10 Wrestling Facts We Didn’t Know Last Week (April 26)

5. RVD's Vince McMahon "Father" Story

Big Show Rob Van Dam
WWE.com

WWE don't allow unprotected chair shots to the head these days, and with good reason. Concussion awareness has shot up over the past decade, and there's no need for wrestlers to literally bash one another's brains in on TV. As Rob Van Dam fans well know, the former ECW star made a living out of using chairs to cause tons of damage, but he also took some hits himself.

Vince McMahon warned him against continuing down that path.

During a chat with Sean Waltman for the 'X-Pac 1, 2, 360' show, RVD remembered walking behind the curtain following his match shortly after he'd joined the then-WWF in 2001. As he warmed down, Rob was approached by McMahon, and the boss had a simple message to share: "Put your hands up".

RVD blew the suggestion off, saying he was tough enough to take the blows to his head if they made the match look better. Vince wouldn't let it go, and he repeated the advice. Finally, McMahon had enough of Van Dam's cavalier coolness and said, "Rob, listen. I am your father telling you this. Put your hands up from now on".

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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.