WCW.com Interview With RVD On No Mercy, Austin, WWF, And More

He’s been called the Whole Dam Show, Mr. Monday Night, Mr. Pay-Per-View. But lately, Rob Van Dam could also be called Mr. Controversy. The popular Alliance Superstar and World Wrestling Federation Hardcore Champion sat down with WCW.com Monday, less than 24 hours after headlining No Mercy in his first Triple Threat match.

WCW.com: What are your thoughts on last night’s main event?

RVD: I enjoyed it. It was very cool to be in the main event at a Federation Pay-Per-View. I hadn’t had a three-way match before with singles. I’ve had them in tag matches, which is quite different. I thought I went in as Mr. Pay-Per-View and I think I came out the same way.

WCW.com: It’s only your fourth Pay-Per-View since joining the Alliance and you’re already a main-eventer. Are you surprised at your quick rise up the ladder? What’s the secret to getting to the top so quickly?

RVD: I am pleased with the way things are going for sure. I’ve actually pretty much been pushed my whole career. In every territory when I first started out I was told I was very talented. I suppose that’s where a lot of people get the idea that I’m arrogant from when they talk about me. I’m OK with the fact that somebody says I’m the best wrestler in history. Whatever you tell me, it’s not going to be the first time I hear it. At the same time, it’s all opinions. I felt when I was in ECW I was showcased in such a way that it was a great way to showcase all my talents. The whole company was basically built around me. I was the franchise player. When I came here I knew in my mind that the closest I could be to the RVD that was in ECW the better off I’d be. So far I haven’t drifted too far with the Federation version. It’s the fans that have caused all this to happen. I understand my fans.

WCW.com: What’s it been like working with Austin? RVD: It’s been good. Very cool. Austin’s pretty much the No. 1 guy in the company so it’s a great position to be in. I’ve enjoyed what our matches have produced.

WCW.com: What’s your side of the story about coming out late when the Alliance members met in the ring on the Oct. 15 episode of RAW?

RVD: I was shooting a promo with Billy Kidman and Bruce Prichard in the back right before. I think it actually aired right after the Alliance segment. I got through the promo and looked on the TV monitor and saw the Alliance. I asked if I was supposed to be out there. I had no idea what was going on out there. It was not a situation of missing a cue.

WCW.com: Is this just one of those things you have to laugh at and put behind you?

RVD: Well I’d sure like it to not happen again, and I’ve taken measures to ensure that it never happens again. But I’m sure I’m not the one who’s most broken up about it. WCW.com: How would you rate your performance in the Alliance so far?

RVD: I wouldn’t. I think that’s for the fans.

WCW.com: What would you say is the best match you’ve had since you’ve been here?

RVD: Hmm. I kind of feel like (it was) my first Pay-Per-View match with Jeff Hardy (at July’s Invasion). That’s been my best match, and by everything in my mind that sets the standards. I don’t try to hide the fact that I enjoy a Hardcore match.

WCW.com: The Internet is awash with rumors and opinions about you. Many of them stem from the so-called “potato shots” that you’ve inflicted lately. What’s your version of these “potato shots”?

RVD: Each case is an individual case. As far as the Internet goes, I learned a long time ago that certain guys on the Internet that like to follow me try hard to find dirt on me. They’re basically fans that have never been in a ring that want to develop their own kind of imaginary world. They prove themselves wrong all the time. Those guys put their foot in their mouths so many times you’d think they do the RVD stretch routine.

WCW.com: How are you being received in the locker room?

RVD: Cordially. Everybody’s very cool. There’s a cool attitude directed toward me. Basically, that’s what I see about how everybody treats everybody. Ever since I’ve been here all I’ve ever seen anybody do to everybody is kill each other with kindness. Everybody wears a smile when they come to work. That’s just the way it is.

WCW.com: Are you happy to be here?

RVD: Yeah.

WCW.com: You make a point of looking around the arena for the best RVD sign. What’s the best one you’ve seen so far?

RVD: I get a kick out of a RVD sign every night. It seems like the cool thing to do is come up with an original RVD sign. Sometimes it seems like every other person in the stands has an RVD sign. They’re all original with incorporating the yin-yang symbols, the dragons and my outfits. One of the coolest ones was like a big RVD puppet with moveable arms that could do the RVD thumb pose. It was hand-painted right down to detail.

WCW.com: Where did the RVD thumb pose come from?

RVD: When I was developing my heel persona in ECW in what would have been I believe ’96, I would do moves that I like to do and I know the fans want to see. But at the same time they’re clapping, I would just eat it up and say ‘Yeah I know. I know this is what you want to see. This is what you paid to see.’ I’d point at myself you know. I’m Rob Van Dam. I was kind of striking a pose just trying to be cocky. I had no clue I was setting any kind of symbol or anything until one time in Japan. I looked out the window and saw the fans standing in line doing the RVD pose. That was when I realized I had something. It’s kind of crazy that it’s original and nobody else has done that.

WCW.com: In your vast array of moves, is there one in particular you enjoy doing?

RVD: The obvious answer is my finishing move, the Five-Star Frog Splash. That’s most entertaining because the fans want to see it. They’re now expecting to see it. They know when it’s coming up. They stand up out of their seats to see it. I like to always put a twist on my moves and find a new way to do it. Whether it involves a hardcore weapon or different positioning or doing something outside the ring you’d normally only see inside the ring. It could be twisting in midair on the splash. Or splashing someone through a table, whatever. It keeps it interesting for me.

WCW.com: You’re highly skilled in various martial arts. Has anyone ever been stupid enough to test your abilities on the street?

RVD: I have plenty of experience testing myself while growing up. I did most of my martial arts training and kick boxing as a teenager. I really enjoyed fighting during that part of my life. I was actually kind of a punk for a little while now that I think back. But I was really testing myself and it was for the physical competition of it. Until I was about 23 or 24, that’s really what drove me. Then once I outgrew it I really became much more passive and more focused on a different direction. Now you’d really have to cross the line with me. I wouldn’t intentionally want to hurt anybody.

WCW.com: Anything new going on?

RVD: I’m on a TV show that nobody has seen yet. It’s called “Ultimate Revenge” and it’s on TNN. I’m not really sure when it’s going to air yet. It should be fun to watch.