Rob Van Dam Given Early Release?

fatal

from:WrestlingNewsZone.com

Rob Van Dam's match with Snitsky on Tuesday could have very well been his last match ever in WWE. Wade Keller of the Pro Wrestling Torch is reporting that RVD is officially done with World Wrestling Entertainment as of last Wednesday. WWE felt that keeping RVD around and burying him on TV was not worth it and it was better to get him off TV as soon as possible.

His contract wasn't going to expire until late June at the earliest, but WWE officials cut that short because RVD said he would not re-sign with them and they had nothing for him until then. Despite the early release, RVD has a no-compete clause, and thus he can't show up in TNA next week for instance.

He is expected to sign with TNA after a long deserved summer break. If and when he joins TNA, it will probably be in September at the earliest. TNA is trying to land a two hour slot for the fall season on Spike, so if they end up getting it, they'll probably hold him off for the two hour show's debut.

More as we get it. Stay tuned.

from:wrestlemag.com

For those of you who were hopeful that Rob Van Dam would change his mind and re-sign with World Wrestling Entertainment, prepare to be disappointed as the former WWE and ECW Champion will definitely be leaving the company.

While we’re yet to be able to confirm whether or not Van Dam has officially left the company, it’s possible that this week’s edition of ECW was Van Dam’s final appearance for the company, despite having several weeks remaining on his contract.

As recently as earlier this month, the plan was for Van Dam to work through to next month’s ECW One Night Stand PPV. But with the chances of him re-signing growing slimmer as time went on, and with WWE not planning on running the One Night Stand in the same format as the previous two years (in that there will be none of the original ECW feel about it, and that the PPV will be a “normal” WWE show), it may well be that WWE decide to keep RVD off TV until his contract runs out rather than keep him on TV for a few more weeks just to bury him.

As we’ve been reporting over the past couple of months, Van Dam was never really looking to sign a new deal with the company, with money being the only possible reason why he would have re-signed.

If any talks between RVD and TNA have already taken place, it’s almost certainly that only a small handful of people will be aware of the situation, and it may well be that if Van Dam is brought into the company (and while that isn’t a certainty, it’s something that TNA are very keen on), it’s done in similar fashion to when TNA signed Kurt Angle towards the back end of last year. The terms of Van Dam’s release from WWE will almost certainly prevent him from working for TNA for ninety days, meaning that if that clause is in place, it’s unlikely that TNA will be able to have him debut until around September time.

WrestleMag.com understands that Van Dam is scheduled to be making an appearance in Michigan in mid-July for the the All World Wrestling League promotion, ran by Eddie and Tom Farhat and formerly ran by The Original Sheik (who trained Van Dam) under the ‘Original Big Time Wrestling’ banner. Sabu, the nephew of The Sheik, who was released by WWE earlier this week, will also be appearing at the show, which will be held at the Birch Run Expo Center in Birch Run, MI and is being put together as a “coming home” show of sorts as AWWL look to secure new television and pay-per-view deals in Michigan over the Summer.

We’ll have more on RVD’s departure from WWE as soon as we get confirmation on the situation.

Just heard that rvd has mentioned that he is leaving within the next week.I dunno how true that is.Anyone else hear anything?

ShawnRaven

Aw no, seriously, i've just been getting into TNA the last few months, now Rob Van Botch is on his way in.

In saying that he COULD have some great matches with Jay Lethal and Alex Shelly, maybe a fresh crop of talent is exactly what he needs.

Of course, once he gets a title, he'll probably bash the hell out of it and bitch and moan and get held midcard again but time will tell

VR!

Fozzy

I'd actually like to see RVD and Sabu go into TNA together as a tag team. If TNA get their tag division going strong by then, it could help all of them I think

Vince135792003

Fozzy wrote:

I'd actually like to see RVD and Sabu go into TNA together as a tag team. If TNA get their tag division going strong by then, it could help all of them I think

I think they could do more with him than just put him in a tag team initially.

Then again if you put him in the main event it'll be just make things even more convoluted and add another guy to this list of people who TNA won't let lose clean.

Double C

I wouldn't like to see Sabu in TNA again, he's been there and done that nd I don't see what he can add there. I would like to see him in ROH for a doubleshot, in a four way the first night agianst Evans, Cross and some other high flyer and in a street fight agianst BJ Whitmer on night two. I doesn't make much sense but it would be cool to see.

Bubs101

I'd like to see him in TNA but only in the X-division. There are enough main-eventers there and it'd be nice to see him rekindle his feud with Jerry Lynn

triple h

I was never a fan of RVD. I did not hate him, i was just not a fan. I am not sad to see him go.

Fozzy

Well, RVD's scheduled to team up with Punk tomorrow against Marcus Cor Von and Elijah Burke, so we'll be seeing him at least once more before he leaves WWE

MikeHoncho

With the injury crisis at the moment does anybody not think it is foolish of WWE to let RVD go. Maybe they could offer him a short term deal and move him into a feud on either RAW or Smackdown. That way he doesnt need to be involved in the watered down version of ECW that he seems to have a problem with.

fatal

MikeHoncho wrote:

With the injury crisis at the moment does anybody not think it is foolish of WWE to let RVD go. Maybe they could offer him a short term deal and move him into a feud on either RAW or Smackdown. That way he doesnt need to be involved in the watered down version of ECW that he seems to have a problem with.

