Rob Van Dam Signs New Deal With Impact Wrestling, RVD On How Impact Has Changed, Why He Returned
Rob Van Dam has signed a new deal with Impact Wrestling, according to a new interview he did with Sporting News.
RVD will team with Sabu to face Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix at Thursday's Impact United We Stand event, but RVD will also be in action at the TV tapings on Monday, April 29 in Toronto. RVD talked about signing the extended agreement to work with the company.
"It looks like you are going to be seeing my face around for the foreseeable future," RVD said. "We have an agreement to where I will be sticking after the show on Thursday. It does have a beginning and an end, but they can extend, so this is something to start us off. I had agreed to one match, and then we talked about and discussed doing their upcoming tapings after the show on Thursday and a couple of television tapings over the next few months. We looked at the schedule moving forward, and they asked if I was available. I told them I was.
"We will see how it goes. It's a pretty friendly schedule, which has always been important to me. I want to be home more and on the road less. That's still something I've done since I left WWE in 2007. Impact with their schedule and the position they want me to fill for my career seems like a perfect situation. Hopefully it will be mutually beneficial, and we will see "The Whole F'N Show" back on television. Let's see how all these new guys matchup to me. I'm not there to compete with the guys who have stolen all my moves (laughs). I'm pretty much there to be myself."
RVD said the motivation to sign the deal was business. He said, "The motivation for me is business. I'm always willing to listen to good business. That's still an interest of mine. The last three years I've averaged 10-12 matches. This year it will be a little more, but not much more than that. Even if it was double, that's still a relatively light schedule compared to when I was with WWE and doing over 200 matches a year. I had enough of that schedule. I was on the road full-time. I also get treated better outside of WWE than I do there.
That's how I've always felt. Whenever fans spot me, they say, "RVD, you are a legend." People treat me like I'm a legend. And I am a legend. I feel like I've been walking the globe for over a hundred years (laughs). When I'm in WWE, it's hard to feel as appreciated because there are so many other stars and agendas. That's part of their business. They will take advantage of you if you let them. I'm in such a better mental position after being gone for so long. I feel like this part of my life is rewarding for all the years of hard work and everything that I've been through up to this point. I'm happy with life now, and I find the universe takes care of me in a good way with Impact Wrestling. It's more about opportunity and the one that has presented itself. Hopefully, it will be good for everybody."
Regarding Impact, RVD was asked what changes he's noticed from afar now to what Impact was when he first worked for the company years ago. He said the company is no longer focused on trying to be #1.
"When I joined Impact in 2010, at the time they had started doing live television on Monday nights opposite Raw," RVD said. "They brought in some former WWE guys. They changed their mindset right away and pulled away from live TV and started focusing more on trying to get their brand established and less time on trying to compete and knocking the top guys off of their spot. I don't see WWE changing for a while of being on top. Now, they aren't focusing on trying to be No.1. They are focusing on being the best they can be and not worrying about everybody else. I think Impact has grown tremendously and will continue to do so."