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00:00And we are back live.
00:02Yeah, yeah, and no one is as live as Rob Van Dam.
00:10The following contest is the Hardcore
00:15Latter Match for the World Wrestling Federation Hardcore Championship.
00:20Introducing first the challenger from the Alliance,
00:24playing 230 pounds, Rob Van Dam.
00:29SummerSlam and ladder matches go hand in hand.
00:32It was in 95 when Shawn Michaels defeated Razor Ramon in a ladder match.
00:37The 98's Brutal Bear was with Triple H's defeating The Rock and
00:41including the TLC match with the Dudleys, the Hardys, and Christian last year at SummerSlam.
00:46But never before have we had a Hardcore Championship match contested under ladder match rule.
00:53The Commonwealth of Carolina, weighing 218 pounds,
00:58the World Wrestling Federation Hardcore Champion, Jeff Hardy.
01:03Jeff Hardy does not have the Hardcore title, will it, because it is hanging above the ring.
01:08And even though there are no count outs, no diswaddle occasions,
01:13that may be bad luck going to meet that ladder, as Paul Ferney used to say.
01:16The only way to win this match is to use the ladder, claim it, and claim the Hardcore title,
01:28which is hanging above the center of this very ring.
01:32Well, the Alliance would like to congratulate Jeff Hardy on a fine reign as Hardcore Champion,
01:39because that reign is about to come to an end.
01:44Certainly, RVD has to be at least arguably the most popular competitor in the Alliance,
01:53at least it seems that way.
01:55So both these men are gonna start this match out with a lot of fan support here in the San Jose,
02:01Jose Arena.
02:03No doubt, welcome to the Shark Tank, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy,
02:08a Hardcore ladder match for the WWF Hardcore title.
02:15And again, the object will be to beat your opponent down, to weaken your opponent,
02:19to the situation that you could use the ladder, climb it, and retrieve the Hardcore title,
02:24which is hanging above the ring, above the center of the ring.
02:26Nice take down by RVD, which is quickly countered by Jeff Hardy.
02:31Both these men, in my estimation, match up very well, and a nice round of applause
02:36for that particular exchange of two magnificent young athletes.
02:42They call Reggie Jackson, Mr. October, and ECW recalled Rob Van Dam, Mr. Pay Per View.
02:49And no one, no one ever, ever came as prepared for Pay Per View as Rob Van Dam.
02:56And Van Dam, gonna gain an advantage, Van Dam, those educated feet.
03:02Lotus for the knockout with his feet.
03:04You know, you certainly use that ladder and climb up, and retrieve the Hardcore title,
03:09but he missed there.
03:10And Jeff Hardy going downstairs, that's perfectly legal.
03:12Again, you cannot have a disqualification in a ladder match.
03:15You cannot have a count out.
03:17There is no time limit.
03:18It's a Hardcore championship match, and the wild card, if you will, is the ladder.
03:24Here's the scary thing.
03:25In this particular match, pinfalls don't count, submissions don't count.
03:29The only way to emerge the champion is to climb the ladder and retrieve the gold.
03:35You're absolutely right.
03:37And this is the first cardboard ladder match in the history of the World Wrestling Federation.
03:41And Van Dam avoided that top rope.
03:46And Jeff Hardy elevated to the top.
03:49And hip-lock, RBD hip-lock on the outside, or inside to the out.
03:58And now Jeff Hardy, the springboard, my God, Jeff Hardy with a springboard,
04:08putting his own body on the line in both RBD and Jeff Hardy down.
04:13Boy, any more movement like that, this match is not gonna last very long.
04:19Here's another look, Paul.
04:20Check this out, Jeff Hardy, wow, wiping out Rob Van Dam and wiping out himself as well.
04:25Jeff Hardy and his brother Matthew known as his daredevils and risk takers their entire career.
04:32And Jeff again, picking a fifth chance that did not pay off.
04:37RBD able to avoid an attack there.
04:42And Van Dam capitalizes on the mistake by Jeff Hardy.
04:45Rob Van Dam, RBD looking to retrieve the Hardcore title for the Alliance.
