L.R. Rob, Can you tell me how you feel about One Night Stand? I know I couldn’t wait for this show to happen. But I have to say once this so called WWE invasion angle became a part of this show some of the excitement has kind of worn off for me. Would you mind telling me how you feel about One Night Stand?
Rob. I absolutely would love to tell you about it. Because I’m very passionate about the ECW pay per view. ECW was my favorite time of my career. I had my greatest matches that I can’t even touch from five years ago, I can’t even touch them today, because of the new perimeters and boundaries meaning it’s not hard core style so I am not going to be able to excel in the same fashion. This pay per view would give me a chance to do so and give everybody a chance to go out there and prove what they can do for the wrestling fans when they are unleashed and allowed the freedom to be creative and bring forth anything appropriate. And ECW is all about going that extra mile going further than anybody else would to entertain the fans. And the fans know it and that’s why they showed their appreciation back by chanting ECW ECW. This was the energy we all knew and shared through this interaction with the fans from years ago and now after a few years of absence the fans are still screaming ECW. And all these other wrestlers in Raw and Smackdown that were not part of that history, most of them wish that they were. Sure they were affected by it sure we changed the standards and raised the bar so yeah these guys may have had some tables, chairs and ladders matches that’s only because ECW pushed them to do it. But the fact is from my prespective which is the fact that they have no business being on the pay per view. They are there to take a big piece of the pie which they don’t deserve. And when the credit gets divided up under who drew one of the biggest pay per views of the year for the WWE I hope the credits not misplaced because nobody’s buying a ticket to see those guys it’s all for ECW.
L.R. That’s what I’m also worried about. This should have been solely with the ECW guys. I was so hyped for this.
Rob. You still should be. The invasion thing I’m sure is going to be a small part of the show. And truth be told if this was the old Paul Heyman’s ECW those guys if they showed up and sat in the front row or any row wherever they were in the building, we wouldn’t just go on about our business we would draw them out and quite possibility have a fight on our hands.
L.R. That’s what I want to see. I want to see them get squashed, and I want them coming off looking like total losers. That’s what I’m hoping for.
Rob. It may happen that way. For me you know what it’s all about though is just showing what ECW was and what ECW still is. And that’s about being different being extreme and being extreme means being able to have a great match just like anybody else is going to show you and going that extra level on top of it. And not all the wrestlers can hang with ECW there’s no doubt about it. If a lot of these guys did try to compete in the ECW ring during that era, a lot of them wouldn’t be around today because we would have hurt them that bad. WWE influence can not water down the over all product they wont. It’s going to be ECW shining and reaching out and sharing that energy with the fans. And it’s going to be the old ECW players seen for the first time in that many years. And anything that isn’t authentic for ECW, for example, like putting mustard on a hot dog when you really don’t like mustard. The hot dog is still going to be good. The mustard is just a small part of that hotdog. Consider it like an added part in addition to what you’re going to get which is going to be total ECW action.
L.R .I know you aren’t clear to wrestle, and I know you will be at One Night Stand. Will we see quite a bit of you during the night?
Rob. I will be as big a part of the show as I possibly can. And such a big part of it that I will go and tell you this whole thing was my idea. The ECW pay per view.
L.R. That was my other question Rob, so it’s true you came up with the idea for the pay per view?
Rob. It’s very true. I was telling them how they were missing the boat. I was telling Vince we are you toughest guys, we just need one night only. We don’t need any storylines coming in, just give us one night. The way that we perform ECW style it’s for the wrestlers, the fans and the industry, we need this. And so it came to pass. I never go to the office with ideas. So that should tell you how passionate I am about this. It sucks worse than anything in the world for me that I blew my knee out prior to this. Because I would have much rather have wrestled on an ECW pay per view than anything since my operation in January that I missed. Including the trips over seas to Japan or England, and Wrestlemania. I would have set that all aside to be able to be the whole F’N’ show again for one night. I will definitely be there. I’m planning on trying to kick somebody in the face.
L.R. Rob I don’t have this word for word, but Kurt Angle in a newspaper interview the other day said that ECW ruined the wrestling business. I don’t know if he was in character or this is what he really believes. I was wondering what you thought about this.
