Former WWE Diva and TNA Knockout Shelly Martinez tries to #SaveWrestling, each and every Monday at 3:30ET/12:30PT worldwide in the VOC Nation Radio Network exclusively at Vocnation.com. This week Shelly talks to WWE/TNA/ECW legend Rob Van Dam in his first official interview since his TNA contract expired. Rob goes in depth with Shelly on his career, his aspirations in the performing arts, his beliefs on positive energy and attitude, and much more. Here are some highlights of what RVD said about:
RVD on his Reputation:
“Most people that know me, they seem to find pride in my balance. I’m often told that I’m the most laid back wrestler. That’s not true, but I love that I’m seen that way.”
Shelly on Meeting RVD and becoming friends:
“Back in the fake ECW days when you and I became friends, I got to know you behind the scenes and I wanted to be the female version of RVD. That inspired me, and I’ve applied that to not only my personal life, but in wrestling as well.”
RVD on Negativity:
“You look at all these miserable people that keep themselves in this negative spiral where they just focus on everything crappy that’s going on with them. They’re beating themselves up. You control what you think about. For me, it’s a conscious effort to think about thinks that put out a positive vibration. You can’t think good thoughts and feel bad, or think bad thoughts and feel good.”
RVD on Paying Dues in Wrestling:
“Traditionalism has its values, but I remember when I came in I was so uncomfortable. There is the food chain, the level of command. It’s like when someone beats their kids because their father did it to them. That’s the same flawed logic of the wrestlers that want to keep everyone down because that’s how they came up. My first few years in the business I felt so out of place; they had all these battle stories and I didn’t want them to know that I didn’t have all that experience.”
RVD on TNA vs WWE:
“I’ve been wrestling over 23 years and I just started feeling like I deserve to have respect over the last few years. TNA gave me first class treatment, and that was a big change from WWE. Even though I was in my mid-30s, I felt like the business was owned by the older people and they wanted to keep the younger people down and make them pay their dues, because that ‘s how they kept their position.”
RVD on Connecting with the Fans:
“When I wanted to be a wrestler when I was young, I didn’t think about the details that came along with the job. I took up kickboxing, and I practiced on a diving board, and I wanted to use all those moves that I learned in the ring. I didn’t think that I would ever be world champion, or that I would have so many fans that thought so much of me. A lot of the connection that I have with the fans comes from me being genuine. A lot of celebrities lose that connection, and I don’t understand that. I don’t know how to look at the fans like they’re a different species, and I will never understand that. I’m just a real guy.”
RVD on Traveling:
“The first few years of being on the road were easy, I loved it. It didn’t get hard for me until I went to Japan and started wrestling for All Japan. 15 day tours seemed like forever. Crappy truck stops, horrible food, it was horrible. I was so homesick.”
RVD on How to Live a Healthy Life:
“I have journalized meaningful coincidences in my life, and I study patterns among them so I can figure out my own spiritual path. I started doing this after reading a book called “The Celestine Prophecy.” It’s a fictional book, but it’s based around principles that I can relate to. That book changed my way of thinking. I realized that many people think and feel the way that I do, that we’re all supposed to be connected to this divine energy. To stay on your path, you have to operate at a positive frequency.”
RVD on Life After TNA:
“I’m working on my website http://www.platypiproductions.org where I sell cool catchy tee shirts and hats that preach non conformity. I want people to know that it’s ok to be themselves.”
