Rob Vam Dam

[Guest Some Guy]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2003560...5132133,00.html

 

This is at least the second interview with him that I've seen in which he does not at all go along with the company line.

 

To tell you the truth, missing this event [the ECW PPV] was harder to swallow than WrestleMania.

 

I've always been very pro-ECW, it was what developed me and my fan base and where I was best showcased. It's what makes my new DVD so awesome.

Somehow, I doubt that Vince wants his workers saying that missing his baby is not as important to them as missing a one shot show based on a company that doesn't exist anymore.

 

If ECW was still going where do you think you'd be wrestling right now?

 

If ECW had continued to grow at the rate that it was I still would still be there, for sure.

I also doubt that Vince likes his workers claiming that they'd rather work somewhere other than WWE, but have no other choice.

 

How would you describe your DVD to people who've only seen you wrestle in the WWE?

 

It's very important to me that all my fans who haven't seen me in ECW watch my matches from there - as it was a better place for my talents to be showcased.

 

Everybody knows I'm unique, and one of the ways I'm different is that I'm a lot tougher than most wrestlers. And in ECW the tougher guys got ahead, that's why I was on top.

 

 

Let's face it, the fans know that when they watch WWE they don't see RVD with a microphone in his hand any more. So this is a good chance to hear me talk.

He's basically saying that WWE cut his nuts off and won't let him talk because they know he'll get more over than certain people who isn't supposed to get more over than. I particularilly like the "tougher guys got ahead" line, as inferance is that only ass kissers get ahead in WWE, which is pretty much true at this point.

 

Where do you see your position in the WWE?

 

Well, I am still in WWE. But I don't know for sure that I've found a permanent place on the card, because they do shuffle me around quite a bit.

 

When I first came in, the office was pretty confused on what to do with me.

 

People were saying I was different, I was reckless, I was going to hurt myself because I was diving out to the floor. And, oh my God, if only they knew that sometimes I even suntanned indoors without wearing goggles!

 

But they did notice the crowd would go nuts over me.

 

Sometimes I feel that was kind of denied, because it wasn't in someone's original plans, but the fans have pulled me through everything regardless of any politics.

 

I came in and I was wrestling against The Rock, and I beat him, and Steve Austin, and I beat him, and a lot of people said I was going to be the next champion.

 

Then they'd ask me: "Hey, how comes you're on the bottom of the card now. Is it because you wrestled that other guy and hurt him?"

 

Who knows? Who am I to say? Maybe you've got to ask him.

Mentioning straight out that he is being held down is not what he's supposed to say at all.

 

What was it like working with the WWE's biggest ever stars - Steve Austin, The Rock and Triple H?

 

Each one of those was an individual circumstance - Steve Austin is Steve Austin and Triple H is Triple H.

 

The Rock is actually one of the coolest guys I've ever met in the wrestling business. He deserves all the success that he gets.

 

When I came in and wrestled Steve Austin and The Rock I still needed to prove myself, as I was fresh to the WWE.

 

When I fought Triple H, I was a little more established. I was wrestling the champion. Was it going to go somewhere? Apparently not.

Notice he puts Rock over big and kind of buries HHH? In another interview he said that he liked being on SD! better because it wasn't the "same game, and by "game" I do mean "Game."

 

Would you like to see the return of the WWE hardcore title that you personally brought a lot of prestige to?

 

I really wish they'd bring the hardcore title back - I'd take that one over the heavyweight belt any day!

 

I never wanted it to retire.

 

And they played my music to hand it over to Cactus Jack - what's up with that?

 

I made the hardcore title mean a hell of a lot more than anybody planned on, and I think that's why they got rid of it.

 

My matches were the best representation of what a match with hardcore elements can achieve. Before that the belt just meant that somebody might get a plunger in the face, fight in a toilet or something really stupid like that.

 

It was a joke to the WWE and I think they were making fun of ECW, which was me at the time.

ECW was awesome and WWE style sucks. I think Rob missed the memo that all the rest of the WWE talent seems to have recieved.

 

You were traded from Raw to Smackdown last year - how has that worked out for you?

 

I think it's worked out pretty well.

 

Also the Smackdown dressing room seems to be a little fresher, as a higher percentage of the wrestlers are not established and are working harder to show what they've got. I can have better matches with guys with attitudes like that.

