SABU VS. ROB VAN DAM

Rob Van Dam is accompanied by Bill Alfonso because it wouldn't be an ECW show without Fonzie. RVD's the TNA World heavyweight champion, but this is a non-title match. RVD is in oldschool singlet, no tye-dye tonight. Fonzie sprints up the ramp to enter again with Sabu sans jacket, Mike Tenay and Tazz are on commentary, Tazz talks about his history with these three men in ECW, Tenay goes further back talking about Sabu and RVD training with The Original Sheik. In-ring introductions for this match, adding to the big fight feel. Sabu reveals a bald head

SABU VS. ROB VAN DAM

TNA Hardcore Justice 2010 (8^th August 2010)

The bell rings and Sabu dives for the leg, but RVD avoids it. Sabu dives for the leg a second time as the fans chant “this is wrestling” I'm glad they know where they are but it's not what you expect to hear in a Sabu match. They each pander to the crowd and I see how this will be half an hour-long including entrances. Sabu goes behind with a waistlock and Rob Van Dam uses the ropes to break, goes out to the floor and panders the crowd some more as Bill Alfonso talks to both men. Sabu dives for the leg again and gets it, but RVD kicks him away. Tazz mentions that originally this was supposed to be RVD vs. Jerry Lynn but Lynn was injured training for the match. This would be 11 years after their ECW trilogy started and their third big TNA match if I remember correctly. They lock up and RVD gets a headlock, into a hammerlock but Sabu elbows out and snapmares Van Dam down. RVD gets back to his feet and gets a waistlock, Sabu lands on his feet from the german suplex but misses a dropkick. Sabu jumps a sweep by Rob Van Dam.

We get a standoff, both men pose for the crowd Bill Alfonso slides a chair between them and they start a tug of war. Sabu gets possession of the chair and throws it into RVD's face, sending him into the corner. Sabu sets up the chair and hits the jumping leg lariat. RVD falls onto the top of the chair and Sabu covers but only gets 1. Rob Van Dam rolls out of the ring but Sabu sends him over the guardrail with a baseball slide dropkick. Sabu sets up the chair and jumps onto RVD in the crowd. We see a replay as Sabu gets back in the ring, RVD follows but gets covered for 2. Sabu locks in a half camel clutch, Bill Alfonso throws him a chair and he throws it at Van Dam's back before going back to the submission move he knows. Sabu sets up RVD in the corner and positions the chair, but this time Rob Van Dam kicks the chair into his knee. RVD uses the chair on Sabu and Fonzie gives him an erratic pep talk in the corner.

Rob Van Dam monkey flips Sabu out of the corner but he misses the chair. RVD throws the chair at Sabu and covers for a 2 count. RVD is whipped into the corner and Sabu follows with a clothesline, he slowly covers for 2 and goes back to the attack with stomps and rights in the corner. RVD is sent across the ring but he stops himself hitting the turnbuckle, he springs off the middle rope and kicks Sabu.out of mid-air for a double-down. That was better than I made it sound, but Alfonso is in the ring to throw each man a water bottle and ruin a decent spot. RVD and Sabu both scramble out of the ring and each bring a table into the match. They see each other and meet around ringside, getting a run-up to lock up, what the fuck am I watching here? RVD sends Sabu's head into the apron and hits a kick from the apron. Again, better than described. RVD drapes Sabu over the guard rail and hits the corkscrew leg drop across the back of the neck. They're both down on the floor as Fonzie makes a nuisance of himself.

RVD brings it back into the ring, placing Sabu under the bottom rope, Fonzie throws RVD a chair, which is thrown onto Sabu before RVD hits a slingshot legdrop. We see a replay as Rob Van Dam covers for a nearfall. They get to their feet and Sabu reverses an irish whip, sending RVD into the corner but runs into a back elbow. Rob Van Dam leaps to the top rope but Fonzie throws a chair to Sabu, who launches it into RVD's face. Sabu hits a super hurricanrana and RVD lands on the chair! Sabu hits the Arabian facebuster (a chair assisted leg drop) and covers for 2, but we see a replay of the super hurricanrana. The fans chant “you still got it” to Sabu as he puts RVD in a camel clutch. He positions the chair for the triple jump moonsault but RVD trips him and Sabu faceplants the chair. Tenay and Tazz notice Sabu bleeding from the back and side of the head. RVD crotches Sabu across the top rope. He tells Fonzie to hold the chair and leaps to the top turnbuckle. RVD kicks the chair into Sabu's face, which Tazz calls the Van Assassin. Sabu lands on the floor but slowly crawls in. RVD hits him with a split-legged moonsault for a nearfall.

Rob Van Dam sets up one of the tables, but Sabu has hold of the chair and is on his feet. He throws it at RVD's back, then another shot at his head. Sabu hits a leg drop and covers but suddenly RVD being in the ropes matters in this match so the referee doesn't count. Sabu tries to send RVD corner to corner, but it's reversed. Sabu hits the turnbuckles with his front and gets kicked in the face. RVD places a chair on Sabu and hits the Rolling Thunder and when he recovers gets a nearfall. Rob Van Dam gets to his feet with the chair as Sabu crawls to the corner. RVD hits a running dropkick with the chair for a nearfall. Sabu fights out of the corner but the irish whip is reversed. Sabu jumps up to the middle rope and hits a tornado DDT on RVD onto the chair. Sabu covers for another nearfall and climbs to the top rope. Bill Alfonso throws Sabu the chair and he hits an Arabian facebuster. He slowly covers again but RVD kicks out at 2. RVD is slammed into the table but the Arabian facebuster sends Sabu crashing through the table. Rob Van Dam hits the Five Star frog splash for the win.

WINNER: ROB VAN DAM

For this match in 2010, it was about what I expected, they played the hits (which just about drained Sabu's repertoire) Sabu was able to jump from chairs to the ropes without hurting himself or ruining the match and Bill Alfonso, whilst annoying at times during the match, didn't become too tiresome. Even helping with downtime, passing chairs to the competitors.– [***] match but personally 5/10

After the match, RVD and Sabu hug it out, whilst the ECW alumni have a beer bash in the ring to end the show, I wonder where they got that idea?