WWE Hall Of Famer Rob Van Dam Names Match That Was 'The Pinnacle' Of His Career

RVD had high praise for his match with John Cena.
RVD
RVD | AEW - AllEliteWrestling.com

Throughout his over two-decade career, 17-time World Champion John Cena has been involved in some classic matches.

John Cena vs. The Rock, John Cena vs. CM Punk, and John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar were all classic rivalries that included classic matches that will go down as some of the best in WWE history.

Gunther defeated Cena in what was Cena's final match at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event this past weekend. Not only did Gunther win the match, but he also made Cena give up, tapping out to Gunther's sleeper hold to lose the match.

Multiple WWE Hall of Fame talents were in the audience for Cena's final match. Kurt Angle, Trish Stratus, Mark Henry, and others sat ringside for the momentous occasion. Rob Van Dam also sat ringside to watch the match and like Angle and Henry, has some history with Cena.

Cena and RVD collided at the special ECW One Night Stand PPV in 2006. That year, RVD had won the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania and called his shot against Cena at the ECW show that year.

The match is memorable for its in-ring action, but also for the audience inside the ECW Arena. The fans were unanimous in their support of RVD and made sure Cena knew it by chanting vulgar things at him and not playing along with his entrance.

RVD has high praise for ECW match against John Cena

RVD
RVD in action with AEW in September of 2023. | AEW - AllEliteWrestling.com

In a new interview with TMZ Inside the Ring, RVD talked in detail about that match with Cena and called it the pinnacle of his career.

“That was the highlight. The pinnacle. The moment of my career. Wrestling him and then also of course beating him and walking away the victor. It wasn’t just because he was the top guy, WWE Champion. That’s every wrestler’s goal. Obviously, that had a lot of weight to it, but also just the way that I did it my way.
RVD

RVD continued:

"I just stuck to my guns being different, even though not as many people understood me. That was my moment of vindication. Literally my crowning moment. I wonder if John gets asked about that match nearly as much as I do.”
RVD

RVD is a former WWE Champion, ECW Champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, and a multiple-time tag team champion. He entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021.

Though John Cena is no longer an active wrestler for WWE, Cody Rhodes announced that he would be the special guest on his podcast. That new episode featuring Cena drops on Thursday.

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Zack Heydorn
ZACK HEYDORN

Zack Heydorn has been covering the pro wrestling industry for a decade and writes news, features, and interviews for The Takedown On SI. He also hosts and cohosts a variety of WWE and AEW shows on YouTube. Heydorn is a former Assistant Editor of PWTorch and Managing Editor of SEScoops. Zack is also the author of the Hybrid Shoot book Stunning: The Wrestling Artistry of Steve Austin, which is available on Amazon. You can follow Zack on X and Bluesky.

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