Rob Van Dam has officially signed with TNA

[Ambiguous Turd]

UPDATE: (Lord Sidious) According to Wrestlezone, Rob Van Dam's signing is now officially confirmed.

Well, Hulk and Jimmy Hart were on the Don Imus show earlier and you can be the judge:

[YOUTUBE]pm5n4JdZjLo[/YOUTUBE]​

This could be very interesting if this comes to fruition, and I have no doubt that it will. However, AJ Styles, despite being a Heel at the moment, is and has been for the most part the Face of the company. If this does transpire and RVD does sign with the company, I honestly have to question whether AJ Styles may be put on the back burner if RVD is signed.

Unless AJ Styles is a Heel, then I have a feeling that RVD could very well be pushed and marketed as the top Face of the company.

What is your opinion with RVD being signed by TNA, assuming this actually happens?

What advantages and what disadvantages (if any) do you see if this transpires?

 

[colalella2891]

OO man I was looking for this thread and if it didn't exist yet I was gonna make it!!!

I'm super excited if this is legit. RVD is incredible where ever he goes, I have to say I really miss having the guy in the WWE. RVD vs Styles could be a classic, probably much better than Angle vs Styles, even though that match was sick as well.

Like you said Sidious, there could be a potential problem with RVD overshadowing Styles, and become the new top guy of the show. That could easily happen, as RVD's fanbase is much larger than Styles'. However, I see no other issue with signing RVD. I say go for it!!!!! If it's true of course.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I think it is quite possible that RVD will head to TNA on March 8th. I think that he has warmed up and is bound to come around sooner or later. I think the advantages would be to have a big name like RVD come in and mix it up with the high intense superstars like AJ Styles, Daniels, and Samoa Joe. RVD could also feud with Wolfe, Angle, or Anderson.

It would of been great if Hardy didn't have his legal troubles. That way he could of been the top face of the company. Right now TNA doesn't really have a huge face. The Pope, Abyss, and Samoa Joe are in the main event, but they don't have the name value like RVD. Some people say he isn't relevant, but the man is still young and in shape. He also gets a huge reaction whenever he makes his debut.

The only disadvantages would be trying to cram all the new talent onto one 2 hour show. Honestly though there is a lot of crap that TNA can cut out of their shows (i.e. Nasty Boys, BTLS, Hall/Waltman) to make room for the older and newer talent.

 

[Theo Mays]

Well the obvious advantage is that RVD brings star power and a pretty big fanbase to your organization. Plus RVD can compete on whatever spot you place him in. The guy can do X-division, he can do tag team, he can do the global, and he can main event. He is pretty versatile in the fact that you can place him anywhere on the card and can make that spot feel more important.

The only disadvantage I can take from this is that it could push Pope back in the main event scene. Abyss is going to get a strong push, Joe could be inline for a big push, and then there is Angle and Anderson. This could kill the momentum Pope has. Hopefully that isn't the case and Pope can remain relevant and a top contender. Either way this could be a great move for TNA as RVD brings star power and is a guy most wrestling fans know and enjoy.

 

[GenMe]

So in the WrestleZone main page there is an article saying that RVD had sign with TNA, Now what role will he take in TNA will he go straight to the Mainevent level? Or will he be in the stuck in the x division level? Will this help the company out and bring more fans now that RVD had sign with TNA.

Is this a good thing for the company or a bad thing?
Will he make his debut on monday night?

I honestly will like RVD to shoot him up to the sky put him in the main event level and some how in the future give him a heavywieght championship. Yeah RVD is old and its been a long time since i was seen him in the ring, I really dont know if he is going to be rusty in the ring or good in it. As for TNA bringing him to the company i really think is a good thing for TNA they have really need a guy like RVD in there roster.

Im pretty sure that he will make his TNA debut this monday night, Hopefully he makes a good impact, And leave us wanting to see more of RVD.

