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Robert Alex Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970 in Battle Creek, Michigan), is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Rob Van Dam (sometimes abbreviated to R.V.D.). He currently wrestles on the Extreme Championship Wrestling brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Early career

Van Dam made his first appearance in a wrestling ring as a teenager, when he was called up to the ring by Ted DiBiase to kiss his feet for $100 USD. Van Dam debuted in 1990 after being trained by The Sheik, wrestling his first match against Dango Nguyen in Toledo, Ohio. He went on to wrestle in many independent promotions across Michigan. He signed with World Championship Wrestling in 1992 and was dubbed Robbie V upon his arrival. His WCW run was uneventful and largely unnoticed; he left in 1994.

He also wrestled in several independent promotions across America, and in All Japan Pro Wrestling. He eventually adopted the ring name "Rob Van Dam", derived from the name of actor Jean Claude Van Damme.

Extreme Championship Wrestling

In 1996, Van Dam signed with promoter Paul Heyman's recently re-invented, Philadelphia-based promotion -- Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), defeating Axl Rotten in his debut match. ECW openly targeted males in their teens and twenties with ultra-violent (but also unusually athletic) matches, plus sexually aggressive female-sidekick characters. Van Dam's mannerisms were that of a stoner, and he became an unlikely face because of his laid back attitude and unorthodox style. Van Dam initially used "Poundcake" by Van Halen as his entrance music before switching to the song "Walk" by Pantera.

He became internationally known while working for ECW. Van Dam was an instant hit after a series of hardcore, high-flying matches (beginning April 20, 1996 at Hostile City Showdown) with long-time rival Sabu when Van Dam failed to show proper respect for his opponent. Eventually, Van Dam united with Sabu under the management of Bill Alfonso and formed one of the most successful duos in ECW history.

In May of 1997 ECW "invaded" the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night RAW television show, drawing the ire of color commentator Jerry Lawler. Lawler then promised he would show up at an ECW show in order to gain revenge, and when he did show up he, surprisingly, had ECW mainstays Van Dam and Sabu with him. Van Dam would go on to cut promos about how he was too good for ECW and deserved to be in one of the "Big Two" (WWF or WCW) on one of their Monday Night programs ("Monday Night Raw" or "Monday Night Nitro") , while Jerry Lawler dubbed Van Dam "Mr. Monday Night" on an episode of Raw. Despite his arrogance and "betrayal" of ECW, Van Dam was thoroughly applauded by fans recognizing his athleticism and unique maneuvers.

Van Dam's popularity culminated in a record 23-month reign as ECW World Television Champion, including one memorable title defense was against Jerry Lynn at Living Dangerously 1999 that was deemed so good that Paul Heyman aired it on ECW's debut on TNN in place of a shoot promo about TNN that he was planning, but was unhappy with.

Van Dam suffered a (legit) severely broken leg just weeks before he was scheduled to perform in a "TV champion vs. World champion" pay-per-view broadcast's main event. Many ECW fans have cited this unfortunate event as the beginning of the end for the trendsetting, yet financially shaky, promotion. This match would potentially have been the most lucrative PPV main event in company history and Heyman was depending on this mega-match to bring an influx of badly-needed cash.

He stayed with ECW until its 2001 demise.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

Several months after the closure of ECW, Van Dam was signed to a short term contract by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF - later WWE) in order to take part in The Invasion, a storyline that saw former WCW and ECW wrestlers form an alliance in a bid to take over the WWF. Along with fellow ECW alumnus Tommy Dreamer, Van Dam returned to WWF television on the July 9, 2001 episode of RAW in Atlanta, Georgia, attacking WWF wrestlers Kane and Chris Jericho.

Despite nominally being a heel, Van Dam was popular with WWF fans, who were aware of his reputation in ECW. After defeating Jeff Hardy for the WWF Hardcore Championship at WWF Invasion, Van Dam became one of the most over members of the Alliance and a tweener, even (unsuccessfully) challenging Alliance leader Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship.

At the 2001 Survivor Series on November 18, Van Dam and four other Alliance members (Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Shane McMahon) faced five WWF wrestlers (The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, Kane and The Big Show) in a match to determine the ownership of the WWF. The WWF team won, and the members of the Alliance were (kayfabe) fired. However, as he held the WWF Hardcore Championship, Van Dam was able to retain his job. Van Dam eventually dropped the Hardcore Championship to The Undertaker at Vengeance 2001.

When the WWF (now renamed WWE) was divided into two "brands", RAW and SmackDown!, in 2002 Van Dam was drafted to the RAW brand in the fourth round with the eighth overall pick. While there Van Dam would win the WWE Intercontinental Championship four times, and unsuccessfully challenged The Undertaker for the WWE Undisputed Championship and Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. He also became the first challenger to the newly-created World Heavyweight Championship, during which his first major push was derailed, and he slumped into the mid-card, where he formed tag teams with Kane and Booker T, winning the World Tag Team Championship with each partner. His short term contract was extended into a multi-year contract that was renewed in 2005.

