Rob Van Dam found himself sharing the spotlight with some of WWE’s biggest names early in his run, but behind the scenes, RVD says the experience was far less rewarding than it may have appeared to fans.

During an appearance on Inside The Ropes, Van Dam reflected on his rise in WWE and how quickly he was placed alongside top stars including The Rock, Chris Jericho, Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon. From the outside, his prominent role suggested WWE had major plans for the former ECW standout.

For RVD, however, repeated disappointments behind the curtain meant he was reluctant to believe anything WWE told him until it actually happened.

“You would think so. Somehow my memory of that time period was such that even if I was totally crushing it and doing really well, whatever I was promised let me down enough to really not believe anything was going to happen until it happened.”

Despite his popularity and position on television, Van Dam recalled frustrations regularly accompanying the highs of his WWE career. That made it difficult for him to fully appreciate just how strongly he was being presented.

“At the same time that certain things were happening, it seemed to balance off pretty good with times of frustration. So it’s almost like I didn’t even really notice what was going on.”

That mindset has apparently remained with RVD years later. He admitted fans will sometimes remind him about victories over some of wrestling’s biggest stars, only for Van Dam to have little or no recollection of the accomplishment.

Instead, his memories are often dominated by conversations about plans that never materialised and booking decisions that left him questioning his standing.

“Sometimes people will talk about, ‘Do you know you beat this Kurt Angle and The Rock and this guy and that?’ And I’ll be like, ‘I did not.’ Some of it, I don’t remember because what I remember is them talking about, ‘We’re gonna do this with you and this with you,’ and then instead, you know, I’m putting Luther Reigns over.”

One particular example came during WWE’s trip to Japan. The country held special significance for RVD due to his history wrestling there before becoming a major WWE star. Returning as an established WWE name should have represented an important milestone, but Van Dam instead remembers being frustrated by his booking against Luther Reigns.

“No offense to Luther Reigns, but he was known as not being a great wrestler. And I was so pissed when I went back to Japan with WWE because, you know, I just told you that was a big part of my career. And now I get to go back as a big WWE star.”

Rather than receiving the kind of homecoming he had envisioned, RVD was booked to lose to Reigns. He said decisions like that contributed to doubts over whether those running WWE genuinely had his best interests in mind.

“I was wrestling Luther Reigns and got beat by him, and it just , there were always things like that that would not only piss me off, but also make me feel like they don’t have good intentions for me.”

The constant uncertainty also influenced how Van Dam reacted to his biggest accomplishments. While defeating a star of The Rock’s stature could have been a dream moment for another wrestler, RVD said he was never particularly inclined to get caught up in the occasion.

“Because all that was always going on, I didn’t have time to mark out. Not that I would also, because that’s not in my nature, but I can see where a lot of wrestlers would.”

Van Dam acknowledged that others might have viewed those opportunities very differently, especially wrestlers who grew up dreaming about eventually defeating one of WWE’s biggest stars.

“They would take that moment and allow themselves to really soak in the moment if they were such big marks that that was like a fantasy or part of their dreams. You know what I mean? If they were like, ‘Oh my God, I beat The Rock. Oh my God.’”

RVD explained that his own perspective on wrestling had changed almost immediately after entering the business. Whatever fan mentality he once possessed was quickly replaced by viewing professional wrestling as his profession.

“For me, after I got into the business, I wasn’t allowed to be a mark. That was stripped from me right away, and it became all about business.”

Looking back, Van Dam believes the backstage environment played a major part in preventing him from appreciating what fans were witnessing on television. Even when he was involved in something significant, political issues and frustrations behind the scenes were often occupying his attention.

“Like I said, I was experiencing all these frustrations and politics backstage. So what you were seeing out in the ring happen was just, you know, night by night. It could be whatever to me.”

Van Dam ultimately enjoyed a decorated WWE career, becoming WWE Champion, ECW World Champion and collecting numerous other titles. Yet his recollection of that era is not simply defined by championships and victories over legendary opponents. For RVD, the broken promises, questionable booking and backstage politics were just as influential in shaping how he remembers his time near the top.