Image by EMON KAZEM
Published: 03 Sep 2009
By PHIL ALLELY
ROB VAN DAM and Sabu stole the show as wrestling came back to Belfast.
American Wrestling Rampage brought a host of former WWE and ECW stars to the last of their six-date Summer Bash 2009 tour of Ireland.
And in a nod to the original ECW, Sabu and van Dam fought under extreme rules.
To thunderous pops, they not only stole the show, but blew everyone away with their brutal and hard-hitting bout.
This was a joy to behold, as both men put their bodies on the line, throwing every classic move at each other, using weapons and battling throughout the venue.
What transpired was a fans' dream, with RVD hitting a van terminator, rolling thunder and the match-winning five-star frog splash.
Meanwhile, Sabu nailed some wicked chair shots, an Arabian face-buster and a chair assisted jump off the ropes.
The real-life mates shook hand afterwards amid the debris of broken tables and bent steel chairs.....
To a barrage of ECW and TNA chants from the 500-plus fans in attendance, the AWR roster showed they came to entertain right from the get go.
The fast-paced opener saw the ultra popular M-Dogg20, accompanied by Rachelle St Claire, beat The Ogre.
American veteran Joe E. Legend then had a decent brawl with comical aristocrat Paul "Lord of the Ring" Tracey. Both men showed some nice crowd-baiting and power moves before Legend hit a running elbow for the win.
Next up were a very heelish Kid Kash and an unbelievably popular Scotty Too Hotty. The pair both risked life and limb in a well-paced brawl.
After Scotty stole the pin with a sneaky roll-up, Kash lost his cool and physically attacked two members of Belfast band Fight Like Apes, before Scotty hit the ring for the save and struck his infamous worm finisher to send Kash Packing.
The No Limit light heavyweight belt was up for grabs in a three-way dance, which saw home-town hero Dunkan Disorderly, Shawn Maxer and Suicide Machine in action. The trio put many WWE and TNA stars to shame with their in-ring ability, high-flying moves and insane dives. The Belfast native picked up the well-deserved win and the title to rapturous ovation.
Billed as X-Pac and in DX mode, Sean Waltman was on top form challenging current AWR Heavyweight titlist Rene Dupre. The ex-WWE stars had a very decent match after some superb set-pieces and ringside shenanigans X-Pack saw his title hopes dashed though as he lost via DQ.
