Prior to the airing of his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2021 on Tuesday, Rob Van Dam revealed something WWE Chairman Vince McMahon told him.

In an interview with Bill Broderick of the Battle Creek Enquirer, RVD said:

"Being inducted into the Hall of Fame probably means more than being a world champion because there are probably a lot of world champions that will never be in the Hall of Fame. To have Vince McMahon stand up during the induction ceremony and tell me that I changed the style of the business was probably the highest compliment I could imagine."

The induction of the 2020 and 2021 Hall of Fame classes streamed Tuesday on Peacock, and Van Dam's speech was among the most engaging, entertaining and inspirational ones given.

Now 50, Van Dam got his first big break in wrestling in 1996 at the age of 26 when he joined ECW, eventually becoming one of the faces of the company.

RVD held the ECW Television and Tag Team Championships, becoming one of the most popular and exciting wrestlers in the business during that time.

After ECW went out of business in 2001, Van Dam signed with WWE and added to what was already an impressive resume.

RVD competed in WWE from 2001-07 and then again from 2013-15. During that time, he won the WWE and ECW Championships one time each, the Intercontinental Championship six times and the Tag Team titles three times. He was also a Money in the Bank ladder match winner.

McMahon's assertion that Van Dam changed the style of the business is up for debate, but there is little doubt that he was among those who contributed to it, as his high-flying, daredevil style in the late 1990s and early 2000s became commonplace in wrestling.

Most matches feature wrestlers going for high-risk moves nowadays, but Van Dam was one of the few who did it on a regular basis during his prime.

Even at the age of 50, Van Dam continues to wrestle, most recently working for Impact Wrestling from 2019-20.

It is unclear if he wants to continue wrestling, but he is clearly on great terms with WWE and he could be beneficial to the company on a part-time basis even if he doesn't move like he used to.

RVD is one of the true innovators in pro wrestling, and having someone with that type of experience and knowledge would be a major asset for any wrestling promotion.

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