Rob Van Dam levels heavy accusations at Vince McMahon
Rob Van Dam has remained neutral for the most part in his career, but seldom he breaks his silence on pressing matters. Vince McMahon grew WWE from a regional pro wrestling promotion into a sports entertainment powerhouse with massive reach around the world. This journey was not without controversy, scandals, allegations, rumors, and speculation, which continue today. RVD just made some interesting remarks about Mr. McMahon and his industry takeover.
Extreme Championship Wrestling officially launched in 1994 under Paul Heyman's genius. The iconic promotion folded in 2001 but was revived that year as a WWE brand for its Invasion angle. Vince McMahon purchased ECW's assets in 2003 and, in 2005, began reintroducing the hardcore organization through content, merchandise, documentaries, and pay-per-views. ECW operated as a full brand from May 2006 through February 2010, featuring the weekly ECW On Sci-Fi show.
ECW has been in the news this year thanks to Heyman's Hall of Fame induction, WrestleMania XL in Philadelphia, A&E's Biography documentary on ECW, and the recent NXT 2300 special from the former ECW Arena. Rob Van Dam is an ECW Original and was vital to the various reboots and the recent NXT 2300 special.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, The Whole F'N Show offered his unique insight when asked why WWE brought the brand back. RVD implied that McMahon may have revived Extreme Championship Wrestling just to destroy it, adding that the former ECW World Heavyweight Champion did not like it when fans would chant "E-C-W!" during WWE shows.
"When WWE brought ECW back, there was several times there that could have been taken as evidence that they were just bringing it back to destroy it. I mean, Vince [McMahon] was wearing the belt, and they changed all the OG's with The New Breed... To me, they were making a statement there, and I know Vince didn't like it when the fans would chant ECW during his shows when some of us [that] are represented were in the ring," Rob Van Dam said. [H/T to WrestlingInc]
In recent years, RVD has wrestled for AEW, TNA, and countless indies. His last WWE match was a count-out win over Seth Rollins on the August 28, 2014, edition of Main Event, which came right after his SmackDown loss to Rollins. He appeared on NXT 2300 last week to stop Wes Lee from cheating during the loss to Je'Von Evans.
Rob Van Dam teases WWE return match
Rob Van Dam went viral for his surprise appearance at the recent WWE NXT 2300 event from the former ECW Arena in Philadelphia. Van Dam strongly put over Je'Von Evans after helping him defeat Wes Lee by preventing a cheap shot.
A fan on X wished Mr. Monday Night would have wrestled at NXT 2300. The WWE Hall of Famer responded and teased more to come.
"Me too. But I'll be back," Rob Van Dam wrote.
The Whole F'N Show has been under a WWE Legends contract since 2021. While he can appear for TNA, AEW, and other promotions, he's unable to take advantage of specific terms, such as the same royalty payouts that others receive for AEW action figures.