RVD: "Hogan is Why I Joined TNA"

[It's Damn Real!]

In an interview with the UK Sun <http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/3500453/Rob-van-Dam-Hulk-Hogan-is-the-reason-why-I-joined-TNA.html>, Rob Van Dam answered a couple of questions regarding his opinion on TNA and why he joined in the first place:

RVD on Hogan convincing him to join TNA: "Eric Bischoff called me, Dixie Carter called me, even Jason Hervey picked up the phone. But I said to myself that they were not serious because Hogan hadn't called yet. Then he did, I was doing my radio show and Hogan called in. The guy spent a half hour explaining on the air why I should join him in TNA. That was what got me here."

RVD on working in TNA vs. working in WWE: "Man, I love TNA! It's a wonderful place to work. Something WWE never let me do were acting jobs, they turned them down for me. But now I' m in a situation where I can do these things. WWE just didn't see the potential of these opportunities and they really ruined my chances back then. I was in some very good places and they just blew it for me, by refusing point blank to negotiate anything. Whereas Dixie Carter lets us explore our possibilities and gives us that chance. Her philosophy is that our extended profile helps TNA enhance its own, and of course it does."

A couple other note-worthy quotes:

"When my contract ended with the WWE, TNA tried to get me straight away but I said no.

"They had big plans for me, it seemed, and a spot in the Main Event Mafia was brought up. But I'm not, and never have been, one for sharing the spotlight. I prefer to be the star and in the limelight by myself.

Would he — like Kevin Nash, Booker T, Christian and so many others — one day return to the WWE?

Citing his respect for TNA boss Dixie Carter and anger at how WWE treated him, Rob insists it's highly unlikely.

"It's so different to how Vince McMahon runs his company. At this stage of my career they take so much better care of me, than the WWE ever did at any point. I'd go as far as to say I mean more to TNA than I ever did in WWE.

Thoughts? Criticisms? Concerns?

 

[Nate DaMac]

Sure. Why is RVD so intent on acting anyway? Did he actually see Wrong Side Of Town? That shit made The Marine look like The Godfather. Too many italics for one paragraph, so I'll be moving on now.

Could there be a more out of place member of the Main Event Mafia than RVD? Could you imagine him out there with those guys wearing a suit with that half ******ed haircut?

Other than that, nothing else I can say. I really don't concede much merit to anything a wrestler under contract says about the company they work for. Nash swore up and down he' never work for the E again, yet he was in the Rumble and is hosting a Mania part in Atlanta this weekend. I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[Cena's #1 In My Heart]

You wouldn't have to read to find that out... RVD told us that exact same shit on Impact during his promo.

Impact brings it real.

 

[finoj05]

To be fair, Rob Van Dam is not Kevin Nash. He is always working people. I lost a whole lot of respect for him because he went out of his way to bash TNA when they did nothing but treat him well and released him on his terms when they didn't have to.

Rob Van Dam speaks his mind and he does not really care about the consequences. He does not have to openly praise the company but he does anyways. Nor does he have to bash WWE as people like Kurt Angle, Mick Foley, Christian and several others praised WWE while under contract with TNA. They really don't police their talent when it comes to media interviews.

 

[thuggy bear]

guess it has nothing to do with being the world champion and not having wellness testing

i reckon thats a big factor in rvds tna love

 

[Mustang Sally]

They really don't police their talent when it comes to media interviews.

They really don't police them in other areas, too. (see: Hardy, Jeff). In fact, Van Dam seemed to hold it against WWE for objecting when he was busted for drugs. In TNA, he's either stopped doing them .......or he's allowed to do whatever he wants, which may be the cause of his high opinion of them.

I was surprised at the size of the gut Rob has grown since he joined Dixieland. I suppose he would consider it unfair if WWE bothered him about that too, although his "relaxed" abs might make him look too unsightly for all those film roles he's looking at.

As for his words on Hogan..... well, lots of employees butter up the boss, don't they?

