Looking back on his return to WWE in 2013, after being gone for the majority of the previous six years, Rob Van Dam recalled working against Sami Callihan on an independent show, just before the latter arrived in "NXT" as his Solomon Crowe character. Having been there before, RVD knew that change was in store for Callihan.

"He'd been on a good run," he said of Callihan. "Everyone knew he was going to WWE, and this was gonna be his last match [before that]." 

In preparing for their match, Van Dam recognized that Callihan was in for a whole new world in the next step of his career. "As soon as we started talking about the business, I was like, 'Wow. [We're] on two different planets, dude. When you go to WWE, they're gonna change you so much," he recalled.

While Callihan's run in "NXT," as Crowe, only lasted a little less than two years, he's found plenty of success in the time since, working across the world and most notably, with TNA Wrestling, where he is a former World Champion. 

With that in mind, perhaps the WWE style doesn't suit everyone. According to Van Dam, having seen just about all sides of the industry, that is fine as well. "Everyone has their realm and no selling and [a lot of that stuff is] okay on the indy scene by their standards," he said. "But not in the big time."