10 Things Fans Should Know About RVD

With an in-ring style that combined high-flying, martial arts, and strategic use of steel chairs, Rob Van Dam made a huge impression on ECW fans, becoming an icon of 1990s “alternative” wrestling. Soon enough, runs in WWE, Impact Wrestling, and countless indie matches followed, and RVD would become a highly decorated and beloved veteran, not to mention a WWE Hall of Famer.

Highly accomplished over an over-30-year career, Rob Van Dam is definitely the kind of performer fans should know about. Let’s take a look at the entire career of “Mr. Monday Night,” and what fans need to know about the legend.

10 Trained With Sabu

Rob Van Dam is known for — among other things — having a tag team/rivalry with Sabu (see below), but the two stars also started out together, training in Michigan under Sabu’s uncle, Ed Farhat, otherwise known as the original Sheik. This training period wouldn’t just establish their partnership in pro wrestling, but also their in-ring styles, as they would regularly sneak off and develop the high flying maneuvers both would be known for — all behind the Sheik’s back.

9 Becoming RVD

Rob Van Dam debuted in 1990, but didn’t work under that name until the following year. At first, he often worked as “Rob Zakowski,” but once he started working in the Florida wrestling scene, Rob Slinker — a wrestler-turned-promoter and martial artist — dubbed him Rob Van Dam based on his resemblance to martial artist/actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, who was beginning to become a megastar. The name fit, given that RVD also trained in a variety of martial arts and kickboxing.

8 Early TV Appearances

By 1992, Rob Van Dam started appearing in major televised promotions. His first would be for WWE, wrestling two squash matches: a handicap match against Sid Justice, followed by another loss to The Mountie. However, he’d end up signing with the competition.

In early 1993, Van Dam debuted for WCW, working under the ring name Robbie V. This run would be short, lasting only about half a year, a handful of TV matches, and one unsuccessful challenge against Paul Orndorff for the Television Championship.

7 Rivalry And Tag Team With Sabu

Rob Van Dam finally made his debut for ECW in 1996, where his style and karate stoner persona made him a popular act. Over the ensuing months, RVD would have several clashes with his old training buddy Sabu in a rivalry that would eventually lead to the two deciding to team up. By mid-1998, Rob Van Dam and Sabu would become Tag Team Champions, defeating Chris Candido and Lance Storm for the belts. Together, the duo would become two-time champions, with each run lasting over 100 days.

6 Managed by Bill Alfonso

The duo weren’t on their own, however — they were represented by Bill Alfonso, a referee turned heel manager who managed Taz until he betrayed his client at Barely Legal 1997 in favor of RVD and Sabu. Alfonso managed the partners to their tag team success as well as in Van Dam’s singles victories, and even teamed up with RVD to take on Tommy Dreamer and Beulah MCGillicutty at As Good As It Gets in 1997.

5 Legendary TV Title Run

Rob Van Dam with the ECW TV Championship

Rob Van Dam never won the ECW World Title while in ECW, but he does have a major achievement in the promotion as far as titles go. On the 4/8/1998 episode of ECW Hardcore TV, Van Dam defeated Bam Bam Bigelow to capture the Television Title, kicking off an epic 700-day run that made RVD a major star in the company. Over the course of that near-two-year reign, Van Dam defended against pretty much everyone in ECW, including some classic matches with his other major rival, Jerry Lynn.

4 Decorated WWE Star

Van Dam stuck with ECW to the bitter end, performing even at the company’s last show, Guilty As Charged, in January 2001. Following ECW’s demise, he debuted for WWE later in 2001 as part of the WCW/ECW Invasion storyline, but proved to be a popular act despite being presented as a heel.

From 2001 to 2006, RVD would become a multi-time Intercontinental Champion, a title he eventually unified with the European and Hardcore belts. In 2006, he won the second-ever Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22, coining the phrase “Mr. Money in the Bank” as a riff on his “Mr. Monday Night” nickname as well as leading to the biggest win of Van Dam’s wrestling career.

3 Beating John Cena

Rob Van Dam used his MITB contract to challenge WWE Champion John Cena in RVD’s home turf: at the Hammerstein Ballroom for the ECW reunion show One Night Stand in 2006. The match was a classic thanks to the high drama, notoriously hostile crowd, and the finish, where Van Dam successfully defeated Cena (via Edge interference) to become new WWE Champion as well as the first ECW Champion for WWE’s revival of the promotion. This would be RVD’s first world championship.

2 The Incident That Changed His Career

Rob Van Dam And Sabu WrestleMania 23 Cropped

Unfortunately, Rob Van Dam’s time at the top of WWE didn’t last long. In early July of 2006, RVD and Sabu were pulled over for speeding and arrested on a drug charge, after which Van Dam was subsequently booked to drop both of his titles. Van Dam stuck around in the company until 2007, joining with his fellow ECW Originals to feud with the New Breed faction as well as Randy Orton, but he’d never capture another title in WWE to date.

1 Impact Wrestling Run

After a few years on the indie scene, Rob Van Dam debuted for Impact Wrestling, defeating Sting in his first match. Eventually he’d dethrone AJ Styles for the World Title, a reign that would be cut short by Van Dam quickly running out of dates on his contract. But RVD would continue to wrestle for Impact until 2013, capturing the X Division title and becoming a member of the ECW revival faction EV 2.0. After another short run with WWE in the mid-2010s, RVD would once again return to Impact for another stint from 2019 to 2020.