Robert Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Known for his unique ring style—which includes his variety of kicks, acrobatic movements—and flexibility, Van Dam is one of the most popular wrestlers in the world. He is also known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Van Dam gained mainstream popularity in ECW during the latter half of the 1990s. During his time in ECW, he was managed by Bill Alfonso and had feuds with Jerry Lynn and Sabu, also forming a tag team with the latter. They won the ECW World Tag Team Championship twice. On April 4, 1998, Van Dam defeated Bam Bam Bigelow to win the ECW Television Championship, a title he held for 700 days until he vacated the championship due to an injury on March 4, 2000.