10 Things We Learned From Bruce Prichard’s Rob Van Dam Podcast
4. He Wanted To Scrap A Romance Angle With Stephanie McMahon
After catching wind of a romance storyline WWE had planned for him with Stephanie McMahon in late-2001, Van Dam approached Prichard and told him that he wasn't comfortable with the idea. Citing his jealous wife as the main issue, Rob said he'd appreciate if Bruce could make sure it didn't happen.
The next week, RVD was booked to flirt with Steph live on Raw, and that made Rob mad.
Irate that WWE had gone against his simple wishes, Van Dam turned up backstage at the next set of tapings and asked Brian Gewirtz where Prichard was; later, Bruce heard that Rob planned to play "pick a hand" with him. In other words, the one he'd be getting smacked over the head with it.
Stephanie, to her credit, tried to put Van Dam at ease before shooting the flirtatious segment. She told him to relax, reminded him that they were only acting and that none of this was real-life. That didn't allay Van Dam's fears about confronting a suspicious wife back home.