During his stint with ECW, Rob Van Dam became one of the most popular stars on the roster. RVD made the ECW Television Championship just as relevant as the World Heavyweight Championship, holding it for nearly two years straight and embarking in many memorable feuds. His popularity allowed him to be a part of the ECW invasion angle in 1997, aligning himself with Jerry “The King” Lawler and donning the nickname “Mr. Monday Night.”
This popularity gave him a prominent spot in the company after ECW was acquired by WWE. In fact, RVD was awarded the ECW Championship after defeating John Cena at ECW One Night Stand in 2006, holding both main championships for each brand simultaneously. RVD would win numerous championships during his WWE tenure, including six reigns as Intercontinental Champion and three reigns as WWE Tag Team Champion. In 2007, however, RVD left WWE after feeling burned out by the company.
RVD returned on a part-time deal in 2013, after a near six-year absence. He was a participant in the Money in the Bank match and had a great exhibition at the pay per view. RVD never was showcased as a top star, minus a couple of attempts to become the World Heavyweight Champion but being unsuccessful. He was used as a midcard talent, before leaving the company. He returned again in 2014 but was used even more sparingly than he was in his first return. This left many wondering what the status of his contract was since it was reported that he had a part-time deal where he would pop up for a few months, similar to Chris Jericho.
In a recent interview with X-Pac, RVD gave the latest on his WWE contract. While he did state that he is still contracted with the company, he mentioned how he has not talked to them in nearly a year, and was not contacted regarding the brand split.
"No, I haven't heard from them since, it's almost been a year actually. It was last October when we talked, and it really wasn't a good time for me to go out on the road. I had personal stuff that I was going through. But there's always a dollar amount that makes it worthwhile, you know what I mean? But the amount that would've made it worth it for me to go out and work wouldn't have been worth it for them and what they were thinking, and so that just didn't work out, which was good because I really wasn't wanting to do it then. And also I might've scared them away with the number it would've taken to make it worth my while. So no, I really haven't even talked to them."
With names such as Rhyno, Shelton Benjamin, Jinder Mahal, and Curt Hawkins were all contacted and agreed to return to WWE, it comes as a surprise that RVD was not a name on that list. While he would not be as popular as he was 10 years ago, he still would be able to put together solid matches and help elevate other talent.
