On a recent edition of his “1 Of A Kind” podcast, Rob Van Dam recalled Triple H offering to help him with his promos and how he felt insulted by The Game’s gesture.
RVD said, “I mean, I could have taken more control if I would have had ideas, if I would have been inspired to look at their script and then make it my own. But that wasn’t something they I’ve ever really been good at, faking an interest in something. Now, I could probably fake it as an actor. But back then, it was more like I was myself, and so if I really was telling everybody that this match that I had with Christian on Saturday means more to me than anything in my whole life, I’m gonna be laughing at myself, and I’d feel like I’m making myself into an asshole. But now, I could probably do it. But back then, I really felt more attached to what I was saying. So when o read the script, and it’s like, ‘Cool, whatever,’ then I would never look at that and say, ‘You know what would really make this good? What if I walk into the room, and Booker T had his towel around him, and come out of the shower….’, I didn’t have that kind of inspiration. I was just like, ‘What do they want from me? I just want to wrestle.’ That is mostly how I felt. Looking back at the ECW promos, I did have some fun with the promos sometimes. They were fun. I feel like they were more what I wanted to say. Then all of a sudden, I had to talk about stuff I didn’t care about, and pretend that I did. The whole agenda was way different.”
He continued, “I was asked about this like a year or two ago. Otherwise, I would have forgot because it’s a really faint memory. But sometime, and this would have been before 2004, I think it was Hunter, offered, I think he pulled me aside and offered [to] help me with my promos. I think I was insulted by that. My ego [and] competitiveness made me feel like he was saying I couldn’t talk, and I was like, I don’t want to talk like him. ‘I’m RVD, he just don’t get me.’ I think I felt more like that, and that probably, very good chance, could have led to some of the long-term that I had while I was there, possibly, looking back at it. It was hard to draw the line between being true to myself and doing the job, which, it’s being professional and just, ‘Produce this. We need you to say this. Boom, Say it.’ I gave a f**k about a lot of stuff that I probably shouldn’t have given a f**k about. Maybe. Who knows?“
In 2007, RVD left WWE due to being burnt out and needing time away. He returned to the company in 2013 before leaving again a year later.
RVD returned to WWE for a second time in 2019 and remained under contract for four years before debuting for AEW this past August.
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In a recent episode of his podcast, Rob Van Dam (RVD) shared an interesting anecdote about Triple H offering to help him with his promos. However, RVD admitted that he felt insulted by the gesture. This incident sheds light on the challenges wrestlers face when it comes to delivering scripted promos and finding their own voice in the industry.
RVD explained that he struggled with faking an interest in something he didn’t genuinely care about. He believed in being true to himself and found it difficult to pretend to be someone he wasn’t. This authenticity made it challenging for him to fully embrace the scripted promos given to him by the WWE. RVD’s primary focus was on wrestling, and he didn’t feel the need to excel in the art of delivering promos.
Looking back at his time in ECW, RVD acknowledged that he had more fun with the promos because they allowed him to express himself more freely. However, when he joined WWE, the agenda and expectations were different. He had to talk about things he didn’t care about and pretend to be interested. This shift in approach made it harder for RVD to connect with the scripted promos and deliver them convincingly.
Triple H’s offer to help RVD with his promos may have been well-intentioned, but RVD’s ego and competitiveness led him to interpret it as a suggestion that he couldn’t talk. He wanted to maintain his individuality and didn’t want to sound like Triple H. This incident might have contributed to some of the long-term challenges RVD faced during his time in WWE.
In 2007, RVD left WWE due to burnout and the need for a break. He returned in 2013 but left again after a year. However, in 2019, RVD made his second return to WWE and remained under contract for four years before debuting for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in August of this year.
RVD’s story highlights the importance of finding a balance between staying true to oneself and meeting the demands of the job. It also sheds light on the challenges wrestlers face when it comes to delivering scripted promos and maintaining their individuality in a highly competitive industry.
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