Jerry Lynn vs. Rob Van Dam

[7.0] "It's a very good match, but their previous encounter was miles better. I think the extra time actually worked against them, as they tried to overcomplicate things. Some of the spots were executed flawlessly, with everyone in exactly the right position, while others came off awkwardly, and there were a couple of noticeable botches. They were at their best when they kept the action in the ring, relying on crisp, fast-paced exchanges and excellent timing. Unfortunately, they also spent too much time brawling and setting up spots on the outside, which killed the momentum for me. Still, it was a very solid contest with some impressively fluid wrestling throughout."

[8.0] "Great match as expected. The chemistry between these 2 is legendary and it is at show again here. Almost all the major spots are done well and connect (not always a given in ecw and EVD matches at the time). The table spot was great and the couple of van damintors also were good spots. Lynn's dropkick to a chair was very clean and looked great. I had it on mute after the first few mins due to Alfonzos whistle."

[9.0] "Great match between these two. RVD and Jerry Lynn are wrestling soulmates. Didn't mind the couple missed spots. Thought it made the contest feel more real. What really made the match was the build from a slow burn at the beginning. The big spots in the final third of the match, highlighted by the sunset power bomb into the table, were excellent. The one big negative is Bill Alfonzo. I'm not sure who ever thought the whistle was a good idea, but it honestly detracts from my enjoyment of any match he's at ringside for. We'll never know, but I'd hazard a guess that most of the RVD/Jerry Lynn matches (at least the ECW ones) would have had higher ratings if not for Alfonzo."

[8.0] "Good match, maybe a bit less good than i've expected, the construction and the whistles were a bit weird, but overall the action was good, i'm curious to see their other singles match together."

[7.0] "I've watched this match 4 times and it's really, really good! The problem is that after the first viewing I have to watch it on mute. It loses a couple of points for that. There's a line between being annoying for heel heat and being annoying and distracting from the match. Guess which category Bill Alfonso falls under? Melina and Nancy Benoit's screeching are equally as bad. Anyway, ECW would have a card of 6 low skill weapons matches and then real wrestling matches like this. These two were made for each other."

[10.0] "Technical, physical, good pacing, good storytelling, spots that go perfect, slip ups that make the spot better. In terms of the clean wrestling in between the Extreme Moments, this was a good match. With the spots, the story, the finish. This is a 9/10 for me and in terms of PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING rather than me applying some objectivity, this is 10/10. A match that once I saw the sunset flip powerbomb into table I remembered several things from elementary school I forgot. Match so good it unlocked happy memories. Hard to find a weak spot, was pleasantly surprised by the wrestling quality before it became a spot fest."

[9.0] "I have this a step up from their match at Living Dangerously. This series is the foundation of the 2000s style. I love how stretches of the match grow from match to match as the wrestlers learn how to counter each others' moves; this rewards the attentive viewer."

[10.0] "Lynn vs. RVD is one of the most famous in-ring rivalries of ECW, and with good reason. These guys are both quite good, especially during this era, but the chemistry they showed with each other elevated both to a particularly fantastic level. Somehow their matches are both smooth and rough at the same time, they can pull off intricate sequences yet avoid looking too choreographed, it never looks too polished and then you get some messy, brutal attack that reinforces that these guys are in a bitter fight. This is the second major match between them and their third overall, and they did a good job building off their previous matches to great effect. This was damn fun to watch, as expected."

[4.0] "Just a very slow and boring match made even worse by the awful Bill Alfonso who ruins the match just by himself"

[8.0] "This was the second match in the great RVD/Lynn rivalry. It's a good one but definitely a step down from the first. It feels like both men got thrown off early on due to some unexpected hardway bleeding - RVD getting a cut near his eye, and Lynn taking an awful looking bump face first to the outside. There were a couple of sloppy spots later on as well, whereas their first match felt really crisp and smooth. The action overall did a good job of mirroring and building off their first encounter, but I definitely prefer their Living Dangerously encounter. ****"

[7.0] "This had no business getting almost 30 minutes. The first 5 to 6 minutes are annoying, RVD talks and plays way too much with the crowd, way too many stardedowns as well, and as usual, Bill Alonso is annoying throughout (that damn whistle! ). Fortunately, things get better. There's quite a few cool spots, some nice counters, hard bumps and a great finish, which makes for an enjoyable (albeit annoying at times) match. [ = 7.5/10 ] *** 1/2"

[7.0] "People talk about how great ECW was but none of them warn you beforehand about that stupid whistle Bill Alfonso has. Very good match between these two. That bump to the floor that looked like it knocked out Jerry Lynn was rough to watch. I'm not a fan of managers blatantly interfering in matches, but its *Extreme* Championship Wrestling so I guess I can't complain. The part where Jerry Lynn throws the chair at Alfonso got a big cheer out of me, and if Bill just like laid on the ground dead or something and didn't whistle again then this match might be an 8 for me. Besides that weird part where RVD does like a springboard backflip just to grab a chair and hit Lynn with it anyways, this is a great match."

