During the latest edition of his 1 Of A Kind podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam explained how ECW wouldn’t be able to get away with what it did in today’s culture, and he credited AEW for offering the best possible alternative product.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On how ECW couldn’t exist today: “[ECW] would be canceled instantly. You couldn’t do any of that stuff. … We were lighting fans on fire, you know what I mean? And jumping onto the fans. And even back then, they were starting to sue more towards the end, it seemed like. I had a few lawsuits and ECW just paid the nuisance fee.”
On how AEW has offered an alternative: “It was awesome for what it was, but in order for there to be a new ECW, it would have to find a new way to, all of a sudden — boom — stand out and be super cool. In some ways, AEW has done that, because of everything they’ve done and their success. They definitely have offered an alternative. It’s awesome what Jericho has been doing, and not just him. But he’s my age and had a career about as long as mine, and it’s cool to see him still in there on top, doing it his way, you know?”
