So what now for RVD?

[Nate DaMac]

After a pretty good showing at Money in the Bank last night (except for nearly maiming Sheamus,) where do you see him going from here?

He's likely just going to be on a part time schedule, so I'd like to see him work with someone in need of a rub. Maybe Sandow? He's by far the biggest reach of a MitB winner so far, RVD would be a good guy to help build him up a little bit.

There's also a couple of dream match scenarios to be had with Daniel Bryan or CM Punk or even Ziggler that could be interesting.

 

[The Butcher]

It'd be interesting if WWE were to explore his relationship with Paul Heyman. I know, the "put 'em with Heyman" idea has been brought up for every Superstar who has come along this year, but in RVD's case it's a natural fit. Either as an ally or enemy to CM Punk, RVD could prove useful in that particular angle. I'm sure the idea of RVD as a heel doesn't kin with many, but given the current dearth of high profile bad guys, RVD could fill those shoes.

Aside from being involved with Heyman/Punk, I'd definitely like to see RVD wrestle Bryan or Ziggler. His last angle before he left was against Randy Orton. If Orton is going to be turning heel, a callback to that and program between those two would be useful and entertaining.

A lot of different ways they could use him. If it's only to have matches and put guys over, I'd be totally fine with that.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

I would love to see an RVD/Orton feud and why? Because the last time they feuded with one another Orton punted RVD in the skull and after that we never saw RVD again until like the 2009 Royal Rumble Match where he was a surprise entrant and RVD rarely interacted with Orton in that match but even so now that Orton is now Mr. Money in the Bank holding the briefcase and is on the cusp of a heel turn it would be fitting if they did feud once again

 

[justinsayne]

I wouldn't mind seeing him feud with Axel over the IC title for a bit, he could certainly do more for Axel than Miz could, plus it could make for for an interesting feud with teh Heyman factor in there and all.

I also wouldn't mind a feud with the Wyatt Family, perhaps they go after RVD leading to RVD realigning himself with one of his old tag team partners, Kane.

I'm also all for the Sandow feud idea as well, though I'm willing to bet that Sandows first post MITB feud is gonna be with Rhodes.

I'm really just hoping he's going to go the Jericho route & try & help get as many young guys over as possible, & maybe sprinkle a few of those dream matches in there as well.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

He should be at SSlam.

I have an inkling we might get a Sheamus vs RVD match. And that could be good. RVD has had good matches with fast powerhouses.

 

[deem]

If Orton's heel before Summerslam, I see RVD being his opponent. Especially if he aligns with Heyman.

If he doesn't, I guess Curtis Axel. I'm near certain there will be RVD/Heyman interactions with Paul trying to recruit him and RVD (at least initially) refusing and feuding with them. So yh, it's a lock for Axel or Orton imo in the near future. Personally I'd prefer Orton - I think DBD gets his shots before the cash in, and no one jumps off the page as logical feuds for Randy at the moment.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Personally, I'd rather see him feud with the likes of Axel or Ambrose over the IC or US titles. Depending on what they're going to do with Daniel Bryan, it might be an interesting feud to see if Bryan can make RVD the next major star he defeats while he's being built up for a main event run; if that's what they still have in mind for him. A feud with CM Punk is a possibility, though I don't see it happening right now. SummerSlam is just around the corner and I'd imagine that WWE's focus will be on Punk vs. Lesnar right now. I know a lot of people probably want to see RVD involved in the main event scene, that's all well and good, but I just don't see it. RVD is only going to be working television tapings and ppvs and since he's not on the level of someone like The Rock, it's extremely doubtful that he's going to be given a title run anytime in the near future.

Also, let's be honest, it'd be extremely hard for WWE officials to trust RVD with a title and there's good reason. When RVD was busted for possession of 18 grams of weed and 5 or 6 Vicodin, he was both WWE & ECW Champion and was in the middle of the biggest push of his career. I might be wrong, but don't be at all surprised if it breaks online sometime during the course of his current WWE deal that RVD is suspended for violating the Wellness Policy.

RVD is still relevant, isn't interested in working a full time schedule and turns 43 before the end of this year. Odds are, his best days are quite probably behind him but he can still be of used to help build and get over younger talent.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Putting him with Kane is the obvious choice, although a bit of a waste, but then again Jericho was wasted on Fandango at Mania when he could have been facing Wade Barrett for the IC. I could easily see both X-Pac and RVD as "former partners" coming back for Summerslam to have Kane's back if Taker really can't do it... Booker would also be another option.

