WWE Hall Of Famer Recounts Their Plane Being Struck By Lightning On A Trip To Japan

WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam recounted a terrifying experience from his WWE days. During a trip to Japan, Van Dam’s plane was struck by lightning, adding to an already challenging journey.

Rob Van Dam shared the daunting details of the flight during an episode of his “One of a Kind” podcast.

It was a WWE trip to Japan, and we got all this news that they were having this tropical storm. So, we’re flying into a tropical storm to land during that, and we did. Had an earthquake while we were there, and on the way back home, lightning hit our aeroplane. One, two, three, bam.

Unlike the infamous “Plane Ride from Hell,” known for unruly passenger behaviour, Van Dam’s story highlighted a close encounter with nature’s fury. The lightning strike left a lasting impression on the Van Dam, who initially mistook the impact for a collision on the runway.

I thought that we were on the runway and that a truck had run into us, one of those moving trucks. That’s what it felt like. What the f**k? And I was just waking up, so I didn’t think, oh yeah, we’re 35,000 feet in the air.

Van Dam described the disorienting experience as the captain made an announcement to calm the passengers.

The captain made the announcement, ‘Uh, folks, don’t panic, that was just a little bit of lightning that struck the aircraft, sometimes that happens.’ And Paul turned around, he was like, ‘Oh my god!’

Why Did Rob Van Dam Say He Was Hesitant To Sign With WWE?

Rob Van Dam revealed that he was hesitant to sign with WWE in 2001 as he was afraid that they would change his character to something he wouldn’t like which bothered him immensely as Van Dam thought it was important for him to be himself in wrestling.

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