Rob Van Dam gives post-injury update, addresses possible WWE return
WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam is feeling great after getting back into the ring.
In February, Van Dam returned to action after being sidelined for nearly a year. He suffered two broken heels while taking part in the 2025 edition of MLW’s Battle Riot. And before that match, Van Dam had not wrestled since April 2024. His return bout was against Mick Moretti for indie promotion BCW in Australia last month.
“This was my first time back, singles match, 20 minutes, whatever,” Van Dam told TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast. “I know what I’m doing, man. My conditioning was on point. I felt great in the ring, actually enjoyed the match. And I actually look forward to wrestling in a little different, more motivated way now. I don’t know if the reasons have changed on why I do it, but they seemed to — at least on the fringes temporarily.”
That newfound motivation comes from Van Dam now being a father. He and his wife Katie Forbes welcomed twin girls into the world at the end of 2025.
Van Dam noted that he has some matches and appearances coming up during WrestleMania week in Las Vegas, which is an easy commute for him given that he and Forbes live in Vegas. Van Dam will be appearing at the WWE World and WrestleCon conventions along with competing for Juggalo Championship Wrestling and Big Time Wrestling.
Now that he’s recovered from his injury, Inside the Ring asked Van Dam if he would be interested in returning to WWE to finish his career in an in-ring capacity.
“I am open to consider anything, that’s part of being open-minded,” he responded. “I try not to shut anything out without at least considering it. And when it comes to something like that, they got my number. They can talk to me. As you know, I’ll be appearing at WWE World…
“We could definitely have that conversation. But as far as a retirement tour, unless I change my perspective — which always happens, you’re always looking at everything from a different place in life if you keep going. But the way I feel now, I don’t like the idea of labeling something ‘retirement’ or I don’t really want to know if I’m having my last match when I am.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.