RVD made an appearance on Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast to discuss a wide range of topics.
During it, he was asked if he had any heat with Triple H working in WWE for the first few years of his run.
Rob Van Dam has previously stated in another interview that his first push in WWE ended after he refused help from Triple H with his promos. This would’ve been during Triple H’s run on Raw from 2002 through 2004.
“I mean, I wasn’t happy about the situation at the time. Again, competitive state of mind, you don’t look at it when you’re across the ring from him and you’re both competing for the love of the crowd. You don’t look at it like, ‘Hey, this guy is, not a CEO, but whatever his position was at the time, is qualified to make important decisions. He sits in the meetings. He’s one of the guys that directs the paths of where the whole show is going.’ You don’t look at it like that. You look at it more like, ‘It’s not fair just because he’s with the boss’ daughter.’ Really, there’s so many more variables to it that you just don’t consider at that time. A lot of wrestlers don’t grow enough to see the whole picture. So forever, their opinion will be like it is in the book they wrote where they’re like, ‘If it wasn’t for him, I would have had a great career.’ But you know, really, it is what it is. But looking back, I had great matches with him. He’s a really good wrestler. At the time, I don’t even think I could have admitted that just because I felt more like puffing my chest out and trying to fight for every inch I could get.”
H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription