https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVm8iMXU37c Rob Van Dam isn't considered one of the all-time greatest talkers in wrestling history. His laid back persona doesn't exactly naturally get people excited to see him fight. That's why it's not a bad idea to have someone else do most of the talking for him. It worked out surprisingly well in ECW when Bill Alfonso was his manager. It didn't work out so well in WWE when he was stuck with Ricardo Rodriguez. At the time, it didn't sound like the worst idea. Ricardo seems pretty likable as a babyface, and fans appeared ready to cheer him once he broke away from Alberto Del Rio. While he has experience as a wrestler, he was kept in the role of manager and paired up with Van Dam because...well, it was never really explained. Van Dam and Del Rio had been feuding, and Ricardo cost his boss a match and was subsequently beat down. He then switched sides, joining up with Van Dam to get even. It wasn't a good fit for either man. Ricardo ditched the tuxedo, and slapped on a Van Dam shirt. Otherwise, he was basically the same guy. He'd come out before his match, announce his newest client's name and try to get the crowd to clap along with him. The two just didn't seem like guys who would hang out in their free time, and they didn't cut promos together. Their relationship seemed to exist of going to the ring together, and then calling it a night. They most likely didn't have dinner together, or meet up to play old Nintendo 64 games at Van Dam's house while eating Cheetos. Van Dam soon left the company, and the two went their separate ways. It's doubtful that when Mr. Monday Night returns, that WWE will rekindle this relationship. It's probably for the best.
As Rust Cohle from True Detective said "Life's barely long enough to get good at one thing. So be careful what you're good at."
Sadly, I can't solve a murder like Rust...or change a tire, or even tie a tie. But I do know all the lyrics to Hulk Hogan's "Real American" theme song and can easily name every Natural Born Thriller from the dying days of WCW. I was once ranked 21st in the United States in Tetris...on the Playstation 3 version...for about a week.
Follow along @AndrewSoucek and check out my podcast at wrestlingwithfriends.com