Rob Van Dam

Early life

Szatkowski grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan, and graduated from Pennfield Senior High School. Szatkowski made his first appearance on WWF television in 1987 in a skit with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. At the time, DiBiase was selecting plants from the audience and offering to pay them to perform degrading acts and offered the 16-year-old Szatkowski $100 to enter the ring and kiss his foot, which he did. This early appearance was later included as a bonus feature on WWE's Before They Were Superstars DVD and on WWE's Rob Van Dam: One of a Kind DVD. He was also in attendance at WrestleMania III as stated on The Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology DVD.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1990–1992)

Szatkowski began training as a wrestler under The Sheik in 1989. He made his wrestling debut in 1990, defeating Dango Nguyen. He wrestled in many independent promotions across Michigan, including the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) and South Atlantic Pro Wrestling (SAPW). In SAPW, he won his first wrestling championship, the SAPW Tag Team Championship, in July 1992 with Chaz Rocco. He also wrestled in several independent promotions across America, and in All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he challenged for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship on several occasions. In the World Wrestling Federation in 1992 he wrestled as an enhancement talent against The Mountie under the ring name Matt Burn.

World Championship Wrestling (1992–1993)

Szatkowski signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1992, and was dubbed "Robbie V" by booker Ron Slinker upon his arrival since Bill Watts did not like the name Rob Van Dam. Robbie V made his WCW debut on the January 23, 1993, episode of WCW Saturday Night as a fan favorite, defeating enhancement talent Pat Rose. The following month, Robbie V entered a tournament for the vacant WCW World Television Championship, defeating Shanghai Pierce in the first round but losing to Vinnie Vegas in the second round, which aired on the March 20 episode of WCW WorldWide. His last televised match was on the May 22 episode of Saturday Night, a tag team loss with Erik Watts against Shanghai Pierce and Tex Slazenger. In February and March 1993, Szatkowski wrestled in Japan for All Japan Pro Wrestling; upon his return to WCW, Ole Anderson had replaced Bill Watts as booker. Szatkowski left WCW in May 1993, feeling he was "lost in the shuffle". and being "jobbed out".

All Japan Pro Wrestling (1993–1997)

From 1993 to 1997, Van Dam made 10 tours of Japan with All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW). While wrestling for AJPW, he was advised by promoter Giant Baba to make himself stand out, which inspired Van Dam to begin airbrushing his singlets. His first tour took place in February and March 1993 as part of the annual Excite Series, where his opponents included Dory Funk Jr., Mighty Inoue and members of the famed Super Generation Army stable such as Mitsuharu Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada, Kenta Kobashi and Tsuyoshi Kikuchi.

Van Dam returned to AJPW in February in March 1994 as part of that year's Excite Series, facing opponents like Jun Akiyama, Yoshinari Ogawa, Masao Inoue, Mighty Inoue, Tamon Honda and the aforementioned members of the Super Generation Army.

Van Dam made a third tour with AJPW in February and March 1995, again as part of the Excite Series, facing opponents including the Can-Am Express, the Holy Demon Army, and the Super Generation Army; during this tour, he teamed with Bobby Bradley as "Aerial Assault". Van Dam returned to AJPW in May and June 1995 as part of the Super Power Series, again facing the Can-Am Express and the Super Generation Army in a series of tag team matches. In his final match of the tour, he unsuccessfully challenged World Junior Heavyweight Champion Danny Kroffat in the Nippon Budokan. He wrestled his fourth tour with AJPW in October 1995 as part of the October Giant Series. Van Dam wrestled his fifth tour of the year with AJPW in November and December 1995 as part of the World's Strongest Tag Determination League, where he teamed with Johnny Smith. Van Dam and Smith finished last out of 10 teams, defeating Jun Akiyama and Takao Omori but losing their other eight matches. He'd also compete in singles matches against opponents like Satoru Asako and Kentaro Shiga

Van Dam returned to AJPW for a sixth tour in February and March 1996 as part of the annual Excite series, again facing the Can-Am Express, Holy Demon Army, and Super Generation Army. He returned for a seventh tour in June and July 1996 as part of the Summer Action Series; during this tour, he teamed with Maunakea Mossman to unsuccessfully challenge Jun Akiyama and Takao Omori for the All Asia Tag Team Championship. In September and October 1996, he made an eighth tour as part of the October Giant Series; during this tour, he unsuccessfully challenged World Junior Heavyweight Champion Tsuyoshi Kikuchi.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1996–2001)

In early 1996, Van Dam signed with promoter Paul Heyman's Philadelphia-based promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), defeating Axl Rotten in his debut match at House Party. Van Dam's mannerisms were those of a stoner, and he became a face due to his laid-back attitude and unorthodox style. On March 30, he faced 2 Cold Scorpio in a match for the World Television Championship. The match ended in a draw with 2 Cold Scorpio retaining the title.

