9 months ago
51 ARTICLE AD
AEW
The main event of last night's "AEW Dynamite" saw Swerve Strickland take on Rob Van Dam in a hardcore match, with RVD's performance drawing praise from wrestling fans. Early this morning, following the bout, Van Dam took to social media platform X to share his brief thoughts on the reaction.
"Psssh. Some of y'all act like I didn't tell you I can still go!" Van Dam wrote. "Thank you [AEW], [Tony Khan], and Van Dam Fam."
The match featured all the antics that one would expect from a hardcore match, including the use of steel chairs and some outside interference. Van Dam also showcased some impressive athleticism from a 53-year-old who's been putting their body through the ringer for over 30 years in promotions such as WWE and ECW.
In the onscreen storyline playing out on AEW TV, RVD's match was set up by Strickland's rival, "Hangman" Adam Page. Earlier in the night, Page faced an opponent of Strickland's choosing — Toa Liona of the Mogul Embassy. Page won the match and, later in the show, informed Strickland that his fight against RVD would feature a hardcore stipulation.
Last night was Van Dam's first AEW appearance since October 2023, when he teamed up with Hook to defeat Alex Reynolds and John Silver of the Dark Order. When Strickland's ally Brian Cage came to the ring to interfere in last night's match, it was Hook who showed up to lend some help to RVD, eventually taking Cage out of the equation and possibly setting up a new feud for the young star.
