RVD Explains WWE’s Ban on the Term “Wrestler” and How It Affected Promos

During a recent episode of his podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam reflected on an interesting aspect of his time in WWE—not being allowed to use the word “wrestler.” The rule, put in place by Vince McMahon, was a key part of WWE’s push toward sports entertainment over professional wrestling.

“Everybody knows that when I was in WWE, Vince had long ago decided that we were sports entertainment, right? We weren’t allowed to call ourselves wrestlers,” Van Dam shared. “Everybody in 2001, 2002, through at least most of—if that ever changed, then I don’t even know when the f**k it was.”

Van Dam explained that superstars had to be cautious with their wording during promos to align with WWE’s branding policies. “If we did a promo and said, ‘Hey, that’s right, one of your favorite wrestlers is coming to your town!’ They go ‘Cut, cut! One of your favorite superstars.’ ‘Oh, okay.’ And that was the rule. And maybe that’s changed.”

Van Dam acknowledged that WWE’s policies are constantly evolving, adapting to the times. “The rules and policies always change. And you know, it has to. They’re always evolving and adapting as the times change.”

The former WWE Champion also reflected on how quickly the world changes, comparing today’s advancements to the early 2000s. “How many times have I said in the last week that the world changes so f**king much and so fast? Like, we were talking about the future and I was saying, even what I do—if I’m working ten years from now, I could be involved in something that’s not even here right now, something we couldn’t even dream of.”

Taking a trip down memory lane, Van Dam recalled the early days of cell phones, marveling at how much technology has evolved. “I go back to 2001 when we picked up our first cell phones. You know, they weren’t very smart back then and had the f**king cord. And anyway, the flip-up. But we could never have imagined that, ‘Yeah, take a picture and send it to Japan, he’ll get it instantly,’ Like, what you couldn’t imagine before it happened.”

Rob Van Dam’s insights offer a fascinating look at how WWE shaped its identity during the early 2000s, focusing on “sports entertainment” and distancing itself from traditional wrestling terminology.