On the latest edition of his “1 Of A Kind” podcast, Rob Van Dam clarified why younger wrestlers do not understand the concept of kayfabe in the modern era of pro wrestling.
The concept of kayfabe was thought to have been largely killed off in the post-Attitude Era with wrestlers gradually switching over to social media.
RVD discussed working with younger talents, noting that he would only decline moves if they’re “something where I have to have an instruction manual just to take your move.”
RVD continued, “They do moves that don’t make sense to me in my mind. I’ve turned down some of that stuff … One example that comes to mind was in Ireland and this was a few years ago … The idea was that I’m standing in the corner looking away from the ring and [the] dude is gonna reach up under my legs, and grab my head, and pull my head down so my head goes under the second rope turnbuckle and now I’m stuck standing there with my head between my legs. And I’m like, ‘What? What’s keeping me there?’ The answer was kayfabe. No.”