RVD still thinks he has another wrestling run left in him, and AEW sounds like a pretty good place to make it happen. The WWE Hall of Famer believes he could have a “really good run” there and already has a few familiar names he’d be interested in getting back in the ring with.
Speaking on the 1 Of A Kind With RVD podcast, RVD was discussing the possibility of returning to AEW when he gave the company some credit for simply sticking around. RVD admitted that when AEW first launched, he wasn’t convinced it would necessarily survive considering how many wrestling promotions with serious financial backing had disappeared over the years.
“Yeah. They’ve definitely proven themselves. You know, like, it was so easy when they first came out to be like, ‘Yeah, well, let’s see how long they stick around.’ And I don’t think there’s anything wrong with any of us that felt that way because promotions over the years come up all the time.”
RVD said AEW has clearly managed to fill a void in wrestling and believes the company will continue growing. He also noted that plenty of fans he speaks with aren’t necessarily picking one company over another and instead watch both AEW and WWE.
“‘Oh, they got Major League Baseball money. This shit’s for real,’ and they got this and that, and it never lasts. And those guys, you know, really fill the void, and so it’s cool. Congrats to AEW, and they’re just going to keep growing. You know, I always check with the fans and ask what they watch, and a lot of people are watching both products. I don’t know how much international distribution they have, but obviously they must be on in the places that they’re going to, at least.”
There’s also something about AEW’s environment that stands out to RVD. From his perspective, the company feels more wrestler-driven and gives talent more room to express themselves than what he remembers from his time in WWE.
“But yeah, pretty cool. And it still — and I think always will — be coming across as, and I think for valid reasons, the boys being the ones that are kind of running the show more.”
RVD contrasted that with his WWE experience, where he felt some wrestlers were worried about their jobs and hesitant to push back. AEW, in his eyes, comes across as a place where wrestlers have more freedom to do things their own way.
“You know, whereas WWE was like a lot of people afraid for their job and doing whatever they’re told, and sometimes afraid to go against it or say the wrong thing or whatever. And this seems more like guys that want to be out there expressing themselves with their talent and doing it their way.”
That’s when RVD started thinking about what another AEW run could actually look like. Rather than immediately naming some of the company’s younger stars, he pointed toward several veterans with whom he already shares plenty of history.
“If I came to AEW, though, I would — I think that I could have a really good run working with one of my peers: Chris Jericho, Christian, Edge.”
RVD then threw one more name into the conversation — Jeff Hardy. The two have plenty of history together, and Van Dam wouldn’t mind getting one more match with his former rival.
“And I also think I wouldn’t mind having one more match with Jeff Hardy, you know?”
None of this means RVD is actively pushing Tony Khan to book those matches. He made it clear that Jericho, Christian Cage, Adam Copeland and Hardy are simply ideas he likes rather than matches he’s desperate to make happen.
“But these aren’t things that I, you know, dream about and, ‘Oh, I gotta make it happen.’ It just sounds like good ideas, you know?”
RVD has already stepped inside an AEW ring before, so another appearance wouldn’t exactly come out of nowhere. This time, though, he’s thinking beyond a one-off appearance and believes there could still be enough left in the tank for a real run alongside some very familiar faces.
Would you want to see Rob Van Dam get another AEW run, and which of the veteran names he mentioned would you want to see him face? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
