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

7. Prichard Feels Paul Heyman's Campaigning Hurt RVD

Paul Heyman Rob Van Dam ECW One Night Stand 2006
WWE.com

It must have been quite the culture shock for Paul Heyman in 2001-02 to go from running every little nuance of ECW programming to being just one voice in a sea on many during WWE creative meetings. Heyman didn't have full autonomy anymore, Vince McMahon did, and Vinnie Mac wasn't always keen on Paul's ideas.

In Bruce's words, they pretty much extended to "push Rob Van Dam".

This constant campaigning is something Prichard believes hurt Van Dam's cause in the long run. As much as having someone on the booking committee who has a wrestler's back can be beneficial, it can also do damage if the person shouting from the rooftops does so incessantly or to the annoyance of others.

That's what Heyman did when Rob came through the door, and he wouldn't stop telling McMahon why he should be building his company around someone who was "One Of A Kind". Does this mean Van Dam would have had an even better run without Heyman's yapping? Perhaps.

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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.