Van Dam gained attention following a series of matches with long-time rival Sabu, which began with a match at Hostile City Showdown, won by Sabu. After the match, Van Dam declined to show proper respect for his opponent, leading to a rematch at A Matter of Respect, which was won by Van Dam. Per the pre-match stipulation, Sabu then offered Van Dam a handshake, but was again ignored. Instead, Van Dam left the ring and turned heel under the management of Bill Alfonso. At Hardcore Heaven, Van Dam faced his rival Sabu once again, in a match to prove who was the better man, but Sabu won the match. The two faced each other yet again in a stretcher match at The Doctor Is In. Van Dam lost the match after missing a Plancha to the outside, hitting the railing and falling onto the stretcher. He was quickly rolled out.

At Natural Born Killaz, Van Dam defeated Doug Furnas in a match. Post-match, Van Dam offered Furnas a handshake, but Furnas instead hit Van Dam with a short-arm clothesline, starting a rivalry between the two. After his rivalry with Furnas expanded to also include Dan Kroffat, Van Dam wanted a tag team partner of his own. After losing to long-time rival Sabu once again at Unlucky Lottery, the two united and formed what was to become one of the most successful tag teams in ECW history. They feuded with Furnas and Kroffat defeating them at When Worlds Collide II and High Incident.

Van Dam and Sabu next feuded with The Eliminators, John Kronus and Perry Saturn. On November 1, the two teams fought to a draw. Van Dam then feuded with Taz, to whom he lost at Holiday Hell via knockout. Sabu and Van Dam continued to feud with The Eliminators for the World Tag Team Championship into 1997. At Crossing the Line Again and Cyberslam, the teams faced off for the ECW World Tag Team Championship in a pair of matches, both of which were won by The Eliminators. At CyberSlam, the two teams faced each other for the title in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, in which The Eliminators again retained their title.

All Japan Pro Wrestling (2001)

In February and March 2001, Van Dam returned to All Japan Pro Wrestling for an eleventh tour as part of its "Excite Series". During the tour, Van Dam primarily wrestled in tag team matches, teaming with partners including Danny Kroffat and Gran Naniwa. His opponents during the tour included Giant Kimala and Sabu.

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment (2001–2007)

Several months after the closure of ECW, Van Dam was signed to a short-term contract by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Along with fellow ECW alumnus Tommy Dreamer, Van Dam returned to WWF television on the July 9, 2001, episode of Raw is War in Atlanta, Georgia as a heel, and attacking WWF wrestlers Kane and Chris Jericho. Later that night, five wrestlers from WWF and five wrestlers from WCW took on ten ECW wrestlers, including Van Dam. The match never took place as instead the WCW wrestlers aligned themselves with the ECW wrestlers.

Despite being presented as a heel, Van Dam was popular with the WWF fans, who were aware of his reputation in ECW. After defeating Jeff Hardy for the WWF Hardcore Championship at Invasion on July 22, Van Dam lost the Hardcore Championship to Hardy on the August 13 episode of Raw is War, but regained it at SummerSlam on August 19 in a ladder match. During this time Van Dam had defeated wrestlers such as Kane, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, The Rock and even Alliance leader Stone Cold Steve Austin in singles and tag team matches. Van Dam became one of the most popular members of the Alliance who faced The Rock for the WCW Championship on multiple occasions, and even challenged Alliance leader Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship including a triple threat match at No Mercy on October 21 also involving Kurt Angle, but did not win. At Survivor Series on November 18, Van Dam and four other Alliance members faced five WWF wrestlers in a Winner Take All match. Team WWF won, and the members of the Alliance were fired; however, as Van Dam held the Hardcore Championship, he was able to retain his job.

