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RVD World Champion

Hi Scott,

RVD had a wonderfully entertaining year in 1998 having some genuinely great matches against Bam Bam and Jerry Lynn that year, elevating the TV title into his own and becoming a very popular face for the company.

With the following years his popularity never dwindled and was a big fan favourite, so why did Paul Heyman never pull the trigger on giving him a World Title run especially towards the end? Were there back stage politics or did Heyman just not think it was worthwhile?

Thanks

​Heyman was all about the chase and was kind of obsessively building up the perfect heel foil for RVD to dethrone and pay off his quest, but unfortunately Rob got injured and they never found the right moment to put it on him.  It wasn't politics or anything, they had every intention of making him champion.  ​

Comments

  1. Yeah, the show seemed to be building to RVD versus Mike Awesome and then when Awesome left, it looked like RVD vs. Rhino eventually.

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  2. RVD is the greatest ECW wrestler to never be ECW champion.

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  3. Everything that could go wrong pretty much went wrong for ECW fans, didn't it? RVD got hurt, Awesome bailed, and then the Justin Credible reign that pretty much killed the company happened.

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  4. What was that title that Big Show defeated RVD for?

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  5. I guess that's debatable. Saying that's the ECW championship may be like saying HHH held the WCW championship.

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  6. Extant1979 - Mr. Cable AccessDecember 4, 2014 at 9:07 PM

    Positivity about the Network? Where am I?

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  7. You aren't in Kansas anymore, I'll tell you that much.

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  8. Extant1979 - Mr. Cable AccessDecember 4, 2014 at 9:09 PM

    I'm fairly certain I've never been to Kansas.

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  9. Mike Awesome would've been the perfect World Champion for RVD to dethrone. If Awesome hadn't left for WCW, they would've had some great matches.

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  10. Always felt like they had plenty of chances and never did. He was really over in 98 ecw it seemed.

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  11. Well then you're in Kansas now! We love the network here.

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  12. Was the WCW title any different when Time Warner merged with AOL?

    It was the ECW title. Period.

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  13. The injury really derailed what should have been the ultimate payoff: RVD beating the unstoppable Mike Awesome for the title. At least a couple PPV matches could have been great.

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  14. The best thing about the new Macho Man set?


    NO MARIA.

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  15. You're bringing me cookies. That's where you are.

    :-)

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  16. RVD is the greatest ECW wrestler to never have held the ECW championship prior to the federation's resurrection under the auspices of the WWE.

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  17. C'mon Art. It's the holidays. Who doesnt want to spend more time with their friends and family? I know one scrooge who is going to get a stocking full of cole (michael) for christmas.

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  18. ECW was a federation? A federation of what?

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  19. I don't think Beverly's story is astonishing at all. She's obviously a whore.. and that roommate's mom's neighbor sounds so reputable.. and I'm talking to a bot on a message that will be deleted soon..

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  20. That Paul E didn't build to Taz vs Rob Van Dam for the strap for the debut episode of ECW on TNN is mind boggling to this day. Especially once he knew Taz was headed to Titan.


    The TNN deal was vital to ECW's continued existence, how you don't go all Wrestlemania I for your first show i'll never know.

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  21. Yeah, once Taz was halfway checked out, he probably should have just put RVD over him to start the TV era off with a bang. Then build Awesome up as an unstoppable monster with matches against Tanaka and semi-squashes against established ECW guys. Do RVD v. Awesome when it reaches critical mass

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  22. Adam "Colorado" CurryDecember 4, 2014 at 11:04 PM

    Eat the shit I just took, then shit my shit out and eat that.

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  23. Adam "Colorado" CurryDecember 4, 2014 at 11:05 PM

    Those RVD/Lynn matches were fucking terrible.

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  24. Virgil's Gimmick TableDecember 4, 2014 at 11:07 PM

    Do you want to do battle? Because we'll do battle over that statement.

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  25. I feel bad now. That person made some good points. I DO want to spend more time with friends and family. I just never knew how.

