411’s WWE Icons Report: Rob Van Dam on ECW, Winning WWE Title, Hall of Fame, More

411’s WWE Icons Report: Rob Van Dam

-Happy 4th Birthday to my oldest son, Rowan! We had a fun Super Mario party with family and a couple of his soccer friends. It does my heart good to see him so interested in Super Mario. Now to Icons as the third installment dropped and this time it covers Rob Van Dam. Let’s get to it!

-Opening has someone air brushing a singlet in the style of RVD with “ECW” and “Icons” on there as we hear the various talking heads hyping up for what is to come. This is WWE Icons!

-Battle Creek Michigan: Rob was born December 1970 in Battle Creek and he was the youngest of 3. We meet his sister, Terri Szatkowksi who says Rob always found a way to get in the spotlight. He loved diving boards and they joked that because of some of the things he did he would never have kids. Rob was a smart kid and talk was of moving him up a grade, but then things started to average out and Rob says it was because he got an attitude of not wanting to conform. He was athletic, but didn’t like sports because they were too organized.

-His friends would watch pro-wrestling and as they talked about it he would laugh at them. He finally agreed to watch and was hooked the minute he saw Corp Kirchner get attacked by The Iron Sheik. He went to his first live event and he immediately knew what he wanted to do.

-He talks about attending a show and they were doing something with Ted Dibiase. He asked for someone to come into the ring and kiss his feet. This is great as it’s not the one on TV but at a house show and they have the footage. Rob jumped the rail and laughs that he should have negotiated better as he could have gotten $500. He does kiss Diabiase’s feet and gets paid $100. Yes, it was real money and it was the first money he ever made off wrestling.

-Rob knew he wanted to be a wrestler and he joined the high school wrestling team just to get some training. His coach wanted him to drop from 165 to 135 and Rob wanted to do the opposite and get up to 235 lbs. So he quit the team and just took up weightlifting.

-He and his friends found a guy with a ring in his backyard. They told the guy they wanted to be wrestlers and the guy was Kit Lykins who was a 7th degree black belt and kickboxing champion. That makes sense! Kit is here as a talking head and he is a bad ass as he was known as The White Dragon and sported a 100-3 record in kickboxing. He told the kids they don’t do wrestling, but if they did karate he would let them use the ring. Rob says they did all the training just to get the free time at the end to wrestle in the ring. RVD: “We were learning how to kickbox whether we wanted to or not.”

-They have footage of Rob’s first kickboxing match and he crushed the more experienced guy he was facing. He told Kit that was much easier than he thought it would be. Kit was bummed that Rob was so interested in wrestling as he felt he should concentrate on kickboxing. He knew Rob would make it as a wrestler, but not to the heights he did.

-Next for Rob he is working in a grocery story and learns The Original Sheik has a wrestling school not far from his house that only costs $40. Sabu is here and it’s great to see him included. Sabu obviously was Sheik’s nephew and he tells us that RVD taught him how to do a back flip. Rob says that Sheik’s style was to protect the business and they were trained to be snug. His first matches were around Michigan, Ohio and Indiana and they have some sweet, grainy footage from some of those early matches including a win over a very young Chris Candido.

-Rob went to Tampa and was told by a promoter he looked like Jean Claude Van Damme. That is an easy gimmick so he was told to pretend he was his cousin and do a Belgian accent. Rob talks about a show they did in Jamaica and the weed was being passed around. Rob didn’t want to do it and Jimmy Del Ray told him “hit it you prima donna it’s not going to kill you.” Rob didn’t like it and was worried he would be stoned, but all he did was stare at a wall. Fantastic! He eventually started using it more because he saw the other guys doing it so much.

-Rob was offered a tour of Japan for a bunch of money and he got himself over. Dory Funk Jr talks about meeting Rob in Japan and how he is a much tougher athlete than he looks like. Yes, they have footage from All Japan! Giant Baba told Rob he had a job there anytime he wanted to come back. Rob worked in WCW for 5 months as Robbie V. WCW kept giving him a contract to sign and he always said he left it at home. He still has a contract from them that he never signed. He knew he didn’t want to be there and he was told he was stupid for leaving TV to go do Independents.