[3.0] "This was oddly very bad? Awkward and dull for a while with a lot of very long awkward stalling sections of the match, never really allowing it to get into a natural or engaging flow early on. Then followed up by sloppy and uninteresting, a lot of bad spots and an energy about it that just screamed uncoordinated and messy. Couldn't get with it at all and it never seemed to properly get going. Very overrated by the metrics of this site and i am really struggling to understand why. Not for me at all."

[9.0] "The best macth of 1999 a true classic that had everything great wrestling , great violence and over the top moves and false finishes the macth went on for about 30 mins or so and it had me watching in awe like a hawk to whole damm time"

[8.0] "Not as good as their living dangerously match but still damn goood. Was almost annoyed at how slow this match got going with RVD stalling alottttt the first 5-10 minutes of this match but when it finally got Going it really got going. It only got better as it went on as the final 5 or so minutes are brilliant stuff. A bit clunky through the start and middle but they nailed the Finish. 4/5"

[9.0] "These series of Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn matches have influenced the all that wrestling that we love. And at the same time it looks nothing like it. It has some unique dirty grungy vibe of the 1990s and all cool moves and spots of the 2000s. That Sunset Flip + Bomb on the table spot in cool. Vandaminator through a chair is also cool. A little bit botchy but the vibes man."

[8.0] "RVD super over making sensational moves and completely stealing the spotlight, it started very promising, but in some moments I thought it stretched too much (****)"

[5.0] "The finish was good but overall it lacked the intensity of the Living Dangerously match and the first half seemed to lack direction."

"As a big RVD fan this is of my favorite matches as a kid and all time. Surprised this wasn't rated 5 stars when it took place."

[9.0] "There's certainly plenty of fuckery happening at points in this match, but overall it's nearly 30 minutes of top level wrestling, one of the best either man ever had. It's not perfect, and some of the spots don't quite work, but overall it's one of the best matches ECW ever had."

[8.0] "Maybe its a "you had to be there" thing, but watching this again for the first time in 20 years, I still thoroughly enjoyed the insanity of it all. This is not going to be for everyone - as others' comments make clear - but I'd still consider this "must see" just because of how important/influential it was at the time. Yes, there were cruisers doing incredible things in WCW (and ECW) in the years before this that were blowing the average US fans' mind. But those matches and characters were still very much in the undercard and treated as lesser than the "real stars." Similarly, while you might see lots of tables and ladders and chairs in some of the WWE's tag matches or hardcore division and even in the main event, RVD and Lynn put it all together here in a way that you didn't really see in the WWE yet (the WWE's main event scene was still very much based on big gimmicky/stipulation-based sports-entertainment matches involving Austin, The Rock, and the McMahons at this point). Now, to be sure, this match doesn't offer much in the way of psychology, escalation of violence, suspense, etc...but for this crowd, at this time, this match was considered the epitome of wild, cool, cutting edge wrestling featuring two bad-ass workers that were seen as counter-culture stars in their own way (which was never really true of Eddie, Dean, or Rey, who always felt a bit like visiting foreign talent in ECW and not real "homegrown" ECW guys). But even if you're just looking for a kickass, crazy match, this will scratch the itch."

[8.0] "For some reason, Jerry Lynn? in full control of his body on a not-even-really-a-bump to the floor? decided to land face first and knock himself out. Ideally, they just stop the match, but in 1999 ECW it's not surprising that they didn't. Despite Lynn clearly being injured and not 100% with it, he and RVD put together a mostly great match."

[6.0] "In typical ECW fashion it was sloppy, messy and amateur looking. That being said, as ugly and amateur that the match looked, this is still one of the best ECW matches."

[6.0] "Another criminally overrated ECW match. It dragged for way too long. The pace of the match was really weird, like the first 20 minutes feel like 30. Some spots are great but other are botched and sloppy. I really like Jerry Lynn who is an underrated wrestler in my opinion. Overall it's a decent match with a good finishing sequence but putting 4* or more to this is really exagerated"

[5.0] "1999 RVD is certainly a much better worker than 1996 RVD, but watching this it becomes clear that RVD really needed a more experienced agent to have a talk with him as this was match was a mess. RVD doesn't have the fundamentals to work on top for an extended period and Jerry Lynn is so dull and generic that he doesn't make a compelling babyface, so the result is a match that drags on and on. I did like the opening to this, which featured some lightning-quick exchanges that showed everyone that these two are equals. There are also many spots peppered throughout this that I found cool, such as Fonzie eating a chair shot and RVD's body totally obliterating a table after Lynn sunset bombs him to the outside. It's the dead air between spots is where you really notice the flaws of this match. There's no drama or stakes to found here. The selling is limited to the guys lying around to catch their breath before they move on to the next move. They cram in some quick near-falls during the final minutes of the match in a failed attempt to add some drama, but it's too little too late."

[3.0] "I'm not seeing the greatness of this match, sorry. Now I remember why I've hardly watched any RVD matches from ECW...his what seems like constant posturing gets old & Bill Alfonso (probably a tweaker) is extremely obnoxious. This match is overall too slow of a pace for me, it didn't feel very fluid, the moves felt empty, couple botches, & there's too many counters (but not in the right way) for my taste. There's some good spots (best being the Sunset Flip Powerbomb thru the table), but for as long as the match is they really could have gotten more in. Just didn't enjoy this match very much."

[8.0] "I wasn't expecting a spotfest but it was a lot slower than I expected. Still good action here. ***3/4"

[2.0] "Why did Rob Van Dam do a springboard, then pick up a chair and dropkick Lynn with it, did he just want to do a springboard, or did he forget to bring the chair with him? Either way, this match is terrible, there was way too much stalling and the way both guy countered every other move it felt like neither guy could get a solid control segment in, they were just doing moves with absolutely no substance behind them whatsoever."

[10.0] "ECW at its best plain and simple this match is the finest example of the batshit crazy nature that ECW was all about. The counters at the beginning are some of the most wild you will ever see pay attention to the stiff back elbow from Lynn that opens up a good cut on RVD's eye its not that hard to see even from distance so whilst a techinical match there were still real elements to this match these 2 were going at it. What happens next takes the cake when it comes to stiff moments or botches in this case. Lynn is crotched on the top top RVD hits him with a kick that knocks him out of the ring and hits face first on the padding outside should I add breaks his nose and turns his face into hamburger meat. Lynn was fucked up for real here he was stiff for a good time and had to finish the match with a concussion that is balls right there. The match still goes on right after Lynn can actually move RVD just hits a dive into the crowd no fucks given here concussed or not Jerry lynn is still having problems getting into the ring but the counters and high risk moves are still on point they are still going to tooth to nail. Later in the match we got one of the pound for pound greatest table spots of all time sunset powerbomb the table exploded like a c4 just sums up the everything that ECW was about. You wont find many hardcore matches better than this go watch this match it will make your day as a wrestling fan."

[6.0] "This match was all over the place. Crowd that wasn't paying attention in the beginning, Lynn got knocked out for a while, then there were some awesome fucking moments, some dumb spots, chair shots, broken table, RVD's manager got destroyed too but RVD just said fuck it and kept doing his cool kicks and shit, so who cares. No idea what the fuck was all that, but I guess it was dumb fun."

[9.0] "Also this was ECW:Intensity, creativity and so much action! This was an hell of masterpiece and both the competitors was a little to kill each others(Especially Lynn). Their series was gold but this was a masterpiece"

[8.0] "Great match, definitely lives up to its billing as one of the best in the history of the company. I don't remember which critic gave it 5-stars but it's definitely not THAT level. But it is 27 minutes of really good, physical, high flying wrestling, with a little bit of blood too. Easy **** match, I actually wish I could give it more but its lacking something to make it MOTY quality--perhaps a bit too one-sided, especially in its finish. Still a great match though and definitely worth seeing."

[8.0] "I want to dock a point or two from this match because the first 5 minutes literally consist of RVD posturing to the crowd, and because Bill Alfonso blows his whistle throughout the entire match and it's annoying as hell. But, despite those flaws, these guys put on a hell of a match. A few botched/missed spots, but this is still a well-composed and fun match. RVD gets a legit bloody eye in the first couple minutes, and by the end of the match his other eye is nearly swollen shut. Lynn bloodies himself taking a fall to the concrete from the top rop (could have been a blade job, but it looked legit to me). And of course, the brutal sunset flip power bomb through a table outside the ring. A couple of beautiful looking Frog splashes from RVD are the cherry on top. ****."

[7.0] "For what it’s worth it is a decent match. In my opinion their match from Living Dangerously two months earlier is much better than this rematch between the two. Too much stalling & definitely not as fluid as their first encounter."

[10.0] "one of the best matches I've seen of the old ECW. Tremendous match with Blood and Great movements, Sunset Powerbomb on the table was brutal. 100% Recommended"

[9.0] "What a match, one best original ECW match I've seen so far only behind the likes of Eddie vs Dean. You could tell from the opening few minutes of exchanges that this was going to be something special and it didn't disappoint. So much action and excitement, their styles just gelled so well, plus some great chair spots and a lovely looking sunset powerbomb through the table on the outside, great match, my rating ****1/2"

[9.0] "What a great match and a great effort from both of these guys. I really liked that this was a very open, competitive match and both guys were able to put on a bunch of near falls that were totally believable. This might be the best ECW PPV match ever."

[8.0] "Good match, but I have to admit that I'm not a fan of the Ecw-style. Here we see quite some good wrestling and even some psychology."