Rate The Wrestler: Rob Van Dam

[Odisho]

Rob Van Dam has held 22 championships between ECW, WWE, and TNA, as well as several regional titles in various promotions during his career. Van Dam is a six-time world heavyweight champion having held the WWE Championship, ECW World Heavyweight Championship and TNA World Heavyweight Championship once each (held ECW Title under WWE Banner), the AWR World Heavyweight Championship twice, and is a former WSW World Heavyweight Champion. He is the only man to hold the ECW and WWE Championships simultaneously, as well as to have held the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. He is also the first former original ECW wrestler to win the TNA World Title in his carrer. He is the only man to win both WWE and ECW's Triple Crown Championship. Part of ECW's Triple Crown included the ECW World Television Championship, of which RVD's 700 day reign was the longest. And won the 2006 MITB.

Rob van dam was very creative with his moves, he would create new moves never seen before, ws super athletic, he was a great chain grappler, was in a great tag team with sabu and rey mysterio and kane.

he had great feuds and matches with the likes of; Sabu, Kane, Eddie Guerrero, Jeff hardy, Randy orton, Triple H, Booker T, John cena, Rhyno, terry funk, the rock.......thats all for now, if i had named all of his fueds the list will keep u reading for days.

heres a little video tht runs through his ring work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYgPuXrqsFQ

he wasn't the best on the mic, but thts the only problem, also i have to mention the thing that hurt RVD's career, he smoked a lot of marijuana.

TOP MOVES:
Five Star Frog Splash
Van Daminator
Van Terminator
Rolling Thunder
Diving Kick
450 Splash
Monkey Flip
Standing Moonsault
Spring Board Kick


so on a scale from 1/10 what would u rate ROB VAN DAM

i would rate him 8/10

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

4/10. He is overrrated. Doesn't sell anything, doesn't have any ring psychology. He's a "spot guy" who hasn't done any new spots in years. He isn't marketable anymore either, he has that stupid ass undercut haircut and late 90s tween attire (airbrushed dragons and yin yangs?).

People who like him like spots. Either that or they bought into the ECW hype.

 

[911 JP]

I agree with 8. Rob I find very entertaining. He can fit in with anyplace on a card, from tag team, to Main Event. I always enjoy a Van Dam match, and thoroughly believe taht he could put on a good match with any opponent. Some may call him a spot monkey, but I believe no matter what you think of him he is a great athlete and performer and that is why I rank him so highly. How many wrestlers do you see take such a long hiatus from pro wrestling and still be a major draw yet live up to the hype.

 

[DanTheMan3:16]

an 8 is good, hes won many titles including

WWE Tag Team Titles
World Tag Team Titles
Intercontinal Title
European Title
Hardcore Title
ECW TV Title (for 2 yrs straight)
ECW World Championship
TNA World Championship
WWE Championship (while holding ecw title)

Hes also had many great matches with numerous people

however i give him a 7 reasons why
He had to lose his ECW and WWE titles because of being caught with Marijuana.
His downfall was drugs and also being way too dangerous, (he once did a 5star frog splash off the chamber tripod and landed on HHH's Throut)

 

[IHaveRegistered]

I personally think he's a nine (maybe a ten) and one of the best guys in the past 15 years. yes he does alot of spots but that doesn't necessarily bother me though. I am always entertained when Van Dam is in the ring (excluding some 3 minuet iMPACT matches). I've read some other's opinion and they said he can't sell. The way we could sell a pilediver or ddt was amazing. Maybe over-selling but it looks like his neck is broken : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcEHEG63Q-I
Hell, did you ever notice how he does the 5-star? Yeah i'd assume that hurts but when he bounces up in the air. His character is badass cause (for the most part) he's in constant relaxation... or high. Except the start of his ECW run. btw he's good as a heel too, with the whole Mr. Monday Night thing in 97 and the promos with him, Sabu, and Fonzie were hillarious. He's forty and can still go. you'd never notice it on tv though (hahaha okay that's my last TNA joke sorry) Normally alot of names in wrestling are just to get over and what not but in my opinion Rob Van Dam is Legitly "The Whole Fucking Show!".... Sorry for the cheesy ending

 

[GI Cake]

Throughout my years of wrestling I could never understand the love Rob Vam Damn got during the course of his career. Granted the guy is athletic but what has he done for professional wrestling other than glorify the name "Spot Monkey" His move-set has never meshed and looked fluent, it looked sluggish and a lot of 'stopping and stalling'

Another thing that bugged me was that he glorified marijuana and was so proud of being a pot head he named one of his moves "4:20." I don't take to kindly to pot heads, if you think drugs don't interfere with your life and cause you to make stupid choices in your life just ask his good 'ole buddy, Jeff Hardy.

