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Rob Van Dam was recently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2021. RVD wowed fans with his in-ring skills, abilities, and charisma and is undoubtedly deserving of the induction. However, there was a time where he had reservations about joining WWE.
The former WWE and ECW Champion sat down with Ryan Satin on his Out of Character podcast. Upon joining the company, Rob Van Dam felt that he would be sacrificing the history of everything he had done.
When asked about the invasion angle in 2001, Rob Van Dam spoke about his decision when it came to moving to WWE. Most other promotions had been closed or bought around this time, and WWE was the only option for those professional wrestlers looking to stay in the United States.
RVD revealed that he was worried that the company would make significant changes to his character. However, he was more than ready to deal with it at the time.
"This is 2001, and there's nowhere else to wrestle in the United States. If I wanted to continue my career as a TV superstar in the business of pro-wrestling, it was time for me to go to WWE. Everything else was closed up or bought, and so when I made that decision, I thought that maybe I was giving up. Not my whole path, but perspectively, the history of everything I've done. I thought they might change my name to something. Who knows? They've been known to do this. Give me a character? I didn't know. At that time I was ready to deal with that."
Of course, Rob Van Dam's WWE career panned out quite well. The Whole Dam Show had a very successful six-year career with the company.
Rob Van Dam's WWE career
Rob Van Dam spent six whole years with WWE. During this time he won numerous titles and was involved in some of the greatest feuds and storylines in WWE history.
He won six Intercontinental Championships, four Hardcore Championships, two Tag Team Championships, a European Championship, the ECW Championship and, of course, the WWE Championship.
Rob Van Dam is now immortalized in WWE's Hall of Fame. What did you think of RVD's career in the company? Share your thoughts down below.
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