10 Things We Learned From Bruce Prichard’s Rob Van Dam Podcast

8. Van Dam Felt Like The Third Wheel In Late-2001

No Mercy 2001
WWE

It didn't take long for RVD to feel expendable.

Following stunning matches against Jeff Hardy at Invasion and SummerSlam, Rob was thrust into the middle of a WWF Title feud between Steve Austin and Kurt Angle. This resulted in a fresh-feeling Triple Threat at No Mercy 2001, and (surprisingly) it was one Rob wasn't keen on.

To Van Dam, being shoved hastily into the middle of an already pre-existing rivalry made him look like a third wheel. He wasn't the main attraction, but instead another tool the writers could use as an excuse to extend what Austin and Angle had been doing all summer.

From a fan's perspective, it was refreshing to see someone like RVD, who hadn't been created by Vince McMahon and didn't wrestle like a typical WWF/WWE star, in the main event scene. Rob didn't exactly agree, and he viewed it as a throwaway spot at the time.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.