Who Should Be The Top Guy In TNA... ROB VAN DAM

Who Should Be The Top Guy In TNA... ROB VAN DAM

Robert Alexander "Rob" Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970), better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (RVD), is an American professional wrestler and actor who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

Szatkowski has held 31 championships between ECW, WWE and TNA, as well as several regional titles in various promotions during his career. He is a six-time World Champion having held the WWE Championship once, ECW World Heavyweight Championship once, and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship once. On the independent scene he has also won the World Heavyweight Championships for both American Wrestling Rampage and World Stars of Wrestling once each. He is the only man to achieve both WWE and ECW's version of the Triple Crown. Part of ECW's Triple Crown included the ECW World Television Championship, of which RVD's 700 day reign was the longest, also a title he never officially lost.

Rob grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan and graduated from Pennfield High School. Rob made his first appearance on WWF television in 1987 in a skit with "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. At the time, DiBiase was selecting plants from the audience and offering to pay them to perform degrading acts and offered the 16 year old Szatkowski $100 to enter the ring and kiss his foot, which he did. This early appearance was later included as a bonus feature on WWE's Before They Were Superstars DVD and on WWE's Rob Van Dam: One of a Kind DVD.

Van Dam has appeared on numerous television shows and in films. In 1995, he was in Superfights as "The Mercenary", and in 1997 he appeared in Bloodmoon as "Dutch Scholtz". On October 23, 1999, he appeared in City Guys, in the episode "El-Trainmania IV" as himself. In 2000 he appeared in 18 Wheels of Justice, on August 2 as "Robert Laramie", and in The X-Files on May 7 as "Burt's opponent" in the episode "Fight Club". He also appeared on V.I.P. in the episode "Survi-Val" as "Major Ving Talbot" that year. On July 26, 2001, he appeared as himself on Spy TV, and again later that year he appeared as himself in Ultimate Revenge on December 2. In 2002, he was featured in the music video for Breaking Point's "One of a Kind" while also starred in two films, Black Mask 2: City of Masks as "Claw", and made a cameo appearance in The Backyard as himself. In 2005, the Rob Van Dam: One Of A Kind DVD was released. He also appeared on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling in 2008 teaching finishing moves to the celebrities.

He recently finished working alongside former WWE superstar Dave Batista in a movie titled Wrong Side of Town. In November 2010 he was a contestant on an all TNA week of Family Feud, teaming with Jay Lethal, Matt Morgan, Mick Foley and Mr. Anderson against Angelina Love, Christy Hemme, Lacey Von Erich, Tara and Velvet Sky.