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  26. I give the guy credit for trying, but his title reign (and the subsequent Corino one) was just death

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  27. Adam "Colorado" CurryDecember 4, 2014 at 11:19 PM

    They were flippy-floppy boring fucking bullshit. I hate those matches with a fucking passion, and I really like Jerry Lynn. I like RVD as a person too, but he's a fucking shit wrestler.

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  28. Adam "Colorado" CurryDecember 4, 2014 at 11:21 PM

    Who the fuck is @kfromaz? Something tells me this isn't quite on the level.

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  29. Adam "Colorado" CurryDecember 4, 2014 at 11:22 PM

    Me either, thank fucking God...

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  30. and sources have told me @kfromaz actually wasn't all that impressed by Beverly's braggadocio

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  31. ....WHO THE FUCK IS BEVERLY?

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  32. Adam "Colorado" CurryDecember 4, 2014 at 11:30 PM

    Voted for Scott Norton, but Kanyon will win, and that's... OK.

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  33. they were entertaining at the time. Do they hold up? Not so much. Are they great psychology? Nope. But then again most WWE matchs today lack much of that (punch, kick, get your spots in, no transitions, lather, rinse, repeat).

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  34. Adam "Colorado" CurryDecember 4, 2014 at 11:32 PM

    Even though I find your sources questionable like Papi and Bomani, I don't doubt this is true.

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  35. Agreed. Really overrated.

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  36. Adam "Colorado" CurryDecember 4, 2014 at 11:45 PM

    As soon as they did the fucking stupid cainn-wrestling-where-nothing-connects and the crowd popped for it it was shit right there, and it only got worse. Fuck those matches and fuck RVD.

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  37. During RVD's TV title reign (April 1998 - March 2000), the World title changed hands 4 times. And if not for Masato Tanaka's 6-day reign, it would have been just 2 times.

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  38. Trust me: the entire Macho Man doc is great. There's no way you can watch it and not come away thinking WWE plans to add him to the Hall of Fame. Lanny is quite entertaining, and even if I don't always agree with him, I respect him for trying to be the caretaker of Randy's legacy.

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  39. Adam "Colorado" CurryDecember 4, 2014 at 11:50 PM

    I was at the show where RVD beat Bigelow for the title. Only title change I saw live, outside of Mayhem 99, which wasn't really a title change because the title was vacant. Actually, come to think about about it Price Iukea won the CW title at Mayhem. I got the biggest pop of the night by hitting him with a water bottle.

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  40. I've heard that this alludes to the "rumors" about why he was essentially blackballed, how do they address them?

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  41. Beverly is that nasty battery acid drink they serve that the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta and Las Vegas.

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  42. And he wasn't exactly a big target. Nice throw.

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  43. I'm willing to let Corino's reign go (it was essentially equivalent to Foley's WWE title reign ; i.e. a "thank you for your loyalty" thing) but to this day I don't get what anyone saw in Credible. He was eh in ring, an eh promo, he's a guy that should've been going after the TV title (NOT winning it, just chasing it), not sinking the company as world champ.

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  44. It seems like Heyman's booking was always about the build, not the payoff. So of course it would take him forever to get the belt on RVD.


    Given that Taz's final match with ECW was at N2R 99, the logical thing to do it would seem to spend those first 3 months of ECW on TNN building to RVD/Taz. Heck, Taz put RVD over that night anyway, so it doesn't make a ton of sense why it wasn't for the belt in the main event.

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  45. I think it was Heyman trying to spin the popularity of the Impact Players (which was mostly due to Storm's wrestling and Dawn Marie being their valet) into heat for Credible by himself, and nobody bought it. I thought he did some decent stuff as the "new" hardcore icon in the Sandman feud, but he wasn't a guy to lead a company

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  46. it's funny that you mention this, because I never realized that modern WWE style is basically an evolved ECW style. Less dangerous aerial maneuvers, for sure, but still basically the same spot-rest-spot-rest-kicky/punchy bullshit 90% of the time

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  47. Incidentally, I always felt RVD's Hardcore title reign became more prestigious than the world titles in 2001 because RVD was defending it every week and held it for 6 months whereas everyone else was lucky if they held their belt for one week.

