Sabu and Rob Van Dam

Infobox Wrestling team
article_name=Sabu and Rob Van Dam
type=T


caption=Sabu and Rob Van Dam
members=Sabu
Rob Van Dam
Bill Alfonso (manager)
former_members=
names=Sabu and Rob Van Dam
ECW Originals
heights=Sabu:
6 ft. (183 cm)
Rob Van Dam:
6 ft. (183 cm)
weights=Sabu: 220 lb. (100 kg)
Rob Van Dam: 235 lb (108 kg)
Total: 455 lb. (208 kg)
hometown=
trainer=The Original Shiek
debut=1996
disbanded=2007
promotions=ECW
WWE
ECW|

Sabu & Rob Van Dam are professional wrestlers who often competed as a tag team (when they weren't fighting each other) in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment's "ECW" brand. While teaming in the original ECW, the team were managed by Bill Alfonso.

Career

ECW

Sabu & Rob Van Dam first met each other in December 1989 and became close friends. The pair started out as enemies in ECW when Van Dam debuted in 1996. Both men were trained by Sabu's uncle, The Original Shiek, so fans wanted to see them fight each other since they both had pretty much the same high-flying, daredevil techniques.

In 1997, they eventually became a tag team as they went for the ECW Tag Team Titles. At "ECW Barely Legal", Bill Alfonso betrayed Taz and joined Sabu & Rob Van Dam. Four months later, Van Dam helped Sabu beat Terry Funk in a barbed wire match to capture the ECW World Title. After Sabu lost the belt in a three-way dance with Terry Funk & Shane Douglas at ECW Hardcore Heaven 1997, Sabu & RVD joined Jerry "The King" Lawler in his crusade to "kill" ECW. When the crusade ultimately failed, Sabu eventually set his sights on Bam Bam Bigelow's ECW TV Title. So Bill Alfonso helped schedule a match between Bam Bam Bigelow & Rob Van Dam, so that RVD could "soften" Bigelow up for Sabu before he had to face Bigelow at ECW Wrestlepalooza 1998. But when Sabu interfered in the match, he "accidentally" helped Rob Van Dam win the title, so the two then faced each other at ECW Wrestlepalooza. The match ended in a 30-minute draw (which meant that the title did not change hands). A month later, the two captured the ECW Tag Team Titles when they defeated Chris Candido & Lance Storm. As champions, Sabu & RVD took on all challengers including Jinsei Shinzaki & Hayabusa at ECW Heatwave 1998 in Dayton, Ohio. But they lost the titles to the Dudley Boyz in October 1998, yet they went on to win the titles back from the Dudleyz in December 1998

After they lost the titles again to the Dudleyz, The Impact Players formed and started to attack Sabu & RVD. When Sabu broke his jaw, the Impact Players had him eventually banned because of his injury and because he was too "dangerous" or "violent". But Sabu returned and after his loss to Justin Credible at ECW Anarchy Rulz 1999, Sabu started to attack Van Dam because he was still jealous that Van Dam was the TV Champion, so they faced each other at ECW Guilty as Charged 2000. Sabu said or proclaimed before the match that if he did not win the belt, he would leave ECW. That night, RVD defeated Sabu with the Five Star Frog Splash, making Sabu leave ECW.

WWE

Years after ECW folded, Sabu and Rob Van Dam would reunite at WWE produced ECW One Night Stand in 2005 when Van Dam helped Sabu defeat another former ECW wrestler, Rhyno. When ECW became the third WWE brand (to Raw & SmackDown), RVD and Sabu became a major part of the show teaming on several occasions, including a "Extreme Rules" match against Test and Mike Knox on September 5th.

RVD and Sabu were both part of the ECW Originals Stable, prior to Sabu's release from WWE. Rob Van Dam's WWE contract expired in June and by his choice was not renewed.

In wrestling

*Stereo diving leg drops usually through a table to prone opponent
*Rolling Thunder splash, springboard leg drop combination
*Simultaneous Standing Arabian Facebusters
*Simultaneous Standing Arabian Skullcrushers
*Triple Jump Moonsault followed by a Five Star Frog Splash or vice versa
*Air Sabu
*Simultaneous Van Daminators

Championships and accomplishments

*Extreme Championship Wrestling
**ECW World Tag Team Championship (2 times)
**ECW World Television Championship (1 time) Rob Van Dam

External links

* [http://www.robvandam.com RobVanDam.com (Rob Van Dam's Official Website)]
* [http://www.officialsabu.com OfficialSabu.com (Sabu's Official Website)]