RVD Blasts AEW Fans as ‘Ignorant’ After Jon Moxley Street Fight Fallout

Rob Van Dam is not holding back—and he’s got words for both AEW’s style and the fans who came for him after he dared to speak his mind.

After Jon Moxley’s violent AEW World Title defense against Adam Copeland on the March 19th episode of Dynamite—a street fight that included a spike bat covered in nails—WWE Hall of Famer RVD had some thoughts. While speaking on his podcast, RVD said the match leaned too far into hardcore spectacle and “wasn’t wrestling” to him. That alone was enough to get fans riled up online.

Now, in a response video posted to RVDTV.com, Van Dam doubled down—and didn’t hold back. “Now, I didn’t bash AEW. I wouldn’t bash AEW,” RVD started. “And it seems to me, by far, the worst part about AEW—and I hope this quote gets picked up—is the fans on IWC. The fans are so ignorant.”

He made it crystal clear that it wasn’t about Moxley specifically, but about the direction he sees AEW heading. “The more AEW does things like that, like the Jon Moxley spike bat thing, and I think that they’re heading in that direction more… I think WWE is heading into more like old-school WWE storytelling in the ring and less of ‘let’s stick a knife through someone’s cheek, burn their house down, go for shock value.’ The more they seem to be two separate styles—which I’m fine with—the more I personally would rather have RVD, the wrestler, associated with WWE.”

RVD said fans completely missed the point. He wasn’t bashing AEW—he was stating his preference for technical wrestling over blood-and-guts style chaos.

“Those matches, especially the ones that have like thumb tacks, glass, fire, fish hooks… when they have the competitors in there that don’t do a single wrestling move… to me, that’s not wrestling.”

And for those fans calling him a hypocrite for his past ECW work? “The matches that Sabu taught me were garbage matches… they’ve always been the bottom of the list of my favorite matches. That’s my opinion. If you don’t think I have a right to say that because I was in ECW… you need to check yourself. You’re way too defensive because I’m not [bashing AEW].”

He wrapped the rant with a sharp jab at those misunderstanding the word “hypocrite” altogether. “The fans are so challenged that they hit me with things like, ‘Well, if you did that stuff and you’re saying you don’t like it, you’re a hypocrite.’ That’s not what a hypocrite is. You know what? I don’t like to be in mixed tag matches, but I did them. Does that make me a hypocrite?”

RVD’s been through it all—from ECW bloodbaths to WWE classics—but one thing is clear: he’s got no patience for internet fans misquoting his words and twisting the narrative.