Van Dam became a face, but lost the Hardcore Championship to The Undertaker at Vengeance on December 9. Van Dam then entered into a rivalry with William Regal over Regal's WWF Intercontinental Championship. On the February 25, 2002, episode of Raw, Van Dam defeated Lance Storm and Big Show in a triple threat match to become the #1 contender to the Intercontinental Championship. At WrestleMania X8 on March 17, Van Dam faced Regal for the Intercontinental Championship and won the match after he hit Regal with a Five-Star Frog Splash.

When the WWF was divided into two "brands", Raw and SmackDown! in 2002, Van Dam was drafted to the Raw brand as the fourth pick, thus bringing the Intercontinental Championship to Raw. On the April 1 episode of Raw, after Van Dam defended his title successfully against Booker T, Eddie Guerrero returned to the WWF and attacked Van Dam. Van Dam started a feud with Guerrero over the Intercontinental Championship. At Backlash on April 21, Van Dam lost the Intercontinental Championship to Guerrero. At Insurrextion on May 4, Van Dam and Guerrero had a rematch for the Intercontinental Championship. Guerrero was disqualified after hitting the referee with the Intercontinental Championship; as a result, Van Dam won the match but not the title because a title cannot change hands by disqualification. At Judgment Day on May 19, Van Dam failed to win the Intercontinental Championship from Guerrero in another rematch. The following night on Raw, Van Dam defeated The Undertaker for the WWE Undisputed Championship but Raw owner Ric Flair restarted the match (due to The Undertaker's foot being on the bottom rope), which Van Dam then lost negating the title win. On the May 27 episode of Raw, Van Dam defeated Guerrero in a ladder match for his second Intercontinental Championship.

Return to the independent circuit (2007–2010)

The day after Van Dam's WWE contract expired, he was in the United Kingdom on a promotional tour and to record scenes for the wrestling documentary, Bloodstained Memoirs. He also took part in interviews for the BBC.

Van Dam defeated Booker T at Pro Wrestling Alliance Christmas Chaos on December 28, 2007, in Pasadena, Texas.

In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Van Dam stated that while WWE would be the first choice and that he would definitely talk to them, he would definitely consider Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) if he returned full-time to pro wrestling. While not under contract, Van Dam made an unannounced return on WWE's 15th Anniversary Raw in December 2007, squashing Santino Marella with a Five-Star Frog Splash. He made a similarly unannounced appearance as a participant in the 2009 Royal Rumble, which he failed to win as he was eliminated by Chris Jericho.

He returned to the independent circuit by competing for Associação Portuguesa de Wrestling (APW) in February 2008. He then also appeared for Nu-Wrestling Evolution (NWE) throughout countries such as Spain. On August 14, 2008, he won a triple threat match at the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) in Japan after defeating Kendo Kashin and Necro Butcher.

On March 9, 2009, it was announced that Van Dam would be competing in American Wrestling Rampage (AWR) on their European Tour, during which he won the promotion's No Limits Wrestling (NLW) Championship in a three way bout versus Sabu and former champion Shawn Maxer. He lost the title to René Duprée after three successful defenses. In November he regained the title, renamed the AWR World Heavyweight Championship at this point, from Duprée on November 29 winning two decisions in a Two Out of Three Falls match. On September 11, 2009, in the World Stars of Wrestling (WSW) European Championship events in Portimão, Portugal, Van Dam won the WSW World Championship, by defeating Joe E. Legend. On the following night he defended his newly won title against Lance Cade.

On January 30, 2010, Van Dam made his debut for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) as part of WrestleReunion 4, defeating Chris Hero and Roderick Strong in a "Sky High" three-way match.

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010–2013)

On March 8, 2010, Van Dam made his debut for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) at the promotion's Monday night episode of Impact!, defeating Sting. Then just seconds after his debut victory Sting attacked him and later Hulk Hogan with his signature baseball bat. Van Dam got his revenge on Sting the following week by attacking him during his entrance. Van Dam teamed with Jeff Hardy in a tag team match, where they defeated Beer Money, Inc. (Robert Roode and James Storm) on the March 22 episode of Impact!. The following week the two of them teamed with Eric Young and defeated The Band (Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Syxx-Pac) in a six-man tag team steel cage match. At Lockdown on April 18, both Van Dam and Hardy became members of Team Hogan (joining Abyss and Jeff Jarrett) for the annual Lethal Lockdown match, where they defeated Team Flair (Sting, Desmond Wolfe, Robert Roode and James Storm).

