Thanks for all the feedback on the first RVD TV trailer that's up at The Whole F'N Website...RobVanDam.com.  Yes, I do get some hang time on my back flips! RVD TV is going to rock! This project is as close to the heart as it gets for me. I had Docu-dude film me hanging out at my house, running all over my wonderful city, and even archive personal video footage. You'll see a lot of random activities that are part of my normal every day life here in Los Angeles, as well as some special moments too. Something that I find myself doing very often is having deep, thought provoking conversations that explore personal opinions and positions. Many a night, I've said "Damn, we should have a camera recording this!" as I pondered thoughts with friends over such subjects as organized religion, war, relationships, death penalty, censorship and other society imposed standards, as well as getting spiritual with the right people. Just yesterday I was telling a friend who considers himself Catholic, but doesn't believe or apply any of the rulings that would define him as Catholic that no- he wasn't. He tells me he was born Catholic. I said that you could be born white or black, but not Catholic. That's like saying you were born speaking English. A third party entered the amusing conversation and after ten minutes of back and forth, we ended up deciding that he was a lapsed-Catholic- which he wasn't too happy about. It was still pretty funny. I've never been one to believe what I'm told without question. How can you not question it? You have to sometimes, don't you? This relates to RVD TV through a reoccurring episode I call Friends in High Places. They're not debates. They're not arguments. We just kick around some feelings on a subject and really open up to do it. Chatting with friends in the entertainment industry is going to draw attention and I hope someone will listen to what we have to say because a lot of important points are brought up. When I had my good friend Taboo from the Black Eyed Pees on RVD TV to talk about language censorship he thanked me for giving him the opportunity to speak about something he cares about passionately. He gets his message across. He totally gets what I'm doing and I received outstanding support from him as well as many other Friends in High Places as we tackled the likes of gun control, violence in entertainment, and marijuana prohibition, to name a few.

Speaking of the good herb, check this out. Nick Diaz has always been a kick ass fighter, but he just got major kudos from me for recent news. On February 24^th, Diaz defeated Takanori Gomi at Pride 33 in Las Vegas by submission. It was considered one of the greatest battles of the night with Nick repeatedly winning stand-up exchanges and in the end, earning himself superstar status. On April 10^th, the Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that Nick had failed a post fight drug screening by testing positive for marijuana. Ready for this? They said that "his THC level was so high that he fought with an unfair advantage. So they overturned his victory and declared it a no-contest."

WHAT? WHAT? All you conservative voters who agree pot should be illegal, let me ask you something. What happened to the stereotype of pot making you lazy, unmotivated, slow, and unable to function? Is that why it's bad or does it give you an advantage in a mixed martial arts competition where reflexes, speed, stamina, precision and energy mean everything? You can't have it both ways.

Maybe everyone needs some truthful education, huh? Most people have misinformation about this center of controversy. Why do you think you've never seen me make excuses for my very famous mj bust with Sabu? Anytime a professional athlete, or actor, or musician, politician, or judge or anyone with a position of respect is attached to cannabis, it helps change the dishonest perception of the plant. Nick stands his ground on this. You can read his story at -BOXING - CBSSports.com .

Anyone catch 60 minutes last week? They covered the subject of debate with DEA raiding medicinal dispensaries in California. That does nothing but justify their unessential budget for keeping weed illegal.

Anyone catch Real Sports on HBO? I don't remember Marcus Bagwell sounding so southern. Hmm. This was an interesting follow up to last years special on wrestlers dying young.

If you haven't heard any of my interviews on the subject of wrestlers being taken advantage of, I offer an honest but probably different opinion than most. Forget the wrestler's union. It'll never happen. Wrestlers are all replaceable and have nowhere else to go anyway. Are you surprised when you hear that wrestler's don't get insurance benefits? Big deal. We are independent contractors, just like the guy you paid to paint your house. If the painter signs a contract that says he will work for you for 3 years, and work for no one else and give ownership of any plans or ideas created or used on the job to you, and he gives you the right to amend the contract on your side to implement dress codes and fines and wellness programs and whatever else you decide along the way, that's the deal he made. If you are paying him enough money so he can get his own insurance, set up his own retirement funds, and you take care of getting him to the job and back home, what's the problem? He's not an employee. He's self-employed. Would he rather have less pay, but get insurance through you? Probably not, especially since he's covered if he gets hurt on the job anyway. Make sense? I hope I cleared some questions up for you and gave you a different angle to see the situation from. I admit as quickly as anyone that the job is way challenging, but it's a challenge we agree to. That's why I finished the agreement that I made and now I'm done. For the moment, anyway.

Chris Nowinski is heading the research that discovered the brain damage in Benoit's head from trauma. This offers the best possible scientific explanation for what could have happened. I'm talking with Chris about his discoveries and about ways to educate everyone. He's findings show that many athletes who have experienced concussions share commonalities that can include paranoia and depression and ultimately, suicide. Some of my friends have other qualities that are consistent with concussions like headaches and inability to retain information, and even difficulty staying awake. We have to look at the whole situation differently now. Many times I've laughed at my own disability to regain balance and equilibrium after a good shot to the head. It seems that maybe some real damage could be taking place, and Benoit possibly having dementia is a scary enough reason to take notice. If these suicide victims all had former multiple concussions, and there could possibly be a pattern, I'm wondering if that could explain the loss of my good friend and old travel partner Mike Awsome. If you want to know more information and especially if you know someone who's suffering from bumps to the head, you can email Chris Nowinski at [email protected]

My comic book store is no longer open; so don't plan your west coast trips around visiting it. We had a lot of fun, and brought a lot of fans together with their favorite wrestlers. The city of Lomita and the city of L.A. both contributed towards making it impossible to keep the doors open for business, but we'll have all the merchandise available for you at RobVanDam.com in the next couple of weeks.I hope you caught Family Guy Star Wars. It was awesome! I also liked the Bionic Woman and think it'll be a great new action series for us this fall.

You've probably noticed that I'm not taking bookings and traveling all over the globe. That's true and not going to change any time soon. However, taking SVD to Australia and then New Zealand is gonna be an awesome trip! Sabu will be in Australia too so bring your hardcore energy and see us at Armageddon Expo Australia - Home and then at Armageddon Pulp Expo - Home .Something I've heard a lot from you fans when we'd meet in person is "Keep doing what you do". When I knew I was going to take a break, this didn't feel good to hear. I didn't want to let anyone down and people were telling me they were counting on me to keep it up. Looking back over the years, I used to get fan mail pertaining to how I had inspired or motivated some people I had never even met. I didn't quite get it at first. How could I have helped these people get over heart operations and other surgeries, divorces, deaths of loved ones and more? Just by doing back flips?  I convinced myself that watching me entertained them and brought them positive energy. I also decided that by being a public image, anyone could fill in their own blanks to feel like they know me. You can pretend that I drive a monster truck, or hunt in the woods, or tear it up the on the dance floor, whatever. The RVD that you might "know" may be different than the RVD you meet on RVD TV.

If you want to hold onto your memories and not know the real me, RVD TV may not be for you. If you want to know the guy behind every accomplishment that made you a fan, and want to possibly grow from life discoveries shared openly by that same person, tune in. I will continue to inspire like I did with those performances, but I'm reaching outside the box on a personal and honest level. With this in mind, you got it- I'll keep doing what I do.

Roll the credits.

"Purplexion" by Harry Slash and the Slashtoneshear the RVD TV theme song at  MySpace.com - The Slashtones - NEW YORK, New York - Metal / Classic Rock / Com  

Do what you love. Love what you do.

Peace. RVD