RVD Highlights Paul Heyman's Pivotal Role in ECW's Success Ahead of Hall of Fame Induction

Paul Heyman is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, a move that has garnered reactions from various figures within the wrestling community, including Rob Van Dam (RVD). Speaking with Bill Apter for Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, RVD shared his thoughts on Heyman's upcoming Hall of Fame induction. According to excerpts shared by Fightful, RVD praised Heyman's pivotal role in the success of ECW and his influence in the wrestling industry at large.

“It’s pretty cool they’re giving him his flowers because he was the man. He was the one that made ECW happen. He’s the one that really, not just him, but he’s the guy that made everything possible. It couldn’t have happened without him. He changed the business, he set new standards. ECW is because of him, his leadership, his braveness, his passion, his artistic direction. All of that is like, ‘Man, thank you, Paul. Thank you, Paul.’ At the same time, since he’s been in WWE, man, he’s just moved right up.”

Further discussing Heyman's reputation during his ECW days, RVD acknowledged the challenges Heyman faced from other agents who were resistant to ECW's integration and influence. Despite this opposition, Heyman's intelligence and dedication to mentoring wrestlers were well recognized among his peers.

“I knew when I was there back then, we’re bringing ECW and all that, he didn’t get a lot of respect in the way of the other agents didn’t like ECW, were trying to fight it, didn’t want it to come in. They were giving him a hard time. They were like an opposition in a lot of ways. But man, all the boys seemed to know right away that, man, some people say he’s a genius. A lot of the boys have been really always commenting on how smart he is, and he would take the time to pull wrestlers aside and give them advice and everything, even before he was in a higher position where that was part of his job to do that. So to see him work his way up to being one of the, I don’t even know what he is now. At ECW, he ran everything. So to see him do that on a bigger platform with WWE, and I know he’s making bank. For all those dreams and sacrifices from back in the day, it paid off.”