TheJonHarder.com - OFFICIAL Home of Jon Harder
  • Home
  • #HardwayHQ
  • UAHLU
  • Professional 3
  • The Angry Mets Guy Blog

The Van Terminator

11/28/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
When I was 14 years old, I absolutely loved watching ECW on TNN on Friday nights. As a kid who was bullied and never really hung out with friends in high school, I would sit home and catch up with my wrestling habit. Every week for a year and 1 month, I would sit in front of the TV and enjoy Extreme Championship Wrestling on prime time at 8 PM. For the most part, I dug what I saw. Stories were always advancing, combined with the gritty camera angles and music videos every week. However, it was the wrestling that always center stage within the realm of ECW.

Almost 14 years has passed since the death of ECW, and people keep talking about it. Honestly, it wasn’t so much about the wrestling, but the characters within the wrestling environment in the grand stage. Even though the wrestling might not have been the greatest due to the “accentuating the positives, hide the negatives” mentality, every wrestler had its own personal traits to them per their wrestling matches. The greatest athlete that had his flaws which I doubt the ECW fans EVER picked up on was “Mr. Pay-Per-View” ROB VAN DAM.

RVD was such a different kind of athlete in wrestling at that time period. In the world of ECW, where rules were very lax, Van Dam was able to have more freedom to expand his wrestling horizons in the ring. He was able to have no count outs, so he had the ability to hot dog with the crowds and taunt at will for a long period of time. RVD was also able to go long lengths in his matches without a format, especially in this day-and-age where, especially on television and pay-per-view, matches do not go over 20 minutes. He was going 30-35 minutes A NIGHT. Lastly, he was the most innovative user of the steel chair within his wrestling arsenal. Due to the ECW style, Van Dam could use a chair and easily use it to his advantage.

This leads to this edition of the Professional 3. Rob Van Dam single handedly took a wrestling maneuver in the year 2000 and, for the last time in recent memory, utilized it to get buys on pay-per-view for Heatwave 2000 on July 16, 2000: The VAN TERMINATOR.
That clip is incredible! What they do not show is before that move, the crowd was legitimately chanting “TERM-I-NAT-OR! *CLAP x 5* TERM-I-NAT-OR! *CLAP x 5*”! What RVD did showcased that when hyped properly, a move can mean something and that, if promoted the right way, can be incredibly special. Here is how ECW MADE the Van Terminator special.

1) THE BUILD UP TO IT – At ECW Hardcore Heaven 2000, RVD returned and had his first match back from a broken leg that he suffered from in February 2000 in Florida, to face off against Jerry Lynn, his greatest rival. Van Dam’s best friend Scotty Anton, who had come into ECW to watch his back from the rival Network, sold him out and actually cost RVD a rare pay-per-view loss.

RVD, who was incredibly embarrassed since “he doesn’t f****** lose” when it comes to pay-per-view, decided he was going to take matters into his own hands to face his former BFF and do whatever it took to destroy him. A few weeks later on ECW on TNN, RVD announced he had developed the ULTIMATE move to destroy Anton for his actions at Hardcore Heaven and at Heatwave 2000 in RVD’s new living quarters in Los Angeles, California; he was going to unveil the Van Terminator!
2) THE HYPE – The one belief that I have behind wrestling finishers nowadays is that they are no longer protected by the promotion themselves. In a big match situation, you normally see guys kick out of someone’s ultimate finisher two, maybe three times a match. The end-all, be-all of a wrestling match, save the RKO of Randy Orton at times, is not as important as it once was. That is what made the hype of the Van Terminator so special. The way Paul Heyman marketed it through television, combined with the ability of RVD letting the world know it was coming through his interviews, made the Terminator look like it was worth checking out to see. For Christ sake, the fans were calling for it, and they've never seen the move before! If I was to develop a wrestling maneuver so I can avenge my best friend’s betrayal, you damn bet I’d hype it up like that too!
Picture
3) THE DELIVERY – RVD really took it to Anton throughout the entire match at Heatwave. Although Van Dam took a licking from his former best friend and newest member of “The Network”, the U.S. Male ultimately got a Van Daminator and a Five Star Frog Splash for his troubles. However, nothing that resembled what the Van Terminator was being described as took place.