The night after Lockdown he first defeated Jeff Hardy in a number one contender's match and then, in the main event of the evening, A.J. Styles to become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. After succeeding in his first televised title defense against Desmond Wolfe, Styles attacked Van Dam, announcing the invocation of the rematch clause for Sacrifice on May 16. At Sacrifice Van Dam defeated Styles in a rematch. The following month at Slammiversary VIII on June 13 Van Dam retained his title against Sting in a rematch of his TNA debut. Van Dam defeated Abyss, Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson in a four-way match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Victory Road on July 11. On the following episode of Impact! Van Dam aligned himself with fellow ECW alumni Tommy Dreamer, Raven, Stevie Richards, Rhino, Brother Devon, Pat Kenney, Al Snow and Mick Foley, who saved him from a beating at the hands of Abyss.

The following week, TNA president Dixie Carter agreed to give the ECW alumni their own reunion pay–per–view event, Hardcore Justice on August 8. At Hardcore Justice, Van Dam defeated former tag team partner and rival Sabu in a non-title Hardcore Rules match, after his originally planned match with Jerry Lynn was scrapped due to Lynn suffering a back injury. After successfully defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Abyss in a Stairway to Janice match on the following special edition of Impact!, named The Whole F'n Show, Van Dam and the other former ECW wrestlers were assaulted by Abyss and Fourtune. In the attack Van Dam suffered multiple serious storyline injuries at the hands of Abyss including the need for stitches, spinal trauma and possible acute brain damage, which would force him to vacate the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on August 10 at the taping of the August 19 episode of Impact!. In reality, Van Dam was running out of dates per year on his contract and was therefore taken off television.

Return to WWE (2013–2014)

On June 16, 2013, at Payback, it was announced that Van Dam would be returning at Money in the Bank as one of the participants in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match along with Christian, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, and Sheamus, however, the match was ultimately won by Orton on July 14. In his first singles match for the company since 2007, Van Dam defeated Chris Jericho the following night on Raw. He would then go on a short winning streak defeating the likes of Darren Young, Fandango and Wade Barrett which would lead to a United States Championship opportunity against Dean Ambrose on the SummerSlam pre-show on August 18 which Van Dam would win via disqualification which meant Ambrose retained the title. Van Dam was then put in a feud with the then-World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio, including Del Rio's personal announcer Ricardo Rodriguez becoming Van Dam's announcer, facing Del Rio at Night of Champions on September 15 (winning via disqualification) and Battleground on October 6, but he could not win the title. After this match, Van Dam left the WWE after his 90-day contract expired .

Van Dam signed a 5-month contract and returned to WWE on the April 7, 2014, episode of Raw, defeating Damien Sandow and would later defeat him once more in a rematch on the following SmackDown. Shortly after, he entered into a WWE Intercontinental Championship tournament, defeating Alberto Del Rio in the first round and Cesaro in the semifinals but lost in the final round to Bad News Barrett. Following this he entered into a feud with Cesaro and Jack Swagger, having gained pinfall victories over both men in the lead up to Extreme Rules on May 4, where Van Dam would go on to lose to Cesaro and Jack Swagger in a Triple Threat Elimination match, which was won by Cesaro after pinning Van Dam last, who had pinned Swagger first. Following Extreme Rules, Van Dam would once more go on to defeat Cesaro and Jack Swagger on separate occasions in rematches on both Raw and SmackDown. On the May 19 edition of Raw, Van Dam won a Beat the Clock challenge match by defeating Alberto Del Rio in the fastest time, to become the top contender for the Intercontinental Championship at Payback on June 1, although he lost to Barrett at Payback. On the June 16 episode of Raw, Van Dam competed in a Battle Royal with the winner gaining a WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity, the match was won by Roman Reigns. At Money in the Bank on June 29, Van Dam took part in the Money in the Bank Ladder match for the briefcase, but was won by Seth Rollins. At SummerSlam on August 17, Van Dam defeated Cesaro during the pre-show. Following SummerSlam, Van Dam would go on to team with Roman Reigns and Sheamus in a six-man tag team match in a winning effort against Randy Orton, Ryback and Curtis Axel on the August 18 episode of Raw. After defeating Seth Rollins by countout on the August 26 edition of Main Event, Van Dam's final match with WWE was on the August 29 episode of SmackDown, where he faced Rollins in a losing effort. He made an appearance at the 2014 Slammy Awards to present the Slammy Award for Extreme Moment of the Year.

