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Rob Van Dam (RVD) believes many WWE higher-ups struggled to understand his laid-back personality.
Van Dam worked for WWE between 2001-2007 and 2013-2014. The 51-year-old won several titles during that time, including the WWE Championship. Prior to his first spell with the company, he made his name as a key member of Paul Heyman’s ECW roster.
Speaking on “Rewind Recap Relive,” Van Dam claimed Heyman and John Laurinaitis were two of the only people who “got” his character:
“I don’t think that they ever got me. Paul got me, and I think Paul is one of the only people ever in an agent kind of position that understood me. Johnny Ace [John Laurinaitis], he gets me, but he wanted to see angry RVD. That was so important to him. He thought that was the money when I [growl].” [33:53-34:20]
Heyman booked Van Dam prominently in both the original ECW and WWE’s revamped version of the extreme brand. Laurinaitis mostly worked as WWE’s Head of Talent Relations during the athletic superstar’s time with the company.
How Paul Heyman helped RVD in WWE
While Heyman now performs as an on-screen character, he has also worked in several behind-the-scenes roles in WWE over the last two decades.
Van Dam added that the former ECW owner often pushed for him to receive more opportunities on television:
“That was probably the nucleus of my momentum, for sure. I hear about that from every agent in every perspective. He [Heyman] was always pushing for me when others would push against me. Sometimes he would win the battles, sometimes lose.” [35:16-35:35]
Van Dam’s career accomplishments were recognized in 2021 when he became a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. The legendary superstar still performs as an in-ring competitor to this day. Earlier this month, he wrestled at CyberFight Festival 2022 in Japan.
Please credit “Rewind Recap Relive” and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
