Rob Van Dam Says He’s Fortunate He Doesn’t Have CTE

In an interview with TV Insider, Rob Van Dam spoke about the concussions he’s had over his career and said that he’s very lucky that he never developed CTE as a result of them. Here are highlights:

On the concussions he received in his career: “I never knew I could be doing long-term damage. For me, one of the things I enjoy about professional wrestling is showing how tough I am. That’s an outlet for it. I would get hit in the head with a chair, and I knew it would knock my senses a little loopy. This was part of the job for me. I just thought I was really tough because I could take it. Now I feel very fortunate that at this point in life that I don’t have the CTE that the football players have suffered…Vince McMahon told me when I first got into WWE to put my hands up to protect my head from those chair shots. I was arguing with him because I was stupid because I thought I was tough. He went all father on me, ‘I’m your father telling you to put your hands up. He was really serious. Now I won’t be cheering on chair shots to the head, but most of my concussions have probably come from landing and hitting the back of my head. So, I’m going to be cautious of that as well. There’s been once or twice I’ve had similar things happen since shooting the movie. Thankfully, I didn’t get concussed.”

On positive feedback for his movie Headstrong: “They understand that this superhero image that they have in their mind is a real person. I try to tell the story in the movie just exactly how it was for me. When this thing happened in the ring, something to really be concerned with, it changed everything.”

On how his relationship has helped him: “There is so much positivity instead of drama. I help her with what I can in life and wrestling. She knows I’m at the end of my career not looking to do this into my 60s or 70s or be another Ric Flair. But who knows because money always talks. The fact she is up and coming, it is awesome to see her name get out there and to see her star power grow. I would rather her go out on the road and chase her dreams, and I’ll wait for her at home with the dog.”