Rob. I can’t say what his intentions were but he probably meant it. I know a lot of people feel that way. We did change the business we did make them work harder and so what. People buy a ticket to see RVD I’m not going out there to give them a 2 when I have a 10 that I can show them. It’s that state of mind that is the foundation of ECW. Every night we’d go out there and offer whatever extreme factors that we had to go that extra mile. It may be extreme athleticism with RVD. It may have been setting the tables on fire and thumbtacks all over the ring with Balls Mahoney. It might have been Sandman drinking beer and smoking 1,000 cigarettes. We all had our own individual niche that made it extreme, that was the band of renegades that we were. But the traditional wrestlers and the old timers and just the other wrestling groups at the time were afraid of ECW. And because we changed the standards what did they have to do? They had to start throwing in tables, ladders and chairs matches. They had to start taking risks for themselves. And hey it’s not for everybody. I’m not saying I’m the toughest wrestler there is, you can put me through a table and I’m going to be okay. The next wrestler he may not want to be put through a table. He may be upset. And feel like I’ve changed the standards and made it so he has to do that. That’s not the way it is at all. In fact I don’t want anybody doing my moves anyway. I even agree with the wrestlers that look at some extreme matches and label it garbage wrestling. I totally agree. The thing is to do it properly you have to have a good match, good wrestling and you add an extreme level on top of it. Then you have a successful formula. What a lot of guys do now a days is try to emulate ECW and I could mention, in fact what I’ve seen in TNA falls under this category. Where as the extreme measures take the place of a good match. And you know what? That is garbage wrestling. Who cares if this guys doing a moon-sault? You don’t invest your emotions in that. you just don’t care. And that’s what probably set RVD apart you knew when you watched my matches you were going to get not only the best match of the night, regardless of whom I was wrestling, but it may be the best match that you’ve ever seen and I would back that up because I knew that I could give it to you.
When I first got to ECW in January, 1996, I saw some guys in there that weren’t wrestling that would have what I would call garbage matches. I would look at it and say these guys don’t even have a foundation of a match to begin with, how can they go extreme from there? While I was there we tightened up the crew. We got a lot better as a whole. And the product that we had to offer when we were really big and on top, it wasn’t garbage it had the holy shit factor. And when you watched it you would be drawn in, like look at these guys. And I’ll say at the same time you could watch ECW and get like the best matches that you ever seen in your life. You could also on Monday night watch them trying to copy us and they would have the hardcore title and it was a joke, and you could tell it was a joke to them. It was never meant to be anything. The hard core match meant your not getting a match at all, it meant you are getting two wrestlers that are going to run to the men’s room and maybe use plungers.
L.R. Something else that was so special about ECW had to be the length of the matches. The fans got to see at least 30 minute matches, and they were all pay per view quality matches, it was something you could count on each week.
Rob. We had a lot to show. And it was up to us to determine what we wanted to show. Anytime I’m in the ring I consider that an exhibition of my athleticism and my abilities and why the hell am I going to hold back. Someone bought a ticket to see me so I’m not going to show them what I’ve got? That’s not what I’m about. That’s a lot of the adjustments I had to make coming in the WWE. That’s why on June 12th you’re going to see a lot of guys that are unleashed like dogs and let out of their kennels. They are going to be going,
L.R. Do you feel bad that guys like Jerry Lynn, Joey Styles and Raven won’t be at One Night Stand?
Rob. Don’t be surprised if you see Joey Styles. You know what? No I’m not disappointed. In fact I down played the idea to get Vince interested in it. By saying you don’t even have to hire anybody out of the company. You’ve got 26 guys on your roster right now that are ECW alumni, give us our old ring, don’t even clean the mat up for us, and turn half the lights out in the building. It didn’t matter; we could make do of what we have. So anybody coming in extra from ECW is like a bonus.
L.R Do you expect the fans that will be attending One Night Stand to be as boisterous and out there like they used to be?
Rob. Absolutely. There will be a lot of fans that were the originals. They are the ones that invented all this ECW hype. And then there will be the other fans that will want to chime in on the chants. There’s going to be an amazing amount of energy exuded and a great interaction between the fans and the wrestlers that we have not been able to see in several years now.
L.R Last week on Raw, Eric Bischoff made a very interesting comment. He said Thank God he only has to deal with ECW for one night. That made me think this is not going to end after Sunday. Is that just wishful thinking on my part?
Rob. Yes it is, but I feel very strongly that contingent upon the success of this pay per view which I have no doubt will be one of the best selling pay per views of all year, that I can talk them into brining it back next year. And who knows what kind of ideas they already have. But I have had plans in my head for quite some time, like making this an annual event. If not more, because like I said the hard core division was never done right. When I got the hardcore title I started adding prestige to the championship because I knew how to make a good match extreme. And guess what? The belt started meaning way more than anybody ever planned on it. So what did they do? They dumped it. Why was that? So that one of the other belts could shine a little bit brighter? Somebody else was maybe afraid that this title was beginning to mean too much? The physical demand of the hardcore match is really not for everybody. But you know what? It’s definitely the best way to showcase RVD. It’s definitely the best way to showcase all of us animals that are extreme championship wrestlers.