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  48. I want this statement framed on my wall.

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  49. You're right. I guess RVD vacated it (in 2000) right before they went bonzo gonzo with the world title.


    I remember it going from Taz to Dreamer to Credible to Lynn to Corino to Rhino in the last year that ECW was around.

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  50. I'm sorry, but I just don't share the same opinion you have about black people.

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  51. I really enjoyed that first show, great angle with Raven coming back and the Dudleyz leaving.

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  52. You want amazing you fucking whore?

    Slammed a 7'8", 500lb giant at wrestlemania is amazing.

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  53. Steph: HE TOUCHED MY BREAST!

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  54. Jerry Lynn vs RVD on Hardcore TV in 1998 was incredible. It's the match that seemingly very few have seen, it actually had a perfectly told story.

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  55. The RVD / Jerry Lynn match in 1998 was fantastic. 1998

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  56. Ah yes, he touched Steph's breast because he was trying to stop Steph and Shane entering themselves in the Nintendo tournament that weekend.

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  57. Adam "Colorado" CurryDecember 5, 2014 at 2:27 AM

    I was sitting in isle and nailed his ass. Security came over to find the culprit, and my whole section was like "No... no one threw that..."

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  58. Well now you do, and as an added plus you'll be spared Michael Cole this holiday season.

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  59. But CM Punk sucks as a wrestler too... I'm confused.

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  60. That feud pretty much proves my point about Credible: If the fucking SANDMAN is carrying you in matches, you shouldn't be holding drugs for a pickup, much less holding a world title.

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  61. "You think someone hit him from here? C'mon, man."


    *buys Adam a beer as soon as security leaves* "Nice throw, dude."

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  62. ......how about you not talk for a while.

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  63. I guess at the very least, it made their TV title super important.

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  64. I just remember that ECW on TNN had 3 RVD/Jerry Lynn main events in the first 4 weeks. I kind of had my fix after that.

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  65. Behold! The closest to a Vince McMahon shoot interview we'll ever see.

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  66. We were so close to a RVD/Awesome series

    :(

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  67. Which Beverly brother's story was astonishing?

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  68. Kordell Stewart.

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  69. You sound like a really fun person to watching wrestling with.............

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  70. I enjoy the Lynn/RVD matches though not as much as most here, but your point about the stupid "forced applause spots" is right on. I hate them with a passion. I t was cool and new when Eddie and Malenko did them in 95 but after that it because cringeworthy for me.

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  71. The new Macho Man set is great, except for they edited out Jesse Ventura from the Superstars match with Ricky Steamboat in 86.(The one where he gets his throat crushed)

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  72. Teddy Fowler really needs to grab the brass ring.

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  73. Oh, no doubt. He's already the #2 biggest wrestler-turned-actor. Hogan and Piper have had plenty of roles, but nothing in Batista's league.

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  74. Tough call. Kanyon will and should win, but I really want to hear about Japan from Norton.

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  75. I bought that macho man DVD, and the documentary portion kind off loses its focus about 1/2 way through.

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  76. Also, Austin pressed McMahon pretty hard on whether or not Macho would be inducted, and got a yes out of him.

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  77. There will Neh-eee-evah be a Vince full shoot interview. That said, this came pretty close. Probably no-one else could get as much 'real Vince' out of Vince and keep on point... There are better bio's, but in terms of displaying who VKM is and how he thinks... *slow clap*. Well done, Steve. Interesting points going forward: 1) Bil Watts is the guy he most respects?! I don't disagree necessarily, but not what I expected. 2) How hard he finds it to say out loud "f'n Shane decided to be his own man - AND I'VE NEVER BEEN MORE PROUD OF HIM" ('cause that's how it seemed to me) and 3) Steve, if there's ever a pt2: "why are creative so crap at their jobs?

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