Damm it sorry for the other poster who had made this thread i just saw it....Im really sorry

 

[TheFOUR]

MR. PPV...........MR. MONDAY NIGHT.............MR. WHOLE FUCKIN SHOW.........MR. 420

on TNA!!!!

I gotta admit that if this is true............it will be huge for TNA, an as far as the AJ back burner I think they are giving him the heel status he has always needed. I just used to see him as a *** heel and I do not mean homosexual but a heel that just wasnt at his full potential..........I gotta admit it adding Flair to Styles was a great move......RVD will more than likely get pushed as top face IF he signs long term deal with TNA. If its just a few appearances I still see Pope getting that push. This will be huge if RVD did sign because then that movie he made would be funny as hell.........Batista from WWE and RVD from TNA..........bet they wont do a sequel. LOL.

 

[JOSHG85]

The other great thing about RVD is that he's only 39. That's really not all that old...Daniels is 38 and Angle is 41 both of these guys can still go strong and I have no reason to believe that RVD won't be as great as he's ever been.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Exposure is exposure. While I really enjoy AJ Styles, the bottom line is that the wrestling business grows of what sells, and if RVD sells TNA better than AJ Styles, so be it.

I for one couldn't be happier with the acquisition. RVD brings major notoriety to what is otherwise a relatively still unknown company in terms of the wrestling world. The industry knows them, but there's a world of potentially untapped fans who don't, and if RVD helps to bring in a slew of them (as I'm sure he will), I'm all for it.

Wrestling a match against Jeff Hardy, who'd be wrestling his first match for TNA since his last match against Monty Brown at Genesis 2005 is also a huge plus to this if that rumor does in fact turn out to be true.

Advantage: More fans, more exposure, more growth.

Disadvantage: Less homegrown, and possibility for more roster cuts if a second show isn't announced.

 

[Tomo23]

I hope he's ready to be a big fish in a mid size pond because in 6 months when TNA writers have nothing for him thats how he's going to feel.

 

[JJYanks121]

Ideally, this would be great for TNA. Unfortunately, RVD has always been and will always be, someone who doesn't give a shit. He's actually worse than Jeff Hardy in that regard. Between the two, they both want to work as little as possible for as much money as possible.

I know it's rumored that he'll debut on the 8th, and he probably will, but I wouldn't do it. There's no way that his debut will be anything more than "o shit, it's RVD". Perhaps they'll throw him into a random X-Division match to interfere like Jeff Hardy. Truthfully, I would only sign RVD if he's in it for at least a year and I had a talk with him and made sure he was on board for everything that could be thrown at him. I'd want to push him as a top face because let's be honest, he has a name wrestling fans know. If it was me, I wouldn't debut him for a little while. Let A.J. beat Pope, let him beat Abyss, let him beat all the faces. When he gets so cocky that no entity can beat him, out would come RVD and his manager, Paul Heyman. Yes, try and secure that man and that pairing could easily match Flair and Styles. That's the only way RVD would truly be booked well. Of course, he'll probably just be thrown out there on 3/8 for the "wow" factor, and then have nothing to do for a while but roll some J's with Kendrick, Waltman, and Hall.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Tremendous signing for TNA, if in fact it's true and it's not typical Hogan propaganda and BS. RVD is still a terrific athlete, and can have some interesting feuds in TNA.

My only question is this. Supposedly RVD didn't want to return to WWE and its hectic schedule. But if TNA continues to grow as the TNA smarks say it will, and if TNA actually becomes competition for WWE like the smarks say it will, and if TNA is trying to be the number one professional wrestling company, won't this success by default make their schedule busier and more hectic? Won't travel have to increase, and the demands on the athletes time have to increase? And if so, won't RVD eventually still be facing the hectic schedule that he supposedly doesn't want?

