Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970), better known by his
ring nameA ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...
Rob Van Dam (
RVD), is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional wrestlerProfessional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
and
actorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who is currently signed to
Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA).
Szatkowski has held 22 championships between
ECWExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
, WWE and TNA, as well as several regional titles in various promotions during his career. In major promotions he is a three-time world champion having held the
WWE ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
,
ECW World ChampionshipThe Extreme Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
and the
TNA World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe TNA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is currently the highest ranked championship in TNA and is primarily defended in TNA's heavyweight division...
once each. On the independent scene he has also won the World Heavyweight Championships for both American Wrestling Rampage twice and World Stars of Wrestling once. He is the only man to achieve both WWE and ECW's version of the Triple Crown. Part of ECW's Triple Crown included the
ECW World Television ChampionshipThe ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling . It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1992 but was established under ECW in 1994...
, of which RVD's 700 day reign was the longest.
Early life
Rob grew up in
Battle Creek, MichiganBattle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
and graduated from Pennfield High School. Rob made his first appearance on WWF television in 1987 in a skit with
"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiaseTheodore Marvin "Ted" DiBiase, Sr. is a retired professional wrestler, manager, ordained minister and color commentator. DiBiase achieved championship success in a number of wrestling promotions, holding thirty titles during his professional wrestling career...
. At the time, DiBiase was selecting plants from the audience and offering to pay them to perform degrading acts and offered the 16 year old Szatkowski
$The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
100 to enter the ring and kiss his foot, which he did. This early appearance was later included as a bonus feature on WWE's
Before They Were Superstars DVD and on WWE's
Rob Van Dam: One of a Kind DVD.
Early career (1990–1995)
Szatkowski debuted in 1990 after being trained by
The SheikEdward George Farhat was an American professional wrestler best known as by his ring name The Sheik...
, wrestling his first match against Dango Nguyen in
Toledo, OhioToledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. The name
Rob Van Dam was given to Rob in 1991 by
Ron SlinkerDavid Slinker , better known by his ring name, Ron Slinker, was an American professional wrestler and martial artist who competed in several North American promotions.-Early life:...
, a promoter in Florida, possibly because of his martial arts experience and his resemblance to actor
Jean-Claude Van DammeJean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
. He wrestled in many independent promotions across
MichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, including the
United States Wrestling AssociationThe United States Wrestling Association or USWA was a professional wrestling promotion based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded by former CWA owner Jerry Jarrett.-Foundation:...
(USWA) and South Atlantic Pro Wrestling (SAPW). In SAPW, he won his first wrestling
titleA Championship or "title" in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries...
, the SAPW Tag Team Championship, in July 1992 with Chaz Rocco. He signed with
World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
in late 1992 and was dubbed
Robbie V by Ron Slinker upon his arrival since
Bill WattsWilliam F. "Bill" Watts is a former American professional wrestler and promoter. Watts was famous under his "Cowboy" gimmick in his wrestling career, and then as a tough, no-nonsense promoter in the Mid-South area of the United States, which grew to become the UWF.In 1992, he was the Executive...
didn't like the name Rob Van Dam. His WCW run was uneventful and largely unnoticed. He also wrestled in several independent promotions across America, and in
All Japan Pro Wrestlingis a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
, where he challenged for the
AJPW World Junior Heavyweight ChampionshipThe All Japan Pro Wrestling World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling title in Japanese promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling, contested exclusively among junior heavyweight The All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) World Junior Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling...
on several occasions.
Debut (1996)
In January 1996 Van Dam signed with promoter
Paul HeymanPaul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....
's Philadelphia-based promotion
Extreme Championship WrestlingExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
(ECW), defeating
Axl RottenBrian Knighton is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name, Axl Rotten.-Early years:After watching a professional wrestling match on television, Knighton decided to become a wrestler...
in his debut match at
House Party. Van Dam's mannerisms were those of a
stonerDrug subcultures are examples of countercultures, which are primarily defined by recreational drug use.Drug subcultures are groups of people united by a common understanding of the meaning and value of the incorporation into one's life of the drug in question...
, and he became a
faceIn professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
due to his laid-back attitude and unorthodox style. On March 30, he faced
2 Cold ScorpioCharles Scaggs is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name 2 Cold Scorpio . Scaggs has competed in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment and Pro Wrestling Noah...
in a match for the
ECW World Television ChampionshipThe ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling . It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1992 but was established under ECW in 1994...
. The match ended in a draw with 2 Cold Scorpio retaining the title.
Van Dam gained attention following a series of matches with long-time rival Sabu, which began with a match at
Hostile City Showdown, won by Sabu. After the match, Van Dam declined to show proper respect for his opponent, leading to a rematch at
A Matter of Respect, which was won by Van Dam. Per the pre-match stipulation, Sabu then offered Van Dam a handshake, but was again ignored. Instead, Van Dam left the ring and turned
heelIn professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
under the management of
Bill AlfonsoWilliam Matthew "Bill" Alfonso is a former professional wrestling referee and manager. He achieved his greatest success in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the mid to late 1990s...
. At Hardcore Heaven, Van Dam faced his rival Sabu once again, in a match to prove who was the better man. Sabu won the match. The two faced each other yet again in a stretcher match at
The Doctor is In. Van Dam lost the match after missing a Plancha to the outside, hitting the railing and falling onto the stretcher. He was quickly rolled out.
Teaming with Sabu (1996–1998)
At
Natural Born Killaz, Van Dam defeated
Doug FurnasDoug Furnas is a former American professional wrestler and powerlifter. Furnas briefly worked for World Championship Wrestling in the early 1990s...
in a match. Post-match, Van Dam offered Furnas a handshake, but Furnas instead hit Van Dam with a short-arm clothesline, starting a rivalry between the two. After his rivalry with Furnas expanded to also include Dan Kroffat, Van Dam wanted a
tag teamTag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
partner of his own. After losing to long-time rival Sabu once again at
Unluckily Lottery, the two united and formed what was to become one of the most successful tag teams in ECW history. They feuded with Furnas and Kroffat defeating them at
When Worlds Collide II and
High Incident.
Van Dam and Sabu next feuded with
The EliminatorsThe Eliminators were a professional wrestling tag team that consisted of Perry Saturn and John Kronus who were best known for their time in Extreme Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 1997.-History:...
,
John KronusGeorge B. Caiazzo was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, John Kronus and later "Kronus". Caiazzo worked for Extreme Championship Wrestling, the United States Wrestling Association and Xtreme Pro Wrestling...
and Perry Saturn. On November 1, the two teams fought to a draw. Van Dam then feuded with
TazPeter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz...
, to whom he lost at
Holiday Hell via knockout. Sabu and Van Dam continued to feud with The Eliminators for the ECW World Tag Team Championship into 1997. At
Crossing the Line Again and Cyberslam, the teams faced off for the ECW World Tag Team Championship in a pair of matches, both of which were won by The Eliminators. At CyberSlam, the two teams faced each other for the title in a
Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matchA Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, often abbreviated as a TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match originated within WWE, but can be seen under different variations in other wrestling promotions....
, in which The Eliminators again retained their title.
At ECW's first pay-per-view event
Barely LegalBarely Legal was the first professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Extreme Championship Wrestling . It took place on April 13, 1997 from the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Production:...
, Van Dam defeated
Lance StormLance Timothy Evers known professionally by his ring name Lance Storm, is a semi-retired Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his work in World Wrestling Entertainment, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Championship Wrestling...
as a last-minute replacement for the injured
Chris CandidoChristopher Raul Candito was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Chris Candido...
. Immediately following the match, Van Dam expressed his distaste for being chosen as a back-up for "some guy who couldn't even lace his boots". Van Dam delivered a speech directed towards Paul Heyman, and not being originally booked on the show was a point of contention between Van Dam and Heyman for a time.
In May 1997, ECW "invaded" the World Wrestling Federation's
Monday Night RawWWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
television show, drawing the ire of color commentator
Jerry LawlerJerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
. Lawler then promised he would show up at an ECW show in order to gain revenge, and when he did show up, he had ECW mainstays Van Dam (who turned heel) and Sabu with him. Van Dam cut promos about how he was too good for ECW and deserved to be in one of the "Big Two" (WWF or WCW) on one of their Monday Night programs (
Monday Night Raw or
Monday NitroWCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
), while Jerry Lawler dubbed Van Dam "Mr. Monday Night" on an episode of
Raw. Despite his arrogance and "betrayal" of ECW, over time Van Dam became applauded by fans recognizing his athleticism and unique maneuvers.
Van Dam continued to team up with Sabu upon his return to ECW on June 13. Tazz's manager Bill Alfonso betrayed Tazz and joined Sabu and Van Dam. Van Dam started a new rivalry with
Tommy DreamerThomas James "Tom" Laughlin is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is currently working for various promotions on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time spent with Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
, who wanted to gain revenge on Van Dam for his betrayal of ECW. On June 21, Van Damn and Sabu earned a victory over Dreamer and
The SandmanJames "Jim" Fullington better known by his ring name Sandman, is an American professional wrestler, best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling , where he developed into a "Hardcore Icon"...
. Van Dam and Sabu emerged victorious against Dreamer and Sandman again at
Orgy of Violence. At Heat Wave, Van Dam, Sabu, and WWF's Jerry "The King" Lawler fought Dreamer, Sandman, and Rick Rude to a no contest. Van Dam and Dreamer faced each other in a hardcore match at
Born to Be Wired, won by Van Dam after he performed a
leg dropA leg drop or legdrop refers to an attack used in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler will jump and land his leg across a fallen opponent's chest, throat, face or head or in some cases, the groin/lower-abdominal area...
on Dreamer with a trashcan. At
As Good as it Gets, the team of Van Dam and Alfonso lost to Dreamer and
Beulah McGillicuttyTrisa Hayes Laughlin is an American professional wrestling valet, better known by her ring name, Beulah McGillicutty. She is best known for her appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling in the late 1990s...
in a mixed tag team match. Van Dam and Sabu became partners while Dreamer teamed up with Tazz. At
Fright Fight, Van Dam lost to Dreamer in a flag match. At Ultimate Jeopardy, Van Dam and Sabu faced Dreamer and Tazz, a match won by Tazz and Dreamer after Dreamer pinned Van Dam. At November to Remember, Van Dam faced Dreamer in another flag match, which went to a no contest. At
Better Than Ever, Van Dam and Sabu faced Dreamer and Tazz in a rematch. This time, Van Dam pinned Dreamer to give the victory to his team and to settle their rivalry. Van Dam's final encounter with Dreamer came on December 26, when Dreamer teamed up with Tazz,
Al SnowAllen Ray Sarven is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name of Al Snow. He is best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and currently works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent.-Early career:Sarven...
