WWE HOFer Rob Van Dam Reflects On Famous Match With John Cena

ECW One Night Stand 2006 is oft regarded as one of the best pay-per-views from WWE that year, notably for the main event featuring John Cena and Rob Van Dam clashing for the WWE Championship in the iconic Hammerstein Ballroom.

In an interview on "The Toronto Star's No Holds Barred," Van Dam looked back at the match, praising the fans in attendance and declaring that there's never been a night like that in his career since. 

"There's been times where they were 100% for me and for my style and against the other guy, but it still didn't compare to everybody buying a ticket just to see me win and to see John lose," he recalled.

"The fact that it was ECW, which I've always been most comfortable with that kind of style, you know... A lot of times, people just expect me to be 'ECW RVD,' but then if you're in WWE, you know, you can't just bring a chair into the ring anytime you want. They got rules."

RVD went on to describe the build-up to the match as his entire career. 

"It was me sticking to my guns, always being extreme and hardcore, always listening to the right people and ignoring the right people," he proclaimed, pointing out how he was the one who brought ECW back, making the "stars align" by being the right opponent for Cena at the right time to get the reaction they got.

Rob Van Dam continued to explain how things were for him at that time of his career, expressing that he was far more competitive than he's ever been and as a result, was always looking over his shoulder at everyone else, so he wasn't particularly looking out for John Cena either. 

"Now that I'm not living in the dressing room, I look at it so much different," he admitted. "The longer you're alive, the bigger picture you can see, and you can never get to understand that because you never can see the picture until you're actually older!"

Van Dam continued his philosophical outlook, explaining that even though he's grown to see the bigger picture of his career, one can never see past where they currently are in life. "So now? I have a lot more love for everybody, especially the wrestlers, you know, that I used to maybe want to punch in the face, and now I'm more – you know – like happy to see them! And 'Hey, I'm glad you're still alive and healthy!'" he admitted.

"I knew Cena was really good the first time I saw him. I saw him years ago, when he was working at the Gold's Gym in Venice Beach," the veteran recalled. "I didn't know him yet. I went in to pay, and he let me in, you know. (...) And I saw him around that time in an indie sho,w and he was a standout to me."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "The Toronto Sun's No Holds Barred," and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.