Rob Van Dam isn’t interested in rewriting history just because someone has passed away — and that includes his complicated relationship with WWE Hall of Famer Scott Hall. The former WWE Champion opened up about several uncomfortable encounters with Hall, including one in England where things got unexpectedly personal and another where Hall abruptly ended a conversation with Katie Forbes the moment RVD showed up.
Speaking on his 1 of a Kind with RVD podcast, Van Dam was discussing why he refuses to pretend every wrestler he encountered throughout his career was a great person. The subject came up while he was defending his continued criticism of Bobby Fulton, explaining that someone’s death doesn’t automatically erase the experiences people had with them. RVD made it clear that he doesn’t believe in changing his stories to make fans feel better about their favorite wrestlers.
“After someone passes, unless you made amends with that person, you’re going to have whatever feelings you have about that person based on your experiences with them. And if that don’t change, then it don’t change.”
“So, if you want to hear firsthand stories, they’re not always going to be colored the way that you want them to be because that’s not honest and that’s not true. And if you don’t want to hear the stories, then that’s cool, too.”
That brought Van Dam back to criticism he received roughly two years earlier after discussing Scott Hall. RVD explained that some fans weren’t happy because his recollections of Hall weren’t particularly flattering.
One encounter that stuck with him happened at a For the Love of Wrestling convention in England. Van Dam recalled finding himself at a bar with Hall, who began opening up about personal matters. According to RVD, the conversation quickly became uncomfortable.
“It was for the Love of Wrestling, and we were in England, and we ended up at the bar together. And he was just — I was just talking about, you know, like he had this energy reeking off of him, like punishing himself. Like he was, you know, he was in one of those moods.”
RVD recalled Hall bringing up the fact that they had never really spent time together drinking despite knowing each other for years.
“First he was just like, ‘Robbie, you and I have never sat down together and like had a beer, like in all these years. Like we’ve never.’ And I’m just like, ‘Yeah, how about that, man?'”
But Van Dam said there was already some history between them. He remembered an occasion when they were supposed to smoke together, only for Hall to back out after allegedly telling Sean Waltman that RVD was a stooge.
“I remember we were gonna go smoking one time, and then he told X-Pac he thought I was a stooge, and so he backed out. And so, you know, I’m thinking about that, you know, like, yeah, stooge. Like if anybody — that’s like Bobby Fulton saying I’m dishonest. You know, like you picked the kind of opposite guy to f*ing label. That’s not even believable.”
Things took another turn when Hall started asking RVD whether he knew about his past. Van Dam remembered Hall appearing deeply troubled during the conversation.
“Anyway, all I said was, you know, that he was like, ‘Robbie, do you know anything about me? Like, do you know my story? Like what I did?’ And I was just like, ‘Oh God.’ You know, this is just getting really heavy real quick. And I was just like, ‘Yeah, yeah, Scott, I think I do.'”
“He was just looking like — I don’t know. He looked disgusted with life or whatever. It just wasn’t a scene that I wanted to hang around that night.”
Van Dam explained that while many wrestling fans would have loved an opportunity to spend time with Hall, his own perspective was different because they had already crossed paths numerous times throughout their careers.
“For a lot of people that would give their left arm to have, you know, ten minutes with him, I get that. But for me, he’s a peer. He’s a peer that I have history and experience with. That wasn’t my only chance in the world to ever come across him.”
RVD then admitted that encounters with Hall weren’t always pleasant, even though he wasn’t sure exactly how Hall felt about him.
“A lot of times when I came across him, it wasn’t the best. You know, sometimes, yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know how he felt about me, but I didn’t think that it was comfortable a lot of times.”
He also recalled another uncomfortable interaction at a major wrestling event where he was visiting backstage. Van Dam said he was catching up with Paige when Hall appeared and interrupted their conversation.
“I remember I was out on the balcony and Paige was out there, and I was trying to talk to her, and I was happy to see her. I hadn’t seen her in a while, you know, like, hey. And then dude shows up, Scott, and he was like belligerent and stumbling over and interrupting and this and that.”
That wasn’t the only example. Katie Forbes joined the discussion and recalled her own encounter with Hall at the Cauliflower Alley Club, where she was speaking with him before Van Dam arrived. Forbes explained that Hall had been deeply involved in telling her a story, but the entire conversation abruptly ended when her husband approached.
“There was like a bunch of people there, and so I was sitting by him. Scott Hall. He was like deep into a story with me. Then Rob walks up, and then Scott Hall was like, ‘I’m gonna go to bed now,’ and like walked off.”
Forbes said she couldn’t remember Hall’s precise words, but the timing of his departure stood out because their conversation hadn’t involved RVD at all.
“I just remember like the story ended at that second. But it wasn’t a story about Rob at all. Like, so he really could have kept the story going.”
Van Dam suggested Hall may have assumed Forbes would no longer want to continue talking once RVD arrived.
“When I showed up, he was like, ‘Oh, there goes — you’re not gonna want to talk to me anymore. I’m gonna go to bed.’ Something like that, you know.”
Despite everything, RVD wanted to make one thing clear: he didn’t hate Scott Hall. Their interactions simply weren’t always positive, and he isn’t willing to pretend otherwise to satisfy fans who remember Hall differently.
“I didn’t hate him or whatever, but it’s just not quite positive enough for the fans.”
The discussion offered another look at Hall’s complicated relationships behind the scenes and how differently wrestlers can remember the same people. Van Dam wasn’t trying to tear down Hall’s legacy, but he made it clear that his personal experiences won’t change just because fans would prefer a different version of the story.
What do you think about Rob Van Dam sharing these uncomfortable experiences with Scott Hall years after his passing? Should wrestlers be able to speak openly about their past relationships, even when those stories aren’t flattering? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
