What If RVD Hadn’t Gotten In Trouble With The Law In 2006?
The year was 2006 and, against all odds, ECW alumnus Rob Van Dam was poised to take over the wrestling world as one of if not the single top pushed star in WWE.
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To be fair, The Whole F’N Show was a star before 2006, arguably being groomed to be the man in the original ECW, and riding that wave of momentum to be the most over ECW alum during WWE’s Alliance storyline.
However, as time marched on, RVD became largely just another guy—an upper mid-card face with a flashy move set who could transition in and out of the main event when needed. Overall, though, he wasn’t treated as a top talent and was as likely to be featured chasing tag team championship gold as going after a world title...
Perhaps it was John Cena’s popularity faltering, or the smash success of WWE’s The Rise and Fall of ECW DVD set, but come 2006, the company gambled on pushing RVD hard. He beat John Cena for the WWE Championship at the second One Night Stand, ECW themed PPV event.
In so doing, Van Dam became crowned the first champion of the relaunched ECW brand (not to mention the first man to reign over both brands in the era of multiple active world championships in WWE.
However, RVD then he got arrested for possession of drugs. WWE's worst fears about his persona and personal life were realized just as Van Dam most prominently represented the company. As a result, WWE suspended him for thirty days and it completely derailed the push of a lifetime.
So what if RVD hadn’t gotten into trouble with the law? This article takes a look at what might have been.
5. Rob Van Dam Is The Face Of ECW
When the original ECW couldn’t support itself anymore and sold off to WWE, Rob Van Dam had looked poised to be the promotion’s top star and was in good position to get a head start on a big push in WWE. That push didn’t really come together, but when WWE relaunched its own version of ECW, Van Dam looked like an optimal fit to plug in as the face of the third brand.
Indeed, RVD started out that way when he beat John Cena for the WWE Championship to kick-start the new ECW. He may well have represented an ideal hybrid of WWE and ECW booking as an organic, original ECW star who could nonetheless play the top face who fended off heel challengers.
After Van Dam’s drug bust, however, WWE clearly seemed to feel he’d had his chance. While he was still an upper mid-card talent, he never got a shot at being the guy for ECW or any other WWE brand again.