04:52And Van Dam with the right hand, the unorthodox, flexible Alliance member dropping his leg
04:59on the back of Jeff Hardy's head.
05:01Van Dam again, amazing agility and balance here.
05:06And now Van Dam pointing up to the fourth floor title, hanging above the ring.
05:10And Van Dam the first to attempt to retrieve the ladder in music.
05:15And Van Dam lifting and certainly roughly so as a winner, he's able to stand the challenger.
05:25And Jeff Hardy came right off the railing pole, again putting his body on the line.
05:31Well, that's smart by Jeff Hardy because he doesn't want Van Dam to get the ladder in the ring,
05:36nor does Jeff Hardy want to give RBD the opportunity to use the ladder as a weapon.
05:41That shot just moments ago, and now Jeff Hardy in the up position, if you will.
05:48Utilizing the ladder, now bringing it to the ring for the first time.
05:53And the Van Dam, well, that is a uniquely yet effective unorthodox way of utilizing the ladder.
06:03When it comes to physicality, no one is as resourceful as RDD.
06:08He's very high on his abilities, and quite frankly, he has a right to be.
06:13He's a great one, just if you don't believe it, just ask him.
06:16He'll tell you.
06:17And Van Dam now, may have got a page out of his own book,
06:25fused on him as RBD kind of sitting in the straddle of that ladder.
06:31And that ain't gonna feel good tomorrow, or in the next five minutes.
06:36Not feeling good right now, but Rob Van Dam is getting a chance to shake it off,
06:41because Jeff Hardy is hurting as well.
06:43Well, of course he's hurting as well.
06:45And again, Hardy, Van Dam lying on that ladder, what's Jeff gonna do?
06:51Just springboarding his own body on Van Dam's body.
06:56And that was not the mat, it was the ladder.
06:58Obviously, the object here is to wipe the other man out.
07:03So then, and only then, if the ladder comes into play, you go up the ladder uncontested.
07:10Hope these men are hurting.
07:12Jeff Hardy, holding his anatomy there, his upper torso, Van Dam,
07:17he's gonna be writhing in pain as well.
07:19Look at Van Dam's flexibility, it's amazing.
07:22And Jeff Hardy, Jeff Hardy just folded up Van Dam like an accordion.
07:29Let's take another look at this.
07:30Look at some high risk, springboard, moonsault, anatomy, anatomy, ladder.
07:38You figure it out.
07:41I got it, the ladder wins.
07:43No doubt about it, and never said a word.
07:46And Van Dam got an elbow up that Jeff Hardy ran right into.
07:53And so now, Van Dam, or both these guys are punishing each other and themselves,
07:58quite frankly, in the course of this matchup, get the big advantage.
08:04And Van Dam, nowhere to go for Jeff Hardy, he's hanging upside down in a bad, bad way.
08:08Big advantage for Rob Van Dam, and now RBD sees the ladder, and the ladder comes into play.
08:15Big RBD champ going up here in San Jose.
08:21But honestly, the only member of the Alliance that normally gets any cheers at these WWF events.
08:30Other than myself, of course.
08:32I think I was right the first time, and Van Dam scoring those right hands.
08:36Now Jeff Hardy lying in a very precarious situation and position here.
08:40That's Van Dam doing.
08:42Anything he wants.
08:44All the way across the ring.
08:50Van Dam got the momentum.
08:56Used his own body as a weapon, as we have seen him do on so many occasions.
09:02Just punishing the hardcore champion.
09:05Check this out, RBD, Rob Van Dam, all the way across the ring.
09:10Used all of his body weight on Jeff Hardy, who is positioned on the ladder.
09:16Van Dam looking upstairs, that's where the hardcore championship is hanging.
09:20By the center of the ring here.
09:22There you see it right there at the top of your screen.
09:24That's what these two men are fighting for.
09:26Jeff Hardy comes in as a hardcore champion.
09:29He won it from RVD in a very unorthodox fashion about a week ago.
09:33And what a reverse heel kick.
09:35That's like a knockout punch, a Tyson-like right hand.
09:39Rob Van Dam, very proficient in the martial arts.