That of course is assuming that all of the TNA hype is accurate and justified, which it likely is not. Because while I love the signing of RVD and can find no real negative in it, I still think ultimately it will be much ado about nothing. The TNA smarks will rejoice, but I'm not so sure it will have much of an impact upon ratings. Angle didn't, Anderson didn't, Christian didn't, Booker T didn't, hell even Flair and Hogan haven't really dramatically affected ratings. So while I think the signing is awesome, I don't see Vince waving the white flag just yet.

 

[Alex_U]

Mr. PPV, MR, Monday Night, Mr. Money in the Bank, RVD......

What more needs to be said about Rob Van Dam? He is one of the best wrestlers of our time, one of the most innovative competitors, and one of the most down to earth guys you could ever meet. (If you have ever had the chance)

WWE? Wow are they next to RVD, I don't think I will watch WWE programming now. There is to much to offer just by signing RVD, they had there shot to do it and they blew it, just like the WWE does all the time. Praise the lord for Hogan/Bischoff and Dixie Carter.

Can you imagine the type of matches that could be put on by RVD with in-ring competition such as Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, Daniels, oh and finally Kurt Angle mean seriously, now it is only a matter of time before TNA will beat WWE. Wait till Matt Hardy leaves the WWE to join Helms and Moore and his brother in TNA. WWE has burned too many bridges in the past and now they really have to deal with it. Sad ass ploys to revamp old storylines are old hat for WWE but to have Bret come back for a match at Mania, come on, a Decade to late?????? You can almost guarantee what that outcome will be, just like the rest of the WM26 card.

Now I am getting off the point, but anyways back to RVD. Biggest fan ever, have his autograph, have meet him 4 or 5 times have never lost respect for him no matter what trouble he has been in. He is a good man, wit a great heart and he is going to re-define TNA if given the right opportunity. Just wait for the entrance. Do you think he going to come out to Walk by Pantera, because if he did, I would cream my pants before the 2nd note!!!!

 

[ch46745]

I would honestly point to branding and the very name TNA are a hinderance. WWE is a worldwide brand name that people will watch regardless of names because it's WWE.

The name TNA doesn't sound like a wrestling organization and Vince Russo gave the very reason he suggested it to Jeff Jarrett which is exactly why you would think.

I would argue that TNA has better overall star power than WWE...it just hasn't translated into TV viewers or PPV buyers.

I agree with you and I disagree with you, but first I think that it is good to be able to see RVD back on tv wrestling( that's if its more than a one time appearance) because I have missed watching him wrestle since he left WWE. It is good for TNA but the thing is that will he be able to bring in tons of viewers in and keep new viewer tuned into TNA because I thought the same thing when Kurt Angle came in but it didn't turn out that way.

As far as your statement goes I agree that TNA may have more star power on their show than one of WWE's shows but if you would put all of the top talent in the WWE on one show It will have way more star power than TNA as a whole.

 

[wushady]

I think it's great for TNA finally got someone with star power that can still wrestle and be very entertaining. I'd love to see him vs. A.j. and if Hardy does end up there it would be nice to see them have a feud their matches in WWE were awesome. I just don't think he'll be there very long.

 

[Prolific]

PLEASE excuse me for going against the current, but here it goes:
As much as I like RVD, and think that he will be a GREAT addition to TNA, I DEFINITELY would not automatically make him THE top face from a business standpoint (as opposed to being A top face).

(I'm asking everyone to think RATIONALLY)...

He finally had a WWE Title run (albeit VERY brief) toward the later part of his full-time tenure, and he definitely deserved it. BUT, he blew it by getting caught smoking pot with Sabu, and violating the policy. Don't you think that represents how much having the title means to him?

Why would his TNA tenure be any different? And why would TNA want to make RVD the TOP face going head to head with the WWE? If they wanted him to be a top player, I think that ship has long left the dock, because he could have groomed himself to be the top star instead of being placed in that position after a lengthy absence from wrestling (yeah, he was in the NWE, but that wasn't lengthy, and it is overseas).