SmackDown! brand

On March 22, 2004, Van Dam was drafted from RAW to SmackDown!. Many questioned the logic behind this decision, as Van Dam ended up wrestling mid-card matches and soon was considered a threat to few in terms of a title-hunt. He made his SmackDown! debut on March 25, 2004, defeating Charlie Haas. While on SmackDown!, Van Dam teamed with Rey Mysterio (with whom he won the WWE Tag Team Championship) until suffering a knee injury in January 2005. To explain his absence in (kayfabe) the heel tag team of Doug and Danny Basham would "injure" his knee on an episode of SmackDown!, resulting in Van Dam and Rey Mysterio losing the WWE Tag Team Championship as Van Dam had to be taken out of the arena, leaving Rey Mysterio alone. On January 27, 2005, Van Dam underwent reconstructive knee surgery under Dr. James Andrews to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus.

While recuperating, Van Dam made an appearance at the ECW reunion pay-per-view ECW One Night Stand 2005 in the New York City Hammerstein Ballroom on June 12, 2005 (the pay-per-view itself came about as a result of a suggestion Van Dam made to WWE Chairman Vince McMahon). Accompanied by his former manager, Fonzie, and sporting a knee brace, Van Dam delivered a scathing shoot promo, criticising the way he had been booked in WWE, until he was attacked by Rhyno. He was saved by Sabu, who defeated Rhyno in an impromptu match. Despite his injury, Van Dam got physically involved in the match, hitting Rhyno with a chairshot and giving him a Chair Surf.

RAW brand

On the June 27, 2005 episode of RAW, Van Dam (still healing) was drafted back to RAW in the 2005 draft lottery. He was introduced to RAW by Carlito, who insulted Van Dam before attacking him and assaulting his knee. Van Dam made his return to the ring over six months later at the 2006 Royal Rumble on January 29. He gained revenge on Carlito by eliminating him, but was in turn, and inadvertently, eliminated by Rey Mysterio. On the February 6, episode of RAW, Van Dam defeated Carlito in the first round of the 2006 Road to WrestleMania Tournament. One week later, he defeated Chris Masters in the tournament semi-finals. On the February 20, 2006 episode of RAW, Van Dam and Big Show were defeated by Triple H in a triple threat match to determine the winner of the tournament and number one contender to the WWE Championship.

The following week, now out of the WrestleMania main event, Van Dam defeated Trevor Murdoch to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match. Van Dam went on to win the match, thus earning himself a guaranteed shot at either the WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship at any time within the subsequent year.

Following the ladder match, Shelton Benjamin, who felt slighted, challenged Van Dam to put his Money in the Bank opportunity on the line in a match. Van Dam countered by requesting a match for Benjamin's Intercontinental Championship. One week later, both Van Dam and Benjamin picked mystery opponents for one another, with the loser placing their respective prize on the line in a bout at Backlash on April 30, 2006. Benjamin lost to the returning Charlie Haas, while Van Dam was defeated by all five members of the Spirit Squad. As a result, both the Intercontinental Championship and the Money in the Bank title shot were contested at Backlash. Van Dam went on to win both prizes, before dropping the Intercontinental title back to Benjamin on the May 15, 2006 edition of RAW.

On the May 22, 2006 episode of RAW, Van Dam informed WWE Champion John Cena that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank contract at ECW One Night Stand 2006 on June 11, 2006 for a WWE Championship match.

Extreme Championship Wrestling brand

On May 29, 2006, Van Dam was selected by Paul Heyman to be drafted from RAW to the newly formed Extreme Championship Wrestling brand of WWE. Upon being drafted, Van Dam became the new brand's flagship, mostly due to his prior history in ECW and his title-shot against John Cena at One Night Stand.

At One Night Stand, the pay-per-view used to kick off the ECW brand, Van Dam defeated John Cena to win the WWE Championship (his first World Title in his career). Throughout the match the ECW fans verbally abused Cena, even going so far as to hold up a sign stating "If Cena wins, we riot." After two referees were "knocked out" Edge appeared from under the ring and interfered on behalf of Van Dam, spearing Cena through a table. Van Dam then hit a Five Star Frog Splash and the pinfall was counted by Paul Heyman, who suddenly ran down the aisle. On the following episode of RAW, Heyman confirmed that the title change was official (due to the match being held under "ECW rules") and hinted that the WWE Championship would be renamed the "ECW Championship" at the debut of ECW on the Sci Fi Channel. However, on the first episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Van Dam was awarded the re-instated ECW World Heavyweight Championship by Heyman and subsequently announced that he would be keeping both titles, thus making him the first wrestler in history to have held both the WWE Championship and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.

