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Rob Van Dam
An image of Rob Van Dam.
Statistics
Ring name(s) Robbie V1
Rob Szatkowski
Rob Van Dam1
Height 5 ft 11.5 in (1.82 m)2
Billed height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)1
Billed weight 237 lb (108 kg)1
Born December 18, 1970 (1970-12-18) (age 38)1
Battle Creek, Michigan 1
Resides San Pedro, California1
Billed from Battle Creek, Michigan,
Trained by The Sheik1
Debut 19901

Robert "Rob" Alexander Szatkowski1 (born December 18, 1970)1 better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently shortened to RVD), is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Since leaving the company, the main venture that Van Dam produces is RVDTV, reality based programming looking at the life of Rob Van Dam.3

Contents

Career

Early career

Rob Van Dam debuted in 1990 after being trained by The Sheik, wrestling his first match against Dango Nguyen in Toledo, Ohio. The name Rob Van Dam or Robbie V. was given to Rob in 1991 by Ron Slinker, a promoter in Florida.4 He wrestled in many independent promotions across Michigan, including the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) and South Atlantic Pro Wrestling (SAPW). In SAPW, he won his first wrestling title, the SAPW Tag Team Championship, in July 1992 with Chaz Rocco.5

He signed with World Championship Wrestling in late 1992 and was dubbed Robbie V upon his arrival. His WCW run was uneventful and largely unnoticed.6 He also wrestled in several independent promotions across America, and in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he challenged for the AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Championship on several occasions.7

Extreme Championship Wrestling

1996–1997

In January 1996, Van Dam signed with promoter Paul Heyman's Philadelphia-based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), defeating Axl Rotten in his debut match at House Party.8 Van Dam's mannerisms were those of a stoner, and he became a face due to his laid-back attitude and unorthodox style. On March 30, he faced 2 Cold Scorpio in a match for the ECW Television Championship. The match ended in a draw with 2 Cold Scorpio retaining the title.910

Van Dam gained attention following a series of matches with long-time rival Sabu, which began with a match at Hostile City Showdown, won by Sabu.11 After the match, Van Dam declined to show proper respect for his opponent, leading to a rematch at A Matter of Respect, which was won by Van Dam.10 Per the pre-match stipulation, Sabu then offered Van Dam a handshake, but was again ignored. Instead, Van Dam left the ring and turned heel under the management of Bill Alfonso.1012 At Hardcore Heaven, Van Dam faced his rival Sabu once again, in a match to prove who was the better man. Sabu won the match.1013 The two faced each other yet again in a stretcher match at The Doctor is In. Van Dam lost the match after missing a Plancha to the outside, hitting the railing and falling onto the stretcher.14 He was quickly rolled out.10

At Natural Born Killaz, Van Dam defeated Doug Furnas in a match. Post-match, Van Dam offered Furnas a handshake, but Furnas instead punched Van Dam, starting a rivalry between the two.10 After his rivalry with Furnas expanded to also include Dan Kroffat, Van Dam wanted a tag team partner of his own. After losing to long-time rival Sabu once again at Unluckily Lottery, the two united and formed what was to become one of the most successful tag teams in ECW history.15 They feuded with Furnas and Kroffat defeating them at When Worlds Collide II and High Incident.101617

Van Dam and Sabu next feuded with The Eliminators, John Kronus and Perry Saturn. On November 1, the two teams fought to a draw.18 Van Dam then feuded with Taz, to whom he lost at Holiday Hell via knockout.19 Sabu and Van Dam continued to feud with The Eliminators for the ECW Tag Team Championship into 1997. At Crossing the Line Again and Cyberslam, the teams faced off for the ECW Tag Team Championship in a pair of matches, both of which were won by The Eliminators.202122 At CyberSlam, the two teams faced each other for the titles in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, in which The Eliminators again retained their titles.23

At ECW's first pay-per-view event Barely Legal, Van Dam defeated Lance Storm as a last-minute replacement for the injured Chris Candido.24 Immediately following the match, Van Dam expressed his distaste for being chosen as a back-up for "some guy who couldn't even lace his boots". Van Dam delivered a speech directed towards Paul Heyman, and not being originally booked on the show was a point of contention between Van Dam and Heyman for a time.22

In May 1997 ECW "invaded" the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television show, drawing the ire of color commentator Jerry Lawler. Lawler then promised he would show up at an ECW show in order to gain revenge, and when he did show up, he had ECW mainstays Van Dam and Sabu with him. Van Dam cut promos about how he was too good for ECW and deserved to be in one of the "Big Two" (WWF or WCW) on one of their Monday Night programs ("Monday Night Raw" or "Monday Nitro"), while Jerry Lawler dubbed Van Dam "Mr. Monday Night" on an episode of Raw. Despite his arrogance and "betrayal" of ECW, over time Van Dam became applauded by fans recognizing his athleticism and unique maneuvers.25

