In theory, TNA picking up Rob Van Dam seemed like a great idea. Unlike many other former WWE talents, you could argue that RVD was never pushed as aggressively as he should have. While he was approaching 40, he could still put on some good matches, and it seemed like he still had something to prove. Unfortunately, TNA just proved that they didn't know what to do with him. Initially, RVD had one of the worst debuts in the history of wrestling. The crowd exploded when he showed up in the Impact Zone and beat Sting in an impromptu match. He was subsequently beaten down by the Stinger for a few minutes. It felt like hours as the fans waited for a comeback that never happened. The company then quickly put him over their homegrown star A.J. Styles, which just further showed that ex-WWE guys are simply better than the best of TNA's bunch. Van Dam was fine in the ring, but seemed to lack the spark that he possessed a few years earlier. Perhaps it was just age, or maybe he just wasn't motivated to have explosive matches with the TNA guys. He ended up settling into the mid-card, which seemed to serve no purpose. If you're gonna have him on the roster, make him a top guy. Otherwise its a giant waste of money. However, just like his most recent WWE run, Rob is no longer the "Whole f'n Show" he's more like a forgotten part of the show.
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