09:42Rob Van Dam knows how to use his entire body as a weapon.
09:46Man down now measuring Jeff Hardy.
09:52Shoots it.
09:54Shoots that kick right into the face and Jeff Hardy again.
09:57My gosh, he just can't get away from that ladder.
09:59And the young man from North Carolina, RVD.
10:02Again, with that unorthodox arsenal, that unorthodox attack.
10:09Rob Van Dam's mentor was a man known as being suicidal, homicidal, and genocidal.
10:16RVD will wipe himself out to take out his opponent.
10:21Another look at a potentially career-sortening maneuver.
10:26And both these men, you gotta wonder, in the long run,
10:32what kind of, how this match, another shot by Jeff Hardy.
10:35And there you see Van Dam bouncing off the concrete, holding his heart there.
10:41That ladder just rammed him.
10:43You gotta wonder, in the long haul, what kind of adverse effect these matches are gonna
10:48have for young men like a Rob Van Dam or a Jeff Hardy.
10:51Because, just look at the impact here.
10:53And look at, well, look at the face.
10:55Look right here.
10:57Van Dam's neck, his head, it was like it was in a car crash.
11:03Well, Jeff Hardy drop kicked that ladder right into Van Dam's sternum.
11:07But Hardy has taken a beating, and he cannot capitalize as Rob Van Dam is recovering by the second.
11:15Great opportunity here for Jeff Hardy.
11:17He's setting the ladder up with Van Dam on the outside.
11:21There's the prize, Jeff Hardy's hardcore championship.
11:25Van Dam staggering.
11:28Van Dam getting, trying to get back in the ring.
11:31Van Dam coming to the top, and so is Jeff.
11:34Jeff looking for the title, and Van Dam just took Jeff Hardy right off the ladder.
11:39What a shot that was.
11:42Unbelievable athleticism by RBD taking Jeff Hardy off the ladder in the most physical fashion.
11:52And now Van Dam brings back the ladder.
11:55Again, no pinfalls, no submissions, no disqualifications, no count outs.
12:01The only way to emerge hardcore champion is to climb the ladder, retrieve the gold.
12:07This crowd here in San Jose enjoying what they're seeing in this matchup.
12:10That both men very popular.
12:13One of those situations where you know you're gonna have a winner, but
12:15I think as far as some of these fans are concerned, they hate to see either man lose.
12:19And now RBD lying again, putting that ladder on a prone Jeff Hardy.
12:25And Van Dam, his own body striking the ladder, but
12:30the impact went right into the body of Jeff Hardy.
12:34Both men are hurting.
12:35Tremendous game plan by Rob Van Dam.
12:38Van Dam wants to make sure that Jeff Hardy is completely wiped out before Rob takes a chance
12:45at going for the gold.
12:46Well, I'll tell you one thing.
12:48We know that that cage matchup, Undertaker Kane versus DDP and Canyon.
12:54Tag title versus tag title still to come.
12:57It's gonna be intense.
12:58It's gonna be nasty.
13:00But I'll tell you what, it's gonna be hard to talk this as far as this raw physicality is concerned.
13:05Van Dam is getting close to the gold.
13:08Van Dam looking for the hardcore title.
13:10And Jeff Hardy with a dropkick, knocking Van Dam the ladder down.
13:15The only saving grace for Van Dam is that he landed on Hardy.
13:19So Hardy wiped himself out to stop Van Dam from getting the title.
13:24He checked himself off the top rope, wham, and RVD comes down on top of Hardy.
13:30RVD landed on the legs of Jeff Hardy.
13:33And again, the hardcore title hanging high above the ring.
13:38And we're counting back where we started as far as the ladder's concerned, Paul.
13:41The ladder down, DDT, and RVD is down.
13:45That title hanging above the ring is like the base here in the Shark Tank.
13:51Jeff Hardy reaching down to take yet another chance.
13:57Jeff's looking for the small top, but he did not find it.
14:04Great presence of mind by Rob Van Dam to get out of the way.
14:08And now is Van Dam's chance to put away Jeff Hardy.
