"I didn't know how to take it" - WWE legend reveals Stephanie McMahon told him to 'build a relationship' with Vince McMahon
Getting to the top of WWE can be awfully difficult without Vince McMahon's approval. Rob Van Dan recently spoke about how Stephanie McMahon was amongst those who advised him to work on his relationship with VKM.
RVD experienced a purple patch in his career during the mid-2000s, during which he had his only WWE Championship reign and was one of the most popular names on the roster.
The company's high-ranking officials knew how over Van Dam was, and they realized it was important for him to get in Vince McMahon's good books for a sustained push.
During the latest episode of "1 Of A Kind With RVD", the WWE Hall of Famer recalled Stephanie McMahon, Shane O'Mac, Triple H, and many others telling him to strengthen his real-life bond with the boss.
"They were coming up to me and telling me I need to build this relationship with Vince, and I didn't know how to take it. And It was everybody. I mean, it was Shane-O, it was Michael Hayes, it was Stephanie. It might have been Trips [Triple H]. I didn't know how to take it. I was offended by it because Bruce Prichard, I remember him telling me one time the same thing," said Van Dam. [H/T Wrestling Writing]
Rob Van Dam reveals what Bruce Prichard told him about gaining Vince McMahon's trust
WWE needed a fresh face in the main event apart from John Cena and saw RVD as the ideal superstar who could be elevated to the next level.
Bruce Prichard was one of RVD's supporters behind the scenes and figured out the importance of Vince McMahon having faith in the high-flying star.
Van Dam needed to show McMahon he could be a world champion and carry the company in Cena's absence. The incredible crowd reactions meant nothing until Vince McMahon was convinced about the former ECW wrestler.
Rob Van Dam confirmed that he got a similar message from Stephanie McMahon as well, and he honestly didn't know what to make of it:
"He [Bruce Prichard] was like, 'You need to build a relationship with Vince. Vince needs to know that he can trust you, that you're the guy that he can invest in, that he can put the belt on, and that he can lead his company. You need to know he needs to know that. I'm like, 'Are you saying I have to kiss his a**? Like I'm out there having great matches, the crowd's going nuts. I don't understand what else you want from me?' That's one of the things that held me back as well. Oh, interesting. The same conversation happened with Shane and with Stephanie." [H/T Wrestling Writing]
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