Rob Van Dam was a standout in ECW that many of us couldn’t wait to see in action, and when he was signed by the WWE he was given the moniker Mr. Monday Night and that led us to this day in wrestling history.
With his athletic and unorthodox style, RVD was the center of many fans’ attention, including yours truly.
He was a talent that was more than phenomenal as he made every match an exciting adventure that brought us to our toes and made us think anything was possible.
But as great as all of that was, there was one thing that took him a few years to do, and that was to win the WWE Championship.
Eyes on the title
Before there were multiple championships per brand, the one that held the top title was the face of the company and it held a certain prestige.
That was never lost on RVD, but being the one tabbed was something he didn’t expect, as he said in an interview in 2016. Special thanks to @awrestlinghistorian for the excerpt.
“Although winning the WWE Championship and being that person to represent the company was never in my plan and I’m sure was never in the plans for the office either, that night was the crowning moment in my career for many reasons. The fans, the office and the industry always remember the former world champions. That is something that can’t be taken away from me.
“The reason why it was so awesome was because everything that went into it. Everyone who loved ECW, including myself, brought ECW back. That night and that match was about validating the love for the ECW style. Winning that match was about the spirit of ECW triumphing over the less-preferred style of WWE. That’s why I was the perfect representative.
“Everyone in that building and everyone watching at home too was rooting for me and wanting to see John Cena go down. That was a big deal for me because I was always fighting for the ECW spirit. That was my most special time in the business.” – Rob Van Dam, Huffington Post interview from December 27, 2016.
One of those moments
This was a moment many of us wanted to see for years, but RVD didn’t seem to fit in with what a WWE champion was supposed to look like.
Whatever the reason was for the delay, it was awesome to see him finally get the title he deserved and like he said, it brought ECW alive once again for all of us to enjoy and this day in wrestling history is one we’ll always remember.
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