Mr. Monday Night was not a happy camper in 2003. Van Dam felt that, by rights, he should have been a huge star in the company. He was over, could be counted on to have a good match and, most importantly, the fans wanted to see him succeed. Unfortunately, WWE higher-ups weren't convinced. RVD had to settle for the Intercontinental Tile. The World Heavyweight Championship was out of reach, especially with Triple H's reign of terror in full swing. The cocky Van Dam, who has never been afraid to speak his mind, let WWE have it in a series of interviews in September. First up was an appearance on the Los Angeles-based KSPN Radio. On the show Van Dam said that he preferred working for ECW, as opposed to WWE, claimed that the WWE locker room was a 'politically sensitive' environment and also hinted at his displeasure at the way in which he was portrayed during the feud with Kane (as well as the fact that Shane McMahon got to hog all the glory). Van Dam upped the bar in his next interview with the No Holds Barred internet show. During that conversation he mentioned how he was buried in a recent booking meeting, how frustrated he was with being left off of the WrestleMania XIX card (when the Miller Lite girls were features) and questioned whether the creative department even understood his character or not. Getting in one last dig, RVD said that if Triple H ran for governor of California he wouldn't vote for him. It was unprecedented for a WWE contracted performer to be so brutally honest about the company the way Van Dam was. As a fan you could totally see where he was coming from. The interviews did little good, however, as Rob continued to flounder for much of the next year.
