RVD reveals what Stephanie McMahon told him about his marijuana usage in WWE
RVD has never shied away from talking about his marijuana usage throughout his wrestling career. The former WWE Champion was recently interviewed by High Times which also featured Paul London and Matt Sydal.
During the interview, RVD revealed what Stephanie McMahon had advised him about his marijuana usage when he signed with the WWE in 2001.
Stephanie McMahon apparently gave RVD a heads up and told him to at least be discreet about his consumption of marijuana.
RVD revealed:
"She said, 'Look if you're going to get high, at least be discreet about it.'
RVD also revealed that Stephanie McMahon told him to change his shirt due to the pungent odour. Rob Van Dam would sadly let his love for marijuana negatively affect his WWE career later on.
How RVD's marijuana usage affected his WWE career
RVD won the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand, and he was later awarded the reactivated ECW World Heavyweight Championship by Paul Heyman a few days later. He was set to be a main event player as a dual champion in the company. However, an arrest during the July fourth weekend of 2006 marked the beginning of his downfall.
RVD was busted with 8 grams of marijuana, and five Vicodin and WWE immediately booked him to drop both the titles before handing him a 30-day suspension.
RVD said that his arrest and subsequent decline, unfortunately, coincided with the early days of the ECW reboot. The brand couldn't maintain the momentum for long after he dropped the titles until it was eventually discontinued.
"No trial, no nothing, It was way better before I got busted. When I came back, it was going downhill fast to its ultimate destruction."
RVD is undoubtedly a wrestling legend and considered to be a pioneer in the industry; however, his career could have looked entirely different had he avoided getting arrested during the peak of his WWE push.
The 49-year-old veteran is currently signed by Impact Wrestling, and he continues to be a highly-vocal proponent of cannabis. RVD's relationship with the WWE is also pretty good despite his association with marijuana, as he showed up at the RAW Reunion show on July 22nd, 2019 for a one-off appearance despite being contracted with Impact Wrestling.