RVD in TNA

[attila]

The following is from 1wrestling.com. Joey Styles' wrestling news website:

# Rob Van Dam is frustrated with his current situation in ECW and is miserable according to multiple backstage sources. His contract is set to expire in the next 6 months or so, and he is said to be counting the days until his deal is up.

# Some people backstage are wondering if Sabu is trying to get his release with his recent behavior. As was reported at pwinsider.com, Sabu has had major backstage heat recently for falling asleep backstage for hours at a time, and for other unprofessional behavior. "It's almost as if he's trying to get fired", one source told us.

How sick would it be to have these two in TNA. IMO, Sabu has been the biggest loss for TNA talent-wise since the move to Spike and perhaps ever. And as for RVD, need I say anything?? Can you imagine RVD in TNA. It would fkn insane. Angle and RVD all in the space of 12 months. The two that TNA fans always wanted the most and never thought were attainable. Its fkn unbelievable how much things change so quick!!

Your thoughts??

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I was just about to post this.

I think it would be awesome. R.V.D. has been missused all his WWE career. I know that everyone will say that he won the WWE Championship just this year, but that is the highlight of an unaventfull run. When the Invasion was happening R.V.D. was in the same league as Stone Cold pop wise. Yet WWE never capitalised. There was a reason that R.V.D. was the biggest thing in ECW 7 years ago, it was because he was the best. You can tell how good a heel is when a crowd end's up turning them face. Just like WWE crowd's did with The Rock.

R.V.D. has been phoning performances in for a while now, if he goes to T.N.A. it will give him a new lease of life. Unfortunatley though I think he will end up signing a new contract with WWE. Although I think Sabu will last in WWE only until after the Rumble, and hopefully he will be back in T.N.A. competing in matches that compliment his ring style.

 

[Ushiku]

I think it depends on how RVD is treated really, I think for RVD to have defeated all of Paul Heyman's obstacles in kayfabe then to lose in tonight's elimination chamber match due to backstage issues would be stupid.

Heyman has without a doubt sold out to WWE as ECW originals aren't used like they should be aside from RVD who is a fan favourite, he should ask for the WWE Hardcore title to be revived especially for ECW, ECW has only one title and only one "extreme rules" match per show, which is rather pathetic considering it is titled "Extreme Championship Wrestling" there's one championship and one dose of extreme, and usually about 3 matches at tops, so even the wrestling part is limited, its name is oxymoronic to the product!

I think it would be good for RVD to move to TNA, and because of his style he could easily win the NWA title or even have a good run in the X Division which I personally think would be the better idea following the X Division revamp angle, and so it doesn't look like they're just booking former WWE wrestlers in the top spot of the NWA title.

Whether RVD moves really depends on how happy he is, and ultimately he's not very happy at the moment, especially after his push has been cancelled due to drugs use.

As for Sabu, I think for him a move to TNA is more likely, he's very unhappy backstage and rebelling quite a lot, also he's been made to job quite a lot, and due to ECW's "one extreme rules match a show" policy he's not able to wrestle to his full potential in the style that suits him, especially since he's not frequently used in the top billing which is usually the "extreme rules" match of the show.

 

[NoUrRoll23]

lol i think RVD is all n all a great wrestler but he just dont have wat it takes to b on the top level his great as a mid carder n i think he mad cause he dont get the push to the top level n WWE so i think he would work out great n TNA , as far as Sabu lol i think this guy should just ahead n hang up the boots hes done

 

[Ushiku]

RVD does have main event action, I don't think that's what gets him, I think what gets him is how he's constantly made to fight in tough matches by Paul Heyman with little reward, and how after all he's done he probably won't win the ECW title now due to personal differences with Vince McMahon.

As for Sabu, he keeps being booked as a jobber and he doesn't like it, so he's rebelling in hope of being released. He's a good wrestler, its just ECW isn't bringing the best out of him like the original ECW did, and that's mostly due to the fact he's being made to job and because ECW limits itself to one "extreme rules" match per show, but since he's mostly billed as a midcarder he doesn't get to wrestle in the extreme style he's famous for.

