On a recent edition of the “Insight” podcast, Rob Van Dam discussed his AEW debut, using Pantera’s “Walk” as his entrance music, losing his WWE Hall of Fame ring, and more.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On how his AEW debut came together: “Well, they reached out to me so long ago, like towards the beginning of the year, it was kind of hypothetical checking my interest and availability, and the dates that they mentioned, even though it was way back then and ended up being the exact same dates, August 2 and August 9. And I couldn’t believe that how could you be that far planned ahead? It was like, January maybe, or, you know, maybe February. It was a long, long time ago that they first brought it up. So that was one of those things where every once in a while, I’d be talking to a fan at a con. And they’d say, you know, are we’re gonna see you show up on WWE. It’s real, you know, and I’d be like, maybe you might see me pop up on the other show, too. I don’t know. But I didn’t really expect much of it until it was like, boom, alright cool, we’re going through with it. So I would have thought, based on that, if I was going to return again and they hadn’t planned it yet that it would be a year from now, you know what I mean? But apparently, that’s not always the case, as Matt Hardy and Jeff told me when I had this conversation saying that exact same thing. And he said, No, it’s not always like that, you know, sometimes, you know, boom, something changes, you know, the day before.”
On how he planted the seed to use Pantera’s “Walk” as his entrance music in AEW: “I did, but it was already planted. So I wasn’t the first one. I reached out to them and it was very shortly before my trip happened. You know, I don’t remember, it was just right before and I was just like, man, you know, that’d be so awesome if we could get Walk, it would really add a lot. And the producer I was talking to said, yeah, Tony tried and he couldn’t get it and I was like, oh, okay, that was the day of the show. [Then] They told me, boom, we got Walk. And it was a few hours before I’m at the arena. And I was like, wow are you serious dude? That changes everything about because otherwise they’re gonna have to look at the monitor and you know, be like, okay, yeah, that’s RVD. What song would they use? [They would make a song for you?] They would make it and then that wouldn’t get over nearly as much so, so super cool. And does that mean that they’re gonna have it this week? I don’t know. I hope so.”
On how he lost his WWE Hall of Fame ring: “So the very first week that I got it, I did a show in Wisconsin, and I wasn’t used to having it. I left it in the hotel room, went back to Las Vegas. And so it took an honest maid, and an honest front desk person and an honest wrestling promoter. Thank you, Ben McCoy, for calling me and saying, Did you forget something dude? I didn’t even know yet. I just got home the next day and wow, I had it for I don’t know. I think it was it was the same week, so I didn’t have a very long, I lost it already.”
On possibly winding down his wrestling career: “Not really. I mean, you know, sometimes the thought goes through my head. If I’m having a bad travel day, for instance, I’m done, I hate this, I just want to be home, traveling sucks. I’ll have those moments inside my head. But they usually don’t last that long. And I used to think I was gonna retire, that was like several years ago, and I thought I was probably close to hanging the boots up. And now I just don’t even think I will. I think I’ll be like Dory Funk Jr. And just [keep going], and I may quit taking bookings. But I don’t think I’m gonna make a big deal out of being retired because the credibility of wrestlers retiring is so broad anyway. You know, so I don’t [know]. Sabu used to say, it’d be cool if we did a retirement tour. And we went around the world and wrestled for all the companies that we’ve wrestled for. But the timing of that didn’t work out too well, because he finished up before me.”
You can keep up with all your wrestling news right here on eWrestlingNews.com. Or, you can follow us over on our Twitter and Facebook pages.
Rob Van Dam Reflects on AEW Debut, Entrance Music, and Losing WWE Hall of Fame Ring
Former WWE and ECW superstar Rob Van Dam recently appeared on the “Insight” podcast to discuss his debut in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), his choice of entrance music, and an unfortunate incident involving his WWE Hall of Fame ring. Van Dam’s appearance in AEW has been highly anticipated by fans, and he shared some insights into how it all came together.
Regarding his AEW debut, Van Dam revealed that the company had reached out to him early in the year to gauge his interest and availability. Surprisingly, the dates they mentioned during their initial conversation turned out to be the exact same dates for his debut. Van Dam expressed his surprise at how far in advance AEW had planned his appearance. He also mentioned that he had hinted to fans at conventions that he might show up on the “other show,” referring to AEW. However, he didn’t expect it to materialize until it was confirmed.
One interesting aspect of Van Dam’s AEW debut was his choice of entrance music. He revealed that he had suggested using Pantera’s iconic song “Walk” as his theme music. Although he wasn’t the first one to suggest it, he reached out to AEW producers shortly before his appearance and expressed his desire to have the song as his entrance music. Initially, he was informed that they couldn’t secure the rights to the song. However, just a few hours before the show, he received the news that they had indeed acquired the rights to “Walk.” Van Dam expressed his excitement about this development, as it added a significant impact to his entrance.
In a rather unfortunate incident, Van Dam shared the story of how he lost his WWE Hall of Fame ring. He mentioned that during his first week of receiving the ring, he left it behind in a hotel room in Wisconsin while traveling back to Las Vegas. Fortunately, an honest maid, front desk person, and wrestling promoter helped him retrieve the ring. Van Dam expressed his gratitude to Ben McCoy, the wrestling promoter, for calling him and informing him about the forgotten ring. Despite having the ring for only a short time, he was relieved to have it back in his possession.
When asked about the possibility of winding down his wrestling career, Van Dam admitted that he occasionally has thoughts of retirement, especially during challenging travel days. However, those thoughts don’t last long, and he doesn’t see himself retiring anytime soon. He mentioned that he might stop taking bookings in the future but doesn’t plan on making a big deal out of being retired. Van Dam cited the broad credibility of wrestlers retiring and expressed his admiration for Dory Funk Jr., who continues to wrestle despite being in his 70s.
Rob Van Dam’s AEW debut has been a significant moment for both him and his fans. With his choice of entrance music and his determination to continue wrestling, Van Dam remains a beloved figure in the world of professional wrestling. Fans can stay updated on all the latest wrestling news on eWrestlingNews.com or follow their Twitter and Facebook pages.