It isn't the right way to go with him as a face though, not just yet... Have him reject the fans, Vince, even Triple H and say "Last time I was here, you all screwed me over so I don't trust any of you, the only one who was real and delivered what he said was Heyman" and have him "join the stable", but appear torn with the whole thing... He can use his drugs bust, saying how he got canned but Swagger got to headline Mania? and he'd be right - Trips held him back from the title for years and Stephanie was a nighmare to him backstage... and it would cut across the McMahon stuff with him being someone all three want onside but can't get.

For a start it would mean they can hold off on Punk/Brock for a while longer - which is a good thing if they delay it till Survivor Series. They could even have a rerun of the Perfect/Savage team of 1993 - Where RVD decides to team with Punk v Brock and Axel at Series after some soul searching or Heyman shows his true colours, or as an outside, he's the heel and Axel goes face in the same way his dad did, which would be an equally good move.

There is a lot RVD can do heel wise and not much as a face, he can "withold" his Mr. Monday Night tag from the fans, "You don't deserve to see me on Monday nights...or Fridays... now I only wrestle Sundays..." would be a great heat generator. Allying with Heyman so soon after Heyman turned on Punk would also be smart and when the face turn does come, he can be "written out" at the hands of Brock if needed until the Rumble, where he returns as a surprise entrant.

This idea of bringing guys back like Jericho is is worthless and false economy. Ryback got zero out of beating Jericho because he'd been beaten so often... Jericho's "bulletproof" aura is about spent now, when he does return they have to give him something, be it the IC (his 10th would be the record again so that would do) or really a World title to build that aura back.

The thing with RVD is it is probably a tryout on both sides, WWE want to make sure he is motivated and not gonna fail a wellness test and RVD wants to know he isn't wasting his time like he did in TNA. So whichever way they go with him, expect them to have him pretty high up the card for the next few weeks at least....

 

[Cena's #1 In My Heart]

I think this is still all about John Cena in the end. Vince is trying to do whatever he can to get Cena's fans back I feel.

I believe Vince feels like when he made Cena lose, he lost some his super powers over the male audience. So he's got to bring The Rock, Brock Lesnar, RVD, and now Batista back just to try and right the wrongs of Cena losing in Vince's delusional mind.

Yup that's my theory. They already teased RVD going after the WWE Title in their Raw preview.

Vince it's fake... If you have Cena beat RVD.. I'm not going to think Cena's tough or even cool again. So just stop.

RVD should run into The Shield as I'd like to see him mix it up with them for Summerslam. CM Punk's got Brock so can't do that. Daniel Bryan should be going for the WWE Title but probably will face Curtis Axel or something. So let's have RVD, Christian, and Jericho create an old buddies alliance and try and deal with The Shield. Christian and Ambrose have already been mixing it up a bit.

 

[Redemption-2012]

Well there's a few guys you could put Rob Van Dam with. One option which I think could be interesting is Mark Henry. Mark Henry obviously lost his title match against John Cena last night however, I could easily see a feud between these two guys being great. RVD's high-flying style mixed with Henry's Super heavyweight and monster like wrestling style, it could interesting. RVD would also make sense because Henry could come out and claim that he is still the world strongest man, he is still Mark Henry blah blah blah....hell even have RVD do a backstage interview and have Henry attack him from behind.

 

[pita323]

Here is my RVD idea.

RVD used to be a "Heyman Guy".
CM Punk was a "Heyman Guy" and appears about to be an anti-"Heyman Guy"

Heyman still has his 2 guys, Lesner and Axel.

How about RVD teaming with CM Punk and going against Lesner and Axel.

A battle like this could keep Punk at the top and it would open up many options on pushing Axel.

 

[Christian Faith]

Hi Shieldgirl


In an interview it was suggested RVD might feud with Ryback as they wear similar ring attire?

Personally though I would actually like to see heel RVD. It's been a long time since he was heel (12 years I believe) and back then he was a terrible heel.

