Hacking is a Felony

Rob Van Dam
By Brett Birks

Listen to our exclusive interview with former WWE Champion Rob Van Dam on the death of Chris Benoit, leaving wrestling and his plans for the future.

Listen: Rob Van Dam part 1 > http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/real...emorabilia.ram
Listen: Rob Van Dam part 2 > http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/real...d_2_benoit.ram
Listen: Rob Van Dam part 3 > http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/realmedia/rvd_3_ecw.ram
Listen: Rob Van Dam part 4 > http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/real..._4_wordass.ram
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Rob was in town as part of the Memorabilia show at the NEC, a weekend showcase of rare collectibles, sci-fi merchandise and television celebrities.

"I love coming to Birmingham," Rob told us. "It's one of my favourite cities to visit. Meeting the fans is better than actual wrestling and while I'm here I can browse some of the stands and pick up a few figures for my own collection."

Van Dam, one of the most popular wrestlers in the world, left the American WWE in June 2007, just weeks before news of the death of fellow star Chris Benoit made international headlines.

Benoit, Van Dam's long-time friend and colleague, took his own life after killing his wife Nancy and seven-year-old son Daniel at their home in Atlanta, Georgia.

"I for one still can't believe that Chris was capable of doing this," said Rob. "OJ didn't do it but Chris Benoit did? Look at what was stacked against OJ and they found nothing to convict him.

"But Chris Benoit was a guy that everybody spoke so highly of. Everbody's jumping all over the lifestyle (as an explanation). Of course, it's incredibly demanding but it doesn't make us kill our families.

"You're talking about a man who bound his wife's limbs and strangled her, allegedly choked his son out and then hung himself. We don't have things like this going on. It's not something that's associated with people taking steroids."

To listen to our exclusive four-part interview, click the links above
In part 1 , Rob talks about the Memorabilia Show, meeting fans and his love of comic books.

In part 2, Rob reflects on the death of Chris Benoit, life on the road as a wrestler and WWE's drug testing policy.

In part 3, Rob explains why he left WWE and gives his thoughts on the ECW brand.

In part 4, Rob talks about the possibility of joining TNA and has comments on a variety of his co-workers, from John Cena and Triple H to Stephanie McMahon and Paul Heyman.

BBC - Birmingham - Features - Rob Van Dam