Second return to the independent circuit (2015–present)

In 2015, Van Dam appeared at many circuit shows including one night appearances at House of Hardcore. On June 7, 2015, Van Dam performed at Citi Field for the Legends of Wrestling and defeated Scott Steiner by pinfall. During a post match attacked by Steiner and Doc Gallows, Goldberg would come to his aid and spear Steiner. Van Dam faced John Morrison at Pro Wrestling Syndicate in Rahway, New Jersey, on October 24, 2015, in a losing effort. After the match, Morrison shook hands with Van Dam and led the crowd in an "RVD" chant. Van Dam would compete for Pro Wrestling Pride (PWP) in June 2016, defeating then PWP Catch Division Champion Scotty Essex in Taunton, England. Van Dam faced Pentagón Jr. for PCW Heavyweight Championship at PCW Ultra in Torrance, California, on November 11, 2016, in a winning effort, it was his first championship after he left WWE in 2014. Van Dam was scheduled to compete in a 128-man tournament starting from June 10, 2017, hosted by 5 Star Wrestling, which was later postponed to February 2018. On July 30, Van Dam was announced to compete at Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) Fear & Loathing X against Lionheart.

Return to Impact Wrestling (2019–2020)

On February 8, 2019, it was revealed that Van Dam would return to TNA, now named Impact Wrestling at their WrestleMania 35-weekend show, United We Stand. At United We Stand on April 4, 2019, he teamed with Sabu and faced Lucha Bros (Pentagón Jr. and Fénix) in a hardcore match. After indicating in interviews that he would be working with the company more, on April 3, Van Dam announced that he had signed a short-term deal with Impact and would be appearing on their programming following United We Stand. His contract initially ran through Bound for Glory in October. His return to Impact television occurred in late-April, where he defeated Ethan Page. Van Dam then formed an alliance with ECW alumni Tommy Dreamer and Sabu to feud with Page, Josh Alexander and Moose. The trio would defeat Moose, Page and Alexander in a six-man tag. At Bash at the Brewery in July, Van Dam defeated Sami Callihan in an Extreme Rules match. A few days later, the storyline between Moose and Van Dam came to a close, as Moose defeated Van Dam at Slammiversary XVII.

On October 20, 2019, on Bound for Glory, Van Dam teamed with Rhino where they challenged for the Impact World Tag Team Championship. At the climax of the match, Van Dam turned heel for the first time in his Impact Wrestling career, as well as his first heel turn since being a member of the Alliance during his WWF/E career, by attacking Rhino, Willie Mack, and Rich Swann, losing the match in the process. During early 2020, Van Dam was part of a censorious heel stable called "Cancel Culture" along with Joey Ryan and Jake Crist. However, this story abruptly ended when Ryan's contract was terminated amid over a dozen allegations of sexual assault. His last storyline with Impact Wrestling was with Sami Callihan, whom Van Dam defeated in his final match for the promotion which aired on September 22, 2020, edition of Impact! before leaving the promotion in September 2020.

Second return to WWE and sporadic appearances (2019–present)

Despite his association with Impact Wrestling, Van Dam made a one-night return to WWE for the special Raw Reunion episode of Raw on July 22, 2019.

Following heavy speculation, it was announced by WWE and Fox Sports on March 29 that Van Dam would be an inductee into the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame class. He later made an appearance at the 2022 Hall of Fame ceremony.

On April 28, 2023, Van Dam appeared on Friday Night SmackDown to announce second round WWE draft picks for RAW. He would appear the next week on RAW, May 1, to announce the fourth round draft picks for Friday Night SmackDown.

On September 13, 2024, Van Dam was shown in attendance for SmackDown's return to the USA Network.

Van Dam appeared on the October 29, 2024 episode of NXT to say that he would be appearing at NXT 2300.

Pro Wrestling Noah (2022)

On April 30, 2022, it was announced that Van Dam would make his in-ring debut in CyberFight's Pro Wrestling Noah on June 12, at the CyberFight Festival 2022. He was scheduled to team with the Stinger duo of Hayata and Yoshinari Ogawa to face Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada and Yo-Hey.

All Elite Wrestling (2023–2024)

On August 2, 2023, Van Dam made his debut in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), appearing on AEW Dynamite to challenge FTW Champion Jack Perry on behalf of longtime rival Jerry Lynn. On the following week's Dynamite, Van Dam unsuccessfully challenged Perry for his championship title in an FTW Rules match. Van Dam then made several further appearances teaming with Hook.