-Next up is NWC (National Wrestling Conference) which was promoted by TC Martin and he is here as a talking head. They do their homework on this series! Sabu brought Rob to NWC and TC was impressed by his athletic ability. Rob talks about his outfits and style being one of a kind which made him stick out. Dory says that whatever you see with Rob is who he is as he isn’t playing a character.

-At age 25, Rob’s style caught the attention of a small promotion in the northeast called ECW. Paul Heyman tells us that Sabu told him that Rob was ready to be a star. Paul saw some of his work in Japan and knew they needed to sign him immediately. Rob talks about how in Georgia you could get over by just starting a USA chant and now he was in a dark arena full of adults that were ready to tear him apart if he slipped up. Devon Dudley and Bill Alfonso talk about how hard it is to impress the ECW fans and Rob was able to get over with them in his debut match with Axel Rotten. Tommy Dreamer talks about the things Rob could do and the only other person they saw that could do similar things was Sabu.

-Rob talks about his matches with Sabu and they were fun because they could do things outside the box. Sabu brought Rob to ECW because he knew he could have good matches with him. Tommy tells us it was supposed to be a one shot deal (make your 411 comments section jokes) and it just kept going.

-In early 1997 ECW had their first PPV “Barely Legal.” We see Paul with the roster in the ring telling the crowd that “Barely Legal” was going to be on PPV. Rob was excited as it was a new level for them and then he finds out he was off the card. Paul says that Rob told him he was pissed about being left off the show. Rob says he was offended because this was the first chance for the world to see ECW and he felt he was one of the best wrestlers in the company. Paul admits to not booking Rob for the show because he didn’t know how long they were going to be able to keep Rob in ECW. He needed that first PPV to be very ECW branded and he didn’t know how long Rob was going to be with the ECW brand. Rob says he was so upset that he started looking into other options and Bischoff offered him a job that obviously paid a lot more than ECW. He liked the style of ECW and gave Paul the chance to talk to him. He was a late add to the PPV when Candido couldn’t make the show and he was pitted against Lance Storm. RVD wins the match and Heyman wanted to see what they could do with the character so they let him cut a “shoot” promo. It’s a sweet promo as he talks about how beating Lance makes him worth more money in ECW and more money elsewhere. The crowd chanting “get the fuck out,” is great.

-That leads to RVD showing up on RAW as Paul made a deal with WWE. Vince McMahon talks about how the WWE was subsidizing ECW at that point and even though there was no written agreement, Paul would let them use some of his talent. “Mr. Monday Night” is born and it was great! That whole Lawler vs ECW feud was wonderful and Lawler’s appearance in the ECW arena had insane heat. Blink and you will miss the RVD on RAW facing Jeff Hardy before anyone knew who he was. RVD talks about how both companies thought he was working for the other company. Bruce Prichard says the WWE had interest in signing Rob, but he was comfortable in ECW.

-RVD cuts a promo with Sabu about how the ratings go up when he is on camera. So, I guess he was the original demo-god! We move to RVD facing Bigelow for the ECW TV Title. RVD loved facing Bigelow and puts over how strong he was. Fonzie talks about how much Bigelow put into that match as he wanted to make RVD a star. We get the iconic footage of RVD hitting a senton from the top to the floor over the guard rail into the crowd. Just crazy stuff that still looks insane to this day. RVD gets the win and the TV Title. He calls winning the Title a big moment even though he had no clue how pivotal that was going to be for his career. From that moment on he was a superstar.

-Heyman says Rob was determined to make the TV Title the top title in ECW. He held the title for two years. Bubba Ray Dudley mentions that Rob put credibility on the TV Title. Rob says his approach has always to be different so he kept coming up with moves he had never seen. Paul says that Rob’s high flying wasn’t pretty like others. It was violent! Dreamer mentions that Rob talked about how great he was and then he went out and backed it up. Bubba brings up the point that you can’t boo someone who does cool moves like that. Paul says that if they had an 8 match card and 7 sucked, but they closed with RVD the fans went home happy. He then says that Rob would still be TV Champion today if ECW hadn’t closed and if Rob hadn’t broken his ankle.

-We get ECW house show footage from a fan cam as Rob breaks his ankle in a match with Rhino. He finished the match, but this was his first major injury that kept him from being able to work. Rob hands over the TV Title to Don Callis. He says handing over that title was heartbreaking. Meanwhile ECW is going in the tank financially as Bubba says that anything that could go wrong went wrong. Paul mentions that Rob told him he didn’t need paid and when he would get a check, he wouldn’t cash it. Paul considers Rob an investor in ECW. He stayed with the company until the end even with other offers on the table. Paul calls the last year brutal but they all had time to prepare for the end, but it was still shocking when they flat lined. RVD calls ECW the most fun place to work.