To continue his thought: because everybody on Raw knows that they have no chance to get over because HHH won't allow it, so SD! has better morale despite being the "B-Show" and not getting any attention from the writers.

 

 

I think this is a case of a guy who has been buried so much in so many different ways that he just doesn't give a shit anymore as long as they keep paying him. They made him change the style that got him over, they jobbed him out to Austin, Angle, Taker, HHH, Brock, etc.. despite being more over or just as over as them at the time. They barely let him talk, because when he does his stoner deal gets him over because he's funny and they force him to do things that they know he isn't good at, like punching. They basically do everythign they can to keep him down and yet he still gets "RVD" chants while jerking the curtain with Booker T.

 

I'm waiting for him to get asked about steroids and for him to say that they are a major problem in the WWE and the vast majority of the roster is gassed up beyond belief.

[Loss]

RVD has never been the most talented guy in the company, but they had a chance to create another Austin or Rock by putting the belt on him in 2001, and they didn't do it. Had he won the WWF title the same night Jericho won the WCW title, it might have been the shot in the arm the company needed at the time, had they followed up properly.

[Guest Some Guy]

I don't think RVD is a great or even good worker but he has a ton of charisma and, as you said would have been a huge star is they allowed it. He was incredibly over in 2001 and they ruined him.

[goodhelmet]

It isn't just that he was over... he was unique and everything that guys like Randy Orton, Batista, Cena aren't. His gimmick was the lack of one, yet, people wanted to be like him or at least watch him. This was what made guys like the Rock, Austin and Hogan truly unique. They were so different and stood out from everyone else (because of mic work, ring style or the character). RVD stood out regardless of his mic skills or match quality. Moreso than Jericho or Benoit or whoever, the biggest ball dropped was RVD.

[Guest Some Guy]

I agree, he had the potential to be a huge star, moreso than Booker or Jericho or any of the other guys who have been buried. I think you are implying that he has bad mic skills, but I think he is very underrated. They just put him in situatutions where he can't suceed. When he cut all those promos backstage with Kane he was awesome. He comes across as a this laid back guy who is incredibly full of himself yet you can't help but like him because he is really cool. When they would make him yell at HHH, he sucked because I can't picture him yelling at anybody for anything. His whole deal is that he is too cool to be bothered with it. He should have been pushed that way. Someone tells him that they'll kick his ass and he just says, "yeah whatever dude. I'll see you in the ring."

Nothing should have gotten to him, so that when they eventually put him in a angle that pissed him off it would have meant something.

[Loss]

It's hard to say the ball was dropped moreso with RVD than Jericho, but that's probably true. Jericho has had more success than RVD has, but they've been buried in different ways for entirely the same reasons. Both could have been megadraws for years to come and both are now perceived as entertaining guys who aren't good enough to beat the top guys.

[Guest Steffie]

After reading RVD's interview, I wonder if Vince is still wondering why RAW can't get TV deal?

[goodhelmet]

It's hard to say the ball was dropped moreso with RVD than Jericho, but that's probably true. Jericho has had more success than RVD has, but they've been buried in different ways for entirely the same reasons. Both could have been megadraws for years to come and both are now perceived as entertaining guys who aren't good enough to beat the top guys.

Hey, Jericho is entertaining, a great wrestler, great on the mic. whatever... but I don't think he has the charisma that RVD had. RVD has that and could have displayed it even more if given the ball. I truly believe that if RVD had 1. won the ECW world title and 2. not been injured that ECW would have survived.

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't think RVD is a great worker or a great interview but there was a point when the fans gravitated to him regardless of the circumstances, moreso than Jericho at anytime in his career.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

I have to say I'll take Jericho at his peak as a heel in WCW over RVD at his peak as a face in ECW.

 

Just my persnonal opinion. I enjoyed Jericho's character, his antics AND his in-ring work alot more than RVD's "charisma" and in-ring work.

[Loss]

If we're looking at pure talent (in-ring ability, charisma, mic skills), Jericho trumps RVD in every conceivable category. If we're looking at who had the most potential to be a long-term draw, I'd still take Jericho, based on RVD's track record the past few years. If we're looking at who stood the best chance of creating another boom, RVD edges out Jericho by a rather large margin.