Now to the good stuff...
I REALLY think they should HIGHLY push a RVD/Daniels fued. This would push Daniels more instead of (unfairly) continuing to have him stagnant, and they would put on AMAZING matches. Fueds with Wolfe, Anderson, and Homicide would be great as well.

Synopsis: I really hope TNA doesn't make RVD THE frontrunner of TNA going into the head-to-head. He needs to reestablish himself as a credible headliner (not wrestler, but HEADLINER; this includes mic work and charisma, along with the wrestling ability that he has). Other than that, glad to see him back on TV.

 

[wazaveli]

RVD in TNA is great. He is interesting to watch and there isn't one fan out there who isn't going to be excited and watching him on Impact! each and every week.

I do hope he doesn't push the pecking order down or around in TNA. With the Jeff Hardy rumours its starting to make the company seem like WCW with 12548 billion talents. But hey if they can all contribute and be showcased without seeming like there being jammed in, then good luck to TNA.

 

[Baximus]

What Impact! Sid?

He's the Whole Fucking Show! He's the most exciting wrestler EVER in the ring. He will immediately become one of their biggest stars and RVD will finally get the true run atop a major wrestling organization that we all know he should have had after One Night Stand in 2005.

Simply put, this man is going to be perhaps the biggest babyface in the company. I wouldn't be surprised to see him come in and help Abyss and Hogan beat AJ and Flair in the Main Event and have a running feud with AJ/Flair during the lead up to Lockdown.

Or TNA could have him take on Mr. Anderson after he inevitably hurts Kurt Angle to give him time off in his match and have the two of them feud through Dest. X into Lockdown.

Or TNA could have him take take the Global Belt from Rob Terry and feud with Desmond Wolfe going into Lockdown and really raise the bar on the worth of the Global Belt.

The only thing I don't see happening is RVD chasing the X belt unless TNA is truly trying to push the X Division as the 'no limits' division instead of the cruiserweight class.

Either way, the only new arrival that is even close to this one would be Mr. Anderson and he's not nearly the star that RVD is. Plus we'd get the inevitable RVD-Jeff Hardy rematch from Invasion and that would be a PPV headline quality match that both would produce, assuming Jeff gets his life together out of the ring.

 

[Baximus]

RVD in TNA is great. He is interesting to watch and there isn't one fan out there who isn't going to be excited and watching him on Impact! each and every week.

I do hope he doesn't push the pecking order down or around in TNA. With the Jeff Hardy rumours its starting to make the company seem like WCW with 12548 billion talents. But hey if they can all contribute and be showcased without seeming like there being jammed in, then good luck to TNA.

Here's the thing about so much talent: The entire 2 hour show will be flying at 2,000 MPH through an ambulance zone while on fire and every commercial break can be built into a legitimate cliffhanger.

What do you think fans would rather watch: Kaz and Daniels vs. the British Invasion in a mid-hour timeslot or fucking Hornswoggle motorboating Vicky Guerrero? That kind of packed in talent keeps eyeballs on Spike instead of USA.

 

[hhhfan14]

this sounds fun. I am a huge RVD mark, i love his inring ability, his high flying moveset, and just his charisma, i missed seeing ppl like him, tajari, and the old ray ray, but hopefully now we can put AJ styles against the best,

Rvd v Styles is going to be huge, and ONE OF A KIND

 

[Boondocks]

I'm really excited to see him in TNA. I think he's a big asset and a BIG name to add to the company and get major publicity. You see the tna roster, and find some big names, they're pretty well known, but I believe none with a fan base comparable to RVD's. He'll do good for them and make them at least pose a slight challenge to the WWE.

 

[justinept]

RVD is a great talent, and he can do a lot of different things inside the ring. His mic skills are alright for his gimmick. He also gets a really solid crowd reaction.

But I don't think RVD's signing is going to tip the scale for TNA. I've said it for a while now ... if getting Kurt Angle at the peak of his popularity didn't really impact the ratings, then there are very few people who could - and I don't think RVD is one of those select few.

If - and I believe it will happen - TNA starts really competing with WWE ratings wise, it will be because of the switch to Monday night.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Signing RVD is good for TNA, but let's not get to excited here. While we don't know the details about RVD's deal, I have a feeling that he's going to be working a schedule along similar lines with Sting. When the rumors of RVD and TNA being close to coming to a deal were really floating about, RVD said himself in a number of interviews that he wasn't interesting in working a heavy schedule.

Now on the surface, TNA doesn't have a heavy schedule. Certainly not when compared to the WWE. I doubt he'll work house shows and he probably won't appear on iMPACT! each week. At any rate, I'm excited but I'm not about to blow my wad just yet because I don't want to just assume that RVD is going straight to the main event or try to breathe some life into the X Division. Also, I don't know if RVD can still bring it. It's been a long time since I've seen him in a ring. If, and I'm just saying, if he's got some ring rust, then that's something that he needs to take care of because the ring is where he shines. Personally, I think he's pretty damn awful on the mic.

At any rate, it's a good deal for TNA.

 

[WWEWrestleFest]

i gotta say, tna is drawing me a lot more than wwe right now. aj styles, pope, rvd, mr anderson.. i find them a lot less stale than wwe's guys - cena, orton, batista, etc.. even their older talent, i'd rather see hogan, hall, nash, flair than the same old guys we've been seeing in wwe - hbk, taker, triple h, even their bret hart angle (which should have been a sure fire hit) doesn't really seem that interesting. if tna ups it's production so they don't look like their shooting in some amusement park, i think they can seriously compete with wwe a lot sooner than most people think.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

This is big for TNA. This just gives them another mainstream name to work with. I like Joe, Pope, Wolfe, and AJ, but they aren't household names. I mean, RVD is no Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan, but he is a big name, make no mistake. I think he belongs in TNA. In WWE, he just wouldn't have enough room to shine. They have too many main event guys as it is, they don't need another, especially a name as big as RVD.

What I do find funny though is the fact that all of you TNA super-marks bitch and bitch and bitch about bringing in older WWE guys....until it is a guy who hit's a lot of big spots. RVD is 39 and has had countless character issues. He is always in trouble, and likes his drugs. I think the real complaint from a lot of you guys is that you don't like guys who WRESTLE. You like guys who put on spot-fests.

So while I most definitely like the signing of RVD, I dislike the constant hypocricy from smarks. Same thing goes for Jeff Hardy. Personally, I was excited to see him show up on January 4th. I think he can help them in their effort to mainstream TNA a bit. But I also noticed that none of the TNA super-marks out there had a problem with this. After he LEFT your beloved TNA to head "back up North," you accepted him with open arms. After he was indicted for using/selling drugs, which may render him useless, you still loved it. But he can hit big spots, right? So that must make it ok. It just makes me laugh. And no, this isn't an indictment of ALL TNA fans, just those of you who deserve to be called out.

 

[moegreen2009]

i dont know how this shit is going to work, RVD in TNA i dont think its going to change anything it seems to me that every time some one was once in the WWE the belief is they will bring things up as far as ratings and they have finally fuck them selves because they are going to fuck up the legacy of jeff hardy and rvd both amazing wrestlers who in my opion had one of the classic matches in the last 15 years next to undertaker vs michaels 1, now dont get me it is true that wwe programing needs a shot in the arm but with the piss poor ratings and shitty writing and story lines tna has why would they strp up why what for. its going to be something to see if rvd cant help tna nothing will they lack direction and depth dont get me wrong, im a fan of alot of the wrestlers they have but what more can u do with them when they are burrying everyone under hogan and flair who has tarnished and spit on everything he ever said about the company ,but wrestling needs something right nowcause wwe is working slowly doing something where as tna is not even on my radar..