Soon after WrestleMania that year, the pair went on their first date. RVD talked through the “rock bottom” experience of that weekend, and the blackout that came with it. But the upturn that came in the midst of all of it was meeting Forbes.

“I picked her up in the afternoon, and we […] walked out on the beach. Pretty soon we were holding hands, it was like we had known each other a long time. We got along really well,” he said. He went on to recount telling Forbes about his issues at the time, but that they didn’t deter her: “She wanted a project, I guess.”

RVD said that after a misunderstanding that prompted Forbes to believe “The Whole F’n Show” had children, they still spent most of that day together. He knew that she was special from the get-go.

“I always knew she was special. It did take her telling me that we were seeing each other, that it wasn’t cool to be dating these other girls anymore. When she let it be known, I believe her that she was telling me how much she thought of me. I was like, ‘Wow, people don’t just say that stuff.’ I thought that this girl’s in love with me,” said the Hall of Famer.