Van Dam continued to team up with Sabu upon his return to ECW on June 13.26 Tazz's manager Bill Alfonso betrayed Tazz and joined Sabu and Van Dam. Van Dam started a new rivalry with Tommy Dreamer, who wanted to gain revenge on Van Dam for his betrayal of ECW.2527 On June 21, RVD and Sabu earned a victory over Dreamer and The Sandman.28 Van Dam and Sabu emerged victorious against Dreamer and Sandman again at Orgy of Violence.29 At Heat Wave, Van Dam, Sabu, and WWF's Jerry "The King" Lawler fought Dreamer, Sandman, and Rick Rude to a no contest.30 Van Dam and Dreamer faced each other in a hardcore match at Born to Be Wired, won by Van Dam after he hit Dreamer with a legdrop on a trashcan.2731 At As Good as it Gets, the team of Van Dam and Alfonso lost to Dreamer and Beulah McGillicutty in a mixed tag team match.2732 Van Dam and Sabu became partners while Dreamer teamed up with Tazz.27 At Fright Fight, Van Dam lost to Dreamer in a flag match.33 At Ultimate Jeopardy, Van Dam and Sabu faced Dreamer and Tazz, a match won by Tazz and Dreamer after Dreamer pinned Van Dam. At November to Remember, Van Dam faced Dreamer in another flag match, which went to a no contest.34 At Better Than Ever, Van Dam and Sabu faced Dreamer and Tazz in a rematch. This time, Van Dam pinned Dreamer to give the victory to his team and to settle their rivalry.35 Van Dam's final encounter with Dreamer came on December 26, when Dreamer teamed up with Tazz, Al Snow, and Sandman to take on Van Dam, Sabu, Doug Furnas, and Phil Lafon. Van Dam's team lost the match.36

1998–2001

In 1998, Van Dam started a feud with Triple Threat (Shane Douglas, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Chris Candido).37 At House Party, RVD defeated Bam Bam Bigelow.38 At Hostile City Showdown, Van Dam and Sabu defeated Axl Rotten and Balls Mahoney by disqualification.39 The two went on to win a fatal four way elimination tag team match later that night.39 At CyberSlam, Van Dam and Sabu fell to Shane Douglas and Bam Bam Bigelow.40

Van Dam's popularity increased when he got his first taste of ECW gold, on April 4 when he defeated Bam Bam Bigelow to win the ECW Television Championship.4142 After winning the Television title, RVD became known as The Whole F'n Show.37 Van Dam retained the belt in his first title defense on April 10 against Doug Furnas.43 Sabu also expressed interest in Van Dam's championship, leading to a title match between the two at Wrestlepalooza. The match was a time limit draw, resulting in Van Dam retaining his title.3744

At A Matter of Respect, Van Dam and Sabu were forced to face each other in a tag team match as they both teamed up with ECW Tag Team Champions. Van Dam teamed with the one half of the champions, Lance Storm, while Sabu teamed with the other half, Chris Candido. Van Dam and Sabu reconciled and instead took out Storm and Candido making it a no contest.3745 Van Dam and Sabu started a feud with Storm and Candido in the next month for the tag team titles.37 On June 27, Van Dam and Sabu beat Storm and Candido to win the ECW Tag Team Championship,46 which made Van Dam a double champion.37 On October 24, Sabu and Van Dam lost the titles to the Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von) after interference from Triple Threat.3747 Van Dam sought revenge and at November to Remember, Van Dam and Sabu teamed with Taz to defeat Triple Threat.3748 On December 13, Van Dam and Sabu won the ECW Tag Team Championship for a second time by beating the Dudley Boyz in Japan at a Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) show.4637

Van Dam remained the Television champion for the rest of 1998, and he started 1999 by making successful title defenses against the likes of Spike Dudley,49 Lance Storm at Guilty as Charged,50 Balls Mahoney,51 and 2 Cold Scorpio at CyberSlam.5253

Van Dam and Sabu were scheduled to make a title defense of the Tag Team titles on April 17, but Sabu was suspended by ECW before the match occurred.53 Instead, Van Dam faced D-Von Dudley in a singles match and as a result of losing the match, Van Dam also lost the Tag Team titles to the Dudleyz.54 After losing the Tag Team titles, Van Dam focused on defending the Television title.53 He entered into a rivalry with Jerry Lynn against whom he defended the Television title at Hardcore Heaven in a "no time limit" match.55 Van Dam retained the title, and the match was deemed so good that Paul Heyman aired it on ECW's debut on TNN in place of a shoot promo about TNN that he was planning, but was not allowed to air, according to The Rise and Fall of ECW.55 Van Dam continued to defend the ECW Television Championship for the remainder of the year.

