God

Super Moderator

The Pro Wrestling Torch is reporting that Rob Van Dam's contract with World Wrestling Entertainment will be expiring at the end of this summer. The six month mark came last week where he had to indicate to the company if he wanted the contract to automatically renew. According to sources, RVD opted to stop the auto-rollover, meaning he has to renegotiate his deal and renew or else he will become a free agent starting in September of 2007.

In regard to details of his current deal with WWE, he was estimated as being under a downside guarantee of around $400,000 a year. He earned that much while sitting out with an injury (which was said to be around $7,500 per week). When he returned from injury, he changed his payment method based on the shows he worked thinking he would earn more per week that way. Instead, a wide range of payments followed. With ECW not drawing well by itself for House Show and PPV events, RVD's weekly paychecks saw a dramatic decrease. In the end however, it didn't really matter since at the end of the contract year he will end up receiving a "make-good" check for however short his combined weekly pay was.

It should be noted that RVD is currently running the risk of WWE not offering him a downside guarantee as high as they had previously agreed on by not letting his contract roll over. One main reason he is considering leaving WWE right now, which isn't big news for those who have followed the story, is that he is unhappy with the current direction of ECW and how it has been portrayed creatively. While sources close to RVD say he values money, he also takes pride in his work and hasn't felt good about it lately. This is why it is very possible he could accept less money to jump to TNA and work fewer dates. With top stars such as Sting earning around $500,000 per year in TNA, it is believed that TNA could offer RVD a deal for around $250,000. While that is a significant decrease from what he was earning in WWE, in turn he would work fewer dates per month and have more creative satisfaction with his role. The only downside would be burning a bridge with WWE should he want to return in the future.

At 37 years old, sources close to Rob Van Dam say he may do one of three things: allow his deal with WWE to expire and jump to TNA, re-sign with WWE because the money is better or allow WWE to retain his intellectual property rights and sit on that for a year or two before making a decision about his wrestling career. Either way, we will continue to follow this situation as it develops.

barfly467

I think he can do some good in TNA. Wait it out. There's less money but more time off, might not be that bad of a deal. He knows he'll never get another shot at the title. Holly will get it way before him. And if Heyman goes over to TNA once his contract is up, RVD will be champ in no time.

God

Super Moderator

If Heyman joined TNA tonite then RVD would jump tomorrow morning. Even without Heyman i still think he will join TNA but i think he will do what Angle did. Take a few weeks off first to heal up a bit.

barfly467

Or get really really baked.

CrasH - X

C'mon, 37? He has no time to wait around for a few years, if he was smart he would just leave in Sept, go to TNA for a few years, do what he can do, and then retire at the age of 41/43. The way he works, he isn't gonna' be able to do half of his moveset he has been doing since the beginning of his career for long after the age of 40.

TNA, TNA, TNA!


Yeah, I love WWE, but I want competition to improve WWE, so RVD to TNA is the answer!!!

Remember the Spyda, dude ..

barfly467

Agreed! "Get the F out" of WWE.

Necro

he'll stay with WWE...

thirty7

What did i do?

I wish my sex life was like ECW, first you get a One Night Stand followed by 2 months of nostalgic orgasms and then 6 months of constant sucking.

Tyler Durden

WC Hall Of Famer

I actually think he's being quite intelligent here (RVD that is).

Vince is a strange fish, if he can get something easily.....he doesn't want it.

If something plays him and tells him he doesn't want to be on his show, he'll suddenly want them more than anything on earth.

With his mind obvioulsy (slightly but not neccesarily correctly) on keeping his talent away from TnA if he can (witness his desire to retain Heyman whilst doing virtually nothing!) I can well imagine Vince making a very decent offer to young RVD again before the summer.

Chuck Norris

I think RVD could be a potentially great buy for TNA, but, you have to bare in mind that with Joe, Angle, Steiner, and also Cage and Sting, and also Abyss all in the main event, with Rhyno and Styles soon moving up aswell, you have to think, TNA usually get wrestlers from WWE buy putting in there contract that they'll be champion in a year or something similar. But, if RVD did jump ship to TNA, you think, Angle also has that claus in his contract, they want the belt on Cage for a long time, Joe has to have it soon, Abyss should have it, Styles and Rhyno are also title contenders, and with all of them, RVD cannot just barge in and become champion, because it would just be sloppy, the bad thing about going to TNA now, is that most wrestlers or mid carders in WWE want to go to TNA because they can be a world champion. But TNA may have some good wrestlers, but it is getting to the point where there getting to many main eventers.

They are in close quarters becoming a modern day WCW, everyone from WWF went to WCW for money and championship purposes. But you know, when you look at it, WCW went under after a bright start and TV deal, and TNA could easily set themselves up for a big fall, and it could be bad news.

Thoughts?

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Repent! Repent! The end is nigh!
Repent! Repent! We're all gonna die!
Repent! Repent! These secrets will kill us!
So get on your knees, and pray for forgiveness!