 

[WWEIsLife2]

guess it has nothing to do with being the world champion and not having wellness testing

i reckon thats a big factor in rvds tna love

Im sure that has alot to do with it also. As much as I have liked RVD over the years I find it hard to believe he didn't enjoy the success he had in the WWE. After all he was WWE & ECW Champion at the same time,multiple IC Title runs,a MITB Winner,and a couple Tag Title runs as well plus a long Hardcore Title run.

He was also on just about every PPV in the WWE,on RAW & Smackdown every week,etc.

Thats fine if he likes being in TNA/Dixieland but they don't police their guys and keep them out of trouble like Vince does (see Jeff Hardy).

 

[rondiesel2005]

He listens to a guy who really thought he was going to take TNA to the next level, that the ratings were going to be over 2.0 or getting 3.0. Hogan would do anything to bring the wrestlers to TNA. He does that with the people he brought with him the day TNA went to Monday nights and they didn't stay for long. I am sure RVD still do drugs because they don't have a seem to have a drug policy and guys like Jeff Hardy would continue to do drugs

 

[itssoeasy123]

I think it was the though of, "I can smoke weed in TNA? I'm going. Hey Jeff (Hardy) you can do drug's in TNA, you going bud?"

It was'nt the immediate Title reign or the fact there's no wellness policy, it was Hulk Hogan?

Seriously. The guy who has a well known callousal ego is the reason why he went? Yeah, ok. Well, I'm guessing RVD will be winning the TNA Chamoipnship at Lockdown.

 

[Kaneanite]

RVD is a cocky bitch that thinks every company he's in revolves around him. He's not even as great in the ring as he used to be and is accused as being a spot monkey by many. TNA really takes good care of their superstars.... just ask Sting and his last match with Jeff Hardy.

If this fucktard was in WWE and asked about TNA he'd be saying the same thing only the opposite. "WWE takes good care of me, Vince loves me and is a true legend to the business. Hogan and Bischoff called but they don't know what they're doing blah blah." Oh but wait, he wouldn't say that, because WWE and it's superstars hardly acknowledge the minor leagues anyway.

I don't mean to hate on TNA as much as it seems, because they have some damn good superstars, but please.... RVD is an idiot.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

I think it was the though of, "I can smoke weed in TNA? I'm going. Hey Jeff (Hardy) you can do drug's in TNA, you going bud?"

It was'nt the immediate Title reign or the fact there's no wellness policy, it was Hulk Hogan?

Seriously. The guy who has a well known callousal ego is the reason why he went? Yeah, ok. Well, I'm guessing RVD will be winning the TNA Chamoipnship at Lockdown.

First of all it's colossal and second of all RVD himself said that, it's a fact, it's not like the scuttlebutt bullshit that you read on these dirt sheets.

What's so wrong with him saying that in the first place, yeah sure we all know Hulk Hogan's an egomaniac but that's irrelevant to the fact that RVD said this himself, and I doubt anyone's holding a gun to his head in him saying that.

Yeah we all know Hogan's a fossil and all that good stuff, but you know man that doesn't mean jackshit to people outside of our little internet world. If it did Hulk Hogan would be drummed out of the wrestling world.

But I guess the fact that Hogan no matter how self centered he is has stood back even before his back surgery and let guys like AJ Styles, RVD, Jeff Hardy, The Pope and a few others have some big time spots on TNA could matter less to you.

If I remember right aren't you the young lad who used to have a sig that said "Hogan, Fuck you".

But yeah, the bottom line is this RVD said it himself that Hogan convinced him to join TNA and there is nothing wrong with that, obviously you got the problem because you believe every bullshit tidbit and made up fact that you read on the internet.

You my good man are the living breathing definition of a dilettante.

