To whatever extent VH was “corporate rock”, that transition was already well underway by the time they got to “1984”, before Sammy arrived. And as great as Dave may have been in the beginning, by that time his “all about me” shtick had worn out its welcome… the band needed to continue to evolve, and Dave needed to go do what he does (for those who dig that).

By contrast, Sammy was a breath of fresh air that reinvigorated VH, and his partnership with Ed enabled the band to take things musically and creatively to a new level.

I can’t say that one version was better or worse- everyone’s entitled to their purely subjective opinion. Personally I find them equally good- just different- and if anything I enjoy them both even more because of it.