10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (July 14)

by Jamie Kennedy

1. RVD's Five-Star Frog Splash Was Inspired By The Wrestling Observer

Rob Van Dam Triple H
wwe.com

Dave Meltzer probably didn't write about Zeus' performance at SummerSlam '89 in glowing terms, but he must have been a fan of Rob Van Dam's match with Jeff Hardy 12 years later in 2001. In that stunning match, Van Dam missed his trademark Five-Star Frog Splash off a ladder.

Somewhere, The Wrestling Observer chief was watching with a smile, because he knew what the move referenced.

A fan on Twitter asked Meltzer if RVD's finish had been inspired by the Observer's star ratings system. Firing back quickly, Dave confirmed that "it was", so it appears Van Dam was a fan of the newsletter during his ECW days in the '90s.

He was also years ahead of The Young Bucks in using a Meltzer reference for one of his moves. What's next? A Seven-Star Suplex? A Dud Driver? A Minus One Star Slam? Maybe, as one fellow fan quipped, it'll be the Seven-Star Superman Punch.

Ahem.

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Which other big wrestling facts did you learn this week? Let us know down in the comments section below!

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.