"I was always intimidated" - 52-year-old former WWE Superstar opens up about his relationship with Vince McMahon

A former WWE Superstar has opened up on his awkward relationship with Vince McMahon during his time in the company.

Rob Van Dam recently made an appearance during the WWE Draft and got a great reaction from the crowd. The 52-year-old has since shown up in All Elite Wrestling to defend Jerry Lynn against Jungle Boy Jack Perry. The veteran gave it everything he had, but Jack Perry defeated him on the August 9th edition of Dynamite.

Speaking to Kenny McIntosh of Inside the Ropes, RVD said that he knew Vince McMahon respected him but had a hard time conversing with him other than small talk. He noted that he was intimidated by the 77-year-old because he didn't know how to bond with him. RVD added that he believes Vince McMahon to be one of the most intelligent people he knows.

“I was always intimidated by the fact it was Vince McMahon but also I didn’t know what to bond with him on. Some of the other guys like Kurt Angle and others who had a real good relationship with him might have gone to his house or whatever and I was nowhere near that, you know, but he is someone I have always liked and respected and he was like a father figure to me. All of the interviews I’ve seen him do, I agree with him 99% of the time. I think he’s one of the most intelligent people that I know," said RVD. [H/T: Inside the Ropes]

Dutch Mantell on Vince McMahon firing former WWE star after a promo

Brad Maddox was let go by the company in November 2015 after he referred to WWE fans as "cocky pr*cks" during an untelevised promo.

The promo occurred after Maddox lost a dark match to WWE veteran R-Truth during a taping for Main Event. Wrestling legend Dutch Mantell discussed the incident during an interview with Wrestling Shoot Interviews and claimed that Vince McMahon was ready to fire Maddox before he even made it backstage.

"I was sitting there [backstage] and Vince was probably two people down. There was nobody in the seat next to me and Vince was there, looking at the monitor and this was the start of the night. So, Brad Maddox went out there, and they told him to [address the fans], you know, he's a pretty decent talker, and he went down there and he called them [the audience] a bunch of p***ks. Vince just said, 'What? You can't say that.' And they didn't like it, so he [Vince] fired him on the spot. He was fired before he got back from the ring. He assigned an agent to go tell him to get his bag and go home. I never saw him again." (from 1:11 to 2:52)

Vince McMahon returned to WWE earlier this year and helped facilitate the merger with UFC's parent company, Endeavor. The former CEO remains involved in the company's creative and is currently recovering from a major spinal surgery.

Would you like to see RVD return to WWE again? Let us know in the comments section below.