In the first instalment of Greatest Rivalries, we take a look back at Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn, who together produced a number of spectacular contests which rank among the all-time greatest matches in the history of the organisation; it’s the “Whole F’N’ Show” vs. “The New F’N’ Show”.
Based solely on appearances, one could be forgiven for thinking that Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn might have a lot in common. That is, of course, if you weren’t at all familiar with their distinctly opposite personalities.
By 1998, when Jerry Lynn and Rob Van Dam first squared off in a televised match, Lynn had already been competing in the squared circle for over a decade. Surprisingly, considering their seven year age gap, Van Dam had his first match only two years later, debuting in 1990; it’s safe to say that by the time this rivalry got underway, both men knew what they were doing.
Despite not being able to intimidate opponents physically, and not exactly possessing unique traits appearance-wise (both men were of average height and sported the Wrestling 101 look of long, scraggly hair and tights – or a singlet in RVD’s case) Lynn and Van Dam were both able to make a name for themselves utilising their superior wrestling ability. Despite both men being tremendous in-ring talents, their respective attitudes and personalities, as well as methods of expressing themselves, placed them on opposite ends of the spectrum as performers; Rob Van Dam was the cocky showboat, and Lynn was the quiet, yet confident wrestling technician who wasn’t afraid to put a man in his place, if need be. The contrasting dynamics brought to the table by each man added an extra element to the rivalry, which in turn helped them develop a strong in-ring chemistry and made them as close to the perfect rivals for each other as you could get.
Part of Van Dam’s appeal was also what rubbed some – including Jerry Lynn – the wrong way; RVD was damn good, and he wasn’t afraid to tell you so. Sure his style was unorthodox, but it worked, and it got the crowd on their feet. Although many of his tactics were designed to antagonise the ECW fans, they couldn’t help but get behind RVD, making him one of the most popular superstars on the roster. Van Dam couldn’t have cared less, however, because whether you loved or hated him, you had to appreciate just how good he was; according to the man himself, not only was he the highlight of the show, he was ‘The Whole Fucking Show”. While arrogant, it also displayed a type of charisma that cannot be taught – an intangible quality fostered through an unshakeable self belief that would ultimately ensure Van Dam become a bigger star over the course of his career than his Minnesota counterpart.
As much as it may seem like one, this is not a slight on Jerry Lynn. Unlike many who toil for years on end without being able to crack through the glass ceiling, Lynn took both his failures and success in his stride. He didn’t moan and complain about lack of opportunities or the relentless politics of the wrestling industry; he seemed content in knowing that within the confines of a wrestling ring, there were few competitors who could lace his boots. In contrast to Rob Van Dam, and perhaps to his own detriment, he didn’t feel the need to tell you about it – at least, as much as the Michigan native. Although RVD created more buzz among fans and in the locker room, Jerry Lynn was still an engaging performer in his own right – when the fans paid their money to see a card on which he was wrestling, they knew they’d get a good show.
Living Dangerously
Although they faced off for the first time on October 30 in Plymouth Meeting, Massachusetts, it wasn’t until 1999 that the feud between Jerry Lynn and Rob Van Dam began to heat up, in turn gaining traction with the fans. On March 21, 1999 at the Living Dangerously Pay-Per-View in Asbury Park, New Jersey the two men battled for Van Dam’s ECW World Television Championship, which he’d held since April of the previous year. A fiercely contested battle, the bout is fondly remembered among wrestling fans – although most pundits agree that it wasn’t even the best in their series, which speaks to the high quality of their matches.
Following 20 minutes of highly entertaining back-and-forth action, the referee awarded Jerry Lynn the victory, and thus the title, after the time limit had expired. Not wanting to become champion in such dubious circumstances, Lynn instead asked for a 5 minute time extension, giving him a chance to defeat RVD decisively via either pin fall or submission. Had the shoe been on the other foot, there’s little doubt that unlike his opponent, Van Dam would have instead walked out satisfied with a victory through whatever means. And if you asked him if it was because he thought Lynn might beat him if they continued wrestling, his response would probably have been something along the lines of “No, I’m already better than him; I don’t feel the need to prove it for an extra five minutes”.
Ultimately, Lynn’s display of intense competitiveness – both with RVD and himself – would end up costing him, as two minutes into overtime, the self-dubbed ‘Whole F’N’ Show’ would retain his title after following a devastating Van Daminator with a Five Star Frog Splash for the pin fall victory. Although the referee had controversially awarded Lynn the title at the conclusion of the initial 20 minute time period, the ‘ win’ was not officially recognised, and thus Van Dam’s nearly yearlong title reign would continue uninterrupted.