I think that its him that wants to leave the wwe and not wwe wanting to get rid of him.I wouldnt put it past him to go out with a bang of some sort if tonight is his last night

Fozzy

fatal wrote:

I wouldnt put it past him to go out with a bang of some sort if tonight is his last night

How do you mean? There's no way he'd do something unscripted, and I doubt WWE will want to make a big deal of him when he's leaving

MikeHoncho

fatal wrote:

I think that its him that wants to leave the wwe and not wwe wanting to get rid of him.I wouldnt put it past him to go out with a bang of some sort if tonight is his last night

Yeah. i know its him wants out but I was thinking in terms of them coming to a compromise to help WWE through the difficult months ahead. Give him a 6 month contract on RAW or Smackdown. That way he still knows he will be getting out in the near future AND he doesnt have to have anything to do with the WWECW product he hates so much.

Stalfos

I think he hates all of WWE rather than just the WWECW product. I'd say if you asked him last year what he thought, it woulda been a whole opinion but i'd also say it was the way Sabu and the other originals are being treated too that would annoy him. I think RVD has a much better chance of making it in TNA although i'd love to see him try against some X-division wrestlers for a while first.

Fozzy

The latest on this is that RVD may not be heading to TNA at all, or even leaving WWE

Vince McMahon was furious when he learned that RVD's departure, set for One Night Stand, was common knowledge. Dave Meltzer reports that WWE may keep RVD a few extra weeks to finish up and surprise the "smart fans."

Apparently for the past few months it was being said that RVD will be making his way to TNA, however new reports indicate that RVD has no interest at this time. Several in TNA management are not as hopeful of signing RVD because they were subject to the rumor mill none to long ago with Chris Benoit. Apparently Van Dam believes he has enough money to retire, but is open to working a lighter WWE schedule.

I'm still holding out for RVD making some indy appearances

Dickmcsavage

Is RVD still gonna work One Night Stand? By the looks of things I would guess that last night's RAW may have been his last night. He sold the concussion just as Shawn Micheals did. This would indicate that he is going to be taken off TV. This combined with the ever growing rumours, lead me to believe that he is now finished with WWE. I may be wrong, but it just seemed random to me that RVD would face Orton on RAW. To me, it looked like they were trying to put over Orton while at the same time finish RVD.

MikeHoncho

He is working One Night Stand in a stretcher match with Orton. Looks to me like this will be his last match.

oneofakind32

Looks to me like maybe RVD reached a deal with Vince. It's not at all like the WWE to give a wrestler a big final match before letting him go to another company, unless of course the plan is to have Orton crush RVD but it would be a bad move on RVDs part to agree to that sort of match

ShawnRaven

oneofakind32 wrote:

unless of course the plan is to have Orton crush RVD but it would be a bad move on RVDs part to agree to that sort of match

RVD may not have a choice, if he said no, Vince would probably screw him out of ala Bret Hart style. The whole employer/employee thing.

Besides, its not like RVD has a hell of a lot of creative control now is it?
VR!

Brow

I'd say RVD will get destroyed and they'll play the whole concussion injury so it gives some sort of reason demolishion of RVD on the night.

Dickmcsavage

validreasoning! wrote:

RVD may not have a choice, if he said no, Vince would probably screw him out of ala Bret Hart style

That would be hilarious!!! I'm just picturig Orton and McMahon forcefully strapping RVD to a stretcher and then pegging it down the aisle with him throwing his arms all over the place!

Furious-Red

Brow wrote:

I'd say RVD will get destroyed and they'll play the whole concussion injury so it gives some sort of reason demolishion of RVD on the night.

yup id say that prob will happen

ShawnRaven

And did it ever happen, he got buried! Major dramatic ending to it as well.
Well thats it, bye bye Rob, seeya in TNA in 8 weeks!

VR!

Furious-Red

Rob Van Dam may have defeated Randy Orton in their Stretcher Match at One Night Stand, but only Orton was able to walk out of the arena afterwards.

Following a string of concussions that RVD has suffered from Orton over the past several weeks, it was no surprise that the Legend Killer zeroed-in on Van Dam’s head in the match. At times, RVD looked dazed, but was able to gut out a victory in the waning moments of the contest.

However, Van Dam wouldn’t have time to celebrate. A visibly frustrated Orton recovered quickly and ambushed RVD from behind. From there, the Legend Killer did everything in his power to destroy RVD, the man many consider one of the last remaining spirits of the original ECW.

It’s evident that the “new” Randy Orton that has emerged from a series of mishaps and costly mistakes from his past is more dangerous and uncaring than his predecessor. Without a remorseful bone in his body, Orton revealed how it felt to possibly be the person to end RVD’s WWE career immediately following their match.

“I took out RVD just like I took out ECW Legend Tommy Dreamer and the ‘legend of all legends,’ Shawn Michaels,” bragged Orton. “My mission in WWE now is to seek and destroy. The last three people I’ve wrestled – RVD, Dreamer, HBK – they’ve all gotten kicked squarely in the face and have been knocked out of actions for days, weeks, months or in RVD’s case, indefinitely.”

Along with dropping some of sports-entertainment’s top talents, the Legend Killer has also dropped any ounce of respect he held for those who have fallen victim to his refocused agenda.

“Shawn is out for a long, long time because of me,” said a ruthless Legend Killer. “I have no respect for those who have fallen at the hands of the RKO. That applies to RVD as well; I have no respect for him, either.”

Beyond taking out Superstars left and right, Orton is depending on his new attitude to expand his dominance outside of titles and WWE accolades.

“The new Randy Orton has his sights set on more than just championships,” said Orton. “He sees more than himself being the future of wrestling; Randy Orton will take out his opponents one by one until there is nobody left to represent this company except Randy Orton. I’ve already begun this chain of events to make that claim a reality, and trust me, it will only get worse for those who get in the way.”

But what’s different in Orton now that wasn’t in him before? What has enabled the Legend Killer to execute these callous attacks on Superstars like Rob Van Dam and Shawn Michaels?

“The old Randy Orton was a little more lackadaisical when preparing for a match,” admitted the third-generation Superstar