[MyOwnSummer]

Didn't Jericho also do an interview recently were he didn't seem so jazzed about the WWE?

[goodhelmet]

If we're looking at pure talent (in-ring ability, charisma, mic skills), Jericho trumps RVD in every conceivable category.

I would agree with all except charisma. RVD's charisma is an intangible that he just has.

 

I would also add "look" and "Uniqueness" to something that RVD has over Jericho. Unfortunately, Jericho is an era where the long-haired rocker-type is far too common. Edge, Xian, HHH and so on. RVD may have a similar look but the 5 o'clock shadow, stoner appeal is enough to make him stand-out from those guys. It also helps that his moveset, while convoluted and sometimes hokey, is completely different than any other guy out there.

 

If we're looking at who had the most potential to be a long-term draw, I'd still take Jericho, based on RVD's track record the past few years.

Elaborate.

 

I have to say I'll take Jericho at his peak as a heel in WCW over RVD at his peak as a face in ECW.

 

Just my persnonal opinion. I enjoyed Jericho's character, his antics AND his in-ring work alot more than RVD's "charisma" and in-ring work.

So would I. I am not disputing who is better. I am looking at it from a distance and who would be more marketable and could actually define a product. I don't really care for ECW and would have a hard time finding one four-star RVD match (Ironically, maybe the match with Jericho) but I think RVD could have a better chance to appeal to the masses than Jericho. to the smarks, like us, I think we would all rather have a best of Jericho tape instead of a Best of RVD tape.

[Guest Some Guy]

I'm with GH on this one. RVD had something special about him that mae people want to see him. Whether it was what crazy dice he was going to do next or incredible move (Van Terminator, etc...).

 

Jericho is better than RVD in almost every way in the ring, but I don't think he had that intangible that could have transended the business. I think that Jericho could have been on HBK's level (probably a little better because business was up as a whole in 2000) as a draw, but RVD could have been a Rock level drawing card. The guy was so over in late 2001, despite not getting a huge push and only having a few months of WWF TV experience. If they gave him the belt in the 3 Way with Angle and Austin and then transitioned him into a solo feud with Austin he would have been a mega star.

[Guest TheAnvil]

To me, I never saw RVD as an option for the Belt. He is the Ultimate Warrior re-incarnate. He's someone who really pops the crowd, has that raw charisma, but he's not a very in-depth character. What, besides his finisher, does the crowd have to cheer him for? Do they know his inner makeup? Do they know what he believes is right and wrong? I just don't see how he could make a run as Heavyweight Champion really work.

 

Now, that being said, don't think that I don't think he's a valuable asset to a wrestling company. He could do very well in an upper-midcard/IC spot on the card.

 

To me though, I really hated his in-ring work. His match was the same 5-7 spots OVER AND OVER. I mean, his matches seemed almost cookie cutter. You were going to get a Rolling Thunder. You were going to get a split legged moonsault. You were DEFINATELY going to get some shitty punches/forearms and some terrible kicks. I just couldn't ever get into his matches, unless they were carried by another worker's offense. RVD bumps well, and good heel offense often made his matches much better.

[Coffey]

Well, The Ultimate Warrior at least got a chance to run with the title. It can't hurt to try, right? Afterall, RVD is on Smackdown, and the current champion is JBL. C'mon, you can't try RVD over JBL?

 

Making the point that each of RVD's matches were cookie cutter doesn't hold much weight as an argument. Afterall, this is WWE. EVERYONE's matches are cookie cutter now. That's what WWE style is. Look at Eddy Guerrero, Chris Benoit, etc. We've seen their non-WWE shit. We know they can go. In WWE though? Benoit hits a lot of chops, German Suplexes and a flying headbutt. Guerrero has the rolling verticle suplexes, etc.

 

The point about RVD's punches was brought up earlier. Yes, they're bad. He didn't do them in ECW though. That's the entire argument. He was better, to some, in ECW just because he didn't have to work WWE style. Yes, he stalled more, but his transition moves were better. Not to mention he could resort to garbage spots with chairs and tables to get some pops.

 

WWE should've gave him a shot. If Edge is above IC level, RVD certainly should be.

 

I think RVD could be the wrestler that TNA or RoH would need to go more mainstream. Nash, Page, etc. aren't getting it done in TNA. RoH don't seem to want to go that big.

