During a recent episode of his “1 Of A Kind” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam elucidated on his short-lived stint in WCW back in 1992. He also shared his thoughts on how he believes his career path would’ve unfolded, had Bill Watts remained in power under the reigns of Ole Anderson.
Highlights of this podcast discussion can be found below:
Discussing his short reign in WCW, Rob stated, “My time in WCW wasn’t a particularly happy period for me. What truly puts a damper on that period is that when I returned from a stint in Japan, Bill Watts was no longer the one calling the shots. Ole Anderson had assumed the head position, and my persona, Robbie V, did not resonate with him as much as it had with Bill Watts. This led to my downgrading from winning against top talents to either being easily defeated on television or providing tryouts and dark matches for emerging talents from across the globe.
“I reached a point where I didn’t wish to remain there any longer”, He continued. “I shared this with Mike Graham, our agent, and his solution was offering me an additional if I chose to stay. However, I was always mentally prepared for the possibility of not wishing to continue and thus, purposefully ‘lost’ the contract, never signing it. I echoed this manipulative behavior when I failed to return the ECW Television Championship belt back to the shows. Hence, I had the liberty to quit WCW whenever I wanted – and I still possess that contract.”
When asked about his potential under Bill Watts, had he stayed, Rob mused, “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. Being relatively new and lacking experience , I was just turning 22 when they hired me in December ’92. I can’t exactly decode what he thought of me, I only know he wasn’t a fan of high flyers and even prohibited the use of the top rope during my tenure. However, he permitted my split-legged moonsault as I was simply using it for a bounce. He differentiated it from actually climbing up and leaping off it. Interestingly, like always, I found myself an exception to the rules.”