Truth Behind Rumors of RVD’s Lack of Work Ethic in TNA Wrestling

While speaking on the latest “Kurt Angle Show” podcast on AdFreeShows.com, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle addressed rumors that Rob Van Dam didn’t care when he was in TNA and was only there for the paycheck.

According to Angle, this was just the way RVD was and he wasn’t necessarily lacking in passion for the company.

Angle clarified that while RVD wasn’t vocal about being a leader or trying to make TNA the greatest company in the world, he still gave everything he had in the ring every single night. Angle noted that RVD is his own person and always does things his own way at a high level.

“That’s Rob. ‘Hey Dude, I’m hanging here. I’m hanging out. I’m cool.’ He just wasn’t vocal. He wasn’t trying to be a leader. He wanted to go there and do his thing and perform. It’s not like he didn’t care about the company. That was Rob. That’s the way he was. If you’re going to care about a company, if you’re Rob Van Dam, as long as you give everything you have in that ring every single night you go out there, that’s all you need from Rob because he’s not going to give you anything more. He’s not going to tell people, ‘Hey, my passion is to make TNA the greatest company in the world.’ Rob is Rob Van Dam and what he’s going to do is he’s going to do it his way, his own thing, and his style at a very high level all the time.”

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In terms of the push RVD received in TNA, Angle believes that he deserved better. He speculated that TNA may not have known RVD as well as he did and therefore may have misinterpreted his lack of vocal leadership as a lack of care.

“They could have given him a better push. Definitely. I don’t know if they thought that he didn’t care because he had that I don’t care attitude. They might not have known Rob as well as I did, but Rob deserved a better push than he got.”

When asked if RVD conducted himself differently in TNA than he did in WWE, Angle said there was no difference, and RVD was the same in both companies.

Angle’s comments paint a picture of RVD as a talented wrestler who was dedicated to his craft but didn’t necessarily see himself as a leader or have a desire to make a huge impact on the company beyond his own performances.