 

[wushady]

I never take a wrestler seriously when they bash their former company. Of course he's going to put over TNA they're the ones paying him. If he really likes working for TNA more, then more power to him. I just don't see how he was treated bad in WWE. He held almost every championship there is in WWE. They made him an international wrestling star, and he probably made more money than he ever made in ECW or will make in TNA combined.

I like RVD I always have, but he comes across as being very bitter and arrogant in this interview. He has nobody to blame but himself for how he was used in WWE from the summer of '06 on. He was the WWE champion and got busted for pot and pills. The media had a field day with that one, he made himself look bad and brought negative attention to WWE. I don't blame WWE for not using him as a top star after that. If he hated WWE so much I don't see why he came back to do the fifteenth anniversary of Raw show and doing a one night only appearance in the Royal Rumble.

I do think TNA is a better fit for him at this stage in his career. He wouldn't be a main event level star if he was in WWE. I think he should have been honest and said that being able to smoke weed and not get fined is another reason he went to TNA.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Like a few others, I tend to take these sort of interviews with a grain of salt. How many times have we heard wrestlers bash companies they worked for in the past for one percieved injustice or another? These sorts of interview rank right along side those you always hear from wrestlers bitching about how they should've been used better, how they should've been given a top spot, etc.

If RVD is much happier in TNA, more power to him. But he has nobody to blame for his fuck ups in WWE but himself. Of course, he won't take responsibility for his own mistakes and screw ups. That'd take a level of emotional maturity coupled with a less ego maniacal mind set that most wrestlers just simply don't seem to have. He gets busted with drugs on him just after he becomes the first guy to hold both the WWE & ECW Championships simultaneously. Vince finally gave this guy the push that his fans had been clamoring for for years and look what happens.

 

[MizFitAwesome]

See folks, this is what happens when you smoke too much marijuana. You end up with a lifelong case of Stupid....

 

[itssoeasy123]

First of all it's colossal and second of all RVD himself said that, it's a fact, it's not like the scuttlebutt bullshit that you read on these dirt sheets.

What's so wrong with him saying that in the first place, yeah sure we all know Hulk Hogan's an egomaniac but that's irrelevant to the fact that RVD said this himself, and I doubt anyone's holding a gun to his head in him saying that.

Yeah we all know Hogan's a fossil and all that good stuff, but you know man that doesn't mean jackshit to people outside of our little internet world. If it did Hulk Hogan would be drummed out of the wrestling world.

But I guess the fact that Hogan no matter how self centered he is has stood back even before his back surgery and let guys like AJ Styles, RVD, Jeff Hardy, The Pope and a few others have some big time spots on TNA could matter less to you.

If I remember right aren't you the young lad who used to have a sig that said "Hogan, Fuck you".

But yeah, the bottom line is this RVD said it himself that Hogan convinced him to join TNA and there is nothing wrong with that, obviously you got the problem because you believe every bullshit tidbit and made up fact that you read on the internet.

You my good man are the living breathing definition of a dilettante.

First of all, AJ has been on TV since he came to TNA, and is now in midcard hell. The Pope is a terrble character and overrated wrestler in general. RVD nad Jeff Hardy are two junkie's who have no business being employed by a company in 2011. So, how did Hogan, as you say "stood back", when all of them were on TV all the time to being with?

It's not the internet's fualt why I say what I do about Hogan, it's my own perosnal opinion. I, like CM Punk, think he's only in TNA for himself. Not the business, the fan's, even Dixie Carter. He's in it for Hulk Hogan. And the fact that he only cares about money, his remark's comparing the tsunami to TNA, and him spoiling WWE idea's, calling himself the "man who built wrestling," when if fact it was Vince McMahon who marketed him and made him a star, he just make's it easier to bash the man and call him a self-centered douchebag.

