Rob Van Dam Has Nothing But Good Things To Say About Two Recently Released WWE Stars
WWE's recent layoffs affected numerous long-term talents, including Dolph Ziggler and Shelton Benjamin. In the case of Ziggler, a twenty-year tenure in the company was ended. "One Of A Kind" host Rob Van Dam had the privilege to work with both men during his time with WWE, and got along great with them. "Probably the best [Spirit Squad Member] when you look at it," RVD said of Ziggler, remembering the former World Champion's time as "Nicky" in the group of cheerleaders. "He was really talented and a super cool dude too. I always got along with him. I can't believe he was still there. I'm not gonna say I can't believe they got rid of him. I can't believe he was still there. Twenty years or something? A good run." RVD recalls a night when he, Kofi Kingston, and Dolph Ziggler had to anxiously await the result of a fan vote.
"It was a fan-voting thing ... it was RVD or Dolph Ziggler or Kofi Kingston," RVD recounted, "one of them is facing whoever for whatever championship belt." RVD was pretty certain he'd win the fan vote, but would constantly tell Ziggler he was rooting for him, both in jest and also because he didn't want to wrestle twice in one night. RVD kept telling Kingston and Ziggler they could pull ahead in the fan vote as the updates came in throughout the night, but to no avail. "Ended up I had to work twice." RVD notes that he and Ziggler haven't run into each other on the stand-up comedy circuit, though he expects to someday. As for former Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin, RVD remembered the Hurt Business alum fondly.
"Shelton's a great guy and an incredible athlete and I have no idea what they were or were not doing with him," RVD said, noting that he worked with Benjamin numerous times in the mid-00s. Even back then RVD felt Shelton was a capable wrestler that wasn't getting properly pushed, a chorus that still resounds to this day, but Van Dam also remembers the person behind the character. "[He was] a good guy too."