RVD Slams AEW’s Violent Style After Moxley’s 2×4 Spot: “That’s Not Wrestling To Me”

WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam isn’t mincing words when it comes to AEW’s blood-soaked brutality—especially after watching Jon Moxley get suplexed onto a spike-covered 2×4.

On the March 19 episode of AEW Dynamite, Adam Copeland (aka Cope) challenged Jon Moxley for the AEW World Title in a street fight that took violence to a whole new level. During the match, Copeland used a weapon dubbed “Spike”—a wooden 2×4 covered in nails—and suplexed Moxley directly onto it. In a now-viral moment, Spike got stuck in Moxley’s back as he stood up, sending shockwaves through the wrestling world.

But not everyone was impressed. Rob Van Dam, who has competed in AEW before, aired his thoughts on his 1 Of A Kind podcast—and he held nothing back.

“It’s not my thing, not my kind of thing. That’s not wrestling to me,” RVD said. “That is sacrificing a lot for the business, I mean that could be said about it. But the more AEW has been doing stuff like that, the more personally I feel like I would rather be associated with WWE than AEW, you know?”

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The former ECW legend acknowledged the daring nature of the match but questioned the long-term value of such hardcore stunts.

“There’s a feel that like the inmates are running the prison,” he added. “At first it was a good point—‘Hey, the boys are running it, cool’—but for me this serves as an example of why that might not be a good idea… I personally look at it as being lower than the standard, substandard.”

RVD didn’t completely dismiss AEW’s freedom of expression, saying, “Congratulations to pulling off a crazy stunt, death-defying stunt for better or worse,” but made it clear he has no interest in that direction.

Van Dam last wrestled for AEW in April 2024 but has kept a distance since. The WWE Hall of Famer was inducted in 2021 and remains a respected voice in the industry—and now, a vocal critic of AEW’s more extreme moments.