While he wasn’t successful in his quest to win the gold, many observers felt that Lynn had earned himself another opportunity through his performance alone. In an uncharacteristic move from the self-assured Rob Van Dam, after both men had picked themselves up from the canvas he walked over and shook the hand of his fallen opponent, a gesture of respect and appreciation between two of the top competitors in ECW. The sincerity of the moment was dulled somewhat when Van Dam began mocking Lynn with his title belt after he turned his back. It was undoubtedly an effort to save face on RVD’s behalf, because he knew that it was a challenge unlike any he’d faced before, and he was lucky to be walking away with the title.
So impressive was Lynn’s performance that at one point in the match a vocal section of the crowd began to chant “New Fuckin’ Show”; soon enough, this slight variation of Van Dam’s self-appointed moniker became Lynn’s nickname, and he uncharacteristically began referring to himself as such, albeit mostly in an attempt to provoke RVD.
Hardcore Heaven
While the first Rob Van Dam – Jerry Lynn pay-per-view match was well received, it was their follow up effort in May of the same year at Hardcore Heaven that represented the creative zenith of their feud. When watched by itself, it’s a very good match. Prefaced by their Living Dangerously match, however, and another emotional layer reveals itself to the viewer, adding further depth to the story being told by both performers. In their first encounter, Van Dam wasn’t expecting the challenge put forward by Lynn, let alone to go beyond the 20 minute time limit, and wrestled accordingly. This time, however, he wasn’t going to hold back, and it showed. Adding further drama, a no time limit stipulation was enforced, ensuring that their Hardcore Heaven title match wouldn’t have the same controversy surrounding the finish as their previous match.
Ironically, despite the stipulation, both men came out with much more intensity during the opening moments of this contest than they had two months earlier, as they looked to inflict as much possible damage on each other from the opening bell.
A stray elbow from Lynn opened up a cut above Van Dam’s eye early on, causing blood to spill down the champion’s face, adding an element of violence that was a precursor for what was to come. After Van Dam’s manager Bill Alfonso attempted to introduce a chair on behalf of the ECW World Television Champion, Lynn intercepted and used it in his own favour on RVD. Ironically, Lynn’s use of the chair earned him a chorus of boos. This wasn’t an indicator that the rabid ECW crowd were anti-weapons (in fact, the opposite was true), but in the weeks since Living Dangerously Van Dam’s level of popularity had increased further, meaning that although Lynn’s talents were still appreciated, it wouldn’t be enough to earn him the admiration of the crowd like it had two months earlier.
The unintentional blood, as well as the use of a chair, served to galvanise the champion even further; he was reminded once again that if he wanted to walk out with the victory, he would have to be more brutal and aggressive than ever before. After recovering from the chair shot and countering a superplex attempt by catching Lynn on the top rope, Van Dam then kicked the challenger to the outside. As Lynn went sailing to the floor his feet collided with the bottom rope, causing him to land headfirst on the thin blue mats which covered the concrete floor outside the ring.
What had initially been an effective, yet unremarkable way for Van Dam to create some space for himself and gain the upper hand became the most important move in the entire match, as Lynn sustained not only a bloody face (from what looked to be a broken nose), but also a concussion as a result of the fall. While his concussion, and resulting inability to perform certain maneuver's later in the match, could’ve taken away from the bout, it only added to the emotional drama.
Rather than accept defeat and save himself from any further damage and possible injury – which would’ve been understandable – Lynn continued to fight valiantly. In the immediate moments after sustaining the concussion, Lynn was un-moving, and in order to get him back in the ring Van Dam had to lift his opponent’s dead weight from the floor, which required a tremendous amount of strength. After being unable to secure the pin fall, Van Dam took the fight back to the outside, where he delivered a number of vicious, high impact moves which would’ve put any other match to an end. After only using the Van Daminator during the closing moments of their Living Dangerously match, and only then to secure the win, on this night RVD wasted no time in introducing the signature manuever, throwing Lynn over the guardrail onto a vacant seat in the crowd, before Bill ‘Fonzie’ Alfonso involved himself once again by throwing a chair at Lynn, who instinctively caught it only to be met with a kick to the face by Van Dam, causing the chair to bounce off Lynn’s already bloody face.
Still, it wasn’t enough.
What made the violence in this match unique, and separated it from the innumerable other matches in ECW which featured blood and the generous use of weapons, was that it was borne out of a competitive desperation and circumstance, rather than an intense personal animosity. The blood wasn’t intentional on either man’s part, but was instead simply a consequence of their desire to become champion and the recognition of being the better wrestler. The chair had seldom been used in their previous encounter, at least compared to this match, and certainly not as brutally. Also unlike the Living Dangerously match, which largely took place inside the ring, Van Dam and Lynn used not only the area outside the ring, but also beyond the guardrail as a tool to inflict damage. Again, now that both men were aware of how evenly matched they were and how difficult a victory would be to achieve, they had upped the intensity. Even though Van Dam was victorious two months earlier, there was an argument to be made that he wasn’t the better man in the match, and he only gained victory as a result of the stoppage, which put a halt to Lynn’s momentum. As previously mentioned, the storytelling at play is a key component in appreciating not only the feud as a whole, but in particular the Living Dangerously and Hardcore Heaven matches – which are the two most memorable of the rivalry – and how they are essentially Acts one and two of the same story.