, and Sandman to take on Van Dam, Sabu, Doug Furnas, and Phil Lafon. Van Dam's team lost the match.
In 1998, Van Dam turned face and started a feud with
Triple ThreatThe Triple Threat was a professional wrestling heel stable that existed in Extreme Championship Wrestling from 1995 to 1998. It was Shane Douglas's answer to Ric Flair's Four Horsemen...
(
Shane DouglasTroy Alan Martin is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name "The Franchise" Shane Douglas. In the course of his career, which has spanned nearly three decades, Douglas has wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling and briefly...
, Bam Bam Bigelow, and
Chris CandidoChristopher Raul Candito was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Chris Candido...
). At
House Party, Van Dam defeated Bam Bam Bigelow. At
Hostile City Showdown, Van Dam and Sabu defeated Axl Rotten and
Balls MahoneyJonathan Rechner better known by his ring name Balls Mahoney , is an American professional wrestler...
by disqualification. The two went on to win a fatal four way elimination tag team match later that night. At CyberSlam, Van Dam and Sabu fell to Shane Douglas and Bam Bam Bigelow.
Van Dam's popularity increased when he got his first taste of ECW gold, on April 4 when he defeated Bam Bam Bigelow to win the
ECW World Television ChampionshipThe ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling . It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1992 but was established under ECW in 1994...
. Van Dam retained the belt in his first title defense on April 10 against Doug Furnas. Sabu also expressed interest in Van Dam's championship, leading to a title match between the two at Wrestlepalooza. Van Dam retained the title as the match ended in a time limit draw.
At
A Matter of Respect, Van Dam and Sabu were forced to face each other in a tag team match as they both teamed up with ECW World Tag Team Champions. Van Dam teamed with the one half of the champions, Lance Storm, while Sabu teamed with the other half, Chris Candido. Van Dam and Sabu reconciled and instead took out Storm and Candido making it a no contest. Van Dam and Sabu started a feud with Storm and Candido in the next month for the tag team title. On June 27, Van Dam and Sabu beat Storm and Candido to win the ECW World Tag Team Championship, which made Van Dam a double champion. On October 24, Sabu and Van Dam lost the title to the
Dudley BoyzTeam 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
(Buh Buh Ray and
D-Von) after interference from Triple Threat. Van Dam sought revenge and at November to Remember, Van Dam and Sabu teamed with Taz to defeat Triple Threat. On December 13, Van Dam and Sabu won the ECW World Tag Team Championship for a second time by beating the Dudley Boyz in
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
at a
Frontier Martial-Arts WrestlingFrontier Martial-Arts Wrestling was a Japanese professional wrestling promotion founded on July 28, 1989 by Atsushi Onita that specialized in hardcore wrestling involving weapons such as barbed wire and fire. They held their first show on October 6, 1989...
(FMW) show.
World Television Champion (1998–2001)
Van Dam remained the Television champion for the rest of 1998, and he started 1999 by making successful title defenses against the likes of
Spike DudleyMatthew "Matt" Hyson is a retired American professional wrestler, best known for his performances in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Spike Dudley and in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Brother Runt.In ECW, he was a two-time...
, Lance Storm at Guilty as Charged, Balls Mahoney, and 2 Cold Scorpio at CyberSlam.
Van Dam and Sabu were scheduled to make a title defense on April 17, but Sabu was suspended by ECW before the match occurred. Instead, Van Dam faced D-Von Dudley in a singles match and as a result of losing the match, Van Dam also lost the Tag Team Title to the Dudleyz. After losing the Tag Team titles, Van Dam focused on defending the Television title. He entered into a rivalry with
Jerry LynnJeremy "Jerry" Lynn is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
against whom he defended the Television title at Hardcore Heaven in a "no time limit" match. Van Dam retained the title, and the match was deemed so good that
Paul HeymanPaul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....
aired it on
ECWECW on TNN was a weekly American professional wrestling television program that aired on The Nashville Network from August 27, 1999 to October 6, 2000...
's debut on TNN in place of a
shoot promoA shoot in professional wrestling is a term that refers to any unplanned, unscripted or real-life occurrence within a wrestling event. Contrary to popular belief, the name does not originate from "shooting in" for a takedown, as in amateur wrestling - rather it is a carny term shortened from...
about TNN that he was planning, but was not allowed to air. Van Dam continued to defend the ECW World Television Championship for the remainder of the year.
Van Dam began a feud with
RhinoTerrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
in the beginning of 2000. RVD successfully defended the ECW World Television Championship against Rhino on January 7. RVD got a big victory during a title defense against Sabu at Guilty as Charged. Van Dam was scheduled to perform in a "champion vs. champion" pay-per-view main event against
ECW World Heavyweight ChampionThe Extreme Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
Mike AwesomeMichael Lee Alfonso , better known by his ring name Mike Awesome, was an American professional wrestler best known in America for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling, and in World Wrestling Federation and also in Japan for his work with Frontier Martial-Arts...
. This match potentially could have been the most lucrative pay-per-view main event in company history, and Heyman was depending on this mega-match to bring an influx of badly needed cash, but the match never occurred because Van Dam suffered a broken ankle during a successful title defense against Rhino on January 29. The injury also forced Van Dam to vacate the ECW World Television Championship.
He returned to ECW at Hardcore Heaven and faced long-time rival Jerry Lynn. Van Dam was supported by his real-life friend
Scotty AntonScott Antol is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling under the ring names Scotty Riggs and Scotty Anton, respectively....
who eventually turned on him when Van Dam was going to perform a Five-Star Frog Splash on Lynn. Anton pushed him from the top rope, which helped Lynn win the match. Van Dam feuded with Anton and took his revenge at Heat Wave by defeating Anton after a Van Terminator. Van Dam then attempted to exact revenge on Rhino for forcing him into injury. He got many opportunities to win the ECW World Television Championship back from Rhino, but Rhino's allies usually attacked Van Dam, causing disqualifications and allowing Rhino to retain the title. At Anarchy Rulz, Van Dam faced Rhino for the ECW World Television Championship but was screwed when a heel referee made a fast count during a pinfall attempt made by Rhino.
Van Dam was not advertised and did not show for a large number of ECW events due to the large sum of money owed to him. He appeared at ECW's final pay-per-view event Guilty as Charged, where he defeated Jerry Lynn. This was Van Dam's last appearance in ECW, as ECW only held two more shows after the pay-per-view.
The Invasion (2001)
Several months after the closure of ECW, Van Dam was signed to a short term contract by the
World Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(WWF). Along with fellow ECW alumnus Tommy Dreamer, Van Dam returned to WWF television on the July 9, 2001 episode of
Raw in Atlanta,
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
as a heel, and attacking WWF wrestlers Kane and
Chris JerichoChristopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
. Later that night, five wrestlers from WWF and five wrestlers from WCW took on ten ECW wrestlers, including Van Dam. The match never took place as instead the WCW wrestlers aligned themselves with the ECW wrestlers.
Despite being a heel, Van Dam was popular with the WWF fans, who were aware of his reputation in ECW. After defeating
Jeff HardyJeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
for the
WWF Hardcore ChampionshipThe World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Championship is a hardcore wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and is contested under "hardcore" rules, meaning there is no disqualifications, no countouts, and pin falls could be counted anywhere...
at
InvasionInvasion was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on July 22, 2001 at the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio...
, Van Dam became one of the most over members of the Alliance and even challenged Alliance leader
Stone Cold Steve AustinSteve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
for the WWF Championship including a triple threat match at No Mercy. Van Dam lost the Hardcore title to Hardy on the August 13 edition of
Raw, but regained the title from Hardy at
SummerSlamSummerSlam was the fourteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on August 19, 2001 at the Compaq Center in San Jose, California...
. At
Survivor SeriesSurvivor Series was the fifteenth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
on November 18, Van Dam and four other Alliance members faced five WWF wrestlers in a
Winner Take All match. Team WWF won, and the members of the Alliance were fired; however, as he held the Hardcore Championship, Van Dam was able to retain his job.
Unifying championships (2001–2002)
Van Dam became a babyface but lost the Hardcore Championship to The Undertaker at
VengeanceVengeance was the first annual Vengeance professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on December 9, 2001 at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, California....
. He then entered into a rivalry with
William RegalDarren Kenneth Matthews , is an English professional wrestler, author and color commentator currently signed to WWE and competing on the SmackDown brand under the ring name William Regal. He is also known for his time in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Steven Regal...
over Regal's Intercontinental title. On the February 25 edition of
Raw, Van Dam defeated Lance Storm and
Big ShowPaul Donald Wight, Jr. , better known by his ring name, Big Show, is an American professional wrestler and actor, currently signed to WWE on its Raw brand....
in a triple threat match to become the #1 contender to the Intercontinental title. At
WrestleMania X8WrestleMania X8 was the eighteenth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on March 17, 2002 at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario. The event marked the final WrestleMania event under the WWF name...
, RVD faced Regal for the Intercontinental title and won the match after he hit Regal with a Five-Star Frog Splash.
