10 Great Matches From WWE Vengeance PPVs

Come December 2001, Rob Van Dam and The Undertaker were both in peculiar places on the WWE roster.

Van Dam had been a standout during the Invasion storyline and his burgeoning popularity goes down as one the genuine success stories of that period. The Undertaker, on the other hand, had run through many ECWCW stars and was now a heel after forcing Jim Ross to kiss Vine McMahon's backside and aligning himself with the boss.

The newly villainous 'Taker was all about respect and targeted Van Dam, challenging him for the Hardcore Title at Vengeance. It was somewhat unfamiliar territory for The Deadman, who wasn't exactly known for competing in hardcore bouts. There was also a fear going into the bout that he would steamroll RVD, torpedoing his momentum as he had to DDP, Kanyon and the like.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case and the two men put on a competitive and engaging match. Van Dam was allowed to get plenty of offense in during the brawl (which went all over the arena). In the end, the two men ended up on the stage, where Van Dam missed a Van Daminator and was thrown off the stage with a devastating chokeslam through two tables.

Yes, Undertaker won the match, but he played the role of Van Dam's kicking dummy for large portions of it. The Champion wasn't harmed in the result and they managed to keep it entertaining throughout.