During a unique sit-down with Covalent TV, Sabu, the veteran wrestler from Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), cleared up the mystery behind the absence of Rob Van Dam’s physicality during the WWE NXT tribute to ECW, which took place on November 6th.
The iconic ECW superstar pointed out that RVD was nursing an injury, rendering him unable to participate in any wrestling activities.
Highlights from this enlightening interview include:
Discussing why Rob Van Dam didn’t wrestle at the 2300 Arena edition of NXT, Sabu stated, “I’m in contact with him almost daily. We’ve been having conversations regularly in the past fortnight, especially since his appearance at the NXT arena show. He was dealing with an injury, hence he was unable to wrestle.”
Concerning the contemporary application of tables during wrestling matches, Sabu opined, “It’s not like today’s wrestlers aren’t talented – they certainly are. However, they frequently miss the point of my stunts. When they smash a table, it’s just for the shock value. In contrast, I carefully plan a table stunt for about 5 to 10 minutes before executing it, play around with the anticipation, put it on hold and then finally – bam! This strategy holds more value than wrecking ten tables.”
Regarding the tendency to use table stunts merely for shock value, Sabu said, “I’m capable of throwing an opponent through a table, even in an Olympic competition. But, what you can’t find in an Olympic setting is a wrestler setting up a bunch of tables, climbing a towering structure and diving off of it. That’s a stunt. I don’t consider myself a stuntman or an actor. But that’s what much of modern wrestling has evolved into – a display of stunts and theatrics.”
NOTE: Your feedback, story briefs or podcast summaries are always welcome for our publishing consideration. Rest assured, you will be duly credited. Feel free to reach out at [email protected].