On the July 3, 2006 episode of RAW, Van Dam lost the WWE Championship to Edge in a triple threat match that also featured John Cena. The next night, on the July 4th episode of ECW on Sci Fi, he lost the ECW World Heavyweight Championship to Big Show after Heyman turned on him. It was later announced on WWE.com that Heyman had (kayfabe) suspended Van Dam for 30 days without giving a reason. The same day, WWE.com announced that Van Dam had been (legitimately) suspended for 30 days as a result of his recent drug possession arrest (see below).

Wrestling facts

  • Finishing and signature moves
  • Van Dam's entrance music in ECW was "Walk" by Pantera. The song was covered by Kilgore for the ECW Extreme Music album; Van Dam then used this version as his entrance music.
  • Van Dam's entrance music in WWE is "One of a Kind" by Breaking Point. He appears in the music video for the song, in which he loses his car to the band's lead singer, Brett Erickson, in a street race. At the end of the video, he spin kicks the keys to the car into his opponent's hands. The song appears on the WWF Forceable Entry album.
  • Van Dam's entrance music on the WWE Wreckless Intent album is "Fury of the Storm" by Shadows Fall.

Championships and accomplishments

  • All Star Wrestling
  • 1-time ASW North American Heavyweight Champion

Van Dam held the ECW World Television Championship for a record one year, eleven months and eighteen days before having to relinquish the title due to injury (a broken leg).

  • International Wrestling Federation
  • 1-time IWF Television Champion

  • National Wrestling Council
  • 1-time NWC Tag Team Champion (with Bobby Bradley)

  • Peach State Wrestling
  • 1-time PSW Cordele City Heavyweight Champion

  • South Atlantic Pro Wrestling
  • 1-time SAPW Tag Team Champion (with Chaz Rocco)

Filmography

  • Superfights (1995) as "The Mercenary"
  • Bloodmoon (1997) as "Dutch Scholtz"
  • City Guys (October 23, 1999) in episode "El-Trainmania IV" as "Himself"
  • 18 Wheels of Justice (August 2, 2000) as "Robert Laramie"
  • The X-Files (May 7, 2000) in episode "Fight Club" as "Burt's opponent"
  • V.I.P. (2000) in episode "Danger Island" as "Major Ving Talbot"
  • Spy TV (July 26, 2001) as "Himself"
  • Ultimate Revenge (December 2, 2001) as "Himself"
  • Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002) as "Claw"
  • The Backyard (2002) as "Himself"
  • Rob Van Dam - One of a Kind (2003; DVD)

Personal information

Van Dam is married to Sonya, with whom he lives in San Pedro, California.

Van Dam is a trained kickboxer and martial artist. In 1990 he placed second in the Kalamazoo Heavyweight Toughman Contest. Vam Dam participated in amateur wrestling while in high school. He is the inventor of the Van Dam Lift, a weightlifting technique that involves performing a split between two benches and lifting a dumbbell from the floor to the waist. The lift was approved by the International All-Around Weightlifting Association in 1998, and Van Dam holds the current record, 166.5 lb (76 kg).

Van Dam is bilingual, speaking English and Spanish fluently.

Van Dam is an avid comic book reader, with his favorite character being Ghost Rider, and owns a comic book shop named "5 Star Comics" in Lomita, California.

Van Dam was featured in an article in the March 1999 issue of High Times (it is a popular misconception that he appeared on the magazine cover). His signature symbol is the Taijitu; in an interview for WWE's "Invasion" DVD, he said he uses this symbol because it represents "the use of good or evil"

Van Dam's favorite band is The Kottonmouth Kings.

On July 3, 2006, The Ironton Tribune reported that Van Dam and Terry "Sabu" Brunk had been arrested on the previous evening on U.S. Route 52 in Hanging Rock, Ohio. Van Dam had been stopped for speeding by a Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, who discovered that Van Dam was in possession of 18 grams of marijuana and five Vicodin pills, while Sabu was in possession of drug paraphernalia and nine (as yet unidentified) pills of what is believed to be a controlled substance. Both Van Dam and Sabu were released after posting bail, and were scheduled to appear in Ironton Municipal Court on July 6, 2006. On July 6, 2006, The Ironton Tribune reported that the court date for Van Dam and Sabu was in limbo, as their attorneys had asked for and were granted continuances.

According to the WWE's "wellness" policy, a drug-related arrest can lead to that talent's immediate dismissal from the company. WWE Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis released a statement on WWE.com reporting that Van Dam and Sabu were still eligible to compete on the RAW and ECW tapings the following days while an investigation conducted by WWE was being undertaken. He was subsequently suspended without pay for 30 days, and an on-air segment on ECW on Sci Fi was scripted to relay this to the fans.

References

External links

1970 births | American film actors | American kickboxers | American martial artists | American professional wrestlers | American television actors | American weightlifters | ECW alumni | Living people | People from Los Angeles | People from Michigan | People known by pseudonyms | Polish-Americans

Rob Van Dam | Rob Van Dam | Rob Van Dam | Rob Van Dam | Rob Van Dam | Rob Van Dam | ロブ・ヴァン・ダム

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Rob Van Dam".

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