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Rob Van Dam is a legend of the ring. He helped build ECW into what it was, and after that he did exceptionally well in WWE, eventually beating John Cena for the WWE Championship at One Night Stand at the Hammerstein Ballroom in 2006.
That night in particular has gone down in history because no one expected it. It doesnβt mean it didnβt happen though, and really it did a lot to cement RVDβs legacy in the industry.
He had a penchant of delivering high octane matches and his martial arts style and the fact that he looked almost identical to action/adventure superstar, Jean-Claude Van Damme made for quit the recipe for success throughout the mid to late nineties and beyond.
He went on to have epic runs in TNA/Impact and as stated his legacy is set for years to come. Lately he has been a voice in the world of pro wrestling, offering his opinions here and there.
Perhaps most notable in the last year were the interviews he gave in regards to the βThe Plane Ride From Hellβ episode of Dark Side Of The Ring on Vice, in which he corroborated a witnessβ story, that alleged that Ric Flair had harassed her during the ill-fated flight documented in the episode.
And most recently, he went into AEW as a company overall, and what he originally thought of the company at its inception in 2019, and he went into what he thinks of one of its greatest stars, MJF, all while speaking to Sportskeeda. Hereβs some of what he said:
βWhen they first came out (AEW), they just stood as good a chance as everybody else in my mind because even though I heard they had a lot of money, this guy owns (the Jacksonville Jaguars); even with all of that, that wasnβt anything new. Happens all the time, every once in a while somebody comes up and they think theyβre going to be the next big thing and usually, they have one show, if that, and then theyβre doneβ¦
AEW started and I thought they were just going to be another one of those companies, and they certainly werenβt. Itβs amazing that they draw as many fans as they do and thatβs on TV and in person. The crowds are so much bigger than IMPACT Wrestling or a lot of the independents outside of WWE. So theyβve stepped up and they really are the next big thingβ¦
(MJF is) super committed from what I understand, he was at a comic convention of some kind and on his own without the production crew behind him or anything, he walked into a room full of black people but they had a black person on stage and he said, βDoes anybody have any questions on Black Lives Matter?β Like, what a heel. Heβs just committed; he doesnβt laugh at himself or break character that I know.β
via RVD, according to a piece at cultaholic.com
For MJF, praise like this from such a legend must be amazing to hear, although heβd never admit it. He keeps up with kayfabe even when it gets uncomfortable for anyone watching. But deep inside, when he hears this, heβll shed a tear and be touched, Iβm sureβ¦or then again, perhaps itβs just wishful thinking on my part. But it seems itβs just this that RVD likes about the young star, so MJF should definitely keep up with whatβs quite obviously working.
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