John Cena Match Had WWE Hall Of Famer Feeling Indestructible
A WWE legend says that his famous match with John Cena made him feel a certain kind of way.
Rob Van Dam is a WWE Hall of Famer who began his run on the main roster in 2001 while John Cena was still training at the OVW developmental system.
By the time RVD and Cena faced off at ECW One Night Stand 2006, Cena was the established top guy in the company while RVD was a Money in the Bank winner looking to cash in during one of the most unique WWE PPVs ever.
The 2006 ECW One Night Stand PPV took place at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City in front of a rabid crowd of fans who wanted the ECW legend RVD to beat Cena. While Cena was popular with the younger crowd, the adult male audience didn’t think his “you can’t see me” hand gestures were very cool.
That led to an incredible match where Cena was booed out of the building and fans kept throwing his t-shirt at him after he threw it into the crowd. The match was controversial because Edge interfered and gave Cena a Spear through a table, which led to RVD hitting a Five Star Frog Splash to win thanks to Paul Heyman making the count.
For RVD, it was his first and only time winning the WWE Championship. While RVD did win the ECW Championship and TNA World Championship, that one WWE Title victory means a lot.
Rob Van Dam: “Never Been A Crowd Like That” For Memorable Match With John Cena
While reminiscing about the John Cena match at ECW One Night Stand, RVD said on his One of a Kind podcast that it was a special night.
“I felt indestructible. There’s never been a crowd exactly like that. The fans were so great, and why it was so awesome is it was vindication for me sticking to my guns and following my own beliefs, sticking to my own values through [15 years] of people trying to change me.”
While RVD still wrestles on a part-time basis, John Cena plans on retiring as an active WWE in-ring superstar by the end of 2025.