Born Robert Alex Szatkowski on the 18th December 1970, in Battle Creek, Michigan USA of part-Polish descent, he is better known to the world as Rob Van Dam, a wrestler who competed in several wrestling promotions, including Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation/ Entertainment and Total Nonstop action Wrestling. He has won over 20 titles in his career, which have only increased his net worth. His career has been active since the late 1980s.
Have you ever wondered how rich Rob Van Dam is, as of mid-2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Van Dam`s net worth is as high as $5 million, an amount earned through his successful career as a wrestler.
Rob Van Dam Net Worth $5 Million
Rob grew up in his hometown, and went to Pennfield Senior High School. Since his early days he showed an interest in martial arts, and trained in several disciplines, including, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Kendo, Kickboxing and Aikido. Before he turned pro and signed a contract with the wrestling promotion, Rob was selected as a plant by Ted DiBiase, and appeared in the ring for the first time to kiss DiBiase`s foot. After that he was a part of several wrestling promotions, including United States Wrestling Association (USWA) and South Atlantic Pro Wrestling (SAPW). He became the tag team champion of the SAPW with Chaz Rocco, then in 1992 he joined World Championship Wrestling, however, he wasn`t quite successful in the particular promotion. Instead, he joined Extreme Championship Wrestling in 1996, and his dominance was about to begin. In his debut appearance in ECW, he won against Axl Rotten, and while in ECW he won the ECW World Tag Team Championship two times, both with Sabu, who first was his arch enemy, and the two fought several battles between themselves.
In 1998 he became the ECW World Television Champion, after defeating Bam Bam Bigalow, and held the title for the next 700 days, setting a record, and achievement which certainly increased his net worth by a large margin. However, in 2000 ECW folded, and he signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation, later Entertainment. In 2006 he became the WWE Champion by defeating John Cena, which only increased further his net worth. Also he became the WWE Hardcore Champion four times, and WWE Intercontinental Champion six times, and held WWE European Championship belt and WWE Tag Team Championship belt once each. Furthermore, he was the Triple Crown Champion in its fifteenth installment, and he won World Tag Team Championship twice, with Kane, and Booker T. Apart from WWE, Rob had success in Total Nonstop Action, becoming the TNA World Heavyweight Champion by defeating A.J Styles, and he then also the TNA X Division Champion when he defeated Zema Ion, which increased further his net worth.
Apart from his wrestling career, Rob also plays a big part in the entertainment industry; he has appeared in a number of TV series and films, including “Superfights” (1995), which was his debut, “Black Mask 2: City of Masks” (2002), “Wrong Side of Town” (2010), and “Sniper: Special Ops” (2016), among others, all of which also increased his net worth.
Regarding his personal life, Rob earned his nickname thanks to his resemblance to famous actor and martial artist Jean Claude Van Damme, given by his promoter Ron Slinker.
When it comes to his love life, Rob has been married to Sonia Van Dam since 1998, but most recently she has apparently filed for divorce.