And I'm pretty sure it was the fact there's no drug policy in TNA was the reason he's in TNA right now. And especially with his remark's on how, "he's happy h'es not a WWE wrestler anymore," becuase a celebrity is getting inducted into the celebrity wing of the Hall of Fame. Or the fact that WWE gave him the push himself and all of his fans were waiting for in '06 and he snorted it all away just make's it easier to take his word's with a grain of salt and call him a pompous ignorant irrelvant douchebag.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

First of all, AJ has been on TV since he came to TNA, and is now in midcard hell. The Pope is a terrble character and overrated wrestler in general. RVD nad Jeff Hardy are two junkie's who have no business being employed by a company in 2011. So, how did Hogan, as you say "stood back", when all of them were on TV all the time to being with?

It's not the internet's fualt why I say what I do about Hogan, it's my own perosnal opinion. I, like CM Punk, think he's only in TNA for himself. Not the business, the fan's, even Dixie Carter. He's in it for Hulk Hogan. And the fact that he only cares about money, his remark's comparing the tsunami to TNA, and him spoiling WWE idea's, calling himself the "man who built wrestling," when if fact it was Vince McMahon who marketed him and made him a star, he just make's it easier to bash the man and call him a self-centered douchebag.

And I'm pretty sure it was the fact there's no drug policy in TNA was the reason he's in TNA right now.

Yeah and you're basing your opinion on stuff that could very well be bullshit but let's actually see if you can make an intelligent point and actually back up your opinion. Oh and I bet you've never said anything stupid like Hogan did with the Tsunami thing it was ******ed and ridiculous but your boy Cena offended the Gay and Lesbian Alliance, so should we all start calling Cena a homophobe?

All I am saying there bossman, is that stop being a rumor mill/yellow journalism sheep and understand that the character and the person that portrays that character are two different entities.

And again even with Hogan's ego him and all his old washed up friends aren't winning titles left and right like people were cringing about. I haven't seen Brutus Beefcake show up like everyone was worried about nor have I seen The Nasty Boys stick around like everyone was worried about, and even when they were there it was a feud with an established team and not a young team. And Hogan making wrestling, well there's more to that than either said. Vince McMahon sure as hell didn't do it all and neither did Hulk Hogan. But I will say one thing, Hogan was out of the WWF when the Hulkamania persona started and it got over in the AWA, if Verne Gagne moved forward with the wrestling business and put more emphasis on the entertainment aspect instead of relying on his old values for promoting, who knows if anyone would have ever known who Vincent Kennedy McMahon was. If you've never heard of the AWA in the first place, which if you haven't shame on you for being such a critic of the top stars in the game because the AWA was in the 60s through 80s what the WWF eventually became in terms of being "THE PLACE TO BE IN WRESTLING".

And you can say Hogan spoiled ideas but then again he could have just been outright lying in the first place but again you or I don't know that either. And as far as the drug policy thing with RVD yeah maybe so but who gives a shit?

People like you and other people I read about take the personal conduct of people way toooooo seriously. You definitely have to get yourself these people are not to idealize or put on a pedestal. And I said Hogan stood back because he has not wrestled in a year's time granted the surgeries he's had have helped make that possible but at the same time when he was relatively healthy he wasn't winning the title or wrestling constantly he only wrestled one match.

But again dude, embrace your yellow journalism you dilettante but your opinion is your opinion but you better get ready to defend it and back it up with an actual argument if you're going to post on a forum. And learn how to use punctuation properly for christ's sake.

 

[Klown_Karnage]

Alright, I'll qualify this by saying this is pure speculation based on observation of a medium that's primarily entertainment anyways.

I'd guess that RVD's comments are only half buttering up the boss. Obviously, RVD is going to do that, put over his company (because, you know, he's a part of that company) as well as Hogan (because he's pretty much the most important guy, seemingly with more power than Dixie.) He'll say that Hogan was the reason for him coming because that's how you politic in this business. You get the guy in charge to like you and you'll get booked for good matches and championships.

