Smark Out Moment

On this fourth edition of SUPERSTAR SCORES, we take a look at someone that is currently in the news a lot due to his upcoming return to WWE: Rob Van Dam.

If you're unfamiliar with how the segment works, here is a quick breakdown: Each edition, a wrestler will be put under the spotlight and rated on a 0-100 scale based on 10 categories that have been broken up into 5 umbrella sections: In the Ring Skills, On the Mic Skills, Appearance, Backstage, and Crowd Reaction. The rating scale is as basic as you can get: 0-1-2-3-4 | 5 | 6-7-8-9-10. It follows the Three-Count Critique method of green being the good, yellow being in the middle, and red being the bad. A perfect 100 is the goal.

Is RVD truly one of a kind?


Update: On March 20, 2020, we did a recalibration of points for a 25th episode special. In that episode, nearly every wrestler saw some adjustments. Below, you'll see the original scores on the left and then the updated score on the right, with the original description for the original score underneath. For explanation on the updated points, check out the 25th edition podcast.

IN THE RING SKILLS

Athleticism: Does the person have a good signature moveset and finisher? Can they perform a wide variety of moves on a regular basis and not botch them?

My Rating = 6 / 8
Is he physically able to do some good stuff? Sure. That's why he doesn't get a worse score. But once you get past though five or six moves, everything becomes bland and generic and overrated as all hell.

Psychology: The wrestler's ability to tell a story in the ring. Do they make you believe it's real or do they forget to sell their injuries properly? Can they make a long match stay interesting and not get boring?

My Rating = 3 / 5
RVD is more of a spot monkey (I'm not a huge fan of that term) than someone who I'd ever, ever want to see wrestle a long match.

ON THE MIC SKILLS

Charisma: If they get a mic, can they cut a promo without stuttering? Are they repetitive or do they keep things fresh?

My Rating = 2 / 6
I never see anything different from him.

Character: Is their gimmick(s) interesting? Can they pull off being both a heel and a face?

My Rating = 2 / 5
He points his fingers to himself and that's basically it.

APPEARANCE

Physique: Are they in the proper shape for their gimmick or are they out of shape? (note: someone like Mabel isn't supposed to look like John Morrison, but Matt Hardy gaining weight deducts his points).

My Rating = 6 / 7.5
The guy's kept in ring shape all these years. No real faults.

Entrance: Their music, the pyro if they have any, whatever taunts or actions they do to make it interesting.

My Rating = 4 / 6.5
Pyro isn't that special, One of a Kind is a good song but his TNA one was so awful that it should render this a zero. Pretty average.

BEHAVIOR

Backstage: Are they a locker room leader or do they cause problems behind the scenes? Are they bogged down in politics? Do they put other people over or screw people over?

My Rating = 5
For the most part, I haven't heard anything particularly positive or negative about him.

Public Relations: Is this wrestler a public relations problem with arrests and such, or are they someone that promotes the company well, does charities, talk shows, etc?

My Rating = 2
I don't see him doing all sorts of charities and such, but I do see him talking a lot about marijuana, and despite your personal feelings about it, the fact that it's illegal causes problems with his reputation. He also just complained about having to market TNA.

CROWD REACTION

Popularity: How loud are the cheers and boos for them? Do they sell merchandise? Are ratings up or down when they're on screen? How many Twitter and Facebook followers do they have?

My Rating = 8
I don't get it at all, but RVD is quite popular. He'd never win a popularity contest when it comes to certain other stars, but he's got a lot of incredibly dedicated fans for some reason.

Credibility: Is this person someone you would see as a main eventer and a future legend or are they doomed to forever be a jobber?

My Rating = 7
A bit because of how he's overrated, if RVD wins a championship, people don't really question it all that much. That being said, look at his track record. He doesn't exactly go on year-long domination title reigns, does he?

TOTAL SCORE: 45/100 - 60/100

FINAL THOUGHTS: This score is me being as fair as possible and trying not to just rate based on whether or not I find him entertaining, as it would be much lower if that were the case.