Van Dam began a feud with Rhino in the beginning of 2000. RVD made a successful title defense of the ECW Television Championship against Rhino on January 7.56 RVD got a big victory during a title defense against Sabu at Guilty as Charged.5758 Van Dam was scheduled to perform in a "champion vs. champion" pay-per-view main event against ECW Champion Mike Awesome. This match potentially could have been the most lucrative pay-per-view main event in company history, and Heyman was depending on this mega-match to bring an influx of badly-needed cash, but the match never occurred because Van Dam suffered a broken ankle during a successful title defense against Rhino on January 29.5759 The injury also forced Van Dam to vacate the ECW Television Championship.

He returned to ECW at Hardcore Heaven and faced long-time rival Jerry Lynn. Van Dam was supported by his real-life friend Scotty Anton who eventually turned on him when Van Dam was going to perform a Five-Star Frog Splash on Lynn. Anton pushed him from the top rope, which helped Lynn win the match.5760 Van Dam feuded with Anton and took his revenge at Heat Wave by defeating Anton after a Van Terminator.5761

Van Dam then attempted to exact revenge on Rhino for forcing him into injury. He got many opportunities to win the ECW Television Championship back from Rhino, but Rhino's allies usually attacked Van Dam, causing disqualifications and allowing Rhino to retain the title.57 At Anarchy Rulz, Van Dam faced Rhino for the ECW Television Championship but was screwed when a heel referee made a fast count during a pinfall attempt made by Rhino.5762

Van Dam was not advertised and did not show for a large number of ECW events due to the large sum of money owed to him.57 He appeared at ECW's final pay-per-view event Guilty as Charged, where he defeated Jerry Lynn.6364 This was Van Dam's last appearance in ECW, as ECW only held two more shows after the pay-per-view.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

The Invasion (2001)

Several months after the closure of ECW, Van Dam was signed to a short term contract by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Along with fellow ECW alumnus Tommy Dreamer, Van Dam returned to WWF television on the July 9, 2001 episode of Raw in Atlanta, Georgia, attacking WWF wrestlers Kane and Chris Jericho.6566 Later that night, five wrestlers from WWF and five wrestlers from WCW took on ten ECW wrestlers, including Van Dam. The match never took place as instead the WCW wrestlers aligned themselves with the ECW wrestlers.6566

Despite normally being a heel, Van Dam was popular with the WWF fans, who were aware of his reputation in ECW. After defeating Jeff Hardy for the WWF Hardcore Championship at Invasion,676568 Van Dam became one of the most over members of the Alliance, as a tweener. He even challenged Alliance leader Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship including a triple threat match at No Mercy where Austin defended his title against Van Dam and Kurt Angle.6569

Van Dam lost the Hardcore title to Hardy on the August 13 edition of Raw,70 but regained the title from Hardy at SummerSlam.6871 At Survivor Series on November 18, Van Dam and four other Alliance members (Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Shane McMahon) faced five WWF wrestlers (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane, and Big Show) in a Winner Take All match. Team WWF won, and the members of the Alliance were fired; however, as he held the Hardcore Championship, Van Dam was able to retain his job.6572

Hardcore and Intercontinental titles (2001–2002)

Van Dam lost the Hardcore Championship to the Undertaker at Vengeance.7374 On the February 4 episode of Raw, Van Dam defeated Bubba Ray Dudley. After the match, he was confronted by Goldust who performed a neckbreaker on Van Dam, starting a rivalry between the duo.7576 RVD defeated Goldust after a Five Star Frog Splash at No Way Out.7577

Van Dam after winning the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania X8.

Van Dam entered into a rivalry with William Regal over Regal's Intercontinental title.75 On the February 25 edition of Raw, Van Dam defeated Lance Storm and Big Show in a triple threat match to become the #1 contender to the Intercontinental title.7578 At WrestleMania X8, RVD faced Regal for the Intercontinental title and won the match after he hit Regal a Five-Star Frog Splash.757980