On the other hand, it's very possible that he truly does like working for TNA at this time, in which case it would be only natural for him to say that he loves it and that it's better than WWE. I agree that, in all probability, if he were still working for the WWE he'd be singing their praises and badmouthing TNA, but he isn't. He's in a good spot (at least so far as he perceives it) so at least part of it is likely to be genuine.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Alright, I'll qualify this by saying this is pure speculation based on observation of a medium that's primarily entertainment anyways.

I'd guess that RVD's comments are only half buttering up the boss. Obviously, RVD is going to do that, put over his company (because, you know, he's a part of that company) as well as Hogan (because he's pretty much the most important guy, seemingly with more power than Dixie.) He'll say that Hogan was the reason for him coming because that's how you politic in this business. You get the guy in charge to like you and you'll get booked for good matches and championships.

On the other hand, it's very possible that he truly does like working for TNA at this time, in which case it would be only natural for him to say that he loves it and that it's better than WWE. I agree that, in all probability, if he were still working for the WWE he'd be singing their praises and badmouthing TNA, but he isn't. He's in a good spot (at least so far as he perceives it) so at least part of it is likely to be genuine.

You see that boys and girls, is the way to tell it like it is, RVD is not setting some precedent because he said Hogan convinced him to join TNA. So many people in wrestling puts over their bosses. It just seems certain members of the IWC get their panties all tied in a bunch because of it. It just amuses me to hear some people love to act like the moral police and also judge RVD's situation regarding his WWE stint, yeah he screwed up and it was his fault for all intents and purposes (the 2006 drug bust) but hey why are we acting like WWE employs saints in the first place.

People really need to get over themselves and realize that WWE and TNA are both businesses and they are not in the business of humanitarian efforts they are in the business to entertain. If that's what most of the posters here are actually watching wrestling for, then you're watching it for the wrong reasons. If you're looking for humanitarians go join the Habitat For Humanity or some bullshit like that. Not saying that you still can't love your superheroes like John Cena but just realize it's a gimmick for crying out loud and none of us know who the real guy is behind that whole act. If you were to wind the clock back to 1985 if the internet was something practically everyone had at that time, everybody would think Hogan could do no wrong. But fast forward some 20 something years later and the guy's shown his more "human" side. Something that when you're an adult is somewhat disappointing but it should be expected, after all these people that happen to come from the same world the rest of us live in. No one should be surprised give things another 20 years for Mr. Cena and see if he's still the same guy that we know him as today all lovable and congenial for the cameras. I know that this is deviating but since everyone on this forum is out of there way to bash Hogan and RVD let's not forget that there are plenty of other wrestlers to judge if we want to play that BS game. Hell Bret Hart cheated on his wife several times during his career but I still love his wrestling that'll never change a damn thing. And let's not forget how much he was ripping WWF/E before he came back, he's said far worse than RVD has said but i am sure several marks on here would say nothing about that since he's all goody goody with Vince once more.

So again, any wrestler that butters up his boss or badmouths the company I could give a fuck about, it's something I have expected to see.

 

[Calderownz]

Thoughts? Criticisms? Concerns?

Fun interview. He does seem to hate WWE. However, I do see that he seems to have a problem with a company that has rules and guidelines. While I respect that, I don't think that he should really blame the company for trying to run the ship correctly.

Nonetheless, he seems happy with TNA. Nothing wrong with that. Hogan being the straw that broke the camels back is a bit weird. Such different workers. Very strange.

 

[LAXtremest]

It seems like every guy that got kicked out of WWE or "left", goes on TNA and bitches about how terrible the WWE was. RVD's no different than Dreamer, the Dudleys, or Anderson.

 

[RavenChaos21]

I agree. Every guy that gives one of these interviews seems to have a major problem with the WWE in any interview that they give. It seems almost like they have to moan or bitch and complain. Seriously, you're out of the company now, be happy you're out and take the high road. After awhile they just come across as bitter assholes. Heaven forbid, Amazing Red or MCMG, or Beer Money go to another company in the future, we will be hearing them bitch and complain after a few months of their departure as well.