When the WWF was divided into two "
brandsWWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
",
RawWWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
and SmackDown! in 2002, Van Dam was drafted to the Raw brand as the fourth pick. After he defended his title successfully against Booker T,
Eddie GuerreroEduardo Gory "Eddie" Guerrero was a Mexican-American professional wrestler born into the Guerrero wrestling family. He wrestled in Mexico and Japan for several major professional wrestling promotions...
returned to the WWF and attacked Van Dam. He started a feud with Eddie Guerrero over the Intercontinental title. At
BacklashBacklash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation promotion, which took place on April 21, 2002 at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri. The event starred talent from the Raw and SmackDown! brands. It was the fourth event under the Backlash...
, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental Title to Guerrero. At Insurrextion, Van Dam and Guerrero had a rematch for the Intercontinental Title. Guerrero was disqualified after hitting the referee with the Intercontinental title; as a result, Van Dam won the match but not the title because a title cannot change hands by disqualification. At Judgment Day, Van Dam failed to win the Intercontinental Title in another rematch. The following night he defeated The Undertaker for the
Undisputed ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
but authority figure
Ric FlairRichard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
restarted the match, which Van Dam then lost negating the title win. On the May 27 edition of
Raw, Van Dam defeated Eddie Guerrero in a
ladder matchA ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
for the Intercontinental Title.
After facing each other in the final round of the King of the Ring tournament, Van Dam and
Brock LesnarBrock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
began feuding with each other. Van Dam defended his Intercontinental Title against Lesnar twice and retained his title both times by disqualification. On July 21, 2002, Van Dam
unifiedChampionship unification is the act of combining two or more separate professional wrestling championships into a single title.-History:In professional wrestling, championships may be unified to consolidate the number of championships in a given promotion, or to add legitimacy and prestige to a...
the
WWE European ChampionshipThe WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. A coveted singles title of the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was held by superstars such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, and was...
into the WWE Intercontinental Championship after he defeated European Champion Jeff Hardy in a title unification ladder match. As a result, the European title was abandoned. On the July 29 edition of
Raw, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to
Chris BenoitChristopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
.
At
SummerSlamSummerSlam was the fifteenth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on August 25, 2002 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York....
, Van Dam won his third WWE Intercontinental Championship by defeating Benoit in a rematch for the title. As Benoit brought the title to
SmackDown when he switched brands shortly after winning it, RVD brought the Intercontinental Title back to
Raw. On the August 26 edition of
Raw, Van Dam also unified the WWE Hardcore Championship into the WWE Intercontinental Championship by defeating Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer in a hardcore title unification match. As a result, the WWE Hardcore Championship was abandoned. On the September 9 edition of
Raw, Van Dam became the number one contender to the
World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
by defeating Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, and Big Show in a fatal four-way elimination match.
Van Dam started feuding with the
World Heavyweight ChampionThe World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the SmackDown brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the WWE Championship of the Raw brand...
Triple HPaul Michael Levesque is an American professional wrestler, professional wrestling authority figure, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent and actor, better known by his ring name Triple H, an abbreviation of the ring name, Hunter Hearst Helmsley...
. On the September 16 edition of
Raw, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Chris Jericho after interference by Triple H. At
UnforgivenUnforgiven was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on September 22, 2002, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California...
, Van Dam faced Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. Due to
Ric FlairRichard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
's interference, Van Dam lost the match. At
No MercyNo Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on October 20, 2002, at the Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. It was the fifth annual WWE No Mercy event and featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown! brand.The event...
, Van Dam got his revenge on Flair by defeating him. At
Survivor SeriesSurvivor Series was the sixteenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on November 17, 2002 from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York and featured talent from both the Raw and SmackDown! brands...
, Van Dam participated in the first-ever
Elimination ChamberThe Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE promotion. It features a large chain-linked circular steel structure or "chamber" which encloses the ring. The chamber's floor is platformed over the ringside area which elevates it to ring level and within...
match for Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship, but it was won by
Shawn MichaelsMichael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
, during the match Rob Van Dam performed a Five-Star Frog Splash off of one of the pods/chambers onto Triple H accidentally landing with his knee onto HHH's throat.
Teaming and feuding with Kane (2002–2003)
Van Dam appeared on the World Heavyweight Championship scene and also formed a tag team with Kane in October 2002. Van Dam defeated Jericho and Booker T in a Triple Threat match to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. On the November 25 edition of
Raw, Van Dam faced Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship. Michaels was disqualified after Triple H hit RVD with a Pedigree. On the December 2 edition of
Raw, Van Dam lost to Triple H in a #1 contender's match with World Heavyweight Champion Shawn Michaels acting as the special guest referee.
In 2003, Rob Van Dam continued to team up with Kane. RVD participated in the
Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble was the sixteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The event took place on January 19, 2003 at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts...
, and was one of the final five participants before being tricked and eliminated by his tag team partner Kane. The two faced Lance Storm and William Regal at
No Way OutNo Way Out was the fourth annual No Way Out pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The event took place on February 23, 2003 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec and starred the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brands.The main event from the SmackDown! brand was a rematch...
for the World Tag Team Championship but failed to win the title when Kane mistakenly chokeslammed RVD. On the March 31 edition of
Raw, Van Dam and Kane defeated World Tag Team Champions Lance Storm and
Chief MorleySean Allen Morley is a Canadian professional wrestler better known by his ring name Val Venis, during his time with World Wrestling Federation, later known as World Wrestling Entertainment...
and The Dudley Boyz in a 3-way elimination tag team match to win the World Tag Team Championship. At
BacklashBacklash was the fifth annual Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Van Dam and Kane retained the titles against The Dudley Boyz with Morley as the special guest referee. At Insurrextion, Van Dam and Kane defended the World Tag Team title successfully against La Résistance, before losing the title to La Résistance at
Bad BloodBad Blood was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 15, 2003 at the Compaq Center in Houston, Texas. It was the second event produced under the Bad Blood name and starred wrestlers from the Raw brand...
.
After Kane was forced to take his mask off when he lost to Triple H, he turned heel, and the team with RVD dissolved. The two then started feuding with each other. On the August 18 edition of
Raw, Van Dam faced the Intercontinental Champion
ChristianWilliam Jason Reso is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Christian and Christian Cage...
for the title, but Kane interfered in the match and knocked Van Dam out after hitting him with a chair. Kane then took Van Dam to the backstage where he was restrained and was about to be set on fire. Kane changed his mind at the last minute, however, and said that he wasn't going to do what "they" want. Their rivalry led to a No Holds Barred match at
SummerSlamSummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on August 24, 2003 at the America West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona...
, which Kane won. On the September 8 edition of
Raw, the rivalry ended when Rob Van Dam defeated Kane, when Kane threw RVD through the Steel by mistake in a steel cage match.
Eric BischoffEric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur, and professional wrestling booker and on-screen personality currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
came out and restarted the match, saying RVD didn't escape through the door or climb out Bischoff ordered the referees to put Rob Van Dam's body back inside the cage Kane eventually hit a chokeslam from the side of the cage to pick up the victory.
In September 2003, Van Dam started feuding with both Christian and Chris Jericho over Christian's Intercontinental Title. On the September 15 edition of
Raw, Van Dam faced Jericho in a number one contender's match for the title. The match ended in a double disqualification when Intercontinental Champion Christian interfered and hit both men with the title belt. At
UnforgivenUnforgiven was the sixth annual Unforgiven professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on September 21, 2003 from the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania....
in a triple threat match between Jericho, Christian, and Van Dam, Christian retained his title. Van Dam, however, defeated Christian in a ladder match on the September 29 edition of
Raw to win the Intercontinental Championship for a fourth time.
Various feuds (2003–2004)
Van Dam entered into a rivalry with Chris Jericho in October 2003, and the two faced each other in several tag team matches. On the October 27 edition of
Raw, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Jericho. Van Dam reached the ropes when the challenger had him in the Walls of Jericho, but Eric Bischoff distracted the referee while Jericho dragged the champion back into the middle of the ring. Van Dam submitted and Jericho became the new champion. Austin came out and immediately ordered Jericho to face Van Dam in a rematch inside the Steel Cage for the title. Van Dam won the rematch and his fifth Intercontinental Championship.
At
Survivor SeriesSurvivor Series was the seventeenth annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment...
, Van Dam was pinned by
Randy OrtonRandal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
during his traditional elimination match. As a result, Orton and Van Dam started feuding with each other over Van Dam's Intercontinental title. Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Orton at
ArmageddonArmageddon was the fourth Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on December 14, 2003 at the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida and was a Raw brand-exclusive event...
after interference from Ric Flair. Van Dam went on to feud with both Orton and Evolution. On the January 12, 2004 edition of
Raw, Van Dam faced Orton in a rematch for the Intercontinental title but lost the match.
Van Dam formed a tag team with
Booker TRobert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
. The two teamed for the first time on the January 19 edition of
Raw when they defeated Christian and
Matt HardyMatthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
to qualify for a battle royal where the winner of the battle royal would get the #30 spot in the
2004 Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble was the seventeenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 25, 2004 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
match. On the February 16 edition of
Raw, Booker T and Van Dam defeated
EvolutionEvolution was a villainous professional wrestling stable on WWE's Raw brand between 2003 and 2005. At the height of its existence, the group consisted of Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista and briefly Eugene....
members Ric Flair and Batista to win the World Tag Team Championship. At
WrestleMania XXWrestleMania XX was the twentieth WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 14, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York....
, Booker and Van Dam defended the World Tag Team Championship in a fatal four-way elimination tag team match against the Dudley Boyz, La Résistance, and the team of
Mark JindrakMark Robert Jindrak is an American professional wrestler, best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
and
Garrison CadeLance Kurtis McNaught was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment where he performed under the ring names Garrison Cade and Lance Cade....
. On the March 22 edition of
Raw, Booker T and Van Dam lost the World Tag Team Championship back to Evolution.