7. Rob will you be on TV next week during the draft?
Rob. As far as I know, and it’s my understanding and the way that I prefer it to be, and I hope it plays out is this way. RVD will not be seen until the ECW pay per view. If you see me before then you know right now I’m not happy about that,
L.R .What do you think of the new champions, John Cena and Batista?
Rob. I think that they are individually good wrestlers that are very important to the roster. Both young guys are up and coming. I used to train John Cena a little bit in California, about 4 or 5 years ago. During that time, I went down to the ring to train some local guys. Batista is still up and coming and when you are already at the top like they are, and you still have a bright future ahead of you, you stand in a pretty good spot. And they are both deservingly very popular.
L.R. Rob are the rumors that are out there true that Triple H holds talent back. And is there a glass ceiling?
Rob. I am the last guy that you will ever see in a production meeting. And I’m not an ass kissing coffee over the table with the writers and agents kind of guy. So I can’t tell you what really goes on. I know what I hear just like everybody else. Of course I have my own judgment and most of the fans and readers are going to have to use their own judgment really to see what’s going on. The thing is fans know, and thank God they know since Vince in 1997 or 1998 decided that pro wrestling was entertainment instead of a sport. That gave the fans a chance to look at who is really working hard and entertaining and who is just a lazy piece of garbage that is being pushed because they think they have a marketable presence. So the guys that worked really hard started becoming more popular and got a chance to really get ahead. That’s why there are wrestlers like Rey Mysterio who are on the top in the WWE. When I watched in the 80’s they thought Bret Hart was too small to be a singles wrestler. It used to be about being big whether you carried a pig under your arm or a chain around your neck. Now it’s about the guys that are athletic that are out there showing the crowd something they want to see. I will tell you on the glass ceiling. Your in ring work will get you so far only, and then I do believe then you are probably capped. To make it to the very very top, you have to be skillful in the ring also skillful politically which is a game that I don’t play. I may always bang my head on the glass ceiling, but as long as I can still hear the fans screaming for me that’s all I need. I definitely feel a lot more secure with my fan base than any present employer.
My whole career is Rob Van Dam and his fans. It’s not where I’m at right now, it’s not where I’m going to be tomorrow but it’s about the fans following me. When I wrestle they appreciate it, when I write a book they are going to buy it, they’ll see a movie when I make it. It’s definitely about the fans for me more than any rules or any expectations or anything like that.
L.R. Could you tell me about your next return on June 26th, to the Funking Conservatory?
Rob. I go way back with the Funks. I’ve known them since 1993. I met them in Japan. I’ve always been close with Dory since then. He has a great training facility there in Florida. A lot of the wrestlers who are on TV right now have gone through the conservatory. Basically what I was saying earlier about wrestlers trying to emulate what they see on TV whether it’s ECW or whatever and they look like they trained themselves. Because they only have the extreme moves that don’t know how to put a match together that’s because they didn’t have any old school training. I got trained by the originals and I’m so thankful, and people can see I’m a wrestler and not an imitator. You’ve got to have that old school connection. And Dory Funk is one of the most authentic credible legends from the old school that there is. So definitely if you are picking a wrestling school to go to start your career you’re going to want to look at Dory;s. You are going to have a hard time finding somebody who has been in the business more or that has more to offer you,
When I go down to Dory’s conservatory, I’m able to offer my two cents as well.
The students or wrestlers that are there I watch them train I watch them in the ring I’m able to give them personal one on one advice that they can definitely use on the spot. To get better on the spot, because I can knit pick and say quit doing this, do more of that. And I have a lot of insight to offer. It’s a really personal thing I take each one of the students and I can tell what exactly is going to make them better, it’s something that every body walks away from feeling like they really got something out it. Of course I get the feedback from Dory and Marti about how just after spending a couple of minutes with me how these wrestlers have improved so much. I’m sending them on their way with their careers.
Rob I know you are extremely busy but this has been a great experience for me. You are really a great guy and I can’t wait to see you back on TV at One Night Stand. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me and on behalf of all your fans thank you for coming up with the idea for the ECW pay per view. And as you said earlier I hope this is just the beginning of a lot more to come.
