Rob Van Dam has recalled feeling “indestructible” when he challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand.
In 2006, WWE presented the second edition of ECW One Night Stand in the Hammerstein Ballroom. The event was the first pay-per-view held after ECW was relaunched as a third brand alongside Raw and SmackDown.
The main event of the show saw Van Dam using his Money in the Bank to challenge Cena for the WWE Title in front of a crowd that was completely against the leader of the Cenation.
Reflecting on the match on his One of a Kind podcast, RVD says the audience made him feel “indestructible.” He went on to win the bout and the WWE Title, something he feels vindicated him for following his own beliefs and values throughout his career.
“I felt indestructible. There’s never been a crowd exactly like that. The fans were so great, and why it was so awesome is it was vindication for me sticking to my guns and following my own beliefs, sticking to my own values through [15 years] of people trying to change me.”
Unfortunately, Van Dam only held the title for 22 days before being stripped of it when he was arrested for drug possession alongside Sabu.
John Cena Recalls “Wonderful” Insult From ECW Fans
John Cena has looked back on the audience reaction to him when he faced Rob Van Dam. When Cena threw his t-shirt into the crowd during his entrance, it was unexpectedly thrown back at him and this happened several times before he gave up trying.
Far from being bitter about the experience, Cena says it was a “wonderful insult” and that it carried a lot of weight.
H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the above transcription.