/99) - Years after Steamboat vs. Flair & before Angle vs. HBK...they had RVD vs. Lynn. The start of a modern day wrestling classic fued between these two and were RVD earns his nickname "Mr. PPV" They went the time limit & then went another couple of minutes. Again, words can't describe this match.
Side Note: Their rematch at Hardcore Heaven is on The Rise & Fall Of ECW DVD along with the ECW Extreme Revolution DVD.

vs. Jerry Lynn (ECW Guilty as Charged 01/07/01) - Not as good as their first two on PPV but better than their last one on PPV (Hardcore Heaven '00 that alot of people have forgotten about). RVD & Lynn switch roles here as Lynn has Cyrus to run interference for him while RVD doesn't have Bill Alfonzo. Nice match to watch as it was the last ECW match that alot of people got to see (since ECW only had two house shows after this PPV).
Note: Also available on the "ECW Guilty As Charged 2001" DVD

vs. Jeff Hardy (WWE Invasion 07/22/01) - It's ironic that RVD's first WWE match was against Jeff Hardy & his return match is against Hardy once again. Hardy & RVD have similar styles so this match stole the show at the Invasion PPV and was one of top matches of the year. Hardcore match except they were high flyin' & everything instead of bashing each other's heads in with weapons. Great match.

vs. Chris Jericho (WWE King of the Ring 06/23/02) - RVD & Jericho just weren't "clicking" together in this match & it showed. They were just off & had a slighty above average match. It would have been better to put their match from Unforgiven 2001 on here instead of this one since that match stole the show at that PPV as well (which RVD seemed to do alot of during his Invasion run).

vs. Christian (Raw 09/29/03) - This was a ladder match from RAW that was one of the best ladder matches in WWE history (if you don't include the TLC matches). I don't know how to describe this match past what I already said...one of the best ladder matches in WWE history.

DVD extras:

vs. Pat Rose (WCW Saturday Night 01/23/93) - Basically RVD's WCW debut. Nothing special.

vs. Sabu (ECW Hostile City Showdown 04/20/96) - This was their first match in ECW. Not as good as the ones they would have in the future but like I said earlier..there two never have bad matches. This is really memorable for how RVD walked out on a handshake from Sabu that started their "fued for respect."

vs. Balls Mahoney (ECW Anarchy Rulz 09/16/99) - This match has alternative commentary from RVD & Paul Heyman where they talked about RVD's title reign & how he elevated the TV title to the same level or (in some people's eyes) past the level of the World Title and how he did was Bret Hart did & defend the title against all challengers. This match was a great match as people sterotyped Balls Mahoney as someone who's just a hardcore brawler who can only street fight & use weapons but yet kept up & went toe to toe with RVD.
Note: Also available on the "ECW Anarchy Rulz '99" DVD

Other DVD extras include alot of features on RVD from Confidental like tourning Jakks Pacific (who makes the action figures & toys); behind the scenes of the music video for his theme song; the story behind his wrestling outfits; and the Outside The Ropes segment. Also extras from other DVD's like his WrestleMania memories (WM19 DVD) & a profile on him during his Invasion run (Invasion DVD). RVD promos & two hidden ECW interviews round out the extras.

I would give this DVD 5 stars but their decision to put some of the matches on here (Jericho & clipping the Dreamer match) lowers it by a star for me but I recommend this for anyone.
SOMEONE TELL WWE TO GET THEIR HEADS OUT OF THEIR BUTTS & PUSH RVD BECAUSE HE CAN DELIVER IN THE RING MORE THAN A MAJORITY OF THOSE YOUR PUSHING NOW!!!

This 2-DVD set will be a gem for any true wrestling fan. Spanning his early WCW days through his current tenure in the WWE, this set features some of RVD's most memorable matches. The true highlight is getting his best ECW matches with digital quality.

The House Party '96 match vs. Axl Rotten, RVD's ECW debut, is interesting to see because he really hadn't found his character yet. The matches with Sabu (Hostile City Showdown '96 and Hardcore Heaven '96) are incredible and still hold up as such nine years later. A bonus from 1997 is getting to see him wrestle on RAW is WAR vs. Jeff Hardy.

Probably the best match on the DVD is his 4/4/98 match in Buffalo against Bam Bam Bigelow. That night, Van Dam won the ECW Television Title (with a little help from Sabu) and wowed the crowd with dives three rows into the stands. Just an amazing match. This match can also be found on the ECW Path of Destruction video, released a few years back.

The set also has some historical matches, too, such as RVD main-eventing the Anarchy Rulz '99 PPV in Chicago against Ballz Mahoney and his match with Jerry Lynn to wrap up ECW's final PPV, Guilty as Charged 2001.

The set also includes such matches as RVD vs. Tommy Dreamer in a flag match from November 2 Remember '97, RVD and Sabu vs. The Eliminators from February '97, RVD vs. Lynn from Living Dangerously '99 (nice touch to not re-release the Hardcore Heaven '99 match again), etc.

