14. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Rob Van Dam - September 4, 2001
Following WWEs purchase of World Championship Wrestling, it was revealed in storyline that Shane and Stephanie McMahon had become the owners of both WCW and ECW. Together the two renegade promotions formed the Alliance and brought the war to the Federation. Battle lines were drawn and sides were chosen, sometimes in controversial fashion. The Federations perennial favorite, Stone Cold Steve Austin had defected to the Alliance and became the groups leader. While the entire Alliance was treated as a heel group, there was one standout member of the faction. Rob Van Dam had become a popular superstar with the fans and had begun to rebel against his Alliance cohorts. Furthermore, Austins frustrations had been brewing at the time, particularly with Kurt Angle. Austin vowed to do battle with the next Alliance member he saw, who coincidentally happened to be Van Dam. As a result, the match was set, and the two superstars met inside the ring for the first time on the September 4th, 2001 episode of Smackdown. Austin looked to take his frustrations out through Van Dam, but RVD was out to prove himself. The early part of the contest saw Stone Cold issue out a beating, channeling his anger with Angle toward RVD. Despite the pounding offense, Van Dam was able to counter a Stone Cold Stunner. As Austin grew even more frustrated, he retrieved a steel chair. Unfortunately for the Texas Rattlesnake, RVD quickly countered with a spinning heel kick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd7b8dPVxFU Despite missing his patented Five-Star Frog Splash, Van Dam was able to pick up the win following a distraction from Kurt Angle. In all, the bout was a relatively short affair and akin to a typical TV-style match, but it was a shining moment for the increasingly-popular Rob Van Dam.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