Now for a rating I don't think he deserves an 8 nor do I think he deserves anything lower than a 5. So I guess if I have to, I will put him at a 6, mainly for how athletic he is despite blazing up every other TNA taping.

 

[Lachie Batista]

entertaining great athlete but......a pot head

 

[The Death Rattle]

I must clarify a couple of things for JoeRickyRunn. You don't have to like RVD's admitted marijuana usage, that is totally your right to disagree. However, you are so far off base with comparing him to Jeff Hardy. Hardy is an addict, not a pot head. He was caught with cocaine, prescription medication, and steroids during the raid on his house. His shameful match against Sting was not because of marijuana, but from the long list of drugs Hardy was taking. Hardy's legal woes are so much more then smoking marijuana, it's from using a combination of illegal drugs. Secondly, RVD is a pot advocate in terms of its medical purposes. RVD's wife has cancer, and uses it to help in her treatment. I think that gives him more credibility in his stance, as opposed to Hardy wanting to get high for his own selfish reasons.

On topic, I rate RVD as a 7-8 wrestler. I always laugh when I see people call some wrestlers "spot monkey", then go on to glorify others who could also be given that title. EVERY wrestler relies on spots in their matches. RVD has a one of a kind moveset, generally puts on entertaining matches, puts his well being at risk every night with some of his moves, and has performed some of the most memorable spots in the history of the sport.

People need to stop being so critical of guys because they aren't the freshest character on a given show. News flash: most wrestlers are stale in that they have been playing the same character for an extended period of time. That is what happens when a guy gains a high level of success. Be it Hulk Hogan, John Cena, AJ Styles, or Samoa Joe. These men work hard to cultivate characters that catch on and give them a spot on the card. RVD is no different. He is playing a character, that while also stale, is still unique.

I for one appreciate that there are still guys advancing in age who are still willing to put their bodies on the line to entertain us and continue working a style that brought them fame. RVD could easily drop his high flying moves, sans the 5 star frog splash, and just be some kind of martial arts wrestler. He hasn't, he continues to deliver the same type of high spots that brought him to the mainstream. I salute him and hope he keeps giving wrestling fans more of the same.

 

[Atheist Christian Fan]

I'd have to say a 6 out of 10. He's a superior athlete, but he doesn't sell and he highly overrates himself.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

Pretty much everybody has complain about how John Cena can't wrestle or Hulk Hogan can't wrestle but somehow, nobody talk about how RVD can'T wrestle. I'm sorry to say this but in a way that true. Sure RVD is athletic, the guy can do stuff that 90% of all the other wrestlers can't do but outside of all these flashy move that he got, have you ever seen him actually wrestle. Everytime he see him throw a kick or a forearm at somebody, i'm thinking how fake it looks because fopr some reason, he's always try to stop is offence before actually hitting the opponent.


Also he always does the same routine in every single match and it's becoming predictable. Has far as charisma goes, he really doesn'T have it. Everytime i see him on T.V., i'm not think that i have to watch him at all cost. He just not that entertaining.

So in the end, i'm giving him 4/10 mostly because of his accomplishment in wrestling. On a side note, if you really want a good laugh, watch RVD starring in the direct to DVD movie, Wrong side of town. This is probably the most god awful film i ever saw and RVD is pretty much the most boring hero i've ever seen.

 

[Mustang Sally]

4/10. He is overrrated. Doesn't sell anything, doesn't have any ring psychology. He's a "spot guy" who hasn't done any new spots in years.

