Rob Van Dam trained WWE legend The Ultimate Warrior for 2008 wrestling comeback
The Ultimate Warrior is known for being a wrestling legend in WWE. Despite his extremely controversial work in WWE, The Ultimate Warrior was a fan favourite throughout and even was one of the people that Vince McMahon hoped would eventually take the mantle of Hulk Hogan. While that did not happen, things turned out worse than expected, as The Ultimate Warrior and WWE did not end up on the best of terms.
In 2013, for the first time in a long time, he spoke positively about Vince McMahon and he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014. The Ultimate Warrior appeared at WrestleMania XXX and the next night he delivered a promo on WWE RAW. That was his first appearance on RAW since his last WWE match, at a time when WWE was still WWF, in 1996. The WWE legend, Ultimate Warrior, unfortunately, passed away the day after his appearance on WWE RAW while walking to his car with his wife.
Now, Rob Van Dam has appeared on Hannibal TV (h/t WrestleZone), and during their interview, Rob Van Dam revealed that he had trained The Ultimate Warrior for one last wrestling return in 2008.
Rob Van Dam reveals his experience training WWE legend Ultimate Warrior in 2008
Rob Van Dam talked about his experience training his childhood WWE hero Ultimate Warrior and talked about his interactions with him.
“It was amazing to me when a mutual acquaintance told me that he really respected my work and wanted to come into L.A. He wanted me to train him because he was getting ready to wrestle again for the first time in 10 years. I didn’t know him at all. I had worked one show with him [NWC’s 1995 event at the Silver Nugget Pavilion in Las Vegas] and I was on the undercard. His wife after he died, she told me … ‘You stuck out to him at that show. He always kept watching you after that throughout the years and he’d always tell me when you were doing really good.’ That was so touching to know that. It’s incredible how full circle all the energy in the universe, how it all works.”
“I rolled down the window a little bit, [lights up a blunt] and I’m driving down the road. He looked over and said, ‘You smoke every day?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and we just started talking about it. He was just as cool as can f—ing be.”
The Ultimate Warrior would eventually wrestle one more match for Nu-Wrestling Evolution in 2008 against Orlando Jordan.