10 Great Matches From WWE Vengeance PPVs

Ah yes, the all-too-brief moment in time where Rob Van Dam, perennially held back by WWE to that point, was the WWE and ECW World Heavyweight Champion. His reign is regarded as a huge disappointment by most, if not an outright failure, due to his highly-publicised drug bust, but he did manage to squeeze out one or two decent matches while co-champ.

The very best of those took place at Vengeance, when he faced off with The Rated-R Superstar, Edge. The Canadian was a true master at putting matches together and his fingerprints were all over this one. The two men dazzled from the off, displaying some great athleticism as they dived and flipped around the ring, looking for an advantage.

RVD hit some wicked kicks and a moonsault off the barricade before being brought down with a sickening sunset flip powerbomb off the apron. Edge followed that up later with a powerbomb onto the security wall, with his mission seemingly not just to win the WWE Title but also to permanently wind his high-flying opponent.

The champion got his second wind, however, and showed some serious fighting spirit, coming back with a selection of kicks, twists and a beautiful bridging German suplex, but he could only get two. A misplaced spinkick knocked out the ref, but Lita's interference backfired, allowing The Whole F'n Show to hit a Five-Star Frog Splash and retain the gold.

All told, this might have been Van Dam's best showing since returning from major knee surgery some seven months prior. He looked sharp, focused and determined to prove that he belonged in the major matches. As for Edge, it was another in a series of excellent matches he had that year.