Agreed, although I'd rate him a little higher, maybe a 5/10. With RVD, it's the same soup warmed over; he hasn't done anything new in years. He's an innovator who no longer innovates. Plus, he looks as if he's doing his opponent a favor when he deigns to sell for him; it just doesn't look as if his heart is in it anymore.

I also don't care for the way his expanding gut gets in the way of some of his flying maneuvers; it makes them appear less graceful than earlier in his career. You can argue that he's older and it's harder to keep the weight off, but people who make their livings with their bodies (athletes) need to do a better job of staying in shape. Sting is quite a bit older than RVD but I don't see him going to pot. (pun intended)

I don't have a particular problem with the part-time schedule he works. He got TNA to agree to it.....and it's probably the reason he chose them over WWE. Now, they're stuck with their employee calling the shots as affects his schedule. Tough rocks, Dixie.

 

[EADESER]

the rvd from the late 90's to about 2005 was cool. He was innovative, unique and not your typical everyday wrestler. Rvd in ECW was really cool he did things no one ever seen and thats what made him so popular, he was that good in ecw Paul heyman wouldn;t put the world title on him or make him an even bigger star because he knew WWE orWCW would try sign him. When RVD eventually came to WWE he was beyond over with the fans and i dont care what anyone says RVD was as over as Rock,Austin,taker. He was getting the same pops as rock and austin and was mainevent level but vince couldn;t stand that he didn't make RVD a star, RVD did that by himself and help from Heyman so he never got pushed to the level of austin, rock witch was a shame. From 2002 he should have been world champion when he faced triple h but they didn't have faith in him. From 2003 to 2005 he was still really over and won tag title's and i.c title but still was more of a high midcarder at that stage. When he won money in the bank at wrestlemania 22 it was cool but at that stage i think rvd was kinda stale and his time should have been back in 2000 not 2006. He finally won the wwe title and ecw title at the same time but lost it a month later because he failed a wellness policy so that was his own vault. He didn't really do anything for the rest off his wwe career and eventually left in 2007 to take care of his wife. He finally came to TNA and at first it was cool to seen him again but after awhile he got boring and hasn't really done anything. I think at this stage of his carrer he should just return to wwe as i think he is better suited there and not so much TNA and he should just have one more run in wwe and retire as i dont think he can do atin for tna at this point.


so to rate RVD I would rate RVD 1990's - 2003 7or8/10

RVD 2004-2007 6/10

RVD 2010-present 4/10

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'd give RVD a 5 out of 10. RVD is someone that I think is kind of overrated, especially amongst internet fans. RVD is athletic and he was among the most innovative guys of the 90s. I do enjoy his matches sometimes but he's just simply not the end all and be all that die hard ECW and indy fans have made him out to be. He has some flashy moves but he also has some shortcomings.

RVD has almost zero personality. The guy is just plain flat and wooden as a character with no promo abilities. It's almost painful to watch and listen to RVD try and cut a promo, he's just not any good at it at all. He makes John Morrison look like The Rock.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I rated a little high thinking of RVD's career over time at 7/10. In reality it is probably around a 6/10. The guy was never a huge draw or ratings grabber. He was always good in the ring when he wasn't lazy. There is a difference in toning down your work rate to just being lazy or sloppy. He wasn't great on the mic in ECW, but at least he was able to have some decent promos. Now all of his promos are the same with his laid back attitude.

He complained so much about how he was being portrayed as the laid back surfer dude in WWE, and he is unscripted in TNA and has the same character. RVD talking about how he was the greatest in the world caught on at first, but its not interesting or believable now this late in his career.

 

[He's Phenomenal]

I'm a big fan of the Whole F'N' Shows. He's probably my favourite wrestler of all time (definately in the top 3). Even though he is one of the best, I'm not going to give him a 10, as only Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair would be 10s in the World of wrestling.

For me Van Dams a 9. His run in ECW was simply awesome and he's the main reason I became a fan of the promotion (along with Sabu, Shane Douglas and the Eliminators). Some of the things he could do just blew me away. And his matches were always exciting and entertaining.

I never saw any of his WWE run so can't really comment on that.

