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TNA X Division Champion Rob Van Dam spoke with Ring Rust Radio about his current run in the company, among other topics. Below are the highlights.
On being the X Division Champion:
"I'm having fun as the X Division Champion right now. I do find myself wrestling a lot of the younger, newer guys that I haven't been wrestling all over the world for many years. I do notice a big difference in the chemistry, but I accept my position. These guys modeled themselves after me; they watched me stand out and they wanted to stand out that way – that's what the X Division is about. Once I had someone else explain that to me besides me just assuming that's what it was, I really felt more obligated to take control. I’ve been having a lot of fun stepping it up and trying to make those matches more exciting. I've said my whole career that I'm happier in a hardcore environment; I'm out there to show off. Going for the heavyweight strap is cool and if it does come to that, then I will accept my position in that as well. But right now I feel like I can make this X Division mean a lot more than it meant before RVD won the title, and that’s very important to me."
On being an established veteran in the TNA locker room:
"I would assume it’s a good thing for TNA. They have a good balance of young up-and-coming guys and some established veterans. I am one of the guys that can tell people how it needs to be done rather than have someone explain to me how it needs to be done, so that’s a big advantage for me. I’m really enjoying this time in my career. Because of my years that I’ve put into the business, that does allow me to have the freedom to go out there and express myself without being held back by all the political change that will weigh you down so much. Obviously when I'm wrestling these young guys, they're probably hoping to get a rub off me and probably teaching them something. I certainly hope so, because if they're not learning anything they got no potential whatsoever. We're all learning something every day."
Thoughts on Kenny King:
"I gotta tell ya, everyone else knew a lot more about him than I did," RVD said on the Wild Talk Radio talk show this week. "I wrestled him at the last PPV and everyone was coming up to me, including (TNA president) Dixie Carter, checking on my feelings with the match, seeing how I felt because they were looking forward to seeing this match."
RVD continued, "I gotta tell you the truth, I didn’t even know who he was. I hadn’t met him before; I hadn’t seen him wrestle before and I didn’t know until shortly before the show started, I was wrestling someone named Kenny King, but everyone was super-excited about him. They said, ‘Yeah, you guys are going to have ‘Match of the Night.’ He’s got the moves and sets; he’s got the size. So you two guys should be pretty competitive. So, that piqued my interest."
Whether or not he has any creative input backstage:
"I don’t make the decision who I’m wrestling or what direction I’m going….. I have no say-so in any of that. I feel like if I really wanted to take part in that, maybe I can talk to the promoters more and sit in on some meetings. I never want to be in a wrestling office, I doubt you’ll ever see me in that position. I never want to be in charge of other people’s lives and determine how much food they get to put on the table for their families and stuff. Basically, they make it as easy and as comfortable for me as they can. They tell me who I’m going to wrestle and then I pretty much take it from there. I’m there if they need me to do a photo shoot, if they need to me to do interviews for some markets coming up or do a promo for a pay-per-view. But as far as sitting in and deciding what we should do with this guy or that guy, I don’t want any part of that."
Who he feels is the future of the company:
"Some of the guys are coming up. Look at Austin Aries, he shot up real quick. As soon as he came around, I was watching him. The moves that he does are different, too. He found a way to make himself a niche. He’s a great wrestler and boom.... all of a sudden he’s the heavyweight champion. I’m not surprised, and I won’t be surprised if his future ahead continues to be very bright because there’s not a lot holding that guy back. Austin Aries is the one to watch out for."
Who he would like to wrestle in his final retirement match:
"I haven't given this question any thought, but my initial reaction when you asked me was Sabu. I can't think of anybody else I'd rather wrestle than Sabu if I was in that predicament where it was my last match. And I think Sabu probably feels the same way. He’s probably closer to his last match than I am, but that could happen."
The Kenny King part:
On being the X Division Champion:
"I'm having fun as the X Division Champion right now. I do find myself wrestling a lot of the younger, newer guys that I haven't been wrestling all over the world for many years. I do notice a big difference in the chemistry, but I accept my position. These guys modeled themselves after me; they watched me stand out and they wanted to stand out that way – that's what the X Division is about. Once I had someone else explain that to me besides me just assuming that's what it was, I really felt more obligated to take control. I’ve been having a lot of fun stepping it up and trying to make those matches more exciting. I've said my whole career that I'm happier in a hardcore environment; I'm out there to show off. Going for the heavyweight strap is cool and if it does come to that, then I will accept my position in that as well. But right now I feel like I can make this X Division mean a lot more than it meant before RVD won the title, and that’s very important to me."
On being an established veteran in the TNA locker room:
"I would assume it’s a good thing for TNA. They have a good balance of young up-and-coming guys and some established veterans. I am one of the guys that can tell people how it needs to be done rather than have someone explain to me how it needs to be done, so that’s a big advantage for me. I’m really enjoying this time in my career. Because of my years that I’ve put into the business, that does allow me to have the freedom to go out there and express myself without being held back by all the political change that will weigh you down so much. Obviously when I'm wrestling these young guys, they're probably hoping to get a rub off me and probably teaching them something. I certainly hope so, because if they're not learning anything they got no potential whatsoever. We're all learning something every day."
Thoughts on Kenny King:
"I gotta tell ya, everyone else knew a lot more about him than I did," RVD said on the Wild Talk Radio talk show this week. "I wrestled him at the last PPV and everyone was coming up to me, including (TNA president) Dixie Carter, checking on my feelings with the match, seeing how I felt because they were looking forward to seeing this match."
RVD continued, "I gotta tell you the truth, I didn’t even know who he was. I hadn’t met him before; I hadn’t seen him wrestle before and I didn’t know until shortly before the show started, I was wrestling someone named Kenny King, but everyone was super-excited about him. They said, ‘Yeah, you guys are going to have ‘Match of the Night.’ He’s got the moves and sets; he’s got the size. So you two guys should be pretty competitive. So, that piqued my interest."
Whether or not he has any creative input backstage:
"I don’t make the decision who I’m wrestling or what direction I’m going….. I have no say-so in any of that. I feel like if I really wanted to take part in that, maybe I can talk to the promoters more and sit in on some meetings. I never want to be in a wrestling office, I doubt you’ll ever see me in that position. I never want to be in charge of other people’s lives and determine how much food they get to put on the table for their families and stuff. Basically, they make it as easy and as comfortable for me as they can. They tell me who I’m going to wrestle and then I pretty much take it from there. I’m there if they need me to do a photo shoot, if they need to me to do interviews for some markets coming up or do a promo for a pay-per-view. But as far as sitting in and deciding what we should do with this guy or that guy, I don’t want any part of that."
Who he feels is the future of the company:
"Some of the guys are coming up. Look at Austin Aries, he shot up real quick. As soon as he came around, I was watching him. The moves that he does are different, too. He found a way to make himself a niche. He’s a great wrestler and boom.... all of a sudden he’s the heavyweight champion. I’m not surprised, and I won’t be surprised if his future ahead continues to be very bright because there’s not a lot holding that guy back. Austin Aries is the one to watch out for."
Who he would like to wrestle in his final retirement match:
"I haven't given this question any thought, but my initial reaction when you asked me was Sabu. I can't think of anybody else I'd rather wrestle than Sabu if I was in that predicament where it was my last match. And I think Sabu probably feels the same way. He’s probably closer to his last match than I am, but that could happen."
The Kenny King part:
