WWE News: Rob Van Dam discusses his return, who knew, winning the WWE Championship, losing the title and being suspended, whether he felt he was held back

Rob Van Dam spoke with the WWE website regarding his return at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. The following are the highlights of the interview, which can be read in full at WWE.com.

-RVD on who knew he would be returning: "Triple H was the guy I was talking to. And I sent Booker a text. It wasn’t a definite deal until two weeks at the most before the videos started running. Once I got my starting date of Money in the Bank, that made it real."

-RVD on winning the WWE Championship at One Night Stand in 2006: "Winning the match at the Hammerstein Ballroom and bringing home that championship to ECW meant so much to me. Not because I always wanted to be WWE Champion. In fact, I didn’t think that was ever going to happen if I hadn’t changed the entire playing field. When we brought ECW back as a third brand, I couldn’t have been happier. That was the way I wanted to be seen. When I’m in the ring, I’m showing off. That’s what I get out of my matches. Just like this upcoming Money in the Bank Ladder Match. It’s the perfect way to bring RVD back, because the rules that normally confine us and make us harder to stand out are thrown out the window. For me, [reviving ECW] was a resurgence of motivation. Doing the ECW style on WWE’s platform was a dream come true that I had never thought possible before. I was the happiest that I could have been."

RVD on his mindset after being suspended and dropping the WWE and ECW Titles: "I had dropped the ball and that was very disheartening. It was definitely a low point for me. It was in Philadelphia, just like this Sunday, and I wrestled Big Show for the ECW Championship. After the three-count, all the fans were chucking their litter into the ring. The disappointing vibration of that went straight to my heart. I rolled out of the ring down to the floor to avoid the debris and I felt so low."

RVD on being held back: "You could say that if getting to the top was indeed my goal, which it never was. I was always happy with whatever cards life dealt me. I did feel like there was a glass ceiling above my head and I could only get so far because I stuck true to myself. I was okay with that. Several times, people like [WWE producer] Bruce Prichard and Shane McMahon pulled me aside and told me I needed to build a relationship with [Mr. McMahon] and tell him I was his man and to give me the ball. But I thought my work stood for itself. I thought they were telling me I wasn’t going to get much further.  So I got the love, the connection with the crowd, the respect and the vibration that I feel when the fans are chanting, RVD. If I get that and I get paid then I accepted that as my position."

Powell's POV: I was surprised to see the suspension come up in the conversation, why he viewed working for WWE as selling out at one time, getting past the reputation of having a bad attitude, what Jim Ross admitted he was wrong about, and more.