I guess him being a Paul Heyman guy is the obvious route but it could set up a mouthwatering Punk/RVD feud. Have RVD do a shock turn at Summerslam and cost Punk his match with Brock. Then Punk stares from the ring as Heyman holds up RVD, Axle and Lesnar's arms to end the show.

The next night as Punk cuts a promo RVD attacks again and takes a mic. He announces he is not just a Paul Heyman guy he is THE Paul Heyman guy. Mr Original.

It will be tough as he will get cheered a lot regardless but it's not impossible.

 

[ShinobiMusashi]

RVD feuding or teaming with Ryback based on their ring attire is one of the dumbest things I've read on wrestling forums lately.

I think he would make a better heel than a face at this stage of his career. He was a solid heel during the ECW/WWF invasion storyline back in 97, he cut some great heel promos on ECW tv. That was a looooong time ago, but I still think it would be much more fresh for him at this stage. He should be a bad ass kickboxing terminator that sides with Heyman, Axle, & Lesnar.

As a face I think he would have great chemistry in a trio with Bryan & Kane taking on The Shield or Wyatt's family. He'll be the guy that takes the pinfalls in the multiman matches.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I'd love to see RVD face Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam and beat him clean for the title, only for Sandow to cash in and beat him for the championship immediately afterwards. Give Sandow a one month reign to test the waters with him, then have Ziggler beat him for the title at Night of Champions and retain in a rematch at Hell in a Cell, leading to Ziggler vs. RVD for the title at Survivor Series.

 

[chicagokmc]

Perfect feud is Dean Ambrose. I don't think Ambrose is feuding with anyone right now. And it is a fresh face for the Shield. I don't think they'll turn RVD heel right now, plenty of those running around. Wouldn't hurt Ambrose for him to drop that belt to RVD (so maybe Ambrose can be in a program for a World title). And if RVD can't beat him it is easily explainable with run ins from the Shield.

Axel wouldn't be bad but you'd be repeating what is going on with CM Punk and Brock Lesnar - current Heyman guy vs former Heyman guy

 

[Mustang Sally]

A lot will depend on the type of deal RVD has made with WWE. If there are to be a limited number of appearances, the choices will be (hopefully) made wisely.

I could be wrong about this, but didn't TNA have problems with RVDs appearances in the early tenure of his contract? I thought they had a set number of appearances annually, and anything in excess required the company to pay Van Dam a king's ransom for each extra show. I read that TNA got too excited and used him way too often early, forcing them to exceed the limit due to their need to keep pace with the storyline.

As far as I can see, that may be why WWE didn't have RVD run off with MITB last night, because with the number of times the briefcase carrier has to show up during the year, it might not be conducive to have a part timer running the role.

Of course, the deal he has might not entail a set number of appearances; perhaps they're accommodating him some other way. Maybe it's more like Brock Lesnar's deal; there is no real storyline involving him, just a big build-up whenever he's due to show up.

Should be interesting to see how WWE handles this.

 

[LODemolition]

The 3 most likely feuds for RVD imo are:

1. Ambrose - Makes the US Title seem important again, helps Ambrose get over even more.
2. Axel - Same thing, only with the IC Title. Makes more sense with RVD being a former Heyman guy, but the matches with Ambrose would be much better.
3. Orton - Assuming Orton turns heel, this gives them both something to do for SummerSlam. Unfortunately I think Orton will feud with Sheamus and nobody wants to see that.

 

[Desyar]

I can see him going the Jericho route putting over the younger guys. I personally would like to see him feud with Ambrose.

Or Curtis, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon since I believe Curtis will be feuding with Daniel after what happened at MITB.

 

[kidmetal24]

RVD needs to work with young talent and put them over. Let's face it, he will not get another WWE or WHC run. He would be a transitional midcard champion at best. Why do you think part timers never win gold Except the golden boy Dwayne)? They are only there for some Raw and Smackdown shows and PPV's. If anything I think they learned from the tooth fairy that a guy who isnt full time should never hold a major title. I think he will work with punk but he also needs to work with guys like Sandow, Barrett, Wyatt, and Ambrose. That's the main reason for letting an established guy like RVD come back and do the part time gig, to get over your future talent.

 

[Pedigree1]

I admit when im wrong! I was Wrong about RVD clearly at least to me he can still go. Not like in his prime but 43 yrs of age RVD is still The Whole F*Cking Show! Where to go with him now? Possibilites i would like to see him feud with Axel over the IC title that be nice. I know RVD is only there on a part time schedule and he is no where near the Rock.

