Why Rob Van Dam Would've Once Opposed Supernatural Characters Like WWE's Undertaker

WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam came into prominence at a time when the business was morphing into more reality-based programming. At the time, WWE and WCW were still relying on supernatural characters unlike RVD's ECW, which strictly catered to a more adult demographic. As an outsider looking in, RVD was turned off by the two bigger promotions doing damage to the credibility of the business with their outrageous gimmicks.

"When I was in ECW, I would have been against supernatural characters," RVD admitted on his "1 of a Kind" podcast. "I would have thought that it was killing the credibility that I worked so hard to build." 

To RVD's credit, however, he learned to appreciate the work that his peers put into building their unique characters and eventually recognized their importance to the show. "Now, my understanding of what professional wrestling is is quite different to what my understanding was back then. And, there's so many things — we're all part of it; all our efforts do impact the result, which, in fact, changes the substance of what it is."

Besides those supernatural characters, RVD, over a period of time, also came to appreciate the value that actors, comedians, and other celebrities brought to a wrestling program. "All that is just part of a big entertainment show that has wrestling as its foundation, but The Undertaker's part of the show is their favorite part of the show ... when the lights go out and his music hits, everyone's [hyped] and they love him. So, his being a part of the show would win anyone over." 

RVD himself was involved in a supernatural character when he briefly teamed with Kane in 2003 and even held WWE's World Tag Team Championship with "The Big Red Machine" until the friendship turned into a rivalry.