Johnathan Xavier Pugh on April 20, 2022
Rob Van Dam became a WWE Hall of Fame inductee in 2021 with no spectators. Recently, Rob spoke about the journey during that time period and a funny thing that happened along the way.
RVD is regarded as a legendary technical wrestler. He competed for ECW, WWE, TNA, and indie promotions during the tenure of his 30-year career. In 2021, RVD was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
During an interview with Busted Open Podcast, Rob talked about the day he discovered his induction into the Hall of Fame, along with the speech he gave.
“It was cool. You know, whenever that 203 area code shows up on my cell phone, I’m like, ‘Okay, let me see. Let me try and identify my feelings about it.’ It was Johnny Ace. He said, ‘Hey, Vince wanted me to call you in and see if you’re interested in being inducted in the Hall of Fame this year.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, it would be an honor. Absolutely,’” Van Dam said.
Micheal Hayes had to clarify Vince Machamon that RVD wasn’t yet in the Hall of Fame at one point in the talk, according to RVD. Vince Machamon easily misunderstands things since he’s a busy entrepreneur.
“I learned that, I think it was Michael Hayes that told me that they were sitting around the table like they do when it came up. I guess Vince said something to the effect of ‘Too bad RVD is already in the Hall of Fame, or he’d be a good candidate for this year’, and someone said, I think it was Michael Hayes, said, ‘Vince, RVD is not in the Hall of Fame.’ He thought I was and was like, ‘What?’ So, pretty cool how that went down and I’m glad, obviously, to be part of it.
RVD recalls his speech presented during the crowdless ceremony. Considering there were no attendees present, RVD desired to give a long-winded, heartfelt speech. Nevertheless, his speech live speech went on for 26 minutes, according to RVD.
“For me, I was like, well, I don’t know what I’m going to say anyway. So it sucks, you know, three to five minutes. My whole life, I’ve stayed and listened to all these great long speeches about all these legends. Now I’m going to be in front of an empty arena, and in three minutes,
I’m going to say thanks. But I figured I was going to go a little bit long, you know, maybe five or six minutes and give them stuff to edit. I went 26 minutes and didn’t even realize it, I think because there was nobody there. It was weird.”
“I would say something and they would turn up the applause and turn it down so I’d have an idea. Then I’d say something else. I had no idea I went that long, but nobody seemed upset. I think maybe it upset me more than anybody else as far as I could tell just because I felt like I stepped over the bounds so much.”
RVD had a nice gift for Vince McMahon, a book of his branded rolling papers. Considering how much Vince McMahon loves weed, we’re sure he used them.
RVD never ceases to amaze his adoring fans. RVD’s high-flying, reckless, and extreme style is admired by both casual and hardcore enthusiasts. RVD is still active in TNA and the independent scene today. His dedication paid off handsomely, and he’s now inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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H/T Wrestling News
April 20, 2022 9:10 pm
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