Rob Van Dam on a Promoter Who Once Told Him He’d Become World Champion Someday

– During a recent edition of the 1 Of A Kind podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam shared a story of being discovered by wrestling promoter Ron Slinker when RVD was still working in USWA. Below are some highlights (via WrestlingInc.com):

Rob Van Dam on Rob Slinker telling him he’d be world champion someday: “A wrestling promoter called Ron Slinker from Tampa, Florida discovered me in USWA. He was there, working a little bit with Bill Dundee, but mostly to have his eyes on his son-in-law Dennis Knight [Mideon in WWE]. He saw me and was like, ‘Kid, you’re gonna be a World Champion someday.’ He brought me down to Florida, he gave me the name Rob Van Dam, he got me the job in WCW [after talking] with Bill Watts.”

On Slinker advising him to use the 5-Star Frog Splash: “Slinker said, ‘It’s a pretty move, but most of the guys you’re wrestling are a lot bigger than you. You need a finishing move that’s more impactful.’ I was like, ‘Damn, really?’ I thought about it … and came up with the 5-Star Frog Splash.”