WWE Hall Of Famer Rob Van Dam has opened up about his relationship with Vince McMahon and how he “dropped the ball” when he was arrested while WWE Champion.
The inimitable Rob Van Dam came to WWE in 2001 following the demise of Extreme Championship Wrestling and he immediately set ECW’s stall out in the Invasion storyline. Despite being part of the generally hated Alliance RVD became one of the most popular stars in the company with his charisma and unique skillset.
Van Dam floated around the main event scene but never quite broke through to the very top of the company until 2006. At WrestleMania 22 Rob Van Dam captured the Money In The Bank briefcase and called his shot against John Cena at the One Night Stand event that summer. In a memorable encounter, RVD defeated Cena for the WWE Title before Paul Heyman proclaimed him the new ECW Champion as well.
Rob Van Dam recently spoke exclusively to Kenny McIntosh for issue 14 of Inside The Ropes magazine where he spoke on a range of topics. Van Dam detailed his relationship with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and explained why he wouldn’t discuss Spiderman with the boss:
“I’ve always gotten along with Vince overall. I was always uncomfortable talking to him in a manner of just being intimidated and feeling awkward. He would always go out of his way, if we were walking along the hallway, to shake my hand and say, “Hey Rob, how are you doing?” But then I wouldn’t know what to talk about.”
“It would be like, “Well, how’s the weather?” And it would just be like that. I was just intimidated because he is Vince McMahon, he is the most important man that I am ever going to meet. Then at the same time, what are we going to talk about? Am I going to tell him that I can’t believe they have a girl in a Spiderman outfit in the new series now?”
Van Dam then explained how in the past advice felt like criticism but now he can respond better to the thoughts of others:
“I feel like my whole mindset back then was so young, and I was still kind of finding the validation to be accepted. I feel like my place in the universe was a place where people would keep telling me that I need more of this or less of that because that always made me feel that I wasn’t really respected or that someone was looking down on me.”
“That’s how I always took advice, and it was hard for me to take. Now I look at Vince, and he still is the same important man but I am able to express my feelings a little better than I was then. I am better with my wording and more comfortable with the fact that when I am honest and genuine, people just appreciate it.”
Rob Van Dam then touched on his brush with the law when he was arrested for cannabis possession while at the top of WWE. RVD says that his WWE Hall Of Fame induction confirmed that his career was worth a lot more than one mistake:
“I definitely dropped the ball when I got busted for the cannabis when I had the WWE and ECW titles. I feel like I dropped the ball on his plans, and so coming back into the WWE Hall of Fame and being welcomed back into the family like that, it was kind of like a full circle for me, confirming all of my efforts and my accomplishments and everything that I have done throughout my career far outweigh one little f*ck up.”