Rob Van Dam Reveals WWE Tried To Scrap His Signature Attire

As well as his unique, high-flying offence, one of the things that made WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam stand out were his airbrushed singlets. 

Adorned with dragons, Yin and Yang symbols, signature phrases and other iconography, his ring outfits are celebrated as some of the best in the business. Van Dam has commissioned his designer (Joe Holland) to produce hundreds of different costumes since the mid-90s. 

Despite being one of his key identifying features and selling points, Van Dam has revealed that WWE tried to get him to change his look when he came to the company in 2001. 

Replying to a fan on Twitter who said that he had the 'coolest gear', The Whole F'N Show noted, 'This was one of the first things WWE tried to change about me', before retweeting a picture of himself wearing a more ordinary, non-airbrushed black singlet and claiming, 'This was what they wanted me to wear. I kept it for non televised house shows'. 

When asked why they wanted to change it, Van Dam explained that influential backstage producer and creative team member Michael Hayes wasn't a fan of the airbrushed singlets, tweeting that 'Michael Hayes called the airbrush 'tie dye' and said it reminded them of the 70s'.

Last year WWE released a video detailing the history of RVD's 'One of a Kind' gear to coincide with the release of his WWE Icons documentary.