When the WWF was divided into two "brands", Raw and SmackDown! in 2002, Van Dam was drafted to the Raw brand as the fourth pick.8182 After he defended his title successfully against Booker T, Eddie Guerrero returned to the WWF and attacked Van Dam.8183 He started a feud with Eddie Guerrero over the Intercontinental title. On the April 8 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced The Undertaker in a non-title #1 contender's match for the WWF Undisputed Championship, but he lost the match after interference from Eddie Guerrero.8184 At Backlash, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Eddie Guerrero.8185 At Insurrextion, Van Dam and Guerrero had a rematch for the Intercontinental title. Guerrero was disqualified after hitting the referee with the Intercontinental title; as a result, Van Dam won the match but not the title because a title cannot change hands by disqualification.8186 At Judgment Day, Van Dam failed to win the Intercontinental title in another rematch.8187

On the May 20 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced The Undertaker in a match for the WWE Undisputed Championship. Van Dam had originally won the match when he hit Undertaker with a Rolling Thunder and pinned him for the victory and the Undisputed title. Raw co-owner "Nature Boy" Ric Flair announced that Undertaker's feet were on the ropes so the match was restarted. Van Dam punched Flair and got distracted. Undertaker took advantage and performed a Last Ride to win.8188 On the May 27 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced Eddie Guerrero in a ladder match for the Intercontinental title. Van Dam won the ladder match and his second WWE Intercontinental Championship.818990

After facing each other in the final round of the King of the Ring tournament, Van Dam and Brock Lesnar began feuding with each other. Van Dam defended his Intercontinental title against Lesnar twice and retained his title both times by disqualification.819192 On July 21, 2002, Van Dam unified the WWE European Championship into the WWE Intercontinental Championship after he defeated European Champion Jeff Hardy in a title unification ladder match.819394 As a result, the European title was abandoned. On the July 29 edition of Raw, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to SmackDown! superstar Chris Benoit.8195 Benoit took the Intercontinental title to SmackDown!. RVD defeated Jeff Hardy (with help from Jeff's brother Matt who hit Jeff with a Twist of Fate) to become the number one contender to the Intercontinental title.8196

At SummerSlam, Van Dam won his third WWE Intercontinental Championship by defeating Benoit in a rematch for the title.819798 As Benoit brought the title to SmackDown when he switched brands, RVD brought the Intercontinental title back to Raw.81 On the August 26 edition of Raw, Van Dam also unified the WWE Hardcore Championship into the WWE Intercontinental Championship by defeating Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer in a hardcore title unification match. As a result, the WWE Hardcore Championship was also unified into the Intercontinental title and abandoned.816899 On the September 9 edition of Raw, Van Dam became the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, and Big Show in a fatal four way elimination match.81100

Main event push (2002)

Van Dam started feuding with the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H over the title. On the September 16 edition of Raw, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Chris Jericho after interference by Triple H.81101 At Unforgiven, Van Dam faced Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. Due to Ric Flair's interference, Van Dam lost the match.81102 At No Mercy, Van Dam got his revenge on Flair by defeating him.81103 At Survivor Series, Van Dam participated in the first-ever Elimination Chamber match for Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship. This match also included Shawn Michaels (who ultimately won the match), Booker T, Chris Jericho, and Kane. Van Dam was the first man to be eliminated by Booker T, after a missile dropkick.81104

Van Dam appeared on the World Heavyweight Championship scene and also formed a tag team with Kane in October 2002.81 Van Dam defeated Jericho and Booker T in a Triple Threat match to become the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.81105 On the November 25 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship. Michaels was disqualified after Triple H hit RVD with a Pedigree.81106 On the December 2 edition of Raw, Van Dam lost to Triple H in a #1 contender's match with World Heavyweight Champion Michaels acting as the special guest referee.81107

Teaming and feuding with Kane (2003)

In 2003, Rob Van Dam continued to team up with Kane. The two faced Lance Storm and William Regal at No Way Out for the World Tag Team Championship but failed to win the titles when Kane mistakenly chokeslammed RVD.108109 On the March 31 edition of Raw, Van Dam and Kane defeated World Tag Team Champions Lance Storm and Chief Morley and The Dudley Boyz in a 3-way elimination tag team match to win the World Tag Team Championship.108110111 At Backlash, Van Dam and Kane had a successful title defense against The Dudley Boyz with Morley as the special guest referee.108112

Van Dam and Kane entered into a rivalry with La Résistance (René Duprée and Sylvain Grenier). On the May 26 edition of Raw, Van Dam lost a flag match to Grenier.108113 As a result of losing to Grenier, Van Dam and Kane had to defend the World Tag Team Championship against him and Duprée.108 At Insurrextion, Van Dam and Kane defended the World Tag Team titles successfully against La Résistance,108114 before losing the titles to La Résistance at Bad Blood.108115

