Rob Van Dam On What Vince McMahon Told Him Backstage in WWE About Taking Chair Shots, Why He Didn’t Put His Hands Up

Rob Van Dam was on the Steve Austin Show and discussed how he didn’t put his hands up when taking chair shots and what Vince McMahon told him backstage in WWE about the way he takes chair shots. Highlights are below.

On why he didn’t put his hands up when taking chair shots: “I got trained to really believe in it, to really believe in the moment, you know what I mean, so I like to think that that’s reflected in my work, and so that’s part of it. I still believe in what I’m doing when I’m out there. That’s what it is. I wouldn’t recommend anyone else to do it.”

On Vince McMahon telling him to start putting his hands up when taking chair shots: “When I first got to WWE, one time I was coming through gorilla and Vince McMahon said, ‘When you take those chair shots, you put your hands up.’ And I was like, ‘Aw, that’s cool, that’s everybody else, Vince.’ He said, ‘No, you listen to me, you put your hands up.’ I go, ‘But I do this all the time and this is the only time you ever had any, this kind of, said anything remotely like this.’ Then he goes, ‘Now listen, I’m your father, I’m telling you, you put your hands up.’ And then it finally got through and I was like, alright, he’s the boss, he’s paying me to put my hands up, I think I can do that. That was probably after I’d been there and went through the Hardcore Title era and the ECW era, I might have been there a minute, I don’t know, but I’m just saying, he did say that, Vince.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit The Steve Austin Show with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.