[CD Player]

In 1999, the 2 biggest attractions in ECW were Taz and Rob Van Dam. Taz won their World Title early in the year, and RVD was on a roll defending the TV Title.


RVD was becoming insanely popular, thanks in large part to his great matches with Jerry Lynn. Taz and RVD were kept apart for most of the year.


Taz then signed with WWF in September, and just jobbed in big matches from then on. We did see Taz vs. Van Dam at November 2 Remember, but everyone knew Van Dam was winning, seeing as how Taz was set to leave.


What if Taz hadn't signed with WWE in 99 and didn't lose his title? How would you have booked this match and storyline? How big would the match have been?

 

[dave 1981]

If I remember rightly Paul Heyman was building towards RVD/Taz for the world title but RVD got injured and the plans were ruined, this if memory serves me right was at the point where they were ECW's two biggest draws and both red hot so it was expected to do the best numbers ECW had ever seen.

 

[Jupiter Jack Daniels]

If I remember rightly Paul Heyman was building towards RVD/Taz for the world title but RVD got injured and the plans were ruined, this if memory serves me right was at the point where they were ECW's two biggest draws and both red hot so it was expected to do the best numbers ECW had ever seen.

Nah, you talking about Mike Awesome vs. Rob Van Dam.





Honestly, if Taz didn't leave ECW, I doubt we would have even gotten Taz/RVD at November 2 Remember. That chapter of Taz' career was already closed, indirectly based on him finishing off Sabu in the "Unification" match at Living Dangerously. The angle didn't pick up until AFTER Taz had signed with WWE and was on his way out, as I remember some kind of storyline starting with Taz, Sabu & RVD on TNN.



Honestly, November 2 Remember would have likely just been Van Dam defending the title against another random opponent. Actually, I'd put my money on RVD vs. Sabu at the PPV, since they had already began feuding again. If Taz was still champion, he probably would have faced Chris Candido again, based on Taz destroying Candido in 3 matches earlier that year and Candido didn't return until shortly after Anarchy Rulz, which is when Taz lost the title and for whatever reason, worked Sabu, despite their "feud" seemingly ending in 1998.

 

[CD Player]

On a side note, instead of Awesome dropping the title to Tazz, Dreamer could have taken it from him. Awesome was the turncoat who tried to bring the title to Nitro. Dreamer, the heart of ECW, standing up to Awesome for the sake of the company would have been great.

 

[Jupiter Jack Daniels]

Dreamer says he never wanted to win the title and was pissed when he found out he was. I guess he viewed his character as the guy who always chased the gold but would come up short. And it made sense.

 

[DGenerationMC]

1999
- RVD drops the TV Title to Jerry Lynn at Heatwave 99 and loses to Lynn again on an episode of ECW on TNN
- Later, RVD announces his intention to go after the ECW World Title
- At Anarchy Rulz, Taz's final title defense vs. Tanaka ends with Taz walking out champion and saying he's leaving ECW with the title but is interrupted by RVD, who challenges him for the title then and there......Taz declines
- RVD finally gets his shot at the title in Taz's last official ECW match at November to Remember and wins the title as Taz puts him over as the new Face of ECW
- Meanwhile, Mike Awesome establishes himself as ECW's new monster as he finishes his feud with Tanaka to end 1999 before targeting RVD and the ECW World Title

2000
- RVD makes successful title defense against Sabu, Tanaka and Rhino before dropping the title to Awesome and takes a leave of absence to heal injuries
- Awesome debuts on WCW TV as ECW World Champion in April as several ECW wrestler such as Tommy Dreamer step up to defend ECW's honor but fail to get the title back
- The Sandman successfully takes the title back for ECW by defeating Mike Awesome on a episode of ECW on TNN for the strap
- Tajiri defeats The Sandman at CyberSlam to win the title with help from Rhino and the rest of The Network, turning heel
- Rob Van Dam returns at Hardcore Heaven, defeating Justin Credible
- The Network turns on Tajiri by assisting Jerry Lynn in defeating him for the ECW World Title at Anarchy Rulz

2001
- After months of fighting through The Network, RVD finally gets his shot at the ECW World Title at Guilty as Charged vs. old nemesis Jerry Lynn and wins it

 

[Simpsons Modern Life]

I met RVD a couple of months ago and he was a really cool guy, I think people sometimes don't realise how much he achieved, specially if you've not seen much of his ECW work, the guy was pretty big there.

One of my favourite matches with RVD is his match with Cena and One Night Stand, I have to give credit to Cena there too for handling that crowd the way that he did as that was one crazy crowd.

 

[DGenerationMC]

I met RVD a couple of months ago and he was a really cool guy, I think people sometimes don't realise how much he achieved, specially if you've not seen much of his ECW work, the guy was pretty big there.

One of my favourite matches with RVD is his match with Cena and One Night Stand, I have to give credit to Cena there too for handling that crowd the way that he did as that was one crazy crowd.

I've been binge watching RVD matches in ECW from 99-01 on Dailymotion since last night. Watching Living Dangerously vs Lynn right now :mark:

Totally I agree with you on the Cena part. I believe no other top guy in WWE history would've handled it as well as Cena did.

Not Hogan, Rock or Austin.

Maybe HBK but he's a natural heel.

 

[Simpsons Modern Life]

I've been binge watching RVD matches in ECW from 99-01 on Dailymotion since last night. Watching Living Dangerously vs Lynn right now :mark:

Totally I agree with you on the Cena part. I believe no other top guy in WWE history would've handled it as well as Cena did.

Not Hogan, Rock or Austin.

Maybe HBK but he's a natural heel.

I totally agree, I don't think anyone would have handled that as good as Cena did and I do completely agree with that.

 

[jcmmnx]

I think they had a really good match on ECW Hardcore tv at the end of 1996.

 

[ByTor]

1999
- RVD drops the TV Title to Jerry Lynn on an episode of ECW on TNN during the Summer
- Later, RVD announces his intention to go after the ECW World Title

Lynn wrestled RVD at The Arena in August 1999. The Taz story had already broke iirc. I was convinced Lynn was beating RVD for the TV title so Rob could be free to challenge Taz for the ECW Title at Anarchy Rulz. And that is how I would have done things.

 

[DGenerationMC]

Lynn wrestled RVD at The Arena in August 1999. The Taz story had already broke iirc. I was convinced Lynn was beating RVD for the TV title so Rob could be free to challenge Taz for the ECW Title at Anarchy Rulz. And that is how I would have done things.

Yeah, that's cool.

A four way dance between Taz, Awesome, Tanaka and RVD is still :mark:

 

[DDP4LIFE]

I've been binge watching RVD matches in ECW from 99-01 on Dailymotion since last night. Watching Living Dangerously vs Lynn right now :mark:

Totally I agree with you on the Cena part. I believe no other top guy in WWE history would've handled it as well as Cena did.

Not Hogan, Rock or Austin.

Maybe HBK but he's a natural heel.

By that point Cena had plenty of experience with fans who hated him. Nothing new to him.