After Kane was forced to take his mask off when he lost to Triple H, he turned heel as he thought everyone was laughing at him. Kane and Van Dam split up because Kane claimed that he "didn't like" Van Dam. The two started feuding with each other.108 On the August 18 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced the Intercontinental Champion Christian for the title, but Kane interfered in the match and knocked Van Dam out after hitting him with a chair. Kane then took Van Dam to the backstage where he was restrained and was about to be set on fire. Kane changed his mind at the last minute, however, and said that he wasn't going to do what "they" want.116 Their rivalry led to a No Holds Barred match at SummerSlam, which Kane won.108117 On the September 8 edition of Raw, the rivalry ended when Van Dam faced Kane in a steel cage match and fell to Kane once again.108118

In September 2003, Van Dam started feuding with both Christian and Chris Jericho over Christian's Intercontinental title. On the September 15 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced Jericho in a number one contender's match for the Intercontinental title. The match ended in a double disqualification when Intercontinental Champion Christian interfered and hit both men with the title belts.108119 Raw Co-General Manager Stone Cold Steve Austin made the Intercontinental title match a triple threat match between Jericho, Van Dam, and Christian.108120 The match took place at Unforgiven, and Christian retained his title after he countered the Five Star Frog Splash by putting his title belt across his knees while the ref's back was turned, preoccupied by Jericho.108120121 However, Van Dam defeated Christian in a ladder match on the September 29 edition of Raw to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship for a fourth time.122123

Rivalries and tag titles (2003–2004)

Van Dam entered into a rivalry with Chris Jericho in October 2003. The two faced each other in several tag team matches.120 On the October 27 edition of Raw, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Jericho when Eric Bischoff distracted the referee while Van Dam had caught the ropes but Jericho brought him into the middle of the ring. Van Dam submitted and Jericho became the new champion.108120124 Austin came out and immediately ordered Jericho to face Van Dam in a rematch inside the Steel Cage for the title. Van Dam won the rematch and his fifth WWE Intercontinental Championship.120124125

Rob Van Dam at a SmackDown! live event.

At Survivor Series, Van Dam participated in a Survivor Series match. He was a part of Team Austin which consisted of Van Dam, Shawn Michaels, Booker T, and the Dudley Boyz. Van Dam and the Dudley Boyz pinned Mark Henry of Team Bischoff to eliminate him from the match. Van Dam was later pinned by Team Bischoff's Randy Orton.108126 Orton and Van Dam started feuding with each other over Van Dam's Intercontinental title.108 Van Dam lost the Intercontinental title to Orton at Armageddon (Mick Foley was the special guest referee) after interference from Ric Flair.108120127 Van Dam went on to feud with both Orton and Evolution. On the January 12, 2004 edition of Raw, Van Dam faced Orton in a rematch for the Intercontinental title but lost the match.128129

Van Dam formed a tag team with Booker T. The two teamed for the first time on the January 19 edition of Raw when they defeated Christian and Matt Hardy to qualify for a battle royal where the winner of the battle royal would get the #30 spot in the 2004 Royal Rumble match.128130 On the February 16 edition of Raw, Booker T and Van Dam defeated Evolution members Ric Flair and Batista to win the World Tag Team Championship.128131132 At WrestleMania XX, Booker and Van Dam defended the World Tag Team Championship in a fatal four way elimination tag team match against the Dudley Boyz, La Résistance, and the team of Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade.128133 On the March 22 edition of Raw, Booker T and Van Dam lost the World Tag Team Championship back to Evolution.128134

On March 22, Van Dam was drafted from Raw to SmackDown!.135 He made his SmackDown! debut on March 25 defeating Charlie Haas. Van Dam and Rey Mysterio began a feud with the Dudley Boyz, defeating them at Judgment Day 2004.135136 In June, Van Dam left the tag team division and began a pursuit for the WWE United States Championship. On the June 10 edition of SmackDown!, Van Dam, Booker T, and René Duprée faced the United States Champion John Cena in separate matches where the man who could beat Cena in 5 minutes would receive a match against Cena for the title.135137 At The Great American Bash, Cena defended the title against RVD, Booker, and Duprée in a fatal four way match and retained his championship.135138 On the July 1 edition of SmackDown!, Van Dam and Duprée lost to Booker in a number one contender's triple threat match.135139 Four weeks later, Van Dam participated in an 8-way elimination match for the vacant US Championship, won by Booker.135140

Van Dam began teaming up with Mysterio again in the summer, and feuded with Rene Duprée and Kenzo Suzuki. At No Mercy, Van Dam and Mysterio failed to win the Tag Team Championship from Dupree and Suzuki.135141 In November, Van Dam and Mysterio joined Eddie Guerrero and Big Show during their rivalry with Kurt Angle, Mark Jindrak, and Luther Reigns. At Survivor Series, Van Dam was a part of Guerrero's team, consisting of Guerrero himself, Van Dam, Big Show, and John Cena (replacement for Mysterio) against Kurt Angle, Mark Jindrak, Luther Reigns, and Carlito. Van Dam was the only man to be eliminated from his team.135142 On the December 9 edition of SmackDown!, Van Dam and Mysterio defeated Duprée and Suzuki to win the WWE Tag Team Championship,143144 and retained the titles in a rematch at Armageddon.135145

In January 2005, Van Dam suffered a knee injury. To explain his absence, the Basham Brothers (Doug and Danny) defeated Mysterio and Van Dam for the Tag Team Championship, in a fatal four way elimination tag team match on the January 13 edition of SmackDown!, "injuring" Van Dam in the process.146147 On January 27, Van Dam underwent reconstructive knee surgery under Dr. James Andrews to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus.120146

Injury, One Night Stand, and Money in the Bank (2005–2006)

Van Dam during his ring entrance

While recuperating, Van Dam made an appearance at the ECW reunion pay-per-view ECW One Night Stand. Accompanied by his former manager Fonzie and sporting a knee brace, Van Dam delivered a scathing shoot promo, criticizing the way he had been booked in WWE, until he was attacked by Rhyno. He was saved by Sabu, who defeated Rhyno in an impromptu match. Despite his injury, Van Dam got physically involved in the match, hitting Rhyno with a chairshot and giving him a Chair Surf.148

On Raw, Van Dam (still healing) was drafted back to the Raw brand in the 2005 Draft Lottery. He was introduced to Raw by Carlito, who insulted Van Dam before attacking him and assaulting his knee. Van Dam made his return to the ring over six months later at the Royal Rumble. He gained revenge on Carlito by eliminating him, but was in turn inadvertently eliminated by Rey Mysterio. On the February 6 episode of Raw, Van Dam defeated Carlito in the first round of the 2006 Road to WrestleMania Tournament. One week later, he defeated Chris Masters in the tournament semi-finals. On the February 20 episode of Raw, Van Dam and Big Show were defeated by Triple H in a triple threat match to determine the winner of the tournament and number one contender to the WWE Championship.

The following week, now out of the tournament to be in the WrestleMania main event, Van Dam defeated Trevor Murdoch to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match. Van Dam went on to win the match, thus earning himself a guaranteed shot at either the WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship at any time within the subsequent year.149 Following the ladder match, Shelton Benjamin challenged Van Dam to put his Money in the Bank opportunity on the line in a match. Van Dam countered by requesting a match for Benjamin's Intercontinental Championship. One week later, both Van Dam and Benjamin picked mystery opponents for one another, with the loser placing their respective prize on the line in a bout at Backlash on April 30. Benjamin lost to the returning Charlie Haas, while Van Dam was defeated by all five members of the Spirit Squad. As a result, both the Intercontinental Championship and the Money in the Bank title shot were contested at Backlash. Van Dam went on to win both prizes, before dropping the Intercontinental title back to Benjamin on the May 15 edition of Raw.

On the May 22 episode of Raw, Van Dam informed WWE Champion John Cena that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank contract at ECW One Night Stand on June 11 for a WWE Championship match.

ECW brand/WWE Champion (2006–2007)

On May 29, Van Dam was selected by Paul Heyman to be drafted from Raw to WWE's new ECW brand. Upon being drafted, Van Dam became the new brand's flagship wrestler, mostly due to his prior history in ECW and his title shot against John Cena at One Night Stand. At One Night Stand, Van Dam defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship, his first ever World Title. After two referees were knocked out, Edge appeared from the crowd to attack Cena, spearing him through a table. Van Dam then hit a Five Star Frog Splash and the pinfall was counted by Paul Heyman, who suddenly ran down the aisle. On the following episode of Raw, Vince McMahon confirmed that the title change was official, due to the match being held under "extreme rules". For the past few weeks, Heyman had hinted that the WWE Championship would be "rechristened" the ECW World Heavyweight Championship when Van Dam won. On the debut of ECW on Sci Fi, Van Dam was awarded the reinstated ECW World Heavyweight Championship by Heyman. Van Dam, however, decided to defend the WWE Championship separately and simultaneously, joking that "this one spins". Thus, Van Dam became the first wrestler in history to hold both the WWE Championship and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, and the only one to hold them at the same time.

Van Dam competing for the ECW brand.

