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Since Rob Van Dam departed from his first run in the WWE in mid-2007, he's never made a full-time comeback to the company. He got involved in wrestling for other promotions since then, which included a stint with TNA Wrestling for a couple of years. However, as his deal with TNA ended in 2013, Rob Van Dam returned to WWE that same year for a second run. Rob Van Dam was a nostalgia act that could've been used properly by WWE creative booking, as to why his second tenure with the company could've ended much better than what it was.
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Van Dam Came Back To WWE After Six Years
When he first left WWE in mid-2007, Rob Van Dam expressed his exhaustion from working a full-time schedule for the company for six years. One of the reasons why Rob Van Dam stayed away from signing a deal for WWE other than the few appearances he made was wanting to wrestle more on a part-time basis.
As he wasn't getting the deal he wanted, Rob Van Dam only made two appearances in WWE throughout the six years since leaving WWE. Rob Van Dam was at one point a main-event level talent in WWE, as it was unfortunate that many younger fans didn't experience how good he was in the ring.
However, Rob Van Dam eventually signed a new deal with WWE as he got slated to return at the Money in the Bank 2013 PPV event, where WWE advertised him for the Money in the Bank ladder match for the WWE Championship. Upon his arrival, Rob Van Dam was immediately slotted in the mid to main-event level of the card due to his established name in the wrestling business.
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RVD Shining In 2013
While Rob Van Dam started wrestling against fellow top superstars in the company, there was only much he would accomplish with the deal he signed with WWE. Specifically, Rob Van Dam's deal with WWE in 2013 was a short-term deal as he wrestled a couple of months for the organization before taking time off. Because of this, if there was ever a time for Rob Van Dam to involve himself in something important on WWE TV, such a role on the show should've been right away.
To the credit of WWE's creative booking, Rob Van Dam's booking in the fall of 2013 was at its prime regarding his second run. The Money in the Bank Match he was in received positive feedback from fans and critics. And even though Rob Van Dam didn't win the match, his performance showed he still hung with the best that WWE offered at the time.
Arguably speaking, one of the best matches of his second run in WWE was the triple-threat match with Randy Orton and Christian for a World Heavyweight Championship contenders on a 2013 episode of Smackdown. Despite Rob Van Dam not winning, the triple-threat bout on Smackdown made for exciting TV.
Arguably, the most notable win in his entire second run was the first singles match he had on an episode of Raw in 2013, defeating Chris Jericho in an exciting bout. And even though he lost to Alberto Del Rio in a Hardcore Match for the World Heavyweight Championship at the Battleground 2013 PPV before taking time off, Rob Van Dam provided exciting television during the few months of 2013 while also feeling like a big deal.
2014 Goes Wrong For RVD
After almost a half-a-year, Rob Van Dam returned in mid-2014 on the first Raw episode after WrestleMania 30, continuing his second run in WWE. As his 2014 stint began, Rob Van Dam got booked as a serious competitor by chasing after the Intercontinental Championship, including an Intercontinental Championship match against Bad News Barrett at the Payback 2013 PPV. Even though he didn't win the Championship, Rob Van Dam's credibility was still intact.
However, as the months went on, Rob Van Dam's stock seemed to plummet regarding the credibility of his character. Rob Van Dam seemed to be just "another wrestler" on the roster doing nothing much of any meaning. For instance, one can look at the short defeat he suffered at the hands of Rusev, as it appeared to come off as a squash match. That match is only an example, considering Rob Van Dam started losing more often by just putting other wrestlers over at his expense.
Much like Jeff Hardy before leaving WWE in 2022, Rob Van Dam could've gone out in a much better sense instead of suffering loss after loss. Rob Van Dam doesn't have to win a championship, and there's nothing wrong with putting talent over, but not at the expense of damaging the credibility of a wrestling veteran. Rob Van Dam's last ever match in WWE was a defeat at the hands of Seth Rollins on the August 29th, 2014, episode of Main-Event.
