While legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger made a name for themselves with their bodybuilding routines, many have forgotten one former WWE star’s unique record. Rob Van Dam was one star who held the world championship with both the earlier ECW and the WWE. At the peak of his career, the USA Wrestling Association invited him to submit a lift for competition and Van Dam’s record lift remained unbeaten for a long time.
Van Dam currently wrestles in WWE’s competitor company, the All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Van Dam’s record was recently claimed to be broken by a professional bodybuilder and acrobatic trainer, Jon Call aka Jujimufu.
Rob Van Dam Deserves A Place Amongst Legends Like Arnold Schwarzenegger For His Unique Record
Robert Alexander Szatkowski aka Rob Van Dam gained recognition among wrestling fans through his participation in ECW during the latter half of the 1990s. He defeated Bam Bam Bigelow in 1998 to win the ECW Television Championship. When ECW closed in 2001, Van Dam signed with WWE. In a title match at One Night Stand, Van Dam defeated WWE Champion John Cena and won his first world championship.
During his ECW days, the USA Wrestling Association (USAWA) invited wrestler Rob Van Dam to introduce a new lift of his choice, as part of a publicity stunt. Van Dam decided to submit his signature Van Dam Lift for the competition. The lift involved doing a side split at least a foot above the floor and attempting to lift the weight from the floor to the waist level.
While other bodybuilders have attempted this lift several times, almost no one could lift Van Dam’s record, a weight of 166.5 lbs, off the ground (@shanegreenstrongman). Van Dam claimed that it was a new record in the bodybuilding world. However, he failed to make the record official and it remained an unofficial record for years.
According to bodybuilding experts, Rob Van Dam’s achievement is no small feat. In order to lift such a heavy weight in a raised side split position, the weightlifter must have astronomical power around the groin area. Many bodybuilders to this date appreciate the flexibility shown by the former WWE star. Even the seven-time Mr. Olympia champion Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t have come anywhere closer to this record.
Rob Van Dam’s Lift Record Was Allegedly Beaten By Jujimufu
Jon Call aka Jujimufu posted a video on social media showing him breaking the Van Dam Lift record of the WWE Hall of Famer in his first attempt. Jujimufu claimed that he lifted 180 lbs, however, the weight was not locked out and the dumbbell was not weighed. Nevertheless, Van Dam took to X to congratulate the bodybuilder on breaking the record, with the comment, “What a VANTASTIC job.”
The Guinness Book of World Records neither recognizes Van Dam’s record nor Jujimufu’s. According to the official records, Ujjwal S. Thakuri holds the record with 142.48 lbs, which he lifted on November 4, 2017. Van Dam has won a total of 21 championships from ECW, WWE, and TNA. He and Bobby Lashley jointly hold the record of having held the WWE, ECW, and TNA world championships.