On the January 31, 2024, episode of Dynamite, Van Dam returned to AEW in a losing effort against Swerve Strickland in a hardcore match. Van Dam would later slate fans who had questioned whether or not he could "still go" at his age against Strickland. On the February 21 episode of Dynamite, Van Dam teamed with Hook and "Hangman" Adam Page in a losing effort against AEW World Champion Samoa Joe and Mogul Embassy (Strickland and Brian Cage). On the April 20 episode of AEW Rampage, Van Dam picked up his first singles victory in AEW, defeating Isiah Kassidy, Komander, and Lee Johnson in a "High Flying 4/20" four-way elimination match.

Major League Wrestling (2025)

At Battle Riot VII on April 5, 2025, Van Dam competed in the traditional 40-man Battle Riot match for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship won by Matt Riddle and also involving various other notable opponents such as Donovan Dijak, Bishop Dyer, Mads Krule Krügger, Tom Lawlor, and many others.

Professional wrestling style, persona and reception

The name "Rob Van Dam" was given to him in 1992 by Ron Slinker, a promoter in Florida, possibly because of his martial arts experience and his resemblance to actor Jean-Claude Van Damme. During the early years of his career, he used a split-legged moonsault as finisher, until he adopted the Frog Splash (named Five Star Frog Splash) as finisher. During WWE Hall of Fame ceremony in 2021, WWE's chairman Vince McMahon and Triple H said that he changed the style of wrestling. Van Dam's name and style was an influence on Belgian professional wrestler and later promoter Bernard Vandamme.

Other media

Van Dam has appeared on numerous television shows and in films. In 1995, he was in Superfights as "The Mercenary", and in 1997 he appeared in Bloodmoon as "Dutch Scholtz". On October 23, 1999, he appeared in City Guys, in the episode "El-Trainmania IV" as himself. In 2000 he appeared in 18 Wheels of Justice, on August 2 as "Robert Laramie", and in The X-Files on May 7 as "Burt's opponent" in the episode "Fight Club". He also appeared on V.I.P. in the episode "Survi-Val" as "Major Ving Talbot" that year. On July 26, 2001, he appeared as himself on Spy TV, and again later that year he appeared as himself in Ultimate Revenge on December 2. In 2002, he was featured in the music video for Breaking Point's "One of a Kind" along with starring in two films, Black Mask 2: City of Masks as "Claw", and a cameo appearance in The Backyard as himself. In 2005, the Rob Van Dam: One of a Kind DVD was released. He also appeared on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling in 2008 teaching finishing moves to the celebrities. In 2011 he worked alongside WWE wrestlers Dave Bautista and Nelson Frazier Jr. in a movie titled Wrong Side of Town which was released the following year.

Van Dam started up RVD Radio on October 8, 2008, with the help of Brett Cohen, a producer for BlogTalkRadio. The episodes have changed between an hour and two-hour-long, initially held weekly but now sporadically held at www.blogtalkradio.com/rvdradio.

In November 2010 he was a contestant on an all TNA week of Family Feud, teaming with Jay Lethal, Matt Morgan, Mick Foley and Mr. Anderson in a winning effort against Angelina Love, Christy Hemme, Lacey Von Erich, Tara and Velvet Sky.

He also provides the voice for the character "Bobby", who served as a commentator for the Professor Genki side-quests, in the video games Saints Row: The Third and Saints Row IV.

Van Dam has appeared in multiple video games, including ECW Hardcore Revolution in 2000, with his most recent being in WWE 2K24.

Filmography

1995 Superfights as Mercenary

1997 Bloodmoon as "Dutch"

1999 City Guys as Himself (1 episode, "El Trainmania IV")

2000 18 Wheels of Justice as Robert Laramie (1 episode, "Outside Chance")

2000 The X-Files as Burt's Opponent (1 episode, "Fight Club")

2000 V.I.P. as Major Talbot (1 episode, "Survi-Val")

2001 Spy TV as Various (1 episode)

2001 Ultimate Revenge as Himself (2 episodes)

2002 Black Mask 2: City of Masks as "Claw"

2002 The Backyard as Himself (cameo)

2005 One of a Kind as Himself

2008 Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling as Himself (1 episode, "Train with the Pros")

