Rob Van Dam Turned Down Becoming A Paul Heyman Guy
He wasn't interested in playing a heel.
Rob Van Dam may be very much a "Paul Heyman guy" in real life, but he didn't want to play one on TV.
In an interview with Jusin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated, RVD revealed that WWE wanted him to turn heel and join Heyman during his last televised run. He wasn't interested in the idea:
"Why change to a heel when I’m on my way out? I’ve been so willing to stay strong and stick to my guns for so long when it comes to my beliefs. I’m a symbol to people for a lot of different things, and changing me to a heel, at the last minute, could change that.”
He also slammed TNA for Jeff Hardy's heel run in 2010, a time he was also in the company:
“I thought the Jeff Hardy heel turn was stupid before they did it and thought it was stupid watching him spit at the fans and the little kids who loved him.”
He also noted that he has an "open door" relationship with WWE, which means we could still see him back in the company one day.
Van Dam is spot on with his thoughts on Hardy, as TNA had one of the hottest babyfaces on the planet at the time, and tried to shock the fans by turning him heel. It was a terrible business decision on their part.
His pairing with Heyman may been okay, but due to how poorly his last run was, he'd have needed quite a bit of rehabilitation to make things work. If he does come back again, hopefully it's more of a Chris Jericho-type renaissance for him than a lackluster re-run.