Rob Van Dam

Van Dam with Riddle in the fourth Deadly Games

**Robert Alexander Szatkowski** (/sat-KOW-skee/; born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor that is a part-time member of the WSC Roster under the ring name **Rob Van Dam** (commonly abbreviated to **RVD**) and is inactive due to injuries. RVD usually appears solo, or he will team up with Riddle to form The High Flyers.

### Career

#### 2019

RVD made his WSC debut in the first ever Elimination Chamber Match for the WSC Hardcore Championship along with champion Edge, Mankind, Jon Moxley, Tommaso Ciampa, and Jeff Hardy. Van Dam was the second man let out of the pod immediately going after Ciampa even doing a Van Daminator into a limp Ciampa on the cage, but Ciampa kicked out. Van Dam went up the top of the pod but got caught by Hardy and got Superplexed by Hardy whom was on top of Ciampa. Edge then came outta the pod and try to pin RVD, but kicked out. Later, RVD went up the top of a pod again to do a 5-Star Frog Splash on Ciampa to pin him, but then got Swanton Bombed by Hardy off the same pod for Van Dam to get pinned.

Van Dam tried to get the title back in a Ladder match with champion Jeff Hardy, but failed. RVD then competed in the 2019 Royal Rumble at #26, though getting eliminated by Aleister Black soon after. Van Dam then competed in a Fatal 5 Way along with Moxley, Hardy, Abyss, and champion "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, where he would lose.

#### 2020

After months of inactivity, Van Dam returned in the first ever Ultimate X match along with Andrade, Rey Mysterio, Velveteen Dream, and champion Finn Balor. Sadly, Balor retained. RVD then appeared in the April 2020 Royal Rumble at #21, though got eliminated by CM Punk with a Barb Wire Board.

RVD returned in the November 2020 Royal Rumble at #10 and hits a Van Daminator on pretty much everyone and performs a Rolling Thunder on Jon Moxley and Kevin Owens, even doing a Van Daminator to Matt Riddle with a chair (this was before they were the High Flyers), though Van Dam unexpectedly got eliminated by Viscera.

#### 2021

Van Dam made his return in the 4th Deadly Games, where he would team up with Riddle (FKA Matt Riddle) to face against Darby Allin and Sting, The Shield (Jon Moxley and Roman Reigns), and champions The Fiend and Aleister Black for the WSC Hardcore Tag Team Championships. Though, during the match, Fiend pushed RVD off the Deadly Games structure into an announcer's table, causing The High Flyers to get eliminated. Van Dam hasn't appeared since, probably due to injuries.

### Personal Life

Szatkowski is of Belgian and Polish ancestry. Szatkowski married Sonia Delbeck on September 6, 1998, the couple separated in December 2015. In July 2016, Delbeck filed for divorce from Szatkowski, The divorce was finalized two years later. In 2016, Szatkowski began dating fellow professional wrestler Katie Forbes. In 2021 Forbes and Szatkowski had gotten married.

Szatkowski is an advocate for the legalization of cannabis. He has discussed the topic in various media, including on MSNBC where he debated former U.S. "drug czar" Barry McCaffrey. Szatkowski is also a consumer of cannabis, believing it to be an athletic enhancer. His personal affinity for cannabis has been reflected in his wrestling persona, including his use of the phrase "RVD 420 means I just smoked your ass."