2009 Sketch of Life as Himself

2009 Bloodstained Memoirs as Himself

2010 Wrong Side of Town as Bobby Kalinowsky

2010 Family Feud as Himself (5 episodes)

2012 Olympic Trials with Kurt Angle as Himself (Funny or Die short)

2015 3-Headed Shark Attack

2016 Nine Legends

Voice acting

2011 Saints Row: The Third as Bobby

2013 Saints Row IV as Bobby

Personal life

Szatkowski is of Belgian and Polish ancestry. Szatkowski married Sonya Delbeck on September 6, 1998, the couple separated in December 2015. In July 2016, Delbeck filed for divorce from Szatkowski. The divorce was finalized in May 2018. In 2016, Szatkowski began dating fellow professional wrestler Katie Forbes. In 2021, Forbes and Szatkowski had gotten married. In June 2025, Forbes and Szatkowski announced they are expecting twins, due in 2026. On December 26, 2025, the couple welcomed twin daughters, Karma and Saba, with the latter named after the late Sabu.

Cannabis

Szatkowski is an advocate for the legalization of cannabis. He has discussed the topic in various media, including on MSNBC where he debated former U.S. "drug czar" Barry McCaffrey. Szatkowski is also a consumer of cannabis, believing it to be an athletic enhancer. His personal affinity for cannabis has been reflected in his wrestling persona, including his use of the phrase "RVD 4:20 means I just smoked your ass."

In 2020, Szatkowski established and licensed his name to RVDCBD, a cannabinoids company specializing in CBD and cannabis paraphernalia. In 2021, he was named chairman of United American Petroleum Corp (UAPC), a shell company that acquired RVDCBD and seeks to acquire other cannabis properties.

On July 3, 2006, The Ironton Tribune reported that Szatkowski and Terry Brunk (known as Sabu) had been arrested on the previous evening on U.S. Route 52 in Hanging Rock, Ohio. Szatkowski had been stopped for speeding by an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, who discovered that he was in possession of 18 grams of marijuana and five Vicodin pills, while Brunk was in possession of drug paraphernalia and nine tablets of testolactone. Both Szatkowski and Brunk were released after posting bail, and were scheduled to appear in Ironton Municipal Court on July 6. On July 6, The Ironton Tribune reported that the court date for Szatkowski and Brunk were in limbo, as their attorneys had asked for and were granted continuances. On August 31, Szatkowski pleaded guilty to speeding and possession of marijuana but the charge of Vicodin possession was dropped when he produced a prescription. He was fined $140 and additional court costs.

According to the WWE's wellness policy, a drug-related arrest can lead to that talent's immediate dismissal from the company. Then-WWE Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis released a statement on WWE.com reporting that Szatkowski and Brunk were still eligible to compete on the Raw and ECW tapings in the following days while an investigation conducted by WWE was being undertaken. This resulted in Szatkowski dropping the WWE Championship at the live Raw one night and the ECW Championship the next night at the ECW taping. Van Dam was subsequently suspended without pay for 30 days, and an on-air segment on ECW was scripted to relay this suspension to the fans. The arrest footage itself and a recounting from Szatkowski is seen in the film Nine Legends.

Training

Szatkowski is a trained kickboxer and martial artist. Growing up in Battle Creek, Michigan, Szatkowski studied martial arts at two local dojos. He received instruction in Karate, Taekwondo, Aikido, Kickboxing and Kajukenbo. In 1990, he placed second in the Kalamazoo Heavyweight Toughman Contest. Szatkowski is also an outspoken advocate of vitamins and bodybuilding supplements and attributes this to his mother's influence.

He is the inventor of the Van Dam Lift, a weightlifting technique that involves performing a split (which he took up in his early teens) between two benches and lifting a dumbbell from the floor to the waist. The lift was approved by IAWA, the International All-Around Weightlifting Association, in 1998. It was also entered in the rulebooks of USAWA, the United States All-Round Weightlifting Association.

Championships and accomplishments

All Action Wrestling

Perth Classic Tournament (2017)

All Star Wrestling

ASW North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

American Wrestling Rampage

AWR Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

AWR No Limits Championship (1 time)

Battle Championship Wrestling

BCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

Cauliflower Alley Club

Lou Thesz/Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award (2020)

Extreme Championship Wrestling

ECW World Television Championship (1 time)

ECW World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Sabu

Hardcore Hall of Fame

Class of 2022

International Wrestling Federation

IWF Television Championship (1 time)

National Wrestling Council

NWC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bobby Bradley

No Limits Wrestling