On March 22, Van Dam was
draftedThe 2004 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft Lottery took place at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan on March 22, 2004. The draft took place live for two hours on WWE's flagship television program, Raw on Spike TV. Post-draft trades were announced on WWE's official website, WWE.com, until...
from
Raw to
SmackDown!. He made his
SmackDown! debut on March 25 defeating
Charlie HaasCharles "Charlie" Doyle Haas II is an American professional wrestler and former collegiate amateur wrestler. He competes on the independent circuit, and is signed to Ring of Honor , where he is one-half of the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions with Shelton Benjamin...
. Van Dam and Rey Mysterio began a feud with the Dudley Boyz, defeating them at
Judgment DayJudgment Day was the sixth Judgment Day pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . This event took place on May 16, 2004 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California....
. In June, Van Dam left the tag team division and began a pursuit for the
United States ChampionshipThe WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It was originally a National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling championship, and is currently the secondary championship of the Raw brand....
. At
The Great American BashThe Great American Bash was the 1st Great American Bash professional wrestling pay-per-view event, and the first produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on June 27, 2004 at the Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Virginia and was a SmackDown! brand-exclusive event...
,
John CenaJohn Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
defended the title against RVD, Booker T, and
René DupréeRené Goguen better known by his ring name René Duprée, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Goguen is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Sylvain Grenier as the tag team La Résistance and a one time WWE Tag Team...
in a fatal four-way match and retained his championship. On the July 1 edition of
SmackDown!, Van Dam and Duprée lost to Booker in a number one contender's triple threat match. Four weeks later, Van Dam participated in an 8-way elimination match for the vacant US Championship, and was the last man to be eliminated by eventual winner Booker.
Van Dam began teaming up with Mysterio again in the summer and feuded with René Duprée and
Kenzo SuzukiKenzo Suzuki is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with New Japan Pro Wrestling and in the United States with World Wrestling Entertainment...
. At
No MercyNo Mercy was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on October 3, 2004 at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It was the fifth annual No Mercy event, and featured eight professional wrestling matches...
, Van Dam and Mysterio failed to win the Tag Team Championship from Dupree and Suzuki. On the December 9 edition of
SmackDown!, Van Dam and Mysterio defeated Duprée and Suzuki to win the
WWE Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
, and retained the title in a rematch at
ArmageddonArmageddon was the fifth annual Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on December 12, 2004 at the Gwinnett Center in the Atlanta suburb of Duluth, Georgia. Nine professional wrestling matches were scheduled on the event's card...
. In January 2005, Van Dam suffered a knee injury. To explain his absence, the
Basham BrothersThe Basham Brothers, Doug and Danny , are a professional wrestling tag team, who formerly worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment .-History:...
(
DougThis article is about the wrestler, for the talk show host see Doug Basham Lyle Douglas "Doug" Basham, Jr. is an American professional wrestler, He is best known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment between 2002 and 2007, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name...
and Danny) defeated Mysterio and Van Dam for the Tag Team Championship, in a fatal four-way elimination tag team match on the January 13 edition of
SmackDown!, "injuring" Van Dam in the process. On January 27, Van Dam underwent reconstructive knee surgery under Dr. James Andrews to repair a torn
anterior cruciate ligamentThe anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
and
meniscusIn anatomy, a meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that, in contrast to articular disks, only partly divides a joint cavity. In humans it is present in the knee, acromioclavicular, sternoclavicular, and temporomandibular joints; in other organisms they may be present in other...
.
Reviving ECW (2005–2007)
While recuperating, Van Dam made an appearance at the ECW reunion pay-per-view
ECW One Night StandECW One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It was held on June 12, 2005 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York. The main event was a tag team match between The Dudley Boyz and the team of Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman...
. Accompanied by his former manager Bill Alfonso and sporting a knee brace, Van Dam delivered a worked shoot promo, standing up for ECW and criticizing the way he had been booked in WWE, until he was attacked by
RhynoTerrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. He was saved by Sabu, who defeated Rhyno in an impromptu match. Despite his injury, Van Dam got physically involved in the match, hitting Rhyno with a chairshot and giving him a Chair Surf. Van Dam, while still healing, was drafted back to the Raw brand in the
2005 Draft LotteryThe 2005 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft Lottery took place over a three week period in June. There were ten draft picks and an eleven-person trade conducted between the promotion's two brands: Raw and SmackDown!, where twenty-two superstars were drafted and traded overall...
. He was introduced to
Raw by
CarlitoCarlos Edwin "Carly" Colón, Jr. is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler better known internationally by his ring name Carlito. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Entertainment , but was released from his contract on May 21, 2010. In his native Puerto Rico, he is known as both...
, who insulted Van Dam before attacking him and assaulting his knee. Van Dam made his return to the ring over six months later at the
Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble was the nineteenth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 29, 2006 in the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida and featured talent from the Raw and SmackDown! brands...
. He gained revenge on Carlito by eliminating him, but was in turn inadvertently eliminated by Rey Mysterio. On the February 6 episode of
Raw, Van Dam defeated Carlito in the first round of the 2006 Road to WrestleMania Tournament, but lost in the final round to Triple H, in a triple threat match, which also featured Big Show. Later, Van Dam defeated Trevor Murdoch to qualify for the
Money in the Bank ladder matchThe Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
. Van Dam went on to win the match, thus earning himself a guaranteed shot at either the WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship at any time within the subsequent year. Following the ladder match,
Shelton BenjaminShelton James Benjamin is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment. Benjamin has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling in high school and at the University of Minnesota. In addition, Benjamin has acted...
challenged Van Dam to put his Money in the Bank opportunity on the line in a match. Van Dam countered by requesting a match for Benjamin's Intercontinental Championship. One week later, both Van Dam and Benjamin picked mystery opponents for one another, with the loser placing their respective prize on the line in a bout at
BacklashBacklash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 30, 2006 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky...
on April 30. Benjamin lost to the returning
Charlie HaasCharles "Charlie" Doyle Haas II is an American professional wrestler and former collegiate amateur wrestler. He competes on the independent circuit, and is signed to Ring of Honor , where he is one-half of the reigning ROH World Tag Team Champions with Shelton Benjamin...
, while Van Dam was defeated by all five members of the
Spirit SquadThe Spirit Squad was a professional wrestling stable in World Wrestling Entertainment and Ohio Valley Wrestling that consisted of Kenny, Johnny, Mitch, Nicky, and Mikey. The team's ring personas were those of an all-male cheerleading squad....
. As a result, both the Intercontinental Championship and the Money in the Bank title shot were contested at
BacklashBacklash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 30, 2006 at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky...
. Van Dam went on to win both prizes, before dropping the Intercontinental title back to Benjamin on the May 15 edition of
Raw.
On May 29, Van Dam was selected by Paul Heyman to be drafted from
Raw to WWE's new ECW brand. At
One Night StandECW One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It was held on June 11, 2006 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York....
, Van Dam cashed in his Money in the Bank Contract, and defeated John Cena to win the WWE Championship. After two referees were knocked out,
EdgeAdam Joseph Copeland is a retired Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Edge. He is currently signed to WWE under a Legends contract....
appeared from the crowd to attack Cena, spearing him through a table. Van Dam then hit a Five Star Frog Splash and the pinfall was counted by Paul Heyman, who suddenly ran down the aisle. On the following episode of
Raw,
Vince McMahonVincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
confirmed that the title change was official, due to the match being held under "extreme rules". For the past few weeks, Heyman had hinted that the WWE Championship would be "rechristened" the ECW World Heavyweight Championship when Van Dam won. On the debut of
ECW on Sci Fi, Van Dam was awarded the reinstated
ECW World Heavyweight ChampionshipThe Extreme Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
by Heyman. Van Dam, however, decided to defend the WWE Championship separately and simultaneously, joking that "this one spins". Thus, Van Dam became the first wrestler in history to hold both the WWE Championship and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, and the only one to hold them at the same time. Van Dam retained the WWE title when he faced Edge at
VengeanceVengeance was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 25, 2006 at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was the sixth annual Vengeance event. Eight professional wrestling matches were featured on the...
. On the July 3 episode of
Raw, Van Dam lost the WWE Championship to Edge in a triple threat match that also featured John Cena. The next night, on the July 4 episode of
ECW, he lost the ECW World Heavyweight Championship to The Big Show after Heyman turned on him. Later on WWE.com, Heyman suspended Van Dam for 30 days without giving a reason; (in reality, WWE suspended Van Dam for 30 days as a result of his recent drug possession arrest).
He returned to television on August 8, attacking both Sabu and
Kurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
during a match. His return to the ring came a week later, in a losing effort to Sabu in a
ladder matchA ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
for number one contendership to the ECW World Championship. Van Dam slowly worked his way back into the championship picture. In October, Van Dam defeated The Big Show in a non-title match to regain the number one contendership. Having the option to pick a date, Van Dam announced the title match would occur at December to Dismember. Heyman, however, had the option of picking the match type and announced that the main event would be a six-man Extreme Elimination Chamber match. At the event, Van Dam was the third participant eliminated. Later in December, Van Dam once again earned the number one contendership to the ECW World Championship, but this time by a fan poll. Van Dam got three matches against ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley, coming up short each time.
Rob Van Dam later joined the
ECW OriginalsThe ECW Originals was a professional wrestling stable that made sporadic appearances in various wrestling promotions, including World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
along with Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, and
The SandmanJames "Jim" Fullington better known by his ring name Sandman, is an American professional wrestler, best known for his career with Extreme Championship Wrestling , where he developed into a "Hardcore Icon"...
. The ECW Originals began a feud with the
New BreedThe New Breed was a professional wrestling stable that appeared on the ECW brand of World Wrestling Entertainment in 2007. It was initially composed of Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Matt Striker, Kevin Thorn, and Ariel...
(
Elijah BurkeElijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
,
Kevin ThornKevin Matthew Fertig is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for working with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring names Mordecai and Kevin Thorn....
,
Marcus Cor VonMonty Brown is an American professional wrestler and former National Football League linebacker, also known as Marcus Cor Von. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment, where he wrestled on its ECW brand under the ring name Marcus Cor Von...