14:13And you just gotta wonder what kind of pain these men are experiencing at this
14:17point in time in their life.
14:19And RVD with a five star cross splash, but not today.
14:24As Jeff Hardy had it well scouted and able to avoid that contact.
14:29In my opinion, the first man to his feet here will have a clear advantage.
14:33And that man is Jeff Hardy.
14:35Jeff Hardy barely able to stand.
14:38Same goes for RVD.
14:40RVD is down, however, and Hardy looking to climb that ladder and end this thing.
14:49And now Van Dam on the other side.
14:54And Jeff Hardy fingertips just touching his title.
14:58Van Dam climbing the ladder as well.
15:01My God, you've got to be kidding me.
15:03And remember there can be no count out, there's no way to stop this match.
15:21Check this out, Jeff Hardy with a front entry.
15:24Rob Van Dam taking Jeff Hardy down.
15:27And now look high.
15:28Look at this, the belt hanging into balance.
15:30And Rob Van Dam suplexing Jeff Hardy from the top of the ladder.
15:36Jeff Hardy, man, he is.
15:39He's not motionless with Jeff Hardy now.
15:41He's stirring.
15:42Van Dam going up the ladder.
15:43Van Dam's gonna go another run or two to be able to reach that hardcore title.
15:47Jeff Hardy in Van Dam's face, hitting Van Dam with everything that's left.
15:53Another right hand by Jeff Hardy.
15:55And the hardcore champion, Gallop trying to retain his championship.
16:01For God's sake, the biggest sunset flip in captivity.
16:07Turned into almost a power bomb from the sunset flip position.
16:12And the air, you almost can see the air, driving out of the anatomy of both these men.
16:17Phenomenal move by Jeff Hardy, all right in the world.
16:21He drives RVD hard down into the canvas.
16:25Van Dam's spine is upper back smacking the canvas here in San Jose at SummerSlam.
16:32And that's what it's all about for these two men, the WWF hardcore title.
16:37I don't know how many more chances that these two can take and survive.
16:46Jeff, on top, Jeff Hardy, he can win it here.
16:50Just got his belt, just got his belt, and wait a minute, Van Dam moving the ladder.
16:56Jeff Hardy hanging, he's hanging.
17:01He can't get the belt, he's hanging on for dear life, it's Jeff Hardy.
17:04Van Dam trying to pull Jeff Hardy down and off and out.
17:10God, Jeff was teetering over the concrete.
17:14Van Dam!
17:15Van Dam looking for it all there.
17:18Jeff Hardy couldn't hold on any longer.
17:22Van Dam was going for it all on that spinning kick.
17:27Trying to catch Jeff Hardy swinging and teetering to oblivion.
17:32But still, Jeff Hardy was off balance and could not retrieve the title.
17:38And Jeff Hardy, to me, seems desperate to get away from Van Dam and end this match.
17:46I'm sure both men were about to end this match.
17:48And in the end, here and now, the belt is swinging back and forth.
17:52Jeff Hardy, within the inches of his title, wait a minute.
17:56My God, Jeff Hardy's leg caught up in the air, and
18:00that drove his back and neck and shoulders right into the canvas.
18:05Van Dam, with a clear shot to climb to the top of the ladder.
18:14And retrieve the hard core title.
18:18He's almost got it.
18:19That's Van Dam.
18:20And he does it.
18:23And there is this one at the World Wrestling Federation Hardcore Champion,
18:31Rob Van Dam.
18:34Well, I told you that the Alliance wanted back a hard core title.
18:37And Rob Van Dam brings the gold and the score back to the Alliance.
18:44Jeff Hardy, after his neck and shoulder hit the ring, just feet were above his head.
18:51And Jeff folded himself up like the old accordion.
18:53It gave Van Dam the opportunity to climb up the ladder.
18:58Van Dam the winner here in a hellacious first ever ladder match for the hardcore title.
19:06Jeff Hardy looking out the corner of his eye to see if Van Dam is moving,
19:11or perhaps as sore as Jeff is.
19:13And I would say the answer is hell yes.
19:16A heavy price paid by both men.
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