In the recent installment of his podcast, “1 Of A Kind”, WWE Hall of Fame inductee Rob Van Dam touched on the growing practice of wrestlers borrowing moves from each other.
Below are a few standout moments from the podcast:
Addressing this trend, Van Dam said, “To help everyone in the industry, I’m creating a new rule that everyone must follow. I’m using my influence, which I’ve gained through my standing in this profession, to introduce this provision that everyone has to comply with. This is going to improve the business and restore its former glory. The rule is straightforward – stay in your own lane. I see countless flawed moves on Instagram, and while no one is perfect, they’re all too frequent. In most cases, it’s because performers are venturing out of their comfort zone. So, I’m making a command you must heed – if you’re not proficient at something, don’t attempt it until you’ve mastered it. We’re seeing a plethora of underwhelming chair strikes and unconvincing no-sells because everyone is trying to imitate everyone else’s moves, which is ridiculous.”
Touching on the importance of wrestling in accordance with one’s physique, he noted, “If you tip the scales at 200 pounds, you shouldn’t be attempting powerbombs and the like. If you’re a 400-pound phenomenon, taking a 360 bump from a clothesline doesn’t make sense. Everyone has their specific area of expertise, and it’s similar to life – you lay the groundwork of wrestling. If you devoted sufficient time to wrestling school or the initial phase of your career, if you spent enough time understanding the fundamental principles of wrestling, you wouldn’t be making attempts to walk on the top rope or executing hurricanranas.”