Rob Van Dam has been mentoring HOOK during his time working in All Elite Wrestling, and he recently took to his “1 Of A Kind” podcast to discuss what it’s been like working with the son of ECW legend Taz.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On his match with HOOK on AEW last month: “Thanks for watching me on AEW. I had a blast. I felt good, man. Felt good out there in the ring all the way through it, felt good afterwards. Then afterwards, I walked through and bam, there’s Ric Flair. I’m like, ‘What? What are you doing here, dude?’ I thought it was a really good show. Good energy. Always awesome to be in Philly. Every time I get in the ring, I’m feeling better and better. So that’s how it is. If you do it regularly, myself anyway, if I’m doing something regularly, then it’s like working on the craft, looking at it, to tweak, to do improvements, to show something I didn’t show last time, whatever. But when they’re all one-offs, there’s really not that much to put into it because it’s like, ‘Hey, people want to see you do the shit that they used to see you do.’ So show them, give them the Rolling Thunder, give them a Frog Splash.
“But it’s been cool to continuously be part of this momentum, and it looks like me and HOOK are kind of engaged now [laughs]. We could have a reason to see some more of RVD besides being such a damn good wrestler. So now it looks like I got a position of mentoring HOOK, and I’m enjoying that too. It’s really cool. I like him, and it’s really cool. It’s cool how the crowd takes to it because of Taz and me going way back.”
On getting along with HOOK backstage: “Yeah, I get along with him a lot better than I used to get along with his dad [laughs]. Took me 20 years to come along to being able to meet Taz on the same page and be able to talk. But no, HOOK is really cool and obviously already looked up to RVD. So that goes a long way when it comes to building a relationship. All the guys there are really respectful and cool, and everyone always says that. Fans too. ‘I grew up watching you.’ I know. Everybody did [laughs].”
On if he sees similarities between HOOK and Taz: “Not really. Maybe a little bit in the move set. But I kind of forget that he came from Taz’s scrotum bag when I’m out there. He’s his own person, just like any of the wrestlers. Big personality, and I don’t mean he’s an extrovert, by any means. Quite the opposite. But what I mean is that he stands on his own, so when I’m teaming with him, I kind of forget about that. I’m not thinking about his dad. I’m just thinking about, ‘Boom, there’s HOOK my partner out there.’ He’s in trouble, tag me in. I’m fresh. Then afterwards, we’ll celebrate, and then dad comes to mind again a little bit.”
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Rob Van Dam, the legendary professional wrestler, has been mentoring HOOK during his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). In a recent episode of his podcast, “1 Of A Kind,” Van Dam discussed what it has been like working with HOOK, who is the son of ECW legend Taz.
During the podcast, Van Dam expressed his enjoyment of his match with HOOK on AEW last month. He felt good throughout the match and afterward, and even had a surprise encounter with Ric Flair backstage. Van Dam mentioned that he always feels better and better every time he steps into the ring, and he appreciates the opportunity to showcase his skills to the fans.
Van Dam also mentioned that he and HOOK seem to be engaged in an ongoing storyline, which gives him a position of mentoring HOOK. He expressed his enjoyment of this role and praised HOOK’s talent. Van Dam believes that the crowd’s positive response to their partnership is due to the connection between Taz and himself, as they have a long history together.
When asked about his relationship with HOOK backstage, Van Dam revealed that he gets along with him much better than he used to get along with Taz. It took him 20 years to develop a good relationship with Taz, but he finds HOOK to be really cool and respectful. Van Dam believes that HOOK’s admiration for him plays a significant role in building their relationship.
Although HOOK is the son of Taz, Van Dam doesn’t see many similarities between them, except for a few moves. He sees HOOK as his own person and focuses on their partnership rather than HOOK’s lineage. However, after the match, he does think about Taz a little bit.
Overall, Van Dam is enjoying his time working with HOOK and appreciates the positive response from the crowd. He believes that HOOK has a bright future in professional wrestling and is excited to continue mentoring him.
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