WWE Legend Rob Van Dam Severely Injured In Latest Match
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Rob Van Dam, aka RVD, has shared some worrying news with fans after working his latest match in the squared circle. Weeks after the injury, the WWE Hall of Famer opens up about what happened.
Van Dam, the iconic high-flying wrestler currently under a WWE Legends contract, recently made his debut appearance in Major League Wrestling (MLW) at their Battle Riot VII event. The MLW World Championship was at stake in the Battle Riot match for the first time in the promotion's history.
Ultimately, the reigning MLW World Champion, Matt Riddle, emerged victorious. The event took place at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California, earlier this month, adding another chapter to Riddle's championship reign.
The 54-year-old wrestling veteran revealed on an episode of his 1 of a Kind podcast that his MLW debut came at a significant cost. RVD disclosed that he suffered fractures to both of his heels during his elimination from the Battle Riot match.
He was the final competitor to be eliminated, a fateful moment that occurred when MLW World Champion and Riddle tossed him from the turnbuckle to the unforgiving floor outside the ring. Recounting the moment of injury, RVD stated, "A couple weeks ago, I had a match with MLW. A lot of people saw that. A lot of people don't know that I got hurt because it was the very last move of the night.
Wrestler Rob Van Dam attends the 420 Expo Cannabis Convention at New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center on September 16, 2022 in Edison, New Jersey.
Wrestler Rob Van Dam attends the 420 Expo Cannabis Convention at New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center on September 16, 2022 in Edison, New Jersey.More news: WWE News: Steve Austin Reveals Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation
I went up to the top rope, and Matt Riddle pushed me off, and the way I landed on my feet — normally, I kind of hug the guardrail and my weight goes into it. This time, I must have misjudged it a little bit, and I just landed on my feet. Both heels blew. I thought that my ankles were sprained. I crawled out of there. I haven't been able to walk since. I got the X-rays, both heels broke."
The severity of the double heel fracture has understandably impacted RVD's immediate schedule. "It definitely made me cancel a lot of plans that I had for the next few months," he admitted. However, RVD noted that he still managed to fulfill all of his previously scheduled appearances during the busy WrestleCon and WrestleMania week in early April.
Throughout his illustrious career, Rob Van Dam has found success, especially during his groundbreaking run in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in the late 1990s. During this time, he held the ECW TV and Tag Team Titles.
Following ECW's closure in 2001, RVD transitioned to WWE. There, he won the WWE Hardcore Championship, WWE Intercontinental Championship (a record six times), WWE European Championship, WWE Tag Team Championship, and World Tag Team Championships. At WrestleMania 22, he won the Money in the Bank ladder match, ultimately leading to his first WWE Championship victory over John Cena at the ECW-themed One Night Stand pay-per-view.
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