Battle Creek Native Rob Van Dam Being Inducted Into WWE Hall of Fame

For some he's "Mr. Monday Night," for other's he's the "Whole F****n' Show." To me, he's one of the most graceful yet tough wrestlers I was lucky enough to watch growing up. Rob Van Dam, a Battle Creek native, will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2021, as announced by World Wrestling Entertainment (Formerly World Wrestling Federation. Rob Van Dam is 50 years young and still a solid athlete in the world of professional wrestling, having recently been contracted with Impact Wrestling.

Rob Van Dam, whose birth name is Robert Szatkowski, grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan and graduated from Pennfield Senior High School. His first major WWE experience came in 1987 when he attended WrestleMania III at the now vanished Pontiac Silverdome, in Pontiac, MI as part of the record breaking 93,173 indoor attendance. He would later that year appear on TV with the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DeBiase for a skit.

Get our free mobile app

RVD grew to be an absolute powerhouse, being one of the main attractions in ECW, Extreme Championship Wrestling, with his unprecedented TV Title reign which began April 4th, 1998 and lasted until an injury force him to relinquish the title on March 4th, 2000. His epic rivalry with Jerry Lynn produced some of the most athletically impressive matches in wrestling history.

After leaving ECW for WWE in 2000, RVD went on to become WWE's 15th Triple Crown Champion & 7th Grand Slam Championship, obtaining the Tag Team, European, Hardcore, Intercontinental, and World Championships. His legacy goes far beyond those titles. If you REALLY want to experience just how good he is, go back to those early ECW days and reflect on how he truly did carry the torch for that company while others were leaving for better contracts during the Monday Night Wars. Congrats RVD!