Hell he got popped when he was WWE and ECW champ im sure the higher ups are still gonna find it hard to trust RVD with any kind of major program. RVD role is to make the younger guys look real good and to help put younger talent over. While a short IC or US Title reign for RVD would be nice i just dont see any kind of title in his future. Could he align himself with Heyman again? Now that be interesting to say the least RVD never really has had a heel role be kind of cool

 

[Mustang Sally]

Not like in his prime but 43 yrs of age RVD is still The Whole F*Cking Show!

The whole F*Cking show at half-speed, as far as I could see. Yes, on one level, it was kind of exciting seeing one of our old favorites come back, but I absolutely couldn't believe the snail's pace at which he worked. If not for the complementary skill of Chris Jericho, the match would have looked like a slow-motion replay of a sporting event. Plus, watching RVDs belly hanging down (thank heavens for singlets) made his walk look more like a duck waddle.

But, as I said, he can still do some useful stuff in WWE, based on his reputation alone. He seems to be able to squeeze out a high-flying move or two per match, and that might be enough to satisfy his legion of fans.

If WWE had a roster stocked with main event wrestlers, I doubt they would have been tempted to take back RVD, especially on the limited-basis contract he seems to have garnered for himself.

Still he is Rob Van Dam.....and the hope is that some skillful writing and situational excitement can make his participation an asset to the company.

But, man......is he slow.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'd like to see RVD enter a feud with either Ambrose or Axel. He has shown in the past couple of days that he can still get the crowd excited for a match and it would do the midcard titles a lot of good to have a former WWE, ECW, and TNA (although Vince will never acknowledge that) Champion chasing and winning the title. Whether it be against Ambrose over the US Championship or against Axel over the Intercontinental Championship, RVD would get great matches and an entertaining feud out of either. I could see him being the one to end one of their reigns possibly if they are going to move on to bigger and better things.

RVD as a midcard champion is an obvious choice to get fans excited at the start of a PPV event in the opening match. He should get a lengthy reign with either belt full of entertaining PPV openers. Someone will have to defeat Ambrose or Axel eventually anyhow, and RVD is good for that role as the belts will need a good candidate for the next champion so that they do not run the risk of not seeming important anymore. After a lengthy Intercontinental or US Championship reign, he should move on to the World Heavyweight Championship. RVD would be a big help for that belt's prestige as well.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

My problem with Rob Van Dam was on full display last night.

It's great that he got the big pop from the crowd, and they allowed the match to go long but watching him move in the ring is just absolutely painful. Moves with absolutely no impact, long pauses and stutters in the action, and key spots blown by the obvious "Hey, are you ready? No, move about half a foot to the right. Yeah, that's good. Ready? Okay, catch me alright? Okay" choreography.

I know this is not just a problem with Van Dam, and it's a risk with any high flyer, but last night was tough at times to watch.

 

[H33LTurn]

Not only did he do great in the MITB match but his match on Monday night RAW against Jericho showed us he's still got a great deal of athleticism left in him. I honestly have no idea what they're going to do as far as Rob is concerned. Common sense has it that he will play some sort of role at Summerslam. One name I've seen tossed around is Curtis Axel. Axel is a great in ring match for RVD. However, I think they're trying to distance Rob from the whole Heyman angle which is already really busy to begin with. I also wouldnt mind seeing RVD team up with CM Punk to take on Lesnar and Curtis, but I think putting all of those big names into one tag match belittles their drawing power at a venue like SS. Another name being tossed around is Dean Ambrose. A loss to RVD wouldn't burry Dean at all and giving the belt to another big name helps build prestige for the title. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The more likely name, however, is Randy Orton. Randy's got no real rivalry going on at the Moment and keeping him busy with Rob is a great way to keep him from cashing in at Summerslam. We all remember the beating Orton gave RVD the last time he was with WWE (not counting the Royal Rumble appearance, so they could use that to build up the rivalry.

 

[CanadianDeviant]

I agree with Joey, he physically looked slow and rusty, but the heart was there.
It would be a total waste to have RVD work down the card. Turn the Miz, Sheamus or elevate one of Swagger/Cesaro to work a short program with RVD who is back to help build future stars.