Courtesy: http://www.MondayNightMayhem.com
Former WWE/ECW Champion & former ECW World Television Champion, Rob Van Dam, was a special guest on this weekâ<80><99>s special edition (11/11/08) of Monday Night Mayhem, hosted by The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL. â<80><9c>Your Home Of Wrestling Radioâ<80> is officially presented by Custom Muscle, the official online nutritional & supplement company of Monday Night Mayhem (purchase over $50.00, type in the word GRAND, & get 10% off your purchase), and is also sponsored by: Old Time Wrestling, The History Of WWE.com, TicketRelief.com, & Serenity’s Treasures (all new customers receive 15% off your purchase through November 16th simply by using your coupon code of 54321)…the right place to shop for wall art|wall ornaments & gift ideas for any occasion. In addition, The Mayhem strongly encourages all of its fans around the globe to check out the brand-new & official WWE Universe Fan Nation blogs of Charlie Haas (www.fans.wwe.com/CharlieHaas) & D-Lo Brown (www.fans.wwe.com/D-LoBrown).
You can feel The Mayhem live & in streaming audio every Monday night (at 8PM ET/7PM CT), exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (www.MondayNightMayhem.com, www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & www.ITunes.com).
RVD’s second-appearance on The Mayhem (his first since MNM’s six-year anniversary special) is now available for FREE in Windows Streaming Media, or via the official Monday Night Mayhem podcast on ITunes:
November 11th MNM Streaming Audio: http://www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/MNM/new/waxfiles/111108.wax
November 11th MNM Podcast On ITunes: http://www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/nov08/111108.mp3
Here are some highlights of RVD’s interview on the show, provided by MNM listener, “Springfield” James:
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The Big Mosh & Blade welcomed RVD back to the program, and Rob thanked them both for having him return to The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network. Rob started things off by saying that the place to still find RVD is in sunny California.
One question has been swirling amongst fans around the world, including those who are part of The Mayhem Nation: Will RVD return to the WWE or make a splash in TNA? Based on that, Rob said that his first thought waking up (on the day of his MNM return), was that he was glad at home…and not at some hotel, along with worrying about all of the stresses of the wrestling business.
Mosh asked RVD what led him to “shift gears” & start working on other projects outside of the wrestling business. Rob said that, for years, people have been approaching him with various ideas. This led to the creation of RVD TV, as well as RVD Radio(www.BlogTalkRadio.com/RVDRadio). He added that he listens to talk radio more than he listens to music, and he was thrilled to be able to have his own show — which he like to go on record saying has been a great success so far.
Blade asked Rob about his takes on the recent reports of the WWE cracking down on the use of marijuana in the company & the company changing their business & company style to more of a “PG” style audience. RVD wished to use The Mayhem’s open forum to bring up something that many fans might not be currently aware of: the new of medical marijuana being legalized in several states. RVD continued on, by saying that the WWE used to fine people for using marijuana & not give any punishment. Most superstars just paid the fine & continued their use of it, instead of giving it up altogether. Rob still believes that the schedule of the business is very grueling, and is one of the reasons why some talents may use this as one of their ways to relax.
Fans of RVD & “Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling” will get to see “Mr. Monday Night” step into the CCW squared circle to teach the remaining celebs the art of the finishing move. Rob said that he was initially approached with the idea to appear on the show around the same time he found out his wife, Sonya, was diagnosed with cancer, but was able to make the proposed idea of him being on the program turn into a reality. He was thoroughly impressed with the way CCW was being put together, the ideas & concepts behind it (from Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Jason Hervey, “The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart, “Nasty Boy” Brian Knobbs, & Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake), and felt very encouraged to give it his seal/stamp of approval. Rob strongly believes that those who watch CCW this Saturday night will love what they see.
As The Mayhem celebrates its “November To Remember” Sweeps Month, RVD wished to reflect on his own personal memories of ECW’s flagship PPV of every year. He described the “most memorable” N2R moment for him taking place at The Golden Dome in Pittsburgh (Monaca), PA, the night where he gave Tommy Dreamer a piledriver (“where Dreamer shot up about three feet”) in their legendary “Flag Match.” Rob mentioned this happened was around the time he was thinking about leaving ECW for WCW (coming off the heels of not feeling used appropriately at the first ECW PPB, noly Legal), but landed up going into an angle with the ECW/WWE. He also added that one of the most talked-about storylines/matches he had achieved a boiling point at the 1999 November To Remember (in The Mayhem’s hometown of Buffalo, NY) @ The Burt Flickinger Center — which saw Tazz’s departure from Extreme Championship Wrestling (to the WWE) & his last “extreme” Pay-Per-View encounter against “Mr. PPV.”
The biggest story of the past week has been “The Instant Classic” Christian Cage reportedly returning to the WWE & departing TNA Wrestling. Mosh & Blade asked RVD for his thoughts on this hot story & whether or not Christian will get lost in the “WWE shuffle.” Rob described Christian’s chances of making it to the top of World Wrestling Entertainment as “excellent,” based on the fact that he was well-liked by the office, & would be “welcomed back with open arms” not only by the office, but by WWE fans across the world.
There are only a select few “free-agent” talents that many in the business believe could make an immediate impact if they went to the WWE or TNA. RVD believes that his fans are some of the most loyal around (crediting those who bring signs saying “I paid to see RVD”), and how it feels good they have that sort of positive attitude about his name value after over a decade in the wrestling industry. After being a part of the WWE for so long, he said he felt burnt out by the office, as a result of a lot of the changes and the lack of freedom to have great matches & steal the show. Rob added that wrestling began to “feel like a job to him,” and that was one of the main reasons, if not the main one, to pursue other ventures outside of the business.
As many of the fans of “Your Home Of Wrestling Radio” remember this past February, The Big Mosh & Blade arranged for an “extreme union” of sorts between RVD & what many call his greatest opponent ever, Jerry Lynn for an on-air reunion. Since then, Jerry has yet again re-innovated himself again…this time in Ring Of Honor. Mosh asked RVD how excited he was to see Jerry have fun in the business again. Rob said that he is very happy for Jerry, and since he left the WWE, he has been getting submerged for requests from independent promoters to do another Jerry Lynn/RVD match. However, Rob made the decision to spend time with his family…and not spend it on the road post-WWE, excluding a few instances such as working for Booker T’s PWA promotion.
As a parting shot & in closing, RVD thanked Mosh & Blade for a stellar Mayhem return, as well as the well-wishes for Sonya’s recovery.