 

[ErkBono23]

well the reason rvd doesnt have an ecw title around his waist is cuz of the incident of when he got pulled over..from what i recall he was inline for a huge push an was most likely to recieve the belt had that not happened...i think it is kind of obvious that these 2 would have had more goin for them had they not been pulled over..this isnt professional to vince as 2 superstars show up in the eye of the public as druggies....he cant put the belt on the man when he jus got charged by the law so it will probably take time for these 2 build up what they already lost

 

[Kasey]

All I can say to those who were surprised at RVD being popped for weed (especially Vince McMahon) is...what do you expect? He did a write-up in High Times magazine for f***'s sake. He also used to have ECW T-shirts that said: "RVD 4:20." It's not like nobody knew he was into drugs. This was one of the prime reasons Vince didn't initially hire him after he squashed Hardy's ass on Raw back in 1997. Sabu and RVD have never been designed for WWE television. RVD was immediately shackled and watered down because most of the guys who he worked well with weren't in the WWE anymore. I still remember when both he and Jerry Lynn were admonished for taking a Heat match past the fifteen minute mark and upstaging the rest of the competition just because they could. With no buildup. No interviews. Just amazing wrestling that had been a staple of ECW. Van Dam has definitely lost a step since the end of his ECW tenure when I feel he was at his best, performance-wise. In my eyes, his prime focus should be returning his body and performance to it's original level if he leaves, and should he go to TNA, I'd be happy to watch him take on Angle or Daniels again. I'd also love to see him square off against Joe and Styles. Whatever the case, I just don't think what RVD is doing right now is or has been working.

 

[jefferson411]

I think TNA needs to not keep signing WWE drop outs. Yes, RVD was originally an ECW guy but over the last what 6 or 7 years he has become a WWE guy, and this will only lead to more ammunition for the TNA haters who say that TNA is the haven for WWE 'rejects.' It would be different if it was like someone huge leaving WWE (Like Angle did, or if Benoit were to, or Mysterio) but RVD just is not as big a name as everyone likes to think he is, and is not as impressive as he once was.

It is also very counter productive for TNA die hards to argue that TNA is not just a place for WWE "rejects" then wet themselves when a WWE guy becomes a free agent.

Furthermore, in a related note, Sabu is likely about to be released from WWE. I would hope TNA did not sign this guy again, since he left from TNA to go to WWE. This would set a precedent to the guys in TNA that if WWE offers you a big contract and you go and don't cut it, TNA will always take you back, which could possibly just lead to a revolving door of sorts of guys coming and going time and time again.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I agree that R.V.D. is'nt as good as he used to be but he's certainly a bigger star than he used to be. The fact that he's a WWE wrestler make's him a bigger star than when he was in ECW. He might not be as big a name as Benoit, Angle or mysterio but he's certainly a bigger name than Abyss, Styles and Samoa Joe.

 

[CRUSH316]

If Rob Van Dam woulda been smart, he'd still be ECW Champion and We wouldn't be having this discussion..WWE had plans for RVD to hold that Title well in to next year...If RVD isn't getting pushed or doesn't win tonight, it's his own fault...It takes ALOT to earn Vince's trust enough to give you the Ball...And it took RVD 5 years to earn it...Then he threw it all away...You can't expect Vince to just jump and trust RVD again after what He and Sabu did.RVD is a former 3 time World Tag Team Champion, 6 time Intercontinental Champion, the LAST European and 4 time Hardcore Champion,won the Money in the Bank contract and a former WWE Champion and ECW Champion, been in high profile feuds with Stone Cold, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Ric Flair, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Kane, and Randy Orton...Now remember this is all in just 5 years with the WWE so this whole "RVD hasn't gotten pushed" thing really confuses me.Just because he hasn't had a HHH like World Title run(he would have with the ECW Title had he not screwed up) doesn't mean He hasn't been pushed..He's accomplished more than almost every WWE superstar in the last 5 years, even winning the WWE Championship at an ECW PPV.Rob Van Dam has actually accomplished MORE in the WWE in 5 years than he did his entire ECW career..Yeah he was TV Champion for 23 months and ECW was supposedly built around Him but If Heyman truly built ECW around RVD, he would've been ECW Champion a long time ago but as it stands, he went through his entire original ECW run without the ECW Championship..And in the end, RVD will resign with WWE especially if Vince allows him to be ECW Champion by the time his contract expires.If not, RVD has nobody to blame but himself.

 

[jefferson411]

How do you know that thats more important to RVD? he strikes me as a guy who is more worried about having a good time.

 

[ktownsfinest424]

Well said Crush316. Yeah RVD has accomplished alot in the WWE and he has no one to blame for his rough times right now then himself. I love the guy and his wrestling abilities, but after I heard that he got pulled over for speeding and then being caught for drugs. I knew right from there that RVD would never hold the World Title ever again.

 

[Ushiku]

I think that Vince McMahon is being a little too hard on RVD, smoking weed was what RVD did since the original ECW, besides I didn't see Vince McMahon make Shawn Michaels lose his title after the MSG incident or the well documented fact he liked to take drugs, don't get be wrong, I think HBK is a great performer and always has been, but it sounds like double standards with one rule for The Clique and another rule for everybody else, even after "punishing" Triple H he had the Intercontinental title within 5 months.

I think that WWE should put RVD on a rehab program and give him another chance instead of being so judgmental, if they're going to be so smart-assed about RVD, how about Most Vain Power-ranger? He's been in jail for robbery - twice! But they're all happy to give him another chance and push him so he gets over in WWE, I think smoking weed is small in comparison to what MVP did.