Suddenly, an injured Scotty Anton rolled over into a leaning position in the turnbuckle area. Bill Alfonso grabbed a steel chair and placed it in front of the injured competitor. RVD went outside of the ring and stood at the opposite turnbuckle directly across. In one fell swoop, RVD springboarded to the top rope and proceeded to jump completely coast-to-coast. Once at the point of no return, Van Dam DROPKICKED the steel chair into the face of Anton. Like a 180 degree line, RVD unleashed the most vicious move in wrestling to that point: The Van Terminator. It can best be described as a springboard turnbuckle-to-turnbuckle front dropkick into a steel chair into his opponent. Absolutely breath-taking and awe-inspiring was that move. And yes, it definitely gave Anton his receipt for costing RVD a very important match on ECW PPV.

The Van Terminator was important to the dying days of ECW and wrestling. It showed that even in the toughest of times, Paul Heyman could still market a wrestling hold as important and have the fans actually chant to see it. Rob Van Dam showed that innovation was KEY to keeping his character absolutely different from everyone else in the Land of Extreme. And most of all, it showed that fans genuinely appreciate wrestling holds and how they are protected. These are all little examples of the lost art of pro wrestling inside the realm of the “sports entertainment” era.




Jon Harder
jon@thejonharder.com
0 Comments

One Time Survivor Series Innovations

11/23/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
I actually took the time to watch Survivor Series on the WWE Network. Although I have not taken the opportunity to watch any new episodes of Raw or Smackdown over the past few months, I will always take the time to watch Survivor Series.

I always knew Thanksgiving was coming as a child when Survivor Series was on Pay-Per-View. The first four Survivor Series were actually held on Thanksgiving Night from 1987 to 1990, while the following four were on Thanksgiving Eve from 1991 to 1994. I vividly remember in 1994 that my aunt filmed the infamous Bob Backlund championship win in the Submission match versus Bret Hart and I proceeded to be angry the entire dinner.

Ultimately, Survivor Series would start being every Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, starting in 1995 and existing to that particular day for its entirety. However, Survivor Series always held true for being 2 THINGS: The Ultimate in Team Competition and SURVIVAL.

The 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 matches at Survivor Series demonstrated the epitome of wrestling coming together to not only win, but to survive to the very end. Not only that, the team names that every individual unit utilized were incredible. Rude’s Brood, the 4x4s, the Mercenaries, and the Dark Side are only a few examples.

However, despite the innovative nature of these contests, there have three instances that have shown that the Survivor Series was, quite possibly, TOO INNOVATIVE. There have been certain instances where a very creative idea was utilized once and NEVER shown at Survivor Series again.

Without further hesitation, here are 3 of those examples.

1) GRAND FINALE OF SURVIVAL (1990) – In 1990, WWF President Jack Tunney (#HardwayHQ Hall of Famer, BTW) wanted to freshen up the Survivor Series format. Although the style of matches stayed the same (4x4 elimination matches), Tunney believed that there had to be an extra incentive for the winners of these matches. All of the survivors of each individual match, either fan favorite or rule breaker, would be a part of the main event entitled the “Grand Finale of Survival”. The survivors of this particular battle would be called the Ultimate Survivors.

Well, 1990 had a very illustrious year. 4 out of the 5 elimination matches ended one survivor: Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, and Tito Santana for the fan favorites, and “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase for the rule breakers. Yet, for the first time in Survivor Series history, the Visionaries of Rick Martel, the Warlord, and Power and Glory survived entirely as a team against Jake Roberts and his Vipers. For the Grand Finale, it was Hogan, Warrior, and Tito against DiBiase and the Visionaries. In the end, the Hulkster and the World Wrestling Federation champion overcame the obstacles and were the ULTIMATE SURVIVORS. I absolutely loved this concept and, although it only existed for the 1990 edition, it made the winners seem like they were fighting for something.

