WWE Hall of Famer RVD is known for his relaxed and easygoing attitude, rarely showing real anger. However, he has now revealed that there was one instance where he went off-script during a match after genuinely getting furious.
While speaking to Inside the Ropes, RVD shared a story about how he once went off script during a match after becoming legitimately furious. RVD noted that the WWE production team was pushing him to act angry, believing that portraying anger would make him more marketable. However, RVD didn’t feel that way and he explained that when he got upset, it wasn’t out of anger but because he was disappointed in himself for losing control. Despite this, they continued pushing him to act mad, which eventually got on his nerves.
“They really, really wanted to see an angry, pissed-off RVD. That was so important to them—they really thought that’s where the money was. But I would push back against it because I’m not angry.
Here’s a story: I actually did get angry one time during that period. They kept saying, ‘There’s got to be a time where you just lose your cool, where you’re like—’ and I told them, ‘Dude, you have every other wrestler that does that. Literally every other wrestler sticks their tongue out and loses their temper. That’s not me.’
I explained, ‘If I get mad—and this is the truth straight to the heart—when I get mad, I’m so disappointed in myself because it means I’ve lost control. It’s a flaw I have to fix.’ But they kept pushing me.”
During one match, RVD was supposed to do a run-in while Chris Jericho was in the ring. All day, the production team tried to get him worked up, asking him to think of something that would genuinely make him angry. At the time, RVD was already feeling frustrated, and the constant pressure only made things worse.
Before going out, Jericho told RVD to pretend that he was mad, even suggesting he act as if Jericho had hit on his wife. That comment pushed RVD over the edge as he was already irritated, and the unnecessary remark made him genuinely angry.
“One time, I was wrestling Jericho. Jericho was out there, and I was supposed to run in and drop him. All day, they were trying to get me pissed off. They’d say, ‘Just think of something that makes you really mad.’ It was like they didn’t think I could go out there and pretend to be mad, and honestly, it started getting on my nerves.
Right before Jericho went out there, we were at the curtain. I know now they’d told him to rile me up. We talked about it afterward. So, right before he goes out, he turns to me and says, ‘Dude, just get really mad.’ I said, ‘I know. I got it. Go.’ But then he adds, ‘Just act like I hit on your wife.’
Looking back, I wish he had taken my ex—it would’ve saved me years of pain. But at that moment, his comment felt so unnecessary. I got so pissed, which is not normal for me.”
When he finally entered the ring, he punched Jericho hard, delivering several strikes before hitting his signature Frog Splash. The plan was for RVD to cover Jericho, count to three, and take the belt, but his anger caused him to forget that part of the script. Instead, he grabbed the title, threw it at Jericho, and stormed out of the ring, ultimately going off-script. He was so furious that he left the arena in his wrestling gear without cooling down until the next day.
“So, I ran out there, and bam—I punched him in the face, hard. Bam, bam, bam, bam. He went down, and I hit the Frog Splash. Boom. They wanted me to cover him and make my own count—one, two, three—and take the belt. He was the champion at the time.
But I was so mad I forgot to cover him. Instead, I just grabbed the belt, threw it at him, or something like that, and stormed out. I was so furious that I grabbed my bag, shoved everything into it, and left in my wrestling gear. I didn’t cool down until the next evening.”
This was a rare moment in RVD’s career when he lost control and went off-script, which is very different from his usual calm attitude. He is a true professional no matter what, but sometimes anger can get the best of anyone, and RVD knows that all too well.
What do you think of RVD’s outburst? Do you believe WWE could have better understood his character or was the pressure for him to act angry just part of the business? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.