Then, adding to the ECW legacy, the set includes three of RVD's best WWF/WWE matches. First is his inaugural WWF PPV match, when he took on Jeff Hardy at Invasion (7/22/01). This was a great match that gained him more popularity with fans who hadn't watched ECW. Also included are a great match with Chris Jericho from King of the Ring 2002 and a ladder match vs. Christian from a September 2003 edition of RAW.

Buy this set as soon as possible!

Great DVD, would be 5 stars if WWE had a better match selection.
They should have included one of his matches with Steve Austin. Also, they could have replaced the Balls Mahoney & Chris Jericho matches. They were decent, but there is much better RVD matches out there.
Match Ratings
Robbie V v. Pat Rose *1/2
Robbie V v. Scotty "Raven" Flamingo *1/2
RVD v. Axl Rotten (ECW Debut) **1/4
RVD v. Sabu (Hostile City Showdown) ***1/4
RVD v. Sabu (Hardcore Heaven) ***1/2 (Amazing effort, considering the ring ropes break 3 minutes into the match)
RVD & Sabu v. Eliminators- ECW Crossing the Line Again 97 **** (Great tag action)
RVD v. Lance Storm- ECW Barely Legal 97- *** (minus points for the absolutely pansy chair shots by Storm)
RVD v. Jeff Hardy (RAW in 97) * (just a squash)
RVD v. Tommy Dreamer- ECW N2R 97 *** (watch Van Dam sell a piledriver like a man, 3 feet into the air)
RVD v. Bam Bam Bigelow- Van Dam wins the TV Title **** (Absolutely jaw dropping maneuvers by Van Dam)
RVD v. Jerry Lynn- Living Dangerously ****1/2 (Some of the most innovative chain wrestling and counter wrestling you will ever see)
RVD v. Balls Mahoney, Anarchy Rulz 99 ** (lets just move on)
RVD v. Jerry Lynn- Guilty as Charged 2001 ***1/2 (not their best match, but still much better than I remember it to be)
RVD v. Jeff Hardy- Invasion 2001 ****1/4 (Really put RVD on the Map)
RVD v. Chris Jericho- KOR 2002 *** (kinda slow, but solid match)
RVD v. Christian- Ladder Match RAW **** (Not the best ladder match you will see, but possibly the most brutal. Some spots are just sick

Overall, great effor, but could have reached an even higher level.

If you want to know about RVD the person, this isn't the DVD for you. We see a but of stuff on his life in general and a little bit of his childhood, but not much. If you are buying this, you are buying it for the matches.

RVD VS Pat Rose(WCW)- RVD was still a bit green to the business here, but we see some signature moves of his. Rare that a wrestler finds himself so early in his career. 6/10

RVD VS Scotty Flamingo(Raven)(WCW)- Again, not a very good match. Both Raven and RVD have improved greatly since this match. 6/10

RVD VS Axl Rotten(ECW)- The only average ECW match on the DVD. Not much to say on the match, just that RVD adapted to the hardcore style fast. 6.5/10

RVD VS Sabu(ECW)- I believe this was their first match together, and you can see their chemistry from early on. This is that match that proved RVD could really be something. 8/10

RVD VS Sabu(ECW)- One of their many rematches. A great match with plenty of high spots and not so many slow moments. 9/10

RVD & Sabu VS The Eliminators- A phenominal tag match involving all sorts of weopons and cool tag team spots. The length and false finishes really help this match too. 9.5/10

RVD VS Jeff Hardy(RAW)- Just in this to show RVD's WWE debut. Not much more than a squash match. 5/10

RVD VS Tommy Dreamer(ECW VS WWF Flag Match)- One of my personal favorite matches on the DVD. The ECW crowd was like an uncontrolable fire at all times, but know one could tame them handle them like Dreamer and RVD. The crowd was wild, the match was great, and all sorts of characters got involved ECW style. 8.5/10

RVD VS Bam Bam Bigelow(ECW TV Title)- Another great ECW match. Many claim Bam Bam is the best big man wrestler ever. Not sure if I agree, but he and RVD could go. 8/10

RVD VS Jerry Lynn(ECW TV Title)- Jerry Lynn VS RVD was always a big draw, and this is their best match, and also argued to be the best match in ECW history. 10/10

Balls Mahoney- Not gonna talk about this one. Not saying it isn't a good match, but I always fell asleep watching it late at night.

RVD VS Jerry Lynn(ECW)- Another good RVD VS Jerry Lynn match, but nowhere close to the previous one. 8/10

RVD VS Jeff Hardy(WWF Hardcore Title)- Very impressive match considering it was on PPV. Regular TV doesn't get this exteme anymore. 8.5/10.