 

Imagine RVD in X-Division matches with AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, etc.

[Loss]

If we're looking at pure talent (in-ring ability, charisma, mic skills), Jericho trumps RVD in every conceivable category.

I would agree with all except charisma. RVD's charisma is an intangible that he just has.

I'm shocked that you would think RVD has more charisma than Jericho. Is he easier to relate to? Probably. But Jericho has a huge personality, and Van Dam does not.

 

I would also add "look" and "Uniqueness" to something that RVD has over Jericho. Unfortunately, Jericho is an era where the long-haired rocker-type is far too common. Edge, Xian, HHH and so on. RVD may have a similar look but the 5 o'clock shadow, stoner appeal is enough to make him stand-out from those guys. It also helps that his moveset, while convoluted and sometimes hokey, is completely different than any other guy out there.

Absolutely. It's better to be different than good.

 

If we're looking at who had the most potential to be a long-term draw, I'd still take Jericho, based on RVD's track record the past few years.

Elaborate.

RVD would have had the effect Hogan had in 2002, where he pops a couple of huge numbers instantly, but people start to see through his act once he's overexposed and it's just a disaster from there. It's hard to put RVD in storylines when he can't hold up his end on the mic and it's hard to leave the fans feeling anything but deflated when they don't feel like they're getting their money's worth in the main event. If Benoit, Guerrero, Jericho, Angle, Austin and Rock couldn't have great matches with RVD, who in the company could? Both RVD and Jericho have been getting buried for years now, and Jericho has continued to deliver (for the most part) while not being the top guy. RVD hasn't. If anything, that shows that Jericho has more durability.

 

I have to say I'll take Jericho at his peak as a heel in WCW over RVD at his peak as a face in ECW.

 

Just my persnonal opinion. I enjoyed Jericho's character, his antics AND his in-ring work alot more than RVD's "charisma" and in-ring work.

So would I. I am not disputing who is better. I am looking at it from a distance and who would be more marketable and could actually define a product. I don't really care for ECW and would have a hard time finding one four-star RVD match (Ironically, maybe the match with Jericho) but I think RVD could have a better chance to appeal to the masses than Jericho. to the smarks, like us, I think we would all rather have a best of Jericho tape instead of a Best of RVD tape.

That has nothing to do with it. This implies that you think talent is something only hardcore fans care about. That doesn't explain how Benoit got over.

[Guest Steffie]

I really wish they'd bring the hardcore title back - I'd take that one over the heavyweight belt any day!

Me too. I really wish they would bring Hardcore Championship to Raw and make Tag Team titles exclusive to Smackdown!. That way, we would get the established and new Tag Teams all in the one place, with double the variety and more Tag Teams for the bookers to work with and scheduled matches on Raw that are fought under Hardcore rules. I'd really like that.

[sek69]

It sounds like RVD has become the guy from Office Space who just doesn't care about his job anymore.

[Guest Cam Chaos]

Pretty much. He is enough of an asset he knows he has job security but also knows he isn't going to get pushed as a top guy because of politics. It gives him a certain amount of freedom since he doesn't give a shit but knows he isn't going anywhere.

[Coffey]

You know what the best thing about the tag team division being on Smackdown would be? It'd give WWE a reason to NOT just slap together random tag team matches for main events.

 

It's all they ever seen to do!

 

Kane/Batista Vs. HHH/Snitsky is the type of shit that they randomly throw together. It sucks.

[Guest Cam Chaos]

I think if they kept the cruisers and tag matches to SD and six man tag matches and womens division on RAW, things would run a lot more smoothly.

 

Any womens match on SD is pointless and any cruisers on RAW get squashed anyway, but I guess WWE logic dictates different actions. I'd actually like to see a six man tag title return.

 

Edge, Christian and Tomko. Benoit, Jericho and Benjamin. HHH, Flair and Snitsky. La Resistance if Dupree went back to RAW. Regal, Eugene and Tajiri. It would also give reason for six person mix tags if you had Regal, Tajiri and Christy versus Maven, Dean and Molly as it was on RAW, or even Tomko, Trish and Christian as a team. Given the provision that 2 of the three tag titleists had to compete per match, it could also allow for more random match ups... then again, I think I've maybe been watching too much old school wrestling lately.