-April 2001 ECW files for bankruptcy. RVD realized there was only one place to go if he wanted to work on TV and that was the WWE. He had no clue what he was doing when he arrived and then he saw Dreamer who handed him an ECW shirt. The Invasion! Paul talks about how an ECW Invasion starts with RVD. Rob wasn’t happy they were heels paired with WCW in The Alliance. He knew fans wouldn’t boo him. No kidding! Booker T covers what Bubba said earlier that it is hard to boo someone who does cool moves.

-Jeff Hardy to talk about their match at Invasion which stole the show. Great stuff as RVD wins the WWF Hardcore Title! We get some great backstage footage from Invasion and then highlights of RVD pinning people like The Undertaker, Angle and other top WWE stars. Paul knew Rob made it when Steve Austin told him the hottest star in the company was RVD. Rob’s rise was crazy as he was facing Angle and Austin for the WWF Title and the crowd totally bought him in that spot.

-Brian Gewirtz talks about Rob’s promos and how some thought he had no passion. Rob was Rob and he was that laid back. “There’s just guys that like to get high and chill. He seemed like a regular person that just happened to be a WWE Superstar.” (see Riddle, Matt).

-Edge remembers seeing the audience instantly get that connection with RVD and they weren’t all ECW fans. He was able to connect with a broader audience. They cover his signature “pointing at himself” and show more highlights of the crazy things he could do that nobody else could. Elimination Chamber splash that nearly killed HHH! RVD becomes a 5 time IC Champion and tag champion with Booker T.

-Rob was happy with being over, but felt someone was always in his ear to change him. He got frustrated with it and took away from his enjoyment of the moment. There were some angles and directions he didn’t like. Looking back he knows some of the best superstars were like clay that could be molded and that was not him. This leads to discussion how by not compromising himself, Rob probably cost himself higher profile matches and WrestleMania Main Events. Dreamer knew Rob wasn’t happy with the politics backstage. There were also rumors he was smoking marijuana before matches.

-Rob talks about how no matter where he was there would be a ECW chant that would break out. That spirit had not died so Rob asked Vince why he never did a one time ECW show. He was expecting Vince to shot him down and instead Vince told him it was a great idea and he could make a lot of money from it. Vince calls Rob a smart man and does credit him for ECW One Night Stand and he calls it an interesting night.

-One Night Stand: Bubba calls it one of the greatest nights in pro-wrestling history. It was a wonderful show that was like nothing we were seeing from the WWE at the time. What sucked for Rob was that he had a damaged knee and couldn’t work the show. Yeah, that had to suck for him! Rob says the promo he cut was straight from his heart and it surprised a lot of people. Dreamer says the show gave him closure. Then why did you try to bring it back countless times in other promotions?

-WrestleMania 22: Vince says that timing is everything and the fans wanted RVD. Rob understood that if he won the match he was holding a guaranteed title shot with the MITB case, but he also didn’t want to believe any plans being given to him until it happened. When he grabbed the case it became real as up to that point it was just words. Now he believed the plans as there was some credibility.

-The WWE made the decision to relaunch ECW as a third brand. Again, had that been called anything else (like NXT) that would have worked, but calling it ECW and not going full ECW (which they couldn’t for obvious reason) killed it. Anyway, to relaunch the brand they decided to do One Night Stand a second time and Paul thought it could be seen as exploitative. Paul wondered what they could do and it was RVD in a match for the WWE Championship.

-One Night Stand II: The crowd reaction was like nothing you have ever seen. I know the crowd in Chicago hated Cena when he faced Punk, but there were Cena fans in the crowd. This was 100% all RVD and they hated Cena. Dreamer mentions there was fear about John’s safety and if they crowd would riot. “If Cena Wins We Riot.” Indeed! The shirt tossing is just classic! RVD wins with Heyman counting the fall (they don’t show Edge’s interference) and he becomes the WWE Champion. Two days later he is presented with the ECW World Title and decides he wants to keep the WWE Title as well.