While Van Dam dominated the period immediately following Lynn’s concussion, the challenger managed to fight his way back in the contest. Although predominantly known as an in-ring specialist, overcoming his opponent by utilising his pure wrestling skills, Lynn responded to Van Dam’s hard-hitting and violent attempts at finishing the match by putting him through a table set up on the outside. Ironically, Lynn had attempted to put Van Dam through a table at Living Dangerously, but on that occasion it failed to break. This was as symbolic of the narrative as any other moment of the match.
Moments later, Lynn took ‘Fonzie’ out of the equation by hurling a chair at his head with tremendous force after the aggravating manager attempted to set up another Van Daminator by throwing a chair into Lynn’s hands. Now that the playing field appeared even, it was anybody’s guess as to who would win. Although he was still feeling the effects of the concussion, Lynn had withstood an offensive onslaught from RVD and responded in devastating fashion.
Eventually, the action returned to the ring as fatigue caught up with both competitors; neither man wanted to risk becoming victim another devastating move on the outside, as it would most likely be the last, and they knew the ring was the only place to make a pin fall or submission; clearly, the finish was nigh. During the latter stages, Lynn attempted a sunset flip power-bomb off the turnbuckle, but both men instead lost their balance and collapsed to the mat below. Although the crowd began an obnoxious “You fucked up” chant, they failed to see how it played into the match; while both men had undoubtedly not intended to mess up the move, it told the story of how they were mentally depleted and physically spent, yet continued to fight because that’s how much not the title, but also the personal vindication of simply being better than the other man, meant to them.
In a clear sign that his concussion was getting the better of him, Lynn tried to slow down the pace of the match by attempting a snapmare on Van Dam, which was countered. RVD followed up with a Five Star Frog Splash and in an amazing display of tenacity, Lynn reversed the pin fall attempt into a small package, which Van Dam managed to kick out of at the two count. Ultimately, the counter seemed to use up what fight Lynn had left, as he failed to capitalise, instead falling victim to another Van Daminator. Finally, the champion – just as he did at Living Dangerously – climbed to the top rope and hit a second Five Star Frog Splash, which secured the victory.
Afterwards, as Jerry Lynn slowly limped from the ring, Rob Van Dam called him back and gave him a hi-five – which in regards to Van Dam is perhaps more meaningful than a handshake – only this time, there was no taunting afterwards.
A Constant Presence
While the rivalry never again reached the intensity of their two previous Pay-Per-View battles, Lynn and Van Dam crossed paths several more times throughout the remainder of their ECW careers, with both men staying on with the company even after it became apparent that the end was nigh. Following the company’s demise in 2001 they made the transition over to the then-WWF, but not before competing in the final Pay-Per-View match in ECW history at Guilty as Charged in January of that same year.
Although Jerry Lynn would win the Light Heavyweight Championship in his debut match for the company, it was Van Dam who became the more successful of the two, even going on to compete for the WWF Championship in the main event of the No Mercy event only three months after his debut. Despite both men being placed at the opposite ends of the spectrum in regards to their prominence in the on-screen story lines at the time, they would add another chapter to their rivalry as they squared off on the July 31st edition of Sunday Night Heat, in which – fittingly enough – Van Dam’s Hardcore Championship was on the line.
Twelve years later, Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn would have their final match together at TNA’s One Night Only event. Following a 17 minute battle contested under No Disqualification rules, RVD would once again quell his opponent’s desperate crusade to defeat him. It seemed only fitting that this would be the ending to the final chapter of this rivalry.
But it wasn’t the whole story.
The win/loss record may have favoured Rob Van Dam, and on paper Jerry Lynn may appear on unworthy foe for his high-flying counterpart, but if one were to follow the progress of this feud over the span of it’s 15 year-plus duration a different tale unfolds. It wasn’t so much about winners and losers as it was a chronicle of two men on two contrasting paths, both in their personal attitudes and professional careers, yet whose fates somehow seemed intertwined. It represented a battle fought on a much grander scale. It was the natural-born talent against the scrappy underdog. And even in losing, the underdog showed that even in defeat one can still prove his worth, and make his mark. Although Van Dam would become one of the most popular acts in all of professional wrestling in the mid-2000’s, while Lynn worked doggedly at perfecting his craft in front of fewer fans and for less accolades, as both men rode into the sunset there they were – still proving themselves to one another. Although he had been dismissive of him at the beginning of their feud, and had beaten him time and again, by the end it wouldn’t be an inaccurate statement to say that Rob Van Dam was trying to prove his worth to Jerry Lynn just as much as the latter was to the former.