RVD VS Chris Jericho(King of the Ring) A good showing between Jericho and RVD. Despite it being a good match, I bet they could have done better. 7.5/10

RVD VS Christian(RAW Ladder Match; IC Title)- Again, free TV just doesn't do this stuff anymore. Great ending, great moves, and great bumps. Kudos. 8.5/10

Definitely a great dvd, i'm a big fan of Van Dam i think he's one of the most gifted athletes ever in professional wrestling, and although WWE hasnt seen his best work although he has had great matches during his run, the ECW material is the most memorable. Thank god WWE has the footage from the ECW library to include all of this, and RVD has made it known that he's not the biggest fan of WWE to begin with and its a crime that he's been held back and never even given a World or WWE title run yet. Just go back and watch this man's battles with Jerry Lynn(another star held down heavily in WWE) and you can see RVD at his best with his best opponent. Definitely a great release for any hardcore RVD fan out there, you wont regret it.

This is a really great collection of the career of Rob Van Dam. Similar to Shawn Michaels:From the Vault and Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story, this DVD features an interview with RVD followed by a match, an interview, match and so on, to tell the story of his career. There are some classic matches here too, most of which took place in ECW. On this DVD, you get the DVD debut of 3 matches featuring Rob and Sabu. 2 of the matches are one-on-one encounters and another is a killer tag team match pitting RVD and Sabu against the Eliminators (at the time, the best tag team in the world). This set is worth buying just to see these 3 classics, but you also get RVD's WCW debut (I didn't even know RVD had wrestled there until I bought this) and commentaries from RVD and Paul Heyman during one of the Sabu matches and during the Balls Mahoney match. These commentaries are very insightful and I've listened to them more than once. RVD's comments are pretty entertaining, but it's Paul Heyman who shines in this area. Paul's comments are very informative and entertaining at the same time. Paul needs his own talk show on WWE 24/7 where he simply talks about the sport with other wrestlers, relive certain moments, etc., he would be excellent for that.
RVD fans will love this collection for the matches making their DVD debut and the commentaries from Paul Heyman and Rob himself. Also, unlike the Mick Foley DVD, you can turn the commentaries on or off.
Bottom line: another great WWE career DVD set!

When RVD came into WWE in 2001, I knew very little about him. We didn't get ECW locally and I never got to see TNN. But after the last 3 years of stellar performance, I wanted to see what RVD was like in his element: ECW. So when I saw RVD's One of A Kind DVD on a local store shelf, I immediately picked it up and bought it. This DVD is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best Superstar packages ever produced by WWE.
This really shows the evolution of RVD from low-card challenger to the mid-card king to main eventing PPVs when he wasn't even ECW champion. Here are some of my favorite matches on this DVD:
1) RVD vs. Sabu- Amazing. The rope broke and they still put on an extreme classic.
2) RVD vs. Bam Bam Bigalow- I've watched Bam Bam for most of the time I've watched wrestling, and I've never seen him get his butt handed to him in such a dramatic fashion. Great match.
3)RVD vs. Jerry Lynn- WOW! EXCELLENT 25 min. match. Too bad Lynn couldn't make it in WWE.
4) RVD vs. Hardy-(Invasion 2001)- This is where that Bon Jovi wannabe gets to know the true Mr. Extreme,(MR.PPV) RVD.
5)RVD vs. Christian- Excellent Ladder Match. Sounds great on DVD compared to live TV.
There are other superb matches on this DVD. My advice is to get it now!!!!

This is a great UMD featuring 7 of some of the best matches RVD has had. Throughout each match shows the progression throughout his career.

This UMD has no extra features which does let it down a little but the matches are good and is a great edition to WWE UMD's.

WCW
(WCW Worldwide)
Robbie V (RVD) Vs. Scotty Flamingo (Raven) - This is a very early match featuring both a young RVD and Raven. This match although short is good and showcases RVD's short period in WCW. 7/10

ECW
(ECW Hardcore TV)
RVD Vs. Axl Rotten - This match is RVDs first in ECW and isnt a hardcore affair but is still good and shows how ECW didnt always need hardcore matches. There are some good moves and is a decent match but is put on the UMD to show his ECW debut. 7/10

(ECW Crossing The Line Again)
RVD & Sabu Vs. The Eliminators - This is a great hardcore tag match and shows the brilliant teaming of RVD and Sabu and how similar they are. This is a brilliant brawl which had many false finishes, one of better matches on UMD. 8.5/10

(ECW Barely Legal)
RVD Vs. Lance Storm - God Storm looks wierd and definatley isnt used to ECW fans (just look at chairshots very weak). Still a good match with some good moves and high flying, RVD shows why he is MR PPV. 8/10

(ECW Guilty As Charged)
RVD Vs. Jerry Lynn - These two always had good matches and this is no exception in the dying days of ECW. This isnt their best but is still great and that Van Terminator seems to hurt like hell. 9/10

(WWE Invasion)
RVD Vs. Jeff Hardy - RVDs first PPV match in WWE and shows he is the whole f'n show. Brilliant hardcore match showcasing the best of both men and some great moves involved, although not as good as the ladder match at Summerslam this is still great. 9.5/10

(WWE Raw)
RVD Vs. Christian - What a hidden gem!!! I didnt even know about this match and its the best match on the UMD and they saved it till last! Both men take severe punishment and prove they are two of the best in the business. 10/10