Rob Van Dam Return Would Be Big Boost for WWE If Done Correctly

Bringing an old samurai like Rob Van Dam back to the WWE battlefield is a no-brainer.

The future Hall of Famer boasts a world championship pedigree and an electric in-ring style, and he offers a nostalgic callback to the past. The key question, though, isn't whether WWE should look to have Mr. Monday Night make another return, but how the company should make the most of it.

WWE didn't make full use of Van Dam's skills and star power the last two times around. It simply plugged him in the booking puzzle without much forethought.

The company may get a chance to redeem itself before long.

In a recent Q&A session on Periscope (h/t Ringside News), Van Dam said that while he's not thrilled with the idea of coming back around WrestleMania time (there's tough traveling weather at that point in the year), he is open to a return at some point.

When a fan on Twitter asked if he was indeed considering another WWE stint, he gave a positive but vague response:

Should that "someday" come, the WWE roster will be better off for it.

Depth is constantly an issue, given how often Superstars leave to film movies or more commonly sit on the bench due to injury. As of right now, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Tyson Kidd, Goldust and Rusev are all absent for health reasons. By the time Van Dam would roll back onto Raw and SmackDown, there is sure to be a new list of banged-up grapplers unable to perform.

Van Dam is no wrestling A-lister, but his presence would make a significant impact.

It's not often WWE can welcome a former world champ, respected innovator and a reminder of ECW's glory days back into the fold. And as we saw with the passionate response to his return at Money in the Bank 2013, there's still hunger among fans to see him fly. It helps too, that Van Dam hasn't come and gone nearly as often as Chris Jericho.

RVD clearly keeps himself in great shape. The quality of his performances in the ring belied his age during his last two WWE runs. 

He delivered standout work against Neville, Jericho and Orton.

WWE has to love the possibility of more action like that on its screens. Van Dam's devil-may-care approach to wrestling is still a joy to watch. 

Van Dam, though, can't be happy with how WWE utilized him in 2013 and 2014. His feuds were often thrown-together, one-dimensional and low-priority affairs. 

WWE Creative didn't do a good enough job in letting him and Del Rio churn up animosity. The reasons for their rivalry were too vague. And having Ricardo Rodriguez in RVD's corner didn't create the kind of drama WWE had hoped.

A storyline with Bad News Barrett petered out. His run-ins with Cesaro never led to anything memorable.

It's no wonder then that Van Dam later took a jab at WWE Creative:

If Mr. Monday Night steps back onto the WWE stage, the best move is to have him work with a younger, emerging star and insert him into a fully developed feud. Have him and Kevin Owens bang heads. Let him and Neville collide.

Those two certainly looked good against each other when they met on NXT last June.

And whether he faces Neville or Owens or Tyler Breeze, there are compelling stories to tell with Van Dam at the center. He and Neville can have the young-lion-meets-old-lion dynamic that Shawn Michaels and Jericho did back at WrestleMania XIX. Owens can prove how tough he is by not only outlasting Van Dam in a long series but by doing so in the kind of Extreme Rules matchup in which the former ECW star once thrived.

Van Dam can take issue with Breeze's attitude and look to teach him a lesson. 

These potential rivalries are excellent chances to propel these new faces. There is nothing quite like felling a legend to further one's career. And there's sure to be a number of memorable matches along the way.

Whatever route WWE chooses, should Van Dam charge back onto the scene, there has to be a clearer narrative for him than we saw the last two times. There has to be a more intriguing arc. Give Van Dam that kind of base, and he will provide all the needed in-ring highlights.

There is always room for squared-circle warriors who swing their swords as well as Van Dam still can.