Rob Van Dam just wanted to prove his toughness.
In his new documentary "Headstrong," Rob Van Dam brings fans into his life as he embarks on a stand-up comedy tour, shows off his new relationship, and discusses the trials and tribulations of his pro wrestling career. RVD is best-known for his days as the top star in ECW, brilliantly blending the ECW hardcore style with unmatched athleticism. But the hardcore style had its drawbacks as RVD's favorite weapon, the steel chair, could have had led to long-term repercussions.
'“I never knew I could be doing long-term damage. For me, one of the things I enjoy about professional wrestling is showing how tough I am. That’s an outlet for it," RVD told TV Insider. "I would get hit in the head with a chair, and I knew it would knock my senses a little loopy. This was part of the job for me. I just thought I was really tough because I could take it. Now I feel very fortunate that at this point in life that I don’t have the CTE that the football players have suffered."
RVD continued, "Vince McMahon told me when I first got into WWE to put my hands up to protect my head from those chair shots. I was arguing with him because I was stupid because I thought I was tough. He went all father on me, ‘I’m your father telling you to put your hands up. He was really serious. Now I won’t be cheering on chair shots to the head, but most of my concussions have probably come from landing and hitting the back of my head. So, I’m going to be cautious of that as well. There's been once or twice I’ve had similar things happen since shooting the movie. Thankfully, I didn’t get concussed.”
The 48-year-old last wrestled for WWE in 2014. He remains active on the Independent scene, wrestling for BCW, NEW and various other promotions. He is scheduled to team with Sabu to take on The Lucha Brothers at IMPACT United We Stand on Apr. 4.