On the July 3 episode of Raw, Van Dam lost the WWE Championship to Edge in a triple threat match that also featured John Cena. The next night, on the July 4 episode of ECW, he lost the ECW World Heavyweight Championship to The Big Show after Heyman turned on him. Later on WWE.com, Heyman suspended Van Dam for 30 days without giving a reason; (in reality, WWE suspended Van Dam for 30 days as a result of his recent drug possession arrest).150 He returned to television on August 8, attacking both Sabu and Kurt Angle during a match. His return to the ring came a week later, in a losing effort to Sabu in a ladder match for number one contendership to the ECW World Championship.

Van Dam slowly worked his way back into the championship picture. In October, Van Dam defeated The Big Show in a non-title match to regain the number one contendership. Having the option to pick a date, Van Dam announced the title match would occur at December to Dismember. Heyman, however, had the option of picking the match type and announced that the main event would be a six-man Extreme Elimination Chamber match. At the event, following an elbow drop with a steel chair from Test, Van Dam was the third participant eliminated. Later in December, Van Dam once again earned the number one contendership to the ECW World Championship, but this time by a fan poll. Van Dam got three matches against ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley, coming up short each time.

Rob Van Dam later joined the ECW Originals along with Sabu, Tommy Dreamer, and The Sandman. The ECW Originals began a feud with the New Breed (Elijah Burke, Kevin Thorn, Marcus Cor Von, and Matt Striker). The two teams faced off at WrestleMania 23 in a match which the ECW Originals won. After Vince McMahon won the ECW World Championship at Backlash, RVD and the other ECW Originals made statements on WWE.com about McMahon killing ECW. The ECW Originals all competed in a four way dance to decide who would take on McMahon the next week on ECW in a title match, which Van Dam won after a five-star frog splash on Sandman. Van Dam, however, had to face McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Umaga in a 3 on 1 handicap match, which Van Dam was unable to win.

Van Dam received a kayfabe concussion during a match with Randy Orton.151 Orton further attacked Van Dam after the match due to the comments Van Dam made on WWE.com about the lack of respect Orton displayed towards Shawn Michaels, who also suffered a "concussion" at the hands of Orton. Van Dam once again faced Orton at One Night Stand, this time in a Stretcher match. Although it looked as if Orton was going to win again, Van Dam gave a kick to his head, and was able to push the stretcher across the line for the win. Despite winning the match, Orton continued to attack Van Dam, ending with an elevated DDT off the barricade and onto the concrete floor. After the match, he left the WWE for unknown reasons.

Post–WWE

The day after Van Dam's WWE contract expired, he was in the United Kingdom on a promotional tour, and to record scenes for the wrestling documentary, Bloodstained Memoirs. He also took part in interviews for the BBC.152

On December 10, 2007, Van Dam made a special appearance on the Raw 15th Anniversary, to accept a challenge made by Santino Marella and easily defeated him in less than a minute with a Five–Star Frog Splash.153 In a recent interview with the Baltimore Sun, Van Dam stated that while WWE would be the first choice and that he would definitely talk to them, he'd definitely consider Total Nonstop Action Wrestling if he returns full time to pro wrestling.154 Van Dam wrestled for the first time on the independent circuit since his release from WWE by competing for Nu-Wrestling Evolution throughout countries such as Spain. During his stint in NWE, Van Dam also trained with The Ultimate Warrior for his wrestling return. On August 14, 2008 he won a triple threat match at the Inoki Genome Federation in Japan after defeating Kendo Kashin and Necro Butcher.

Other media

Van Dam has appeared on numerous televsion shows, and in films. In 1995, he was in Superfights as "The Mercenary", and in 1997 he appeared in Bloodmoon as "Dutch Scholtz". On October 23, 1999, he appeared in City Guys, in the episode "El-Trainmania IV" as himself. In 2000 he appeared in 18 Wheels of Justice, on August 2 as "Robert Laramie", and in the The X-Files on May 7 as "Burt's opponent" in the episode "Fight Club". He also appeared on V.I.P. in the episode "Danger Island" as "Major Ving Talbot" that year. On July 26, 2001, he appeared as himself on Spy TV, and again later that year he appeared as himself in Ultimate Revenge on December 2. In 2002, he starred in two films, Black Mask 2: City of Masks as "Claw", and made a cameo appearance in The Backyard as "himself". In 2005, the Rob Van Dam: One Of A Kind DVD was released. He also appeared on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling in 2008 teaching finishing moves to the celebrities.

RVD–TV

Van Dam officially announced on his website's blog that he is in the process of creating an online show entitled RVD-TV. On this show, he will give his fans a glimpse at what his life is like outside of the wrestling business. A preview for this upcoming series can now be found on the homepage of his website. Some of Van Dam's friends will appear on the show, such as Samoa Joe, Chris Masters, and Sabu. The show will be filmed at his home in California where he has been spending most of his time since temporarily retiring. Van Dam is expected to announce some of his other future projects through the show, such as his upcoming DVD.

