Wrestling icon believes backstage incident with Triple H led to long-term heat with WWE

Before becoming a fan-favorite as WWE's Chief Content Officer, Triple H received considerable notoriety as a heel. The peak of his run as a despised superstar was in the early 2000s when The King of Kings had lengthy reigns with the World Heavyweight Championship.

Upon the inception of the Big Gold Belt post-summer 2002, The Game feuded with Rob Van Dam, which led to a pay-per-view match. Van Dam recently opened up about his real-life heat with Triple H.

Speaking on the latest episode of his 1 Of A Kind podcast, Rob Van Dam revealed that while he himself only has a vague memory of it at this point, he articulated what had actually happened:

"I was asked about this like a year or two ago. Otherwise, I would have forgotten because it’s a really faint memory. And this would have been before 2004. I think it was Hunter who asked or offered. I think he pulled me aside and offered to help me with my promos and I think I was insulted by that."

The ECW Original then added that now, with the benefit of hindsight, he feels this might have factored into his issues with WWE when he was still under contract until 2007:

"My ego competitiveness made me feel like he was saying I couldn’t talk, you know, and I was like, ‘I don’t want to talk like him,’ you know? ‘He just doesn’t get me.’ And I think I felt, you know, more like that and that probably, you know, a very good chance could have led to some of the long term, long term heat that I had while I was there, possibly looking back at it." [H/T: Wrestling Headlines]

Earlier this year, Rob Van Dam appeared on WWE TV for the Draft. He also had a brief stint with the Stamford-based promotion between 2013 to 2014. In August, Van Dam appeared for AEW, wrestling Jack Perry.

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Rob Van Dam reflects on the Elimination Chamber match spot with Triple H at Survivor Series 2002

The Game and Van Dam continued their feud in late 2002, and the two wound up competing for the World Heavyweight Championship in the inaugural Elimination Chamber match at Survivor Series 2002.

During the contest, RVD accidentally injured Triple H. This happened when the former hit a Five-Star Frog Splash from the top of the pod. The 52-year-old revealed on an episode of WWE Network's Ruthless Aggression:

“It was not an easy calculation, and I was off. I think I overshot a little bit and, as I was coming down, my shin came right across his throat. I felt horrible about it, but of course he continued the match to the point where I don’t remember even knowing that he was hurt, at least not that bad,” RVD said.

Triple H also shared what was going through his mind during the moment. The Game managed to work through the rest of the match. Ultimately, the bout was won by Shawn Michaels.