2) ELIMINATION CHAMBER AT SURVIVOR SERIES (2002) – Now, I know what you are thinking: the Elimination Chamber has been an incredible part of the WWE’s success. For Christ’s sake, there was an entire pay-per-view named AFTER this contest. However, in my personal opinion, this contest was tailor-made for the Survivor Series. 10 tons of steel, 2 miles of chain, a steel fenced platform, and 4 chamber pods make for a match where you simply HAVE to survive. Shawn Michaels survived the inaugural Elimination Chamber at Survivor Series in 2002, and there hasn’t been another one since at the Thanksgiving Tradition. I’d hope to see it back sooner than later.

3) THE WILD CARD MATCH (1995) – In 1995, new WWF President Gorilla Monsoon, trying to shake up the “New Generation” that the WWF was under, decided to make a unique contest for the ’95 installment of the Survivor Series in Washington D.C. Since Shawn Michaels was in a rivalry with Sid, Razor Ramon had his issues with Dean Douglas, Camp Cornette was running rampant, and Ahmed Johnson was starting his reign of Pearl River terror in the WWF, Monsoon instilled the Wild Card Survivor Series battle, where friends will face friends and foes will team. On one team: Shawn Michaels, Ahmed, the British Bulldog, and Sycho Sid. Their opponents: Razor Ramon, Dean Douglas, Owen Hart, and Yokozuna. Gorilla definitely found a way to make his Presidency unique.

This match-up had a bit of a Royal Rumble vibe to it, where the unpredictability of the teams gave that “anything is possible” feel. In the end, HBK, Ahmed, and the Bulldog survived, but enemies were still intact. I truly hoped that 1996 in the Garden would have a similar match, but my wishes were tossed by the wayside. Things happen…


The Survivor Series has always been memorable. Even after this year’s incredible debut of the WCW franchise player, Sting, the Thanksgiving Tradition holds strong as an event revolving around intrigue and innovation. Some things work at Survivor Series, some don’t.

Picture
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Jon Harder
jon@thejonharder.com
0 Comments

The History of the FTW Championship (ECW)

11/17/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Everyone knows by now through my Professional 3 pieces that I am a huge fan of wrestling championships. The WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Title, the ROH Pure Championship, and the ACE Fight for Flight Championship are a few examples.

Yet somehow, I was always attracted to one championship in particular. In the grand scheme of things, it WAS an unsanctioned championship, but it helped catapult one man to the World Heavyweight championship of Extreme Championship Wrestling. Plus, the name of his championship reflected what his demeanor ultimately was. It was created by the “Human Suplex Machine” TAZ, and it was the F*** The World Championship. Quite simply put, it’s the FTW title for short.

The black and orange brigade from Brooklyn, NY took an opportunity at developing his own championship to prove that he was worth being the World Heavyweight champion. Granted, Taz was involved in the first ever main event on pay-per-view and basically decimated everyone in his path (HEY, I believed he was the perfect man to bring ECW to the next level as champion WITHOUT the FTW championship), but with the FTW championship, Taz legitimately looked like a World champion, defending against all comers. And although the ECW World Heavyweight championship was NOT being defended due to injury in the summer and fall of 1998, Taz filled the void with the creation of the FTW gold.

Picture
The championship might have been in existence for 10 months, but it left an indelible impact on the ECW fan base RIGHT BEFORE going to TNN in the fall of 1999. Here is the entire title history behind the F*** The World Championship.

1) TAZ DEBUTS THE BELT IN QUEENS, NY – 5/14/98

During this time period, “the Franchise” Shane Douglas, current ECW Heavyweight champion, went on the shelf due to a severe elbow injury after the WrestlePalooza 1998 pay-per-view. Before that, Douglas wanted the Human Suplex Machine to join the Triple Threat and take his place during the injury. Taz said no and proceeded to take down Shane into an armbar. Taz simply wanted the ECW World Heavyweight championship. With Douglas out and there being NO World championship defenses on the horizon, Taz, who wanted recognition as champion, went out to the ring at the Elks Lodge in Queens, NY with a black bag and proceeded to change the landscape of 1998’s ECW.

