Rob Van Dam Says There's No Way ECW As It Was Could Exist Today
From 1992 until 2001, Extreme Championship Wrestling offered fans of professional wrestling a true alternative to the mainstream. The promotion featured violent bouts with plenty of blood, weapons, and profanity, usually to the delight of fans in attendance. Appearing on his "1 of a Kind with RVD" podcast, ECW legend and WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam shared his belief that the specific energy of ECW could not be replicated in today's environment.
"[ECW] would be canceled instantly," Van Dam said. "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." RVD also pointed out how ECW's politically incorrect content wouldn't fly in today's culture, citing examples such as a storyline that dealt with abortion or the moment that saw ECW star Sandman nailed to a cross.
In its initial run, the promotion ran on television in a number of markets, from its home state of Pennsylvania to Florida, Louisiana, New York, and more. In addition to Van Dam, ECW helped develop future stars such as Lita, Mick Foley, and even "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The company folded in the early 2000s, however, and was bought out by WWE.
AEW as a modern ECW?
While he said there was no exact modern equivalent to ECW, there is one promotion out there today in which Van Dam sees some ECW parallels.
"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," Van Dam said. "In some ways, AEW has done that, because of everything they've done and their success." Van Dam said he was skeptical of the company when it first broke out onto the scene, but AEW was able to set itself apart from other startup wrestling promotions over the years.
"They definitely have offered an alternative," RVD continued. "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?"
While the former ECW star acknowledged that there are similarities between AEW and ECW, Van Dam stood firm in his belief that a true modern version of ECW would have to break new ground in a way that nobody has thought of up to this point.