A ‘secret perk’ of becoming WWE Champion has finally been revealed in a new interview
Throughout his career, Rob Van Dam became one of the most popular WWE Superstars of all time and always drew some of the loudest reactions whenever he appeared.
The former ECW man had some incredible moments following his move to Vince McMahon’s company, including numerous Intercontinental Championship runs and even a Money in the Bank win.
Despite his popularity, RVD only managed to win a world championship on one occasion in the company. That came in one of the most memorable title matches ever as he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to face off with John Cena for the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand 2006.
He beat ‘Big Match John’ on the night, and it received an unbelievable response from fans, who were elated to see the exciting talent finally reach the mountaintop. The run didn’t really last too long, unfortunately, after Van Dam was busted for possession of marijuana, and he swiftly dropped the belt to Edge in a triple threat match that included Cena.
During that brief stint as the champion, though, he discovered a little-known perk that was handed to whoever was holding the title at the time and in a recent interview, he finally revealed all, 17 years after winning the belt.
You get a first-class ticket when you become WWE Champion
As wrestling podcasts continue to grow in popularity, and more and more of them keep popping up all over the internet, we as fans are being fed more information and backstage secrets about the business than ever before. Van Dam has his own show now called the One of a Kind podcast, and it was on there that he shared with the world the secret perk that he received while he was WWE Champion.
The greatest secret in the business — I never, ever, ever heard this. Ever. Only did I experience it firsthand, and people don’t talk about it really. So maybe it’s not meant to be talked about.
F***, look at me, running my mouth like a f***ing rat When. I got the WWE Championship belt, then all of a sudden I got bumped up to first class. And if it was an airplane that didn’t have first-class available because the airplane was too small or whatever, they would literally buy two seats, and I’d have the seat next to me open, and they were both mine. I had never heard that.
WWE is an image-based business, and becoming World Champion has its perks. The company wants its top champions to look, dress and travel like champions, and people like Rob Van Dam first-class tickets seems to be part of that.
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Rey Mysterio also received perks after becoming World Champion
Around the same time that Van Dam won the WWE Championship, Rey Mysterio was the World Heavyweight Champion, having won the gold at WrestleMania 22 in a triple threat match with Kurt Angle and Randy Orton. Perplex at the fact he was being given these sorts of perks, the former ECW man reached out to Rey and asked him about the situation.
Mysterio revealed that he had also been given those sorts of benefits while he was World Heavyweight Champion too. Winning one of the biggest championships in all of wrestling shows just how much trust WWE has in you as a competitor to fly the flag for their brand. It seems they also want to treat you like a star as well.
Mysterio revealed that he had also been given those sorts of benefits while he was World Heavyweight Champion too. Winning one of the biggest championships in all of wrestling shows just how much trust WWE has in you as a competitor to fly the flag for their brand. It seems they also want to treat you like a star as well.