On a recent episode of his podcast “1 Of A Kind,” Rob Van Dam, inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, opened up about his initial reluctance in forming relationships with WWE figures Vince McMahon and Eddie Guerrero.
The podcast provided some fascinating insights:
Discussing his reluctance to form a relationship with Vince McMahon, Rob Van Dam shared, “Bruce Prichard once told me, during a private chat, ‘John Cena will be away in October to work on a film. You should be aware of that.’ I thought, ‘Fine.’ He then said, ‘This could be a great chance for you to step into that gap.’ I didn’t take this well. Some of you may have heard me recount this tale. I took it as implying, ‘You need to work harder. Don’t you watch my matches? Don’t you see me out there giving it my all, and the way the fans respond to me?’ I asked him something along those lines and his response was, ‘No, it’s not about that at all. The relationship with Vince is what’s missing.’ Again, I didn’t take this well.”
Upon being asked why this bothered him, he explained, “As a young, defensive wrestler, with my lack of experience and unwillingness to compromise, I saw it as ‘So, I need to brown-nose in addition to everything else?’ Because I felt like my work should speak for itself. I thought I didn’t have to jockey for my position, once I had already established it by appearing on your TV show, stepping into the ring, doing my thing. Boom, I’m here. But I always found it frustrating that I still had to fight for my place, even once I was solidly there.
“Sadly this is the reality. You have to demonstrate your ambition. And shortly after this, one by one, every senior figure, including Shane McMahon, came up to tell me the same thing. Stephanie [McMahon] also told me exactly the same thing. Had I approached things differently and really built that relationship with Vince that year, perhaps my position would have been more secure. I am aware, from leaked information, that not everyone in those meetings was advocating for me. As Stephanie said to me, ‘You have to show my dad that you want it.’ She gave Eddie Guerrero as an example, saying, ‘Eddie was on top of the world. He had his downfall. But when he was ready, he wouldn’t let anything hold him back. He told my dad, ‘I’m going to be your champion again. Wait and see how I make it happen.’ And he did. To gain that level of trust, my father needs to know he can depend on you. For that, the relationship with him is key.’”
When discussing Eddie Guerrero’s dedication to wrestling, Rob Van Dam reflected, “Eddie for me will always symbolise the ultimate passion for wrestling, the determination to ascend to the top regardless of any barriers trying to pull you down.”