In front of the rabid New York fan base, Taz proceeded to say how the Franchise was ducking him, even with the injury, and how he was scared of him. Taz then proceeded to discuss how he would no longer be the uncrowned World Heavyweight champion. Taz went to the black bag and proceeded to pull out an orange championship belt with yellow FTW stickers on them (in reality, it was an old ECW Television championship belt). Although Taz said that it could’ve been called the Brooklyn World belt, the F*** The World championship stuck, and ultimately kick-started the cult following of the late stages of 1998 with Taz’s personal (and frequently defended, despite it being unsanctioned) Heavyweight championship.
2) SABU BEATS TAZ – 12/19/98

After non-stop defenses of the championship up-and-down the circuit, including an incredible FTW Deathmatch against Bam Bam Bigelow at Heatwave 1998, Shane Douglas returned from the elbow surgery and injury and was ready to defend his ECW World Heavyweight championship again. Would there be a unification match for the title? Not at this time. After the November 2 Remember 1998 pay-per-view, where Sabu actually pinned the Franchise in a six-man tag involving Taz and Rob Van Dam and Chris Candido and Bam Bam Bigelow, the Franchise tried to plant more dissension between Taz and Sabu, where deep down, Douglas was trying to have Taz focus less on his run towards the ECW championship.

After a 5 minute sprint, Taz delivered an absolute devastating Dragon TazPlex through a table set up in the corner to the “Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal, and Death-Defying” Sabu. Sabu, with a now suffered broken neck, lay limp in the turnbuckle. Shane Douglas, at ringside cheering on what Taz did, had a big smile on his face. He truly thought Taz would exert more energy and anger toward his FTW championship. Instead, Taz dragged the prone carcass of Sabu out of the corner…AND THREW HIM ON TOP OF HIMSELF? A three count from a perplexed Pee Wee Moore later, and Sabu became the NEW FTW champion! It even stunned the Franchise!

As it turned out, Taz wanted to no longer exert so much energy on his personal title and focus on the ECW World Heavyweight championship. Thus, at Guilty as Charged 1999, Taz choked out Shane Douglas to become the new World Champion.

Taz vs. Sabu, ECW Living Dangerousely 1999... by akim93
Taz vs. Sabu, ECW Living Dangerousely 1999... by akim93
3) TAZ UNIFIES THE BELTS – Living Dangerously 1999 – 3/21/99

However, with Sabu’s claim to officially beating Taz for the FTW championship, combined with believing that he legit held a legitimate World championship (despite ECW still not sanctioning the title into their championship lineage), Taz made the challenge to Sabu for Living Dangerously 1999 in Asbury Park, NJ to unify both the ECW and FTW World Heavyweight championships.

However, a few weeks before the big unification showdown, at a show in North Carolina, Taz delivered a vicious clothesline to the jaw of Sabu. Sabu’s jaw was not just dislocated, but Taz partially tore his bicep as well. Going into Living Dangerously, Taz made that point loud and clear to ECW interviewer Steven Prazak. Once the match was underway, Taz IMMEDIATELY went after Sabu’s jaw. After an inhuman amount of punishment given to Sabu’s head, Taz ultimately made Sabu pass out to the Kata Hijame submission hold. Taz officially unified the ECW and FTW championships.

Legitimately, has anyone done as much damage to Sabu as Taz had? Good grief.
Picture
Regardless, the ten month era of the F*** The World championship came to end in March of 1999. It was short, but there was a purpose. The FTW championship was to help Taz go to the next level to become ECW World Heavyweight champion. And quite frankly, there never might be another unsanctioned championship that will ever get as much respect as the FTW gold did in Extreme Championship Wrestling.
“And I say F*** The World!” - Taz

Jon Harder
jon@thejonharder.com
0 Comments

    The Professional 3

    Started on 411mania.com, Jon Harder's signature column has come home to TheJonHarder.com!

    #Professional3

    Archives

    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed