Rob Van Dam Faces His Toughest TNA Test to Date at "Victory Road"

The ability to stay calm, cool and collected under pressure has always been one of Rob Van Dam's strongest attributes.

RVD is going to need his trademark composure come Sunday night at TNA's "Victory Road" pay-per-view. He will be defending his TNA World Heavyweight Championship against three of the top competitors in TNA today: "The Monster" Abyss, Mr. Anderson, and "The Charismatic Enigma" Jeff Hardy.

This 4-Way may not be "Fatal," but if the WWE's PPV last month is any indication, the champion could be in some trouble. The odds are stacked incredibly high against "Mr. TNA" walking out of the Impact Zone with his title intact.

Abyss has once again become a dominant and destructive force in TNA. After several months of playing the good guy alongside Hulk Hogan, "The Monster" has been reborn and has fallen under the guidance of the mysterious entity known only as "they."

While it is unclear who "they" really are, speculation has run rampant that "they" just might be Tommy Dreamer and his old ECW alumni, who have been spotted in the Impact Zone crowd several times during the past month.

Regardless of who "they" are, the chances of them showing up at "Victory Road" are quite high, and it could be a major turning point during the main event if their presence is felt.

Mr. Anderson has been on the rise since coming over to TNA at "Genesis." His feud with Kurt Angle was outstanding, and his snarky attitude has been a hit with the TNA fans. His rise up the ranks has been well-deserved, but will he be able to make the next step and actually become a champion?

Anderson has formed a bit of an alliance with Jeff Hardy over the past month or so, and their relationship has already been tested thanks to an accidental chair shot two weeks ago on Impact. It seems as if everything has been settled after this week's Impact. Things are once again copasetic between them, but what will happen once the title is on the line?

Hardy is the wild card in this match, no doubt about it. His time in TNA has been interesting, and though he has turned in some solid performances, he hasn't been the same Jeff Hardy that fans know and remember from his career in the WWE.

"Victory Road" could represent Hardy's chance to finally prove to the TNA fans that he belongs and that he hasn't lost the fire inside of him to be a champion. It will be a tough task given the competition he is facing.

Van Dam seems to be settling nicely into his role as the top dog in TNA. He continues to get huge reactions from the audience, and he has definitely been a fighting champion over the last three months.

Some diehard TNA fans still resent the fact that RVD won the championship after only a month and a half with the company. He is viewed as yet another WWE guy who was handed the opportunity to be the champion.

Despite that, Van Dam has the bulk of the crowd behind him and continually puts on entertaining performances. "Victory Road" will give him a chance to solidify his status as "Mr. TNA" if he can hold onto the World Heavyweight Championship.

Sunday night's PPV looks to be perhaps the most intriguing event of the Hogan/Bischoff regime to date. Given the odds of a title change and the unpredictable nature of this main event, it should be one of the most interesting and exciting bouts on the card.

Will "The Whole F'n Show" be able to outsmart and outlast the three top contenders, or will "Victory Road" mark the end of line for RVD's title reign?

 

Photo courtesy of Lee South/TNA Wrestling