, and
Matt StrikerMatthew Kaye is an American actor, wrestling commentator and semi-retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Matt Striker. He is signed to WWE, where he serves as the host of WWE NXT....
). The two teams faced off at
WrestleMania 23WrestleMania 23 was the twenty-third annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on April 1, 2007 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan...
in a match which the ECW Originals won. After Vince McMahon won the ECW World Championship at
BacklashBacklash was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on April 29, 2007 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Following WrestleMania, all pay-per-views became tri-branded...
, RVD and the other ECW Originals made statements on WWE.com about McMahon killing ECW. The ECW Originals all competed in a four way dance to decide who would take on McMahon the next week on ECW in a title match, which Van Dam won after a five-star frog splash on Sandman. Van Dam, however, had to face McMahon,
Shane McMahonShane Brandon McMahon is an American executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of YOU On Demand. A former executive and professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment , he is the son of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and former US Senate candidate Linda...
, and
UmagaEdward Smith "Eki" Fatu was a Samoan-American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Umaga...
in a 3 on 1 handicap match, which Van Dam was unable to win.
Van Dam received a concussion during a match with
Randy OrtonRandal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
. Orton further attacked Van Dam after the match due to the comments Van Dam made on WWE.com about the lack of respect Orton displayed towards
Shawn MichaelsMichael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
, who also suffered a concussion at the hands of Orton. Van Dam once again faced Orton at
One Night StandOne Night Stand was the third annual One Night Stand professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on June 3, 2007 at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brands...
, this time in a Stretcher match. Although it looked as if Orton was going to win again, Van Dam gave him a
roundhouse kickA roundhouse kick is a kick in which the attacker swings his leg around in a semicircular motion, striking with the front of the leg or foot. This type of kick is utilized in many different martial arts and is popular in both non-contact and full-contact martial arts competitions...
to the head and was able to push the stretcher across the line for the win. Despite winning the match, Orton continued to attack Van Dam, ending with an elevated DDT off the barricade and onto the concrete floor. After the match, Van Dam left WWE due to a family issue, as his wife had recently been diagnosed with cancer.
Independent circuit (2007–2010)
The day after Van Dam's WWE contract expired, he was in the United Kingdom on a promotional tour and to record scenes for the wrestling documentary,
Bloodstained MemoirsBloodstained Memoirs is a professional wrestling documentary released online via an official stream in 2009. It is compiled by interviews featuring wrestlers synonymous with different eras in wrestling and different wrestling regions . Production was filmed in the UK, USA, France, Japan, and Italy...
. He also took part in interviews for the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
On December 10, 2007, Van Dam made a special appearance on the
Raw 15th Anniversary, squashing Santino Marella with a Five–Star Frog Splash. He made a similarly unannounced return at the
2009 Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble was the twenty-second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on January 25, 2009 at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan and featured talent from the Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands...
before being eliminated by Chris Jericho.
In an interview with the
Baltimore Sun, Van Dam stated that while WWE would be the first choice and that he would definitely talk to them, he would definitely consider
Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA) if he returned full time to pro wrestling. He also spoke his thoughts regarding his choice between both companies.
Van Dam wrestled for the first time on the
independent circuitIn professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indy circuit refers to the many independent promotions which are much smaller than major televised promotions. They are roughly analagous to a minor league for pro wrestling, or community or regional theatre.Specific promotions on the...
since his departure from WWE by competing for Associação Portuguesa de Wrestling (APW) in February 2008. He then also appeared for
Nu-Wrestling EvolutionNu-Wrestling Evolution is an Italian professional wrestling promotion, owned by MAGNUMGROUP srl. The promotion's slogan is "Nu-Wrestling Evolution/NWE the place to be!"-History:...
(NWE) throughout countries such as Spain. During his stint in NWE, Van Dam also trained with
The Ultimate WarriorAlso see Warrior .Warrior is an American retired professional wrestler who notably performed under the ring names The Ultimate Warrior and Warrior...
for his wrestling return. On August 14, 2008 he won a triple threat match at the
Inoki Genome FederationInoki Genome Federation is a professional wrestling promotion in Japan founded by Antonio Inoki in 2007.The IGF is now also the official National Wrestling Alliance territory of Japan, since Antonio Inoki is the person who holds those rights and transferred them to IGF from New Japan Pro...
in Japan after defeating
Kendo KashinTokimitsu Ishizawa , better known by his ring name Kendo Kashin , is a Japanese professional wrestler...
and
Necro ButcherDylan Keith Summers is an American professional wrestler best known by his ring name Necro Butcher. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Beyond Wrestling, Firestormpro, Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA-Mid South, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Big Japan Pro Wrestling,...
.
On March 9, 2009, it was announced that RVD would be competing in American Wrestling Rampage (AWR) on their European Tour, during which he won the promotion's No Limits Wrestling (NLW) World Heavyweight Championship in a three way bout versus Sabu and former champion Shawn Maxer. He lost the title to
René DupréeRené Goguen better known by his ring name René Duprée, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Goguen is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion with Sylvain Grenier as the tag team La Résistance and a one time WWE Tag Team...
after three successful defences. In November he regained the title, renamed the AWR World Heavyweight Championship at this point, from Duprée on November 29 winning two decisions in a Two Out Of Three Falls match.
On September 11, 2009 in the World Stars of Wrestling (WSW) European Championship events in
PortimãoPortimão is a Portuguese town located in the District of Faro in the Region of Algarve, the southern coast of Portugal. It was formerly known as Vila Nova de Portimão . In 1924, it was incorporated as a cidade and became known merely as Portimão. The town has 41,000 inhabitants and the Portimão...
,
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, RVD won the WSW World Championship, by defeating
Joe E. LegendJoseph Edward "Joe" Hitchen is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Joe E. Legend.-Canadian independent circuit:...
. On the following night he defended his newly won title against
Lance CadeLance Kurtis McNaught was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment where he performed under the ring names Garrison Cade and Lance Cade....
.
On January 30, 2010, RVD made his debut for
Pro Wrestling GuerrillaPro Wrestling Guerrilla is a professional wrestling promotion that is run by wrestlers themselves as it was created by Southern California wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Joey Ryan, Scott Lost, Super Dragon, and Top Gun Talwar...
as part of WrestleReunion 4, defeating
Chris HeroChris Spradlin is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Chris Hero. He is a mainstay of many independent wrestling promotions, including Ring of Honor, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as well as Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
and
Roderick StrongChris Lindsey is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Roderick Strong. Strong currently competes in several independent promotions, most notably Ring of Honor , Full Impact Pro , and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla .He initially debuted as The Jester on the Floridian...
in a "Sky High" three-way match.
On January 4, 2011, Van Dam made his debut for
New Japan Pro Wrestlingis a major professional wrestling promotion in Japan, founded by Antonio Inoki in June 1972 and owned by Yuke's since 2005, when Inoki sold the promotion. Naoki Sugabayashi is the current President of the promotion and has held that position from 2007. Owing to its TV program aired on TV Asahi, it...
(NJPW) at
Wrestle Kingdom V in Tokyo Dome, with other TNA wrestlers, where he defeated
Toru Yano, is a Japanese professional wrestler, trained by and currently signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling , where he is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
in a hardcore match. On June 18, 2011, Van Dam represented TNA at Mexican promotion
Asistencia Asesoría y AdministraciónAsistencia Asesoría y Administración is a lucha libre professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico...
's (AAA)
TripleManía XIXTripleManía XIX was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Asistencia Asesoría y Administración promotion, which took place on June 18, 2011 at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City, Mexico. The event was the nineteenth annual Triplemanía, which is AAA's biggest show of...
pay-per-view. In the main event of the show, Van Dam was defeated by
Dr. Wagner, Jr.Juan Manuel González Barrón is a Mexican Luchador Enmascarado who is best known under the ring name Dr. Wagner, Jr.. As Dr. Wagner, Jr...
in a match to determine the first ever
AAA Latin American ChampionThe AAA Latin American Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Asistencia Asesoría y Administración promotion in Mexico...
.
World Heavyweight Champion (2010)
On March 8, 2010, Van Dam made his debut for
Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA) at the promotion's Monday night edition of
Impact!Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
, defeating Sting. Then just seconds after his debut victory Sting attacked him with his signature baseball bat. RVD got his revenge on Sting the following week by attacking him during his entrance. On the March 22 edition of
Impact! RVD teamed with
Jeff HardyJeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is a former two–time TNA World Heavyweight Champion...
in a tag team match, where they defeated
Beer Money, Inc.Beer Money, Inc. was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Robert "Bobby" Roode and James Storm in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where they are former four-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, while also holding the record for the longest reign as...
(Robert Roode and
James StormJames Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J...
). The following week the two of them teamed with
Eric YoungJeremy Fritz is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known under his ring name Eric Young. He currently performs for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he has gained popularity using a variety of comic relief gimmicks....
and defeated
The BandThe New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
of
Kevin NashKevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
,
Scott HallScott Hall is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation in the early and mid 1990s under the ring name Razor Ramon, as well as for his period in the mid 1990s and early 2000s with World Championship Wrestling under his real name...
and
Syxx-PacSean Michael Waltman is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE in their developmental program. He wrestled there under the ring names 1–2–3 Kid and X-Pac off and on from 1993–2002, World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Syxx, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...
in a six man tag team steel cage match. On the April 5 edition of
Impact! both Van Dam and Hardy were introduced as members of Team Hogan for the annual Lethal Lockdown match, where they would face Team Flair. At
LockdownLockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on April 18, 2010 at the Family Arena in Saint Charles, Missouri. It was the sixth event under the Lockdown chronology and the fourth event of the 2010 TNA PPV...
Team Hogan (Van Dam, Abyss,
Jeff JarrettJeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
and Jeff Hardy) defeated Team Flair (Sting,
Desmond WolfeSteven Haworth is an English professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Desmond Wolfe and Nigel McGuinness. As McGuinness he first gained notoriety working for Ring of Honor in the United States and Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan...