When he debuted for TNA I marked out like never before and couldn't actually believe he was back. And since he's been in TNA he's hardly lost a step. He may be a little slower now, which is only natural given the fact he's older now. But he can still pull off all his moves and still has the fans in raptures everytime his music plays out.

The man is simply one of the best and I just hope he starts being pushed as one of the companies top guys in the near future.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I would rate RVD at 7 out of 10 on a 1 to 10 point scale. I have mixed feelings about the guy and he gets the rating I gave him because even though he has had some awesome moments, most of the time it's the same old stuff each match and bad decisions on his part have ended a few of his pushes. Nothing in his TNA career has even touched his moments in WWE or ECW. I do like RVD though.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

It's so difficult for me to rate RVD because he's like diarrhea. You never know when he's gonna strike!

Sometimes he can be just so dull in the ring and everything he does is uneventful. Other times it makes me wonder why he's not in the Main Event all the time with the matches he pulls of.

I guess 5/10 because it's in the middle. He could be a 10/10 but that's rare. I'm not counting his promo work. If I did he wouldn't even register on this.

 

[MisterRob]

RVD is a 5. He's average. That may be rating him a touch low, but I really feel RVD has always been overrated. RVD is definitely not a great wrestler, an he was the original"spot monkey" of professional wrestling, because his matches were all just one spot after the next with no story involved, no rhyme or reason, and I just can't appreciate that. Even now you can literally call out every move he's going to do because its the same routine all the time, with no creativity involved. He may have been higher then a 5 at other times in his career, but right now he offers nothing to TNA and his name recognition isn't even enough.

He sure as hell isn't the whole F'ing show anymore.

 

[radec]

7/10

has championship history and his in ring skills are great. He lacks mic skills and he sells like crap. he dosent bring much innovation to his fueds too.

 

[Alittude]

Wow do people have short term memory loss haha anyone rating his whole career by what they see in TNA now is being unfair and bias. Of course he isn't as good now but during ECW and his prime in WWE he was one of the most unique wrestlers in the world and would entertain people everywhere he went and it didn't matter who he versed. The fact that he has always been ridiculously over and still is without great mic skills tells you something his style alone makes people love him.

Just because he does a lot of spots doesn't mean his a spot monkey as he is capable of so much more than that. High spots can be amazing when used right and that's exactly what he did I don't think he should be criticized for that. Also how the hell doesn't he sell? If anything he oversells and makes simple moves look much more awesome against him such as a ddt as someone else said. I loved him growing up and will always respect him and even though he isn't the same as he use to be I still just love the aura he will always have.

One last thing anyone bagging him about marijuana yeah it sucks that he was caught when he was champion but come on it should be legal anyway and especially since his wife uses it for her cancer but thats another topic all together.

 

[neildittmar]

If this question was asked circa 1997 in the middle of his ECW run, or at the begining of his WWF run, I would've easily said 9/10. I was a huge RVD fan and for good reason... he had an innovative style, a unique personality, he wasn't afraid to take risks and he had legitimate interest in bringing the crowd to its feet and making them pop. In short, he cared.

Today's RVD ranks about a 6/10 in my book. His part-time schedule gives him the ability to lose a lot of the traits that made him connect so deeply with fans before. The ECW version of RVD was an innovator and a risk taker, night after night after night. Today's RVD represents a still somewhat exciting, but ultimately tired act that has been done by Rob himself many times over. His spots are kinda stale, he hasn't innovated in a very long time, and he even occasionally phones his performances in.

His mic work has gone from laid back, self-assured and cocky to going through the motions to get from point A to point B. Nothing more and nothing less. Rob can work, both on the mic and definitely in the ring, but it's the same act over and over again. When you specialize in wowing audiences like Rob did in the late 90's and early 2000's, you need to constantly keep revolutionizing yourself... if not in the ring, then on the mic. Rob simply hasn't done that in many, many years.

I think his run with WWECW really hurt him overall. Not because of the way he was booked necessarily, but because Rob was finally recognized as a bona fide star by the biggest wrestling company in the world. I believe that ultimately gave RVD the ability to say "job well done" and effectively call it a career as far as innovation and presentation go. He's still RVD and he still does what he does, but it's not fresh or exciting or new. He's just, still, RVD.