Personal life

Szatkowski is married to Sonya,155 who is an aspiring make up artist. During his wrestling career, Sonya often traveled on the road with Rob and appeared at ringside during events that Rob took part in. On April 23, 2008, Szatkowski revealed that his wife is suffering from colon cancer.156

Szatkowski is a trained kickboxer and martial artist. In 1990, he placed second in the Kalamazoo Heavyweight Toughman Contest. Szatkowski is also an outspoken advocate of vitamins and bodybuilding supplements and attributes this to his mother's influence.157 Szatkowski participated in amateur wrestling while in high school. He is the inventor of the Van Dam Lift, a weightlifting technique that involves performing a split (which he took up in his early teens) between two benches and lifting a dumbbell from the floor to the waist. The lift was approved by the International All-Around Weightlifting Association in 1998, and Szatkowski holds the current record, 166.5 lb (76 kg). Growing up in Battle Creek, Michigan, Szatkowski studied martial arts at two local dojos. He received instruction in Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Aikido, Kendo, and Kickboxing.

Szatkowski was featured in an article in the March 1999 issue of High Times. His signature symbol is the Taijitu; in an interview for WWE's "Invasion" DVD, he said he uses this symbol because it represents "the use of good or evil."

Van Dam used to own a comic book shop called "5 Star Comics". He, along with several other wrestlers, often showed up at the store to sign autographs.

2006 arrest

On July 3, 2006, The Ironton Tribune reported that Szatkowski and Terry Brunk (one of his colleagues known as Sabu) had been arrested on the previous evening on U.S. Route 52 in Hanging Rock, Ohio. Szatkowski had been stopped for speeding by an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, who discovered that he was in possession of 18 grams of marijuana and five Vicodin pills, while Brunk was in possession of drug paraphernalia and nine tablets of Testolactone.158 Both Szatkowski and Brunk were released after posting bail, and were scheduled to appear in Ironton Municipal Court on July 6, 2006.159 On July 6, 2006, The Ironton Tribune reported that the court date for Szatkowski and Brunk was in limbo, as their attorneys had asked for and were granted continuances.160

According to the WWE's wellness policy, a drug-related arrest can lead to that talent's immediate dismissal from the company. WWE Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis released a statement on WWE.com reporting that Szatkowski and Brunk were still eligible to compete on the Raw and ECW tapings the following days while an investigation conducted by WWE was being undertaken. It was on those two shows that Van Dam dropped both his WWE Title and ECW Title in succession. Van Dam was subsequently suspended without pay for 30 days, and an on-air segment on ECW was scripted to relay this to the fans.158161

On August 31, 2006, Szatkowski and Brunk appeared in court. Szatkowski plead guilty to possessing marijuana and was fined $140 USD, while Brunk was fined $1000 USD.162

In wrestling

Rob Van Dam performing his signature Rolling Thunder on Marcus Cor Von.
  • Entrance themes
    • Van Dam's entrance music in the original ECW was "Walk" by Pantera. The song was covered by Kilgore for the ECW Extreme Music album; Van Dam briefly used this version as his entrance music when the album was released. Due to licensing issues, on the "One Of a Kind" DVD he uses a soundalike of Walk and on the WWE-released Barely Legal DVD "Walk" was replaced by the Sonoton production library's "Progeny".
    • Van Dam's entrance music in WWE was originally "Van Daminator", a soundalike of "Walk", and then "One of a Kind" by Breaking Point. He appears in the music video for One of a Kind, in which he loses his car to the band's lead singer, Brett Erickson, in a street race. At the end of the video, he spin kicks the keys to the car into his opponent's hands. The song appears on the WWF Forceable Entry album and Breaking Point's Coming of Age album.
    • Van Dam's entrance music on the WWE Wreckless Intent album is "Fury of the Storm" by Shadows Fall. Possibly due to licensing issues with his "One of a Kind" theme, "Fury of the Storm" is used as Van Dam's theme in WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007.
  • Early WWF appearance
    • Rob Szatkowski made an appearance on WWF television in 1987 in a skit with Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase. At the time, DiBiase was selecting plants from the audience and offering to pay them to perform degrading acts and offered the teenage Szatkowski $100 to enter the ring and kiss his foot, which he did. This early appearance was later included as a bonus feature on WWE's Before They Were Superstars DVD.163

Championships and accomplishments

Van Dam as both WWE Champion and ECW Champion.
  • All Star Wrestling
    • ASW North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)164