WWE legend RVD still hates celebrity wrestlers

WWE legend Rob Van Dam isn't a fan of celebrity involvement in wrestling. The former ECW World Champion has been vocal about celebrities taking spots from wrestlers in the past.

Ahead of SummerSlam 2025, RVD said that it is "insulting" that people coming from outside think anybody can do what wrestlers do in the ring. He also said that it is "offensive" that everyone else had to work around them. It turns out his opinion hasn't changed much.

In an interview with TMZ Sports' Inside The Ring, Rob Van Dam was asked if his stance on celebrities competing inside the squared circle had changed. RVD said that while he has changed his mind to an extent, he still doesn't like it.

"I changed my mind to the extent of [sic] where I can say, look, I've got no control over it. The business is changing in so many ways away from what it used to be, and I know there’s nothing I can do to stop it. So I’m watching it happen. I’m understanding it less and less. Am I enjoying it? No, not really," he said.

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He then went on to mention that celebrities coming in to wrestle takes away the credibility and hurts the business.

"But celebrities coming in, I’ve always felt like it takes, like, one, it really hurts the credibility of what we’re doing. Two, you've got to work around them to make it look like they could do something that they really couldn’t do. And three, it’s just bad for the business," he added.

You can watch the interview below:

Rob Van Dam's comments come at a time when WWE has been high on celebrity involvement. YouTuber Logan Paul has firmly established himself as part of the roster, while this year's SummerSlam saw country musician Jelly Roll compete in a tag team match.

RVD said he was in talks to face John Cena this year

During the same interview, Rob Van Dam revealed that he was in talks with WWE earlier this year regarding a return to the global juggernaut.

His comeback would have seen him face his old in-ring rival, John Cena, as part of The Franchise Player's ongoing Retirement Tour. RVD mentioned that there was a "lot of interest," but his double heel fracture in April derailed those plans.

RVD famously beat John Cena at ECW One Night Stand in 2006 to win the WWE Championship at the Hammerstein Ballroom arena.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit TMZ Sports' Inside The Ring and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Sherjeel Malik is a writer at Sportskeeda and covers pro wrestling. He was hooked on the product from the moment he saw The Hardy Boyz jumping off ladders during the Attitude Era. While he comes from an engineering background, Sherjeel’s love for pro wrestling and content writing led him to pursue a career in sports journalism. Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Sherjeel worked at other reputable organizations for five years.

While writing articles, he ensures that he only relies on credible sources for information and covers relevant subjects that do not project an agenda against a particular person or association. WWE legend Paul Heyman once shared Sherjeel’s work on his social media handle.

Sherjeel’s earliest memory of pro wrestling is watching Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker square off for the WWE Title in the main event of a pay-per-view in 1998. His favorite wrestlers are Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. While he admires Orton for his character work as a heel, he looks up to Jeff because of his unique wrestling style and risk-taking ability.

If he could go back to the Attitude Era, Sherjeel would like to manage Ken Shamrock and be his mouthpiece. He feels Shamrock’s promo skills prevented him from becoming a main event-level act in WWE. Hence, he would like to help the UFC Hall of Famer get over with fans.

When not writing about pro wrestling, he likes to read classics and fiction books.

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Edited by Sherjeel Malik