If RVD does go to TNA, it will be WWE's own making, the ball is in their court, they can either develop RVD further or they can let him stagnate and look elsewhere, he was an ECW wrestler so money isn't the important thing for him, its the thrill of wrestling, and I think he'll be able to find that at TNA, either in the Heavyweight Division, teaming with Sabu in the Tag Team Division if Sabu moves like he's reported to be doing, or in the X Division using his high flying martial arts style to his full advantage, they could even start a Hardcore Division with all the former ECW wrestlers or wrestlers who enjoy hardcore wrestling there, I could see TNA: Hardcore - even being a potential show, 2 hours of hardcore wrestling billed on the same night as ECW on Sci-Fi, fans would soon see who where the truly extreme wrestling was.

 

[CRUSH316]

Back then WWE didn't have a Wellness Policy when HBK took drugs...Why do you think Chris Masters was suspended?Why do you think Randy Orton hasn't been givin a World Title shot?It'd be setting a bad example for the Wellness Policy if RVD was allowed to keep the ECW and WWE World Titles...RVD was flyin high a few months back, praising the new ECW on his website,etc. The only reason he's so miserable now is because he knows he screwed up the chance he worked so hard for...If and only If he goes to TNA, it'll be because they don't have a wellness policy and he can smoke all the weed he wants and not suffer any punishment because He sure as hell won't go for the money or opportunity because you're naive if you think they're gonna have RVD leapfrog Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Jeff Jarrett, and Sting to be NWA World Champion.If they don't trust AJ Styles with the World Title, RVD pretty much has no shot.

 

[ErkBono23]

I think that Vince McMahon is being a little too hard on RVD, smoking weed was what RVD did since the original ECW, besides I didn't see Vince McMahon make Shawn Michaels lose his title after the MSG incident or the well documented fact he liked to take drugs, don't get be wrong, I think HBK is a great performer and always has been, but it sounds like double standards with one rule for The Clique and another rule for everybody else, even after "punishing" Triple H he had the Intercontinental title within 5 months.

I think that WWE should put RVD on a rehab program and give him another chance instead of being so judgmental, if they're going to be so smart-assed about RVD, how about Most Vain Power-ranger? He's been in jail for robbery - twice! But they're all happy to give him another chance and push him so he gets over in WWE, I think smoking weed is small in comparison to what MVP did.

If RVD does go to TNA, it will be WWE's own making, the ball is in their court, they can either develop RVD further or they can let him stagnate and look elsewhere, he was an ECW wrestler so money isn't the important thing for him, its the thrill of wrestling, and I think he'll be able to find that at TNA, either in the Heavyweight Division, teaming with Sabu in the Tag Team Division if Sabu moves like he's reported to be doing, or in the X Division using his high flying martial arts style to his full advantage, they could even start a Hardcore Division with all the former ECW wrestlers or wrestlers who enjoy hardcore wrestling there, I could see TNA: Hardcore - even being a potential show, 2 hours of hardcore wrestling billed on the same night as ECW on Sci-Fi, fans would soon see who where the truly extreme wrestling was.

mvp didnt got to jail for robbery twice while he was in wwe....rvd on the other hand got introuble iwth the law while bein with the company..its not professional to put the belt around a star wen he's been arrested it ruins the image of the company...comparing it to what hbk and hhh with the clique incident is not a comparison...they did it off air but infront of the crowd that isnt as extreme as gettin pulled over by the cops for them to find u high and weed in ur car...i dont c what the big problem with weed is but society is society and they see it bad..so wen ur star is on the news and papers talking bout being charged for drugs y the hell wuld u put the title around his waist..he blew his image its his fault no one elses...otherwise he would have the belt around his waist rite now

 

[jefferson411]

It wasn't a blow to his image, that fit his image great. WWE just gets so much heat for what happens on camera that they don't need to take more heat for what their people do off camera.

 

[JoshK1985]

RVD is done with WWE.. He has done so much there.. I mean he has made alot of money there and he is pissed about his situation in ECW so he will go to TNA. Not to mention when you wrestle for TNA you wrestle only for them part time, you do three weeks of TV in one day, so there is three matches then you got a PPV, and maybe a hous show. So thats maybe 5 matches a month and that is hell of alot less then WWE, and when in TNA you can take indy bookings too. So RVD will got to TNA and make alot of money for only wrestling 5 or 6 matches a month... I imagine RVD to make about 100,000 atleast there to wrestle about 60-70 matches in a year... Not to mention he will get cuts of merchandise sold and his comic book store is pretty good money maker for him to I suppose. SO RVD will make the jump...

