Rob Van Dam Trained Ultimate Warrior For 2008 Comeback: ‘He Was As Cool As Can Be’
One of Rob Van Dam‘s favorite wrestlers growing up was the Ultimate Warrior and it was a huge honor for “RVD” to help train him for his 2008 comeback.
“It was amazing to me when a mutual acquaintance told me that he really respected my work and wanted to come into L.A. He wanted me to train him because he was getting ready to wrestle again for the first time in 10 years,” said Van Dam in an interview with The Hannibal TV. I didn’t know him at all. I had worked one show with him [NWC’s 1995 event at the Silver Nugget Pavilion in Las Vegas] and I was on the undercard. His wife after he died, she told me … ‘You stuck out to him at that show. He always kept watching you after that throughout the years and he’d always tell me when you were doing really good.’ That was so touching to know that. It’s incredible how full circle all the energy in the universe, how it all works.”
“RVD” says their training session wasn’t remarkable and that they didn’t do a lot of actual wrestling since Warrior wanted to work on hitting the ropes and doing the basics. However, he has fond memories of the encounter and mentioned lighting up a “doobie” after picking Warrior up at the airport. “I rolled down the window a little bit, [lights up a blunt] and I’m driving down the road. He looked over and said, ‘You smoke every day?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and we just started talking about it. He was just as cool as can f—ing be.”
Warrior would win his 2008 comeback as he defeated Orlando Jordan for the NWE World Heavyweight Title.
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