WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam recently talked about the last time he spoke to late WWE star Chris Benoit in 2007. RVD recalled that he was on his way out of WWE back then when Benoit approached him for a backstage chat.
Rob Van Dam reveals the conversation with Chris Benoit
Benoit respected his colleague’s decision to leave WWE and look for opportunities outside the biggest company in wrestling. He did not convince RVD to stay, It turns out walking away from WWE wasn’t an easy choice, and Benoit conveyed the message to Van Dam that the locker room admired him for his bold move.
Here’s what the WWE Hall of Famer revealed about his final interaction with The Rabid Wolverine on a recent episode of the Cafe De Rene podcast:
“In 2006 or 2007, whenever it was the same situation, but at this time, he said, ‘Rob, I heard you were leaving.’ I said, ‘Yeah when my contract’s up, I’m not going to re-sign,” revealed RVD. “He goes, ‘Hey, a lot of us respect you for that, man.’ I said, ‘Okay, I’m not saying I’m never going to come back.’ Hey, it doesn’t matter! You know when it’s right to leave; a lot of us don’t know that. So we respect you for that, so good on you.”
It has been noted that Chris Benoit and RVD were always familiar with each other’s work as they were on the WCW roster together in 1992. While Benoit was amongst the top prospects for the promotion, RVD was allegedly unhappy with his position. The former WWE Champion later informed officials that he wanted to part ways. Benoit was against RVD’s plan to return to the indie circuit and even warned him about the “stupid decision” during an honest exchange behind the scenes. RVD added:
“I was like, ‘Okay.’ And I brought up, ‘Chris, do you remember, in WCW, you told me, you know, you thought I was stupid for leaving.’ He was like, ‘Well, f*** that, what did I know? Look at you. I was like, ‘Okay, vindicated.’ That’s my Chris Benoit story.”