 

[Bret Hart]

RVD is TNA


WWE have never used him right NEVER
he needs to be a main eventer
the crowd loves him he has the moves
he would be getting frustrated with WWE for not giving him a title run and not the crap ECW title that is going around
he should be up there with HHH and cena
and its not the drug issue
please people
vince had his whole roster on steroids
and orton is getting pushed all the time after his mishaps
vince just doesnt like using other companys stars
as much as his own booker finally got a little run he deserved
but now thats over
Y2J and benoit little title reins
HHH and Cena have the belt when they want
im all for RVD to TNA
also would love the hardyz to go as a tag team only

 

[attila]

End of the day, wwe will offer more money which is more important to RVD.

Money is the least important aspect of job satisfaction. And not only that but RVD turned down numerous WCW offers back in the day to stick it out with ECW. His heart lay in ECW. He believed in what they were doing and loved to wrestle for the best fans in the world. He loved the energy, the culture, the lockeroom, Paul E, the direction of the company, everything about it. RVD was simply ECW, full stop. His heart was so close to ECW, that he lobbied directly to Vince for its return for years and years, until finally he got his wish. RVD is the reason for One Night Stand in 2005, the reason for ONS2 and the reason ECW was ressurected. He fought and fought for it, until finally it became a reality.

But after seeing what it has become, one can imagine the heartbreak. Vince simply doesn't get it. Vince is ignorant, arrogant and plain clueless. How people consider him a wrestling genius is beyond me. Ive said it before, the reason WWE became what it did is on the efforts of others. Vince has exploited the talents of others and passed them off as his own, in effect building a reputation and legacy for himself. The reality is that Vince is a moron and knows nothing of the wrestling business, even after 30 years of experience and 30 years in which to observe and learn. But he who thinks he knows all, never learns anything.

RVD will choose living out a dream and being a part of something he believes in over money. And he wouldn't be the first. You think Kurt's making more money these days? You think Christian's making more money? Do you think Guerrero, Malenko, Benoit and Saturn made more moeny in the WWF back in 2000 then in WCW? Hell no!!! But it was about more than money. All were miserable where they were and they made the choice to do something about it.

 

[Ushiku]

I agree that RVD represented ECW right from the start, he was also popular with the mainstream fans too, which is what Vince McMahon should have exploited but didn't. I think the reasoning behind not giving RVD a push is about more than just drugs, I think its more about Vince McMahon's agena which is to generally keep the main eventers happy and give everyone else bit pieces here and there.

 

[Brilliance In Supremacy]

Months ago I stated that I expected to see RVD in TNA after his contract was up. My opinion was shot down by both ECW fans, TNA fans, and the mods. The reason why I said RVD would probably leave for TNA was because RVD is a lot of the things that the original ECW was about. Devoted as he was, RVD does not deserve what ECW is right now. Hence, I was correct...

TNA is in for a lot of major pick-ups within the next year or two. With each additional signing, they need a second hour (better yet, a second show) more and more...

 

[Ushiku]

Viewpoints change quite a lot in regards to wrestling, both in terms of direction of companies and their angles, and also in regards to fans and critics alike.

I do think RVD is right for TNA, Brilliance In Supremacy you seem to be along the wavelength as me in regards to ideas for TNA, perhaps you should check page 34 of the Official WWE vs. TNA Thread, my last post on that page/the last post on that page explained the direction I think TNA needs to go not only as a wrestling organisation but economically as a company.

 

[cyber is xaw]

that will be the biggest move that tna will have made. kurt angle was huge but rvd's style fits in the best for tna rvd vs aj styles would be bigger than joe vs angle. hopefully rvd will realize he does'nt need the wwe to make him a success he can do it perfectly fine in tna.

 

[Ushiku]

Exactly, due to RVD's versatility he'd be fine in either of the 3 current divisions: Heavyweight Division, Tag Team Division and X Division. Perhaps if there was a big enough consensus amongst fans and wrestlers in the TNA roster they could launch a Hardcore Divison, especially with all the former ECW wrestlers and former WCW wrestlers from their old hardcore division.

 

[The_Natural]

RVD has always talked like he's is own man but if that was the case I think he would have been gone from WWE a long time ago. He hasn't done half of what he could since he's been with WWE.

If RVD is the true preformer he says his is and actually cares more about having the freedom to put on matches that showcase his ability, then he should leave the WWE when his contract is up. If he doesn't he's a sell-out.

TNA is nothing great IMO but I would still like to see RVD there.

More so however I would like to see him back on the indy circut and esp. in ROH. Can you imagine the matches he could have in ROH!?!?!

One catch, I think WWE has trademarked "Rob Van Dam" and RVD. For this reason I think he is stuck in WWE unless he legally changes his name to Rob Van Dam. It would be tough to wacth him compete under a different name if he where to go to TNA.