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I remember a TV taping here in Toronto, I believe it was leading up to the show where RVD got a title shot int he triple threat match against Austin and Angle. Anyway, point is, RVD was the most over guy on the show, and thats tough to do. Toronto is a major pro Austin town, and we're usually really tough on babys (watch Summerslam), so the fact that RVD could get over on the top guy of that generation tells me he could have been a major player.
They had two big chances to run with him. First was '01 with the Austin/Alliance deal, if he had stepped up and challenged Austin, and then actually beat him, I think that he would have sky rocketed in terms of popularity. Second was in '02 when HHH was handed the title. The whole point of the brand extension was get over new stars, HHH made the title look worhtless by having it handed to him, and it would have been sensible booking for HHH to lose it to his first major challenger.
One of the major positives about RVD is that he's not like every other guy on the roster, he brought uniqe things to the table, but he never really got a shot.
And keep in mind, I am in no way one of these RVD marks who thinks ECW was the greatest promotion ever created. I just know that he was over, he has talents in some areas, and he was never given a chance to run with the ball like many other less talented people have before and since.
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