, Robert Roode and James Storm).
The night after Lockdown on the April 19 edition of
Impact! he first defeated Jeff Hardy in a number one contender's match and then, in the main event of the evening,
A.J. StylesAllen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
to become the new
TNA World Heavyweight ChampionThe TNA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is currently the highest ranked championship in TNA and is primarily defended in TNA's heavyweight division...
. After succeeding in his first televised title defense against Desmond Wolfe, Styles attacked Van Dam, announcing the invocation of the rematch clause for
SacrificeSacrifice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on May 16, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
. At Sacrifice Van Dam defeated Styles in a rematch. The following month at
Slammiversary VIIISlammiversary VIII was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on June 13, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. Despite the Roman numeral eight used in promotional material, it was the sixth event under the Slammiversary...
Van Dam retained his title against Sting in a rematch of his TNA debut. At
Victory RoadVictory Road was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on July 11, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
Van Dam defeated Abyss, Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson in a four–way match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. On the following edition of
Impact! Van Dam aligned himself with fellow ECW alumni Tommy Dreamer, Raven,
Stevie RichardsMichael Manna is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Stevie Richards. Also known by his ring names, Steven Richards and Dr...
,
RhinoTerrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
,
Brother Devon,
Pat KenneyPatrick Joseph Michael "Pat" Kenney , known also by his ring name, Simon Diamond, is a retired American professional wrestler, currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent...
,
Al SnowAllen Ray Sarven is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name of Al Snow. He is best known for his work in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment and currently works for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a road agent.-Early career:Sarven...
and
Mick FoleyMichael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
, who saved him from a beating at the hands of Abyss. The following week, TNA president Dixie Carter agreed to give the ECW alumni their own reunion pay–per–view event,
Hardcore JusticeHardcore Justice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on August 8, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
. At the event on August 8 Van Dam defeated former tag team partner and rival Sabu in a non-title Hardcore Rules match, after his originally planned match with Jerry Lynn was scrapped due to Lynn suffering a back injury. After successfully defending the championship against Abyss in a Stairway to Janice match on the following special edition of
Impact!, named
The Whole F'N' Show, Van Dam and the other former ECW wrestlers were assaulted by Abyss and Fourtune. In the attack Van Dam suffered multiple serious
storylineIn professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
injuries at the hands of Abyss including the need for stitches, spinal trauma and possible acute brain damage, which would force him to vacate the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on August 10 at the taping of the August 19 edition of
Impact!. In reality, Van Dam was running out of dates per year on his contract and was therefore taken off television.
Feud with Immortal; Championship pursuits (2010–2011)
Van Dam returned via telephone interview on the September 16 edition of
Impact! and announced that he would return to the Impact! Zone the following week, against his doctor's orders. Van Dam returned the following week, confronting Abyss and demanding a match against him at
Bound for GloryBound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , that took place on October 10, 2010 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was the sixth annual event under the Bound for Glory chronology. Bound For Glory is considered to be...
, which Eric Bischoff agreed to give him. At
Bound for GloryBound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , that took place on October 10, 2010 at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was the sixth annual event under the Bound for Glory chronology. Bound For Glory is considered to be...
Van Dam defeated Abyss in a
Monster's Ball matchA Monster's Ball match is a professional wrestling, hardcore match staged by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. The name is derived from the 2001 film Monster's Ball....
. At the end of the event it was revealed that
Hulk HoganTerrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Eric Bischoff had sent Abyss after Van Dam in order to get the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on their own representative, Jeff Hardy. Van Dam confronted the group, later named
ImmortalImmortal is a villainous professional wrestling alliance in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . It currently consists of Eric Bischoff, Bully Ray, Gunner, TNA founder and AAA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett, his wife and valet Karen Jarrett, Kurt Angle, Ric Flair and Scott Steiner...
, after Hardy had won the World Heavyweight Championship, only to get hit with the title belt. On the October 21 edition of
Impact! Bischoff claimed that someone from EV 2.0 had been calling him, trying to get to be a part of Immortal, which led to Van Dam getting paranoid about his stablemates, first accusing Raven of being the traitor. Later, he and Sabu were defeated in a tag team match by Beer Money, Inc., after Sabu accidentally hit him with a chair. After the match Van Dam and Sabu began shoving each other and had to be separated from each other by the rest of EV 2.0. After two more weeks of dissension between Van Dam and the rest of EV 2.0, Tommy Dreamer challenged him to a match at
Turning PointTurning Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , that took place on November 7, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
. At the pay–per–view Van Dam defeated Dreamer and afterwards made peace with him. On the following edition of
Impact! Rhino turned heel by attacking Van Dam and Dreamer, revealing himself as the traitor Van Dam had been looking for. At
Final ResolutionFinal Resolution was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling professional wrestling promotion, that took place on December 5, 2010 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
Van Dam defeated Rhino in a First Blood match. At
GenesisGenesis was a professional wrestling pay-per-view eventproduced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , that took place on January 9, 2011 at TNA Impact! Zone in Universal Studios Florida...
Van Dam was defeated by Immortal's surprise opponent, the debuting Matt Hardy, when referee Jackson James missed Van Dam's foot under the ropes, thus failing to earn a shot at his brother Jeff's World Heavyweight Championship. During the main event Van Dam prevented Matt from interfering in Jeff's match with Mr. Anderson, which led to Jeff losing the title. The following month at
Against All OddsAgainst All Odds was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on February 13, 2011 at TNA Impact! Zone in Universal Studios Florida...
Van Dam defeated Matt Hardy in a rematch. On the following edition of
Impact!, Van Dam finally received his shot at Jeff Hardy and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, but was unable to regain the title. On March 13 at
Victory RoadVictory Road was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on March 13, 2011 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
, Van Dam wrestled Mr. Anderson to a double countout in a World Heavyweight Championship number one contender's match. On April 17 at
LockdownLockdown was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, that took place on April 17, 2011 at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the seventh event under the Lockdown chronology and the fourth event of the 2011 TNA PPV schedule...
, Van Dam failed in his attempt to regain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship from Sting in a three–way steel cage match, which also included Anderson. The following month at
SacrificeSacrifice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on May 15, 2011 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida...
, Van Dam again failed to regain the title, this time in a singles match with Sting.
Teaming and feuding with Jerry Lynn (2011)
On July 10 at
Destination XDestination X was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on July 10, 2011 at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida...
, Van Dam defeated longtime rival Jerry Lynn in a singles match. On August 7 at
Hardcore JusticeHardcore Justice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion, which took place on August 7, 2011 at the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida...
, Van Dam, at the time ranked number two in the Bound for Glory Series, faced
CrimsonTommy Mercer is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Crimson. He is currently one half of the TNA World Tag Team Champions with Matt Morgan...
, ranked number one, in a tournament match. Van Dam lost the match via disqualification, when Jerry Lynn entered the ring, costing him not only the match, but also several places in the tournament's standings. On the August 18 edition of
Impact Wrestling, Lynn cost Van Dam another Bound for Glory Series match against A.J. Styles in similar fashion. On the September 1 edition of
Impact Wrestling, Lynn turned on Van Dam, costing him his match with Gunner and, in the process, eliminating him from the finals of the Bound for Glory Series. The following week Lynn explained his turn by claiming that he was tired of being in Van Dam's shadow. On October 16 at
Bound for GloryBound for Glory was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , that took place on October 16, 2011 at the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia. It was the seventh annual event under the Bound for Glory chronology. Bound...
, Van Dam defeated Lynn in a Full Metal Mayhem match.
Other media
Van Dam has appeared on numerous television shows and in films. In 1995, he was in
Superfights as "The Mercenary", and in 1997 he appeared in
Bloodmoon as "Dutch Scholtz". On October 23, 1999, he appeared in
City Guys, in the episode "El-Trainmania IV" as himself. In 2000 he appeared in
18 Wheels of Justice, on August 2 as "Robert Laramie", and in
The X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
on May 7 as "Burt's opponent" in the episode "Fight Club". He also appeared on
V.I.P.V.I.P. is an American action/comedy-drama series starring Pamela Anderson. Created by J. F...
in the episode "Survi-Val" as "Major Ving Talbot" that year. On July 26, 2001, he appeared as himself on
Spy TV, and again later that year he appeared as himself in
Ultimate Revenge on December 2. In 2002, he was featured in the music video for Breaking Point's "One of a Kind" while also starred in two films,
Black Mask 2: City of MasksBlack Mask 2: City of Masks is a 2002 Hong Kong action film directed by Tsui Hark. Andy On took over the role of Black Mask when original actor Jet Li opted not to return. The film also starred Tobin Bell, Jon Polito, Tyler Mane, Rob Van Dam, Traci Lords, and Scott Adkins-Overview:Black Mask 2 is...
as "Claw", and made a cameo appearance in
The BackyardThe Backyard is a backyard wrestling documentary directed, produced and edited by Paul Hough and features former WWE and current TNA professional wrestler Rob Van Dam...
as himself. In 2005, the
Rob Van Dam: One Of A Kind DVD was released. He also appeared on
Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship WrestlingHulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling was an American reality television program broadcast on CMT that aired for eight episodes in 2008. The first episode aired on October 18, 2008. In Australia, the show premiered in July 2009 on the FOX8 channel. FOX8 is a subscription TV channel...
in 2008 teaching finishing moves to the celebrities.
He recently finished working alongside former WWE superstar Dave Batista in a movie titled
Wrong Side of TownWrong Side of Town is a 2010 American action crime comedy film written, produced and directed by David DeFalco, starring former ECW, WWE and current TNA superstar Rob Van Dam, former WWE superstar and current mixed martial arts Dave Batista, martial artist Marrese Crump, rapper Ja Rule, and former...
.
In November 2010 he was a contestant on an all TNA week of
Family FeudFamily Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, teaming with
Jay LethalJamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion...
