"I'm nowhere near ready to wrestle" - Former WWE Champion rules out potential return

A former WWE Champion has ruled out the possibility of an in-ring return for the time being. The veteran suffered a devastating injury earlier this year.

WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam fractured both his heels in an unfortunate spot during a wrestling match in April. He was competing in a 40-man Battle Riot Match for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship at Battle Riot VII.

Speaking in a recent episode of TMZ Inside The Ring, RVD revealed that he was in the middle phase of his recovery. The veteran noted that it was taking him a little longer to heal than he had anticipated.

"I feel like I’m between the middle and the end of it. So, you know, it’s been a while, a lot longer than I thought it would take to heal. And from what I’ve learned, every calcaneus fracture is different depending on how the bones are fragmented, and if you have surgery. This was April 5 for me, so it’s been quite a while. I thought I was looking at like eight, nine weeks, and I’d be back," RVD said.

Rob Van Dam added that although he could see the improvement in his condition, he was nowhere near ready to get inside the squared circle. The 54-year-old noted that he was still not able to run and jump and was taking medication to walk better.

"I’m at a point now where, I mean, I can see improvement all the time, but I’m nowhere near ready to wrestle. I’m not jumping or even running yet. I find when I'm medicated, I feel and I walk way better than when I'm not. And sometimes that confuses my perspective of how I'm healing," RVD added.

You can check out the entire conversation in the video below:

Rob Van Dam shares honest opinion on controversial WWE announcement

WWE recently revealed that WrestleMania 43 will take place in Saudi Arabia. The announcement did not sit well with many fans online. Even at the WWExAAA World's Collide Event, the crowd started chanting "You sold out" when a vignette highlighting the announcement was played in the arena.

However, speaking on his 1 Of A Kind podcast, RVD claimed that he had no issues with the announcement. He saw it completely as a business move. The veteran opined that the Stamford-based promotion having one major show in Saudi Arabia should not bother the fans.

With WWE all set to have the first WrestleMania outside North America in 2027, it will be intriguing to see whether The Showcase of The Immortals finds more venues overseas.

In case you use any quotes from this article, please credit TMZSports with an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.