As previously reported, Rob Van Dam’s World Wrestling Entertainment contract was up at the end of June, and he spoke with a local Los Angeles radio station on Tuesday for his first interview as a free agent.
According to a report of the KLAC radio appearance on SLAM! Wrestling, RVD talked about Benoit, leaving WWE and his future.
On Benoit:
“Nobody saw it coming … He was the best of the guys and was a role model’s role model and I respected him. He was a happy guy and had a lot of love for his family. I’m still in the position that I don’t know what the hell happened. I still can’t believe it. We all want closure on this because we’re so damn confused by it.”
“What all the wrestlers and what all the people have said about Chris Benoit, I would hope those same people would say those same things about me … The more I speak my true feelings, the more I side with WWE on this argument, you can see that yeah, the schedule is horribly demanding year after year and it doesn’t let up, but we don’t all go and kill our families. What happened is something we can’t understand at this point.”
On steroids:
“Using steroids, there’s no problem with that, but abusing steroids is something that’s ignored all too often and not paid attention to … Testosterone replacement, and doctor’s will back their jobs with this, can prolong a lifespan. Steroids are banned in sports because some say it gives them an unfair advantage, but that’s not the case in wrestling. It’s all about abuse.”
On the WWE Wellness Policy:
[It has helped some guys who] “were on the wrong path.”
On drugs:
“There’s also an option to stay in the business and not touch the drugs … It’s definitely an independent choice. I know some guys that haven’t touched anything and won’t even have a drink. C.M. Punk makes his whole name on that and makes people look at him.”
On leaving WWE:
“It got so mundane for me … I was so burned out from the routine of going out there. Here I am in sunny Los Angeles and why would I want to go all the way to Boston to do a flip and a spin kick?”
On the future:
“I’m still working on touching home base and I feel like I’m home and spending time with my wife. Despite all the phone calls I’m getting for potential opportunities all over the entire world, travelling outside of Los Angeles is not that desirious for me at this point. I’m laying low and working on some stuff I’m incredibly excited about. I’ll be releasing big news about what I’ll be doing this summer on my website (www.robvandam.com). I’m very optimistic about the future and having already been out a month, it looks like I got out at the right time, as if I ever doubted that.”
The full interview can be heared via podcast here.