, Matt Morgan, Mick Foley and Mr. Anderson against Angelina Love,
Christy HemmeChristina Lee "Christy" Hemme is an American actress, singer, model, professional wrestling valet and former professional wrestler. Hemme is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, as a backstage interviewer and ring announcer.-Early life:Hemme was born in Poway, California, but she...
,
Lacey Von ErichLacey Dawn Adkisson is an American professional wrestler better known by her ring name Lacey Von Erich. She is the daughter of Kerry Von Erich and the granddaughter of Fritz Von Erich...
,
TaraLisa Marie Varon , is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and fitness competitor of Puerto Rican and Turkish descent...
and
Velvet SkyJamie Szantyr is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a former TNA Women's Knockout Champion and TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with her former Beautiful People partners Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich...
.
Filmography
- 2010: Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
- as Himself (5 episodes)
- 2010: Wrong Side of Town
Wrong Side of Town is a 2010 American action crime comedy film written, produced and directed by David DeFalco, starring former ECW, WWE and current TNA superstar Rob Van Dam, former WWE superstar and current mixed martial arts Dave Batista, martial artist Marrese Crump, rapper Ja Rule, and former...
- as Bobby Kalinowsky
- 2009: Bloodstained Memoirs
Bloodstained Memoirs is a professional wrestling documentary released online via an official stream in 2009. It is compiled by interviews featuring wrestlers synonymous with different eras in wrestling and different wrestling regions . Production was filmed in the UK, USA, France, Japan, and Italy...
- as Himself
- 2009: Sketch Of Life - as Himself
- 2008: Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling
Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling was an American reality television program broadcast on CMT that aired for eight episodes in 2008. The first episode aired on October 18, 2008. In Australia, the show premiered in July 2009 on the FOX8 channel. FOX8 is a subscription TV channel...
- as Himself (1 episode, Train with the Pros)
- 2005: One Of A Kind - as Himself
- 2002: The Backyard - as Himself (cameo)
- 2002: Black Mask 2: City Of Masks - as The Claw
- 2001: Ultimate Revenge
Ultimate Revenge was a reality TV program about fulfilling the fantasy of anyone who wants to seek revenge on their nearest and dearest. Elaborate practical jokes were played on family and friends instigated by their own relatives and friends. It was hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Several episodes...
- as Himself (2 episodes)
- 2001: Spy TV
Spy TV is an American hidden camera reality television series hosted by Michael Ian Black and Ali Landry. The show was broadcast on NBC in which pranks were pulled on people by their friends. The show was cancelled after two seasons....
- as Various (1 episode)
- 2000: V.I.P
V.I.P. is an American action/comedy-drama series starring Pamela Anderson. Created by J. F...
- as Mjr Talbot (1 episode, Survival)
- 2000: The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
- as Burts opponent (1 episode, Fight Club)
- 2000: 18 Wheels Of Justice - as Robert Laramie (1 episode, Outside Chance)
- 1999: City Guys
City Guys is a United States television sitcom that aired from 1997 to December 2001. It lasted five seasons, and ended its airing time around the dissolution of TNBC.-Premise:...
- as Himself (1 episode, El Trainmania IV)
- 1997: Blood Moon - as Dutch
- 1995: Superfights - as a Mercenary
RVD–TV
Van Dam officially announced on his website's blog that he is in the process of creating an online show entitled
RVD-TV. On this show, he will give his fans a glimpse at what his life is like outside of the wrestling business. A preview for this upcoming series can now be found on the homepage of his website. Some of Van Dam's friends will appear on the show, such as
Samoa JoeNuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
, Chris Mordetzky and Sabu. The show will be filmed at his home in California where he has been spending most of his time since temporarily retiring. Van Dam is expected to announce some of his other future projects through the show, such as his upcoming DVD.
RVD Radio
Van Dam started up RVD Radio on October 8, 2008 with the help of Brett Cohen, a producer for
BlogTalkRadioBlogTalkRadio is a web-based platform that allows callers to host a live call-in Internet broadcast using a computer and a phone.BlogTalkRadio is entirely web-based and requires no client download.-Service:...
. The first episode was an hour long but now it's a two hour weekly radio show at www.blogtalkradio.com/rvdradio. Guests include Sonya Van Dam, Sabu, Dr.
Shawn StasiakDr. Shawn Emile Stipich, DC, is an American chiropractor and former professional wrestler. He is best known under the ring name Shawn Stasiak and for his stints with World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment, where he is a fifteen time Hardcore Champion, and World Championship Wrestling, where he...
,
Bret HartBret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
, Chris Masters, BTR Producer Nikki Starr,
Bill AlfonsoWilliam Matthew "Bill" Alfonso is a former professional wrestling referee and manager. He achieved his greatest success in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the mid to late 1990s...
, Officer X, Kid Kash, Bruce Jingles,
Justin McCullyJustin McCully is an American mixed martial artist who most recently fought in the UFC heavyweight division.He has a professional fight record of ten wins, five losses, and two draws...
,
Paul LondonPaul Michael London is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment ....
and
Hulk HoganTerrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
.
Video games
Van Dam has been featured in the following video games:
- 1999: ECW Hardcore Revolution
ECW Hardcore Revolution is a professional wrestling video game released by Acclaim Entertainment, based on the professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling . The game was released for the Nintendo 64, Sony PlayStation, Sega Dreamcast and Game Boy Color...
- 2000: ECW Anarchy Rulz
ECW Anarchy Rulz is a professional wrestling video game released by Acclaim Entertainment in 2000 based on Extreme Championship Wrestling . It was released for the PlayStation and Dreamcast...
- 2001: Legends of Wrestling
Legends of Wrestling is a professional wrestling video game based on the greatest wrestlers of all time, from WWF/WWE, NWA, WCW, ECW and various independent promotions. It was developed and produced by Acclaim. It was released in for the PlayStation 2, then in for the Nintendo GameCube and Xbox...
- 2002: WWE WrestleMania X8
WWF WrestleMania X8, is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and released on the Nintendo GameCube by THQ in June 2002. The game was succeeded by WWE WrestleMania XIX for the GameCube...
- 2002: WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth
WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth is a professional wrestling video game released on the PlayStation 2 console by THQ and developed by Yuke's. It is part of the WWE SmackDown! WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth (Known as Exciting Pro Wrestling 4 in Japan) is a professional wrestling video game released...
- 2003: WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain
WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain is a video game released on the PlayStation 2 console by THQ on October 27, 2003. It is a sequel to WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth and is part of the WWE SmackDown! WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain (Known as Exciting Pro Wrestling 5 in Japan) is a video game...
- 2003: WWE Crush Hour
WWE Crush Hour is a video game released on the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube consoles by THQ. It was one of a few WWE games that were of a different genre than the regular professional wrestling games usually produced...
- 2003: WWE RAW 2
WWE Raw 2 is a video game released for the Xbox console by THQ in 2003, and developed by Tokyo-based company Anchor Inc. It is the sequel to the WWE Raw game that was released in 2002.-Gameplay:...
- 2003: WWE WrestleMania XIX
WWE WrestleMania XIX is a video game released for the Nintendo GameCube by THQ in late 2003. It's the second of four annual WWE licensed video games for the console....
- 2004: WWE Day of Reckoning
WWE Day of Reckoning is a professional wrestling video game released for the Nintendo GameCube console in 2004. The game is based on World Wrestling Entertainment and many of the wrestlers who were on the WWE roster at the time of release were included as player characters...
- 2004: WWE WrestleMania 21
WWE WrestleMania 21 is a professional wrestling video game released on the Xbox console by THQ. It is based on WWE's pay-per-view event of the same name. It is also the successor to WrestleMania XIX...
- 2004: WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw , is a professional wrestling video game released on the PlayStation 2 console by THQ and developed by Yuke's. It is part of the WWE SmackDown vs...
- 2005: WWE Day of Reckoning 2
WWE Day of Reckoning 2 is a video game released on the Nintendo GameCube console by THQ. The sequel to WWE Day of Reckoning, it became a "Player's Choice" game on July 5, 2006...
- 2005: WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 , is a professional wrestling video game released on the PlayStation 2 console and the PlayStation Portable handheld console by THQ and developed by Yuke's. It is part of the WWE SmackDown vs...
- 2006: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 is a professional wrestling video game released by THQ and developed by YUKE's Future Media Creators. The game is based on the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment . It is the eighth installment in the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw series and is the...
- 2010: WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011
WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for the PlayStation 2 , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation Portable , Wii and Xbox 360 systems. It is the seventh game in the WWE SmackDown vs. Raw series and the final game under the SmackDown vs...
- 2011: Saints Row: The Third
Personal life
Szatkowski is married to Sonya. During his wrestling career, Sonya often traveled on the road with Szatkowski and appeared at ringside during events in which Szatkowski took part. On April 23, 2008, Szatkowski revealed that his wife was suffering from cancer. She made a full recovery.
Training
Szatkowski is a trained
kickboxerKickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
and
martial artistMartial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
. In 1990, he placed second in the Kalamazoo Heavyweight Toughman Contest. Szatkowski is also an outspoken advocate of
vitaminA vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...
s and
bodybuilding supplementBodybuilding supplements are dietary supplements commonly used by those involved in bodybuilding and athletics. Bodybuilding supplements may be used to replace meals, enhance weight gain, promote weight loss or improve athletic performance...
s and attributes this to his mother's influence. He is the inventor of the
Van Dam Lift, a
weightliftingPowerlifting is a strength sport. It resembles the sport of Olympic weightlifting, as both disciplines involve lifting weights in three attempts. Powerlifting evolved from a sport known as 'odd lifts' which followed the same three attempt format but used a wide variety of events akin to Strongman...
technique that involves performing a split (which he took up in his early teens) between two benches and lifting a
dumbbellThe dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs .-History:...
from the floor to the waist. The lift was approved by the International All-Around Weightlifting Association in 1998, and Szatkowski holds the current record, 166.5 lb (76 kg). Growing up in
Battle Creek, MichiganBattle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, Szatkowski studied martial arts at two local dojos. He received instruction in
Karateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, Tae Kwon Do,
Aikidois a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
,
Kendo, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
, and
KickboxingKickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
.
