Why Rob Van Dam Says New Generation Of Wrestlers Doesn't Understand Kayfabe

If you ask legends like The Undertaker and Jake "The Snake" Roberts, kayfabe in professional wrestling is completely dead these days. But fans will always need to suspend disbelief to a certain degree to be a part of the show. However, according to Rob Van Dam, the current crop of young wrestlers stretch kayfabe way too far into the realm of nonsense.

While talking about moves that he doesn't like to take anymore on his podcast "1 Of A Kind," RVD shared that he rarely says no to moves when he's putting together a match with a younger competitor. Although, "if it's something where I have to have an instruction manual just to take your move," then the "Whole F'n Show" may protest a bit, especially if that move doesn't make sense.

"I'm sure there's been plenty, but for different reasons, too," said the WWE Hall of Famer when asked about moves he's rejected doing from the newer generation of wrestlers who he says "doesn't understand anything about kayfabe." Van Dam says, "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."

At the end of the day, the laid back ECW icon says that ultimately when it comes to his opponents, "if you believe in you, then I believe in you." But if you were hoping to see RVD take on Chuck Taylor and his live grenade, I wouldn't hold your breath.