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AEW has booked Rob Van Dam for several special appearances since last summer, and Hook has been involved for the most part. The wrestling veteran is now opening up on the rising star as they prepare for their next big match.
RVD made his AEW in-ring debut on the August 9, 2023 Dynamite by coming up short against Jack Perry with the FTW Championship on the line. Hook then got involved, and this led to RVD and the son of Taz teaming up to defeat Angelo Parker and Matt Menard on Collision the next month. They then defeated Alex Reynolds and John Silver on Dynamite a month later.
The Whole F'N Show returned to AEW on the January 31 Dynamite as he was chosen by Adam Page to be Swerve Strickland's opponent in a Hardcore Match. RVD lost the match, which saw Hook run down and stop Brian Cage from interfering. AEW has now booked a big Dynamite match for Wednesday: RVD, Hook, and Hangman vs. Strickland, Cage, and Samoa Joe.
RVD recently spoke with The Two Man Power Trip and was asked if AEW had more plans for him and Hook last fall before their program ended, as it felt like "something went awry." The 53-year-old had a fitting response.
"I don't know, I'm not even exactly sure what you're asking, but I mean as far as like, was there supposed to be anything more... You know, I'm not one to open up a plan-book... I'm more of a live-by-the-moment kind of a person. So, in that regard, I usually don't know until it happens. It's just talk anyway, so I don't put that much into, 'We're going to do this and that, and that, and then maybe you are, maybe you're not.' You know, that's just life in general," he said. [From 11:20 to 12:11]
The 7th WWE Grand Slam Champion was then asked for his overall feelings on the current FTW Champion and what kind of potential the son of Taz has.
"He's a very likable guy and um... [that's] not just first-hand from me thinking he's got a good vibe [and] I like him, but I even noticed first that the crowd took to him so much, and so... I was trying to figure that out, like, what is that about him? I think it's cool that he's Taz's son. To use a pun - that's a little hook on his character, and makes him stand out a little bit," he said. [From 12:33 to 13:12]
Despite being one of the most decorated and tenured ECW Originals in the history of the legendary company, RVD never competed for the FTW Championship. His only shot at the title came in the loss to Perry last August on AEW Dynamite.
How Hook made RVD laugh on AEW Dynamite
Rob Van Dam and Taz worked together for years as ECW Originals, and now RVD is working with Taz's son in AEW.
Speaking to The Two Man Power Trip, the WWE Hall of Famer was asked about doing more work with Hook in the future. He apparently made these comments before AEW announced this week's six-man.
"Hook came down and made the save when Brian Cage came in... I think that certainly leaves room for another match down the road. Tag match? Or I guess there's three or four of them... so maybe, maybe build it to them if if that's something people would care about," he said. [From 12:12 to 12:32]
The 2006 Money In the Bank winner also discussed the recent AEW Dynamite face-off promo between Hook and Samoa Joe. There were some online jokes about how the FTW Champion held the microphone up to his face during the January 24 segment, and the ECW Original said he got a good laugh out of the moment. He also made it clear - Van Dam likes Hook.
"Honestly, when I saw him and Samoa Joe do their little promo face-off... I thought it was funny how he held the microphone up, and it made me laugh. (...) I thought it made him look like an unruly punk that just had some things he wanted to say but wasn't necessarily taught how, because that's the way it came across, which should be good for, I think, the message they were doing. I like him," he said. [From 13:13 to 13:58]
AEW is putting a lot of hype into Wednesday's Dynamite match with RVD. Next week's episode will be the go-home show before AEW Revolution, so it will be interesting to see if there's anything to the rumors of RVD working the pay-per-view on March 3.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Two Man Power Trip with a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