2006 arrest
On July 3, 2006,
The Ironton Tribune reported that Szatkowski and Terry Brunk (Sabu) had been arrested on the previous evening on
U.S. Route 52U.S. Route 52 is a United States highway that runs across the northern, eastern and southeastern regions of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S...
in
Hanging Rock, OhioHanging Rock is a village in Lawrence County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 279 at the 2000 census. It is regularly labeled a speed trap as the state auditor reported $109,186 in mayor's court receipts in 2000 compared with $3,106 in property taxes.Hanging Rock is a...
. Szatkowski had been stopped for speeding by an
Ohio State Highway PatrolThe Ohio State Highway Patrol is a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety and is the official highway patrol agency of Ohio. The several missions of the Patrol include providing roadway patrol, emergency response to all public lands, the investigation of crimes which occur on state...
trooper, who discovered that he was in possession of 18 grams of
marijuanaCannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and five
VicodinHydrocodone/paracetamol is a combination of two analgesic products hydrocodone and paracetamol used to relieve moderate to severe pain...
pills, while Brunk was in possession of
drug paraphernaliaDrug paraphernalia is a term used, often with a slightly negative connotation due to its use in criminal law field e.g. "possession of drug paraphernalia", to denote any equipment, product, or material that is modified for making, using, or concealing drugs, typically for recreational purposes...
and nine tablets of
TestolactoneTestolactone, or Teslac is an antineoplastic agent that is a derivative of progesterone and is used to treat advanced stage breast cancer.It is nonselective.-Pharmacology:...
. Both Szatkowski and Brunk were released after posting
bailTraditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
, and were scheduled to appear in
IrontonIronton is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Lawrence County. The municipality is located in southern Ohio along the Ohio River. The population was 11,211 at the 2000 census. Ironton is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the...
Municipal Court on July 6, 2006. On July 6, 2006,
The Ironton Tribune reported that the court date for Szatkowski and Brunk was in limbo, as their attorneys had asked for and were granted continuances.
According to the WWE's wellness policy, a drug-related arrest can lead to that talent's immediate dismissal from the company. WWE Vice President of Talent Relations
John LaurinaitisJohn Joseph Laurinaitis is the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations for WWE and appears on WWE's Raw Brand as interim General Manager. He was previously a professional wrestler under the ring name Johnny Ace, and wrestled for such promotions as the National Wrestling Alliance and All...
released a statement on WWE.com reporting that Szatkowski and Brunk were still eligible to compete on the
RawWWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
and
ECW tapings in the following days while an investigation conducted by WWE was being undertaken. This resulted in Szatkowski dropping the WWE Championship at the live
Raw one night and the ECW Championship the next night at the
ECW taping. Van Dam was subsequently suspended without pay for 30 days, and an on-air segment on
ECW was scripted to relay this suspension to the fans.
In wrestling
-
- Five-Star Frog Splash (High-angle frog splash, sometimes while turning in mid-air)
- Surfboard – TNA
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
- Van Daminator (Spinning heel kick to a steel chair held in front of the opponent's face)
- Van Terminator (Corner-to-corner missile dropkick, usually with a chair positioned on the opponent's face)
-
- 450° splash – AJPW
is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion established in 1972. All Japan Pro Wrestling still remains one of the most popular puroresu promotions still in operation.-The Giant Baba Era :...
- Bridging northern lights suplex
- Diving splash
- Monkey flip to a standing or cornered opponent
- Multiple kick variations
- Chair Surf / Skateboard (Running dropkick
A dropkick is an attacking maneuver in professional wrestling. It is defined as an attack where the wrestler jumps up and kicks the opponent with the soles of both feet; this sees the wrestler twist as he or she jumps so that when the feet connect with the opponent one foot is raised higher than...
, driving a steel chair into the face of a seated opponent in the corner of the ring)
- Diving super
- Roundhouse
A roundhouse kick is a kick in which the attacker swings his leg around in a semicircular motion, striking with the front of the leg or foot. This type of kick is utilized in many different martial arts and is popular in both non-contact and full-contact martial arts competitions...
- Spinning crescent
- Step-over spinning wheel, as a kick counter
- Multiple leg drop
A leg drop or legdrop refers to an attack used in professional wrestling in which an attacking wrestler will jump and land his leg across a fallen opponent's chest, throat, face or head or in some cases, the groin/lower-abdominal area...
variations
- Corkscrew
- Diving
- Slingshot
- One-Handed Bulldog
- Plancha
- Rolling Thunder transitioned into either a monkey flip, a somersault senton or a vertical splash
- Standing moonsault, sometimes preceded by a cartwheel
In gymnastics, a cartwheel is a sideways rotary movement performed by bringing the hands to the ground while the body inverts and the legs travel over the body, coming down to a standing position.-Terminology:...
- Springboard into a either a clothesline, a leg lariat or a moonsault
- Two turnbuckle thrusts followed by a back handspring and finished either with a monkey flip or a final running turnbuckle thrust
- With Rey Mysterio
- 4:20
420, 4:20 or 4/20 refers to consumption of cannabis and, by extension, a way to identify oneself with cannabis subculture. The notable day for these is April 20.- Origins of terms :...
(Van Dam lifts Mysterio up and drops him while simultaneously dropping himself into a seated position, resulting in a double Droppin' Da Dime to an opponent's throat and chest)
- 619 (Tiger feint kick by Mysterio followed by a Five Star Frog Splash by Van Dam)
- Catapult by Van Dam into a diving hurricanrana by Mysterio
- Rolling Thunder by Van Dam followed by a Droppin' Da Dime by Mysterio
- Managers
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
- Bill Alfonso
William Matthew "Bill" Alfonso is a former professional wrestling referee and manager. He achieved his greatest success in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the mid to late 1990s...
- Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....
- Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
- Stephanie McMahon–Helmsley
- Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
s
- "Mr. Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / Friday Night"
- "Mr. TNA" (In Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
)
- "Mr. Pay-Per-View" (In Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
)
- "Mr. Money in the Bank
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
"
- "The Battle Creek Barbarian"
- "RVD"
- "The Whole Dam Show"
- "The Whole F'n Show"
- Entrance themes
Music in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
-
- "Poundcake" by Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
(ECW; 1996–1997)
- "Wail" by John Spencer Blues Explosion (ECW; 1997)
- "ECW Main Theme" by Harry Slash and The Slashtones (WWF; 1997)
- "Walk" by Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
(ECW; 1997–2001)
- "Walk" by Kilgore
Kilgore was an American heavy metal band formed in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1991. The band is named after the character Kilgore Trout in the Kurt Vonnegut classic Breakfast of Champions. Through a number of band name and line-up changes, Kilgore released two albums, Blue Collar Solitude and A...
(ECW; 1998–2001)
- "The Whole Dam Show" by Jim Johnston
James Alan "Jim" Johnston is an American music composer who has been working for WWE since 1985. His work is often accredited to the names Jim Johnston, James A...
(WWF; July 9 2001–January 3 2002)
- "One of a Kind" by Breaking Point (WWF/E; January 7 2002–September 2007, January 25, 2009)
- "The Whole F'n Show!" by Kushinator (IGF, AWR, WSW, TNA; March 2010–present)
Championships and accomplishments
- All Star Wrestling
- ASW North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- American Wrestling Rampage
- AWR World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- NLW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
- ECW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Sabu
- ECW World Television Championship
The ECW World Television Championship was a professional wrestling television championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling . It was introduced in National Wrestling Alliance affiliate and ECW precursor, Eastern Championship Wrestling in 1992 but was established under ECW in 1994...
(1 time)
- Fifth Triple Crown Champion
- International Wrestling Federation
- IWF Television Championship (1 time)
- National Wrestling Council
- NWC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bobby Bradley
- Peach State Wrestling
- PSW Cordele City Heavyweight Championship (2 times, first)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
Pro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI Comeback of the Year (2001, 2010)
- PWI Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2001, 2002)
- PWI ranked him #1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2002
- Pro Wrestling Report
- Match of the Year (2006) vs. John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
at ECW One Night Stand IIECW One Night Stand was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It was held on June 11, 2006 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, New York....
- South Atlantic Pro Wrestling
- SAPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Chaz Rocco
- Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
- TNA World Heavyweight Championship
The TNA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is currently the highest ranked championship in TNA and is primarily defended in TNA's heavyweight division...
(1 time)
- World Stars of Wrestling
- WSW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current)
- World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
- ECW World Heavyweight Championship
The Extreme Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
(1 time)
- World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kane (1) and Booker T
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
(1)
- WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
(1 time)
- WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
(1 time) – with Rey Mysterio
- WWF/E Hardcore Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Hardcore Championship is a hardcore wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and is contested under "hardcore" rules, meaning there is no disqualifications, no countouts, and pin falls could be counted anywhere...
(4 times)
- WWE European Championship
The WWE European Championship was a professional wrestling championship competed for in World Wrestling Entertainment. A coveted singles title of the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was held by superstars such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, and was...
(1 time)1
- WWF/E Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship in WWE. It is the original secondary title of the promotion. Currently, it is the secondary championship exclusive to the SmackDown brand...
(6 times)
- Money in the Bank
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a professional wrestling ladder match held by WWE. The match can feature anywhere from six to ten participants from any WWE brand, with the objective being to retrieve a briefcase that is suspended 20 feet above the ring...
(2006)
- Fifteenth Triple Crown Champion
- Seventh Grand Slam Champion
1Rob Van Dam's WWE European Championship win is not listed on WWE's European Championship history page, however it was acknowledged on his alumni page, Michael Cole's SmackDown Vs. Raw 2011 commentary, and is listed in WWE's official encyclopedia.
External links