WWE Hall Of Famer Rob Van Dam opens up about his lowest moment and how he turned towards elevating his life towards a more positive path.
Rob Van Dam is a pro wrestler that, according to the worlds of Vince McMahon and Triple H, changed the style of wrestling forever. His combination of high-flying agility and martial arts maneuvers made him stand out from the pack and become one of the most memorable pro wrestlers in the history of the promotional wrestling. But even the brightest stars can suffer from dark moments. Van Dam faced such darkness in 2016 when a series of events threatened to careen his life off track into a spiral of oblivion. In this week’s episode of Generation Iron and Barbend’s The Mike O’Hearn Show, Rob Van Dam details how his divorce, the death of his father, depression and alcohol addiction led to his rock bottom.
Today, Rob Van Dam is a pro wrestler who has expanded his career into a variety of avenues. He does stand up comedy, has acted in numerous films, and started his own cannabinoid company called RVDCBD. He has been a strong advocate for legalizing marijuana federally. Throughout all of these endeavors, he also still maintained his pro wrestling career over the course of three decades.
Rob Van Dam is also no stranger to punishment. He has put his body through extreme stunts throughout his wrestling career. He is know for his acrobatic moves often pushed to new levels of intensity at the time. He dedicated his entire effort into pro wrestling and amassed a large fandom.
But he also put himself through punishment personally, with a drug and alcohol abuse problem that grew increasingly worse as time went by. By 2016, a series of events in combination with drug abuse led to his lowest moment of his life. It also helped him change his ways and find a new positive spiritual outlook on life moving forward.
In advocating for more acceptance around mental health and psychiatric medication – Rob Van Dam opens up with Mike O’Hearn, discussing the details of his darkest moments. Hoping to inspire others to seek help if they find themselves needing it. Let’s jump into it.
Rob Van Dam’s rock bottom, acceptance of depression, and recovery
Rob Van Dam starts his interview with Mike O’Hearn by lighting up a blunt. Van Dam has been open about his advocacy for marijuana, started his own cannabinoid business, and shares his weed lifestyle regularly. He believes that using marijuana helps him become the best version of himself.
He doesn’t see this as addiction or abuse. In fact, he has experienced the line between recreational use and abuse. His current relationship with marijuana is one of recovery. One that allows him to help cope with his depression and be a more positive version of himself.
This opened up the conversation to what Rob Van Dam considers to be his lowest point. His rock bottom. That moment came in 2016. After many years of a downward spiral in his marriage and the passing of his father, Van Dam’s wife divorced him. Shortly after this, his dog also passed away unexpectedly.
Rob Van Dam suddenly found himself completely alone in his house. He used alcohol and drugs to self medicate. This period of time, he says, lasted about a year and a half. During this period, he thought he had experienced rock bottom many times. But it wasn’t until one night where he blacked out and woke up to find himself next to three strippers. Not remembering how he got there, the strippers were using cocaine to try and wake him up.
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It was this moment that pushed Rob Van Dam to seek help. Luckily, it was also around this moment that he met his now-wife. She was supportive and brought light back into his life. She helped him find the courage to finally utilize antidepressants. After trial and error with these drugs – his life began to snap back into focus.
Rob Van Dam explains how depression had run in his family – but he refused to believe that he suffered from it. Experiences such as wrestling helped him cope and maintain a somewhat stable life for some time. But when things really fell apart in 2016, he had to face depression head on. Now via a combination of medication and marijuana – he has found a positive outlook on life and feels spiritually elevated.
Rob Van Dam admits that he would often hide his vulnerabilities due to his public image. To be the tough man in the ring was vital to his success. But he also understood the importance of opening up for those who were struggling like he had been. This is why Van Dam started his own video channel called RVDology – and it is why he spoke so openly during his discussion on Mike O’Hearn’s podcast this week.
Wrap Up
Rob Van Dam discusses a wider selection of topics throughout his interview with Mike O’Hearn including how he developed his wrestling style, his relationship with his fans, and why he took on stand up comedy. You can watch the full conversation in our latest episode of The Mike O’Hearn Show above.
Don’t forget to check back every Friday for new episodes of the podcast only on the Generation Iron Fitness Network or wherever you listen to podcasts.
