Van Dam

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Van Dam & Hardy: Risky but great
By Phil Speer from WWF.com

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- How do Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy put on the match they did at Sunday's Invasion and not hurt themselves severely?
"I'm not injured," Van Dam told WWF.com Monday. "Everyone else is surprised, which I'm used to every night."

But at least one World Wrestling Federation official -- Jim Ross, senior vice president for talent relations, and the voice of the Federation -- said that the two superstars may have taken too many risks in the match.

"Both those guys, down the road, can look back at these extraordinary matches with a sigh of relief that they didn't get hurt," Ross said in his post-Invasion Ross Report.

But Hardy and Van Dam weren't thinking about "down the road" before their match. For Hardy, it was an opportunity to live up to huge expectations.

"It was a big singles match for me," he said. "I thought it was very well-paced and evenly athletic."

For Van Dam, the match was a coming-out party of sorts -- his first appearance on a Federation Pay-Per-View -- although he added that he treats each match like fans are seeing him for the first time.

"I don't just strive to have a good match," he said. "I strive to have the best match."

Based on the reaction he received from the fans in Gund Arena, however, it was obvious that most fans were already familiar with him. Van Dam said there were more "RVD" signs than he had ever seen.

"That was a record for me," he said. "It was like wallpaper out there."
Van Dam said he was happy with the match and he enjoys being in the ring with Jeff Hardy.

"I hope I get to wrestle with him again," Van Dam said. "We brought something out of each other that was special.

"I didn't pull all of the tricks out of the bag," he added. "Not even close."

That's an amazing thought, considering that the two superstars utilized so many scintillating and never-before-seen maneuvers. There was Hardy's leg drop, which trapped Van Dam's legs in a sunset-flip-like pinning position. Jeff said it's the first time he's ever used the move, which he calls the "Compactor."

"If anybody's flexible enough to do it, it's Rob Van Dam," Hardy said.

Another breath-taking maneuver occurred when Van Dam delivered the Van-Daminator, kicking the steel chair that Hardy was holding, and sending Jeff flying off the entrance ramp.

On Monday, as a result of the fall, Hardy's lower back was very sore; it was the most serious injury he sustained. He also had a busted lip and forehead.

Van Dam, meanwhile, didn't have anything except a few bumps and bruises. And he said that he hasn't wrestled in so long that he missed that post-match soreness. But he was relatively injury free, and he had indeed been part of arguably the best match of the night. All in all, a pretty good Federation Pay-Per-View debut.

"I think that's a safe thing to say," Van Dam said. "And I believe that my second and third Pay-Per-Views will be good ones as well."