-Things looked awesome until it wasn’t as Rob put it. July 1, 2006: I was at the ECW show at The Rostraver Ice Gardens in Belle Vernon, PA where RVD defended his titles against the Big Show. Who knew what was going to happen only a few hours later after they left the show. They have police dash cam footage of the traffic stop as the cop had Rob clocked at 73 in a 55 zone. Rob tells the cop he thought it was 65. The cop asks if they are on TV and Rob says they are champions and they cop has heard of him. Sabu is also in the car as the cop asks him his name. Rob says he was pulled over for speeding. The cop asks Rob why he was driving without a shirt and then notices the car smells like “dope.” Sabu says he searched their bags, found Rob’s weed and arrested them. Rob mentions when he left the jail the next morning it had already blown up everywhere because he was the WWE Champion. Vince tells us he was very disappointed because he felt Rob was above that at this point. Rob mentions he felt untouchable because he was on TV and The Champion and it was a reality check. Vince: “Rob was not champion much longer.”

-Rob says when he got to the building he was told he would be losing the WWE Title. He drops the WWE Title to Edge in a Triple Threat Match. Lawler: “Rob Van Dam’s title reign goes up in smoke.” Ouch! He then says Vince told him he was dropping The ECW Title on Tuesday. That was the infamous show where Big Show win the Title thanks to Heyman. He was also suspended for 30 days. Heyman says it wasn’t a surprise that RVD was stoner, but the timing was awful. Dreamer says that everyone who didn’t want RVD as a champion had the proof and it was over for him.

-They actually show the Batista/Show ECW TV Main Event that the crowd just dumped all over. ECW was dead and gone with RVD out of the picture and Vince wanting more control.

-June 2007: Rob’s contract was was coming up and he was burned out so he needed a break. He didn’t put a time limit on it and just wanted to get away. Booker mentions it is easier to stay and it takes a lot to walk away. Rob questioned where the money was going to come from, but he made the decision to leave. His price was so high that he was mainly working International shows.

-2010 he moves to TNA and we get some still photos. Rob loved working there with some great guys and then in 2013 he returned to the WWE at Money in the Bank. He had a ball with that run and it was fun. He came back a year later and says that was not fun at all.

-2016 is where he can divide having a child’s mentality and being a grown up. He was married his entire WWE run and now he was getting divorced. He looked at divorce as a failure and put all his love on his dog. The dog passed away and then a few months later so did his dad. He drank a lot during that time as he felt his life was ending. Dreamer says that Rob went to a dark place, but he got back up and started fighting. Rob realized he didn’t become full until he was torn apart and then had to put himself back together.

-He was in Dallas at a convention and met Katie Forbes. She is here as a talking head and she could feel it was meant to be between them. Rob knows they have each others backs and things with them are so natural. Katie knows some fans want the old RVD, but others love the energy they have together. Rob talks about wrestling less and less which gives him a chance to do other things. Like RVD CBD! He talks about the benefits of CBD and then discusses his acting and stand up comedy career. “My dad said aim high. Now, I do everything high.”

-RVD gets the Hall of Fame nod and we just to Rob preparing for the Hall of Fame ceremony. Vince calls him clearly One of a Kind and they are honored to put him in the Hall of Fame. Booker T says that Rob checks all the boxes of a Hall of Famer and Prichard echoes those comments. Heyman says he can’t imagine the Hall of Fame without RVD as to ECW fans he was their Bruno Sammartino and their Hulk Hogan. Rob gave a great speech considering how short everyone’s had to be with the unique ceremony.

-Vince and HHH present Rob with his Hall of Fame ring. Vince says there has always been a bond between the two of them and it will always be there. HHH tells Rob that he changed the style of the business for the better and Vince brings up how many young guys have emulated what he has done.

-Edge says there will only ever be one Rob Van Dam. Booker says that RVD always delivered. RVD vs Lesnar! I think that was at King of The Ring? Heyman mentions Rob blazes his own trail and his entire mindset is being One of a Kind! Rob says he has always been true to himself and the more he accomplishes the more he is proud of that. ROB VAN DAM!

-As expected this was great and this series continues to deliver the goods. RVD is a wonderful person to profile here as outside of 1 DVD release we haven’t had much produced about him. They covered all the main points here and we got a strong panel of talking heads. Just another well done documentary by the WWE. Definitely check this one out. Thanks for reading!