Rob Van Dam Takes Aim at Wrestlers Using Injuries as Proof Wrestling Isn’t Fake

Professional wrestling is a tough and unforgiving industry where injuries can happen at any moment. The debate over whether wrestling is fake or real continues to be a hot topic and now RVD has weighed in on the same, as he criticized wrestlers who use injuries as a way to argue that wrestling isn’t fake.

While speaking on the 1 of a Kind podcast, RVD criticized wrestlers who believe getting injured proves that wrestling is “real.” He doesn’t agree with this idea and finds it frustrating. He thinks saying, “How did I tear my ACL if wrestling is fake?” doesn’t make sense. To him, getting hurt just means you made a mistake or tried something you weren’t good at.

“I’ve never understood why my peers think that because they get hurt, that somehow makes wrestling ‘real.’ Now, I hate the ‘F-word’ myself, because it’s insulting when people say, ‘Is it fake?’ But the answer wrestlers always give is like, ‘Uh, how do I tear my ACL if it’s fake?’ Well, that just means you f***** up, right? Yeah, yeah.”

RVD drew comparisons to other performance arts, like ballet, where dancers may twist an ankle during a choreographed routine. According to RVD, injury in that context doesn’t suddenly mean the dance wasn’t planned or rehearsed. Similarly, in wrestling, injuries don’t define the sport’s validity.

“I mean, you could be a ballet dancer and twist your ankle—does that all of a sudden mean the ballet wasn’t choreographed? Right? So, I don’t get that. I don’t get why they feel so good about saying that.”

RVD mentioned how people often point to injuries like needing stitches or breaking fingers to prove wrestling is real. He doesn’t see it that way. For him, those injuries usually happen because something went wrong, not because the competition is real.

The WWE Hall of Famer also brought up stunt performers in movies. They sometimes get hurt doing things like crashing cars into buildings, but that doesn’t mean the crashes weren’t staged. For RVD, injuries don’t prove wrestling is real—it just shows that mistakes can happen.

“My whole career, I’ve always listened to people saying, ‘Oh, fake? 12 stitches right there!’ So what, man? That just means you f****** up. You’re probably doing something you shouldn’t be doing because it’s out of your realm, and you suck at it. What we’re doing makes it real competition, not the fact that I broke every one of these fingers in my hand. You know? So what?

That’s like… I mean, I can talk to stuntmen in movies who’ll give you a big list of injuries—like when they crashed the car into the building, and they got this, and this, and this. Does that mean the crash wasn’t set up? That it was real? F*** no. So, you don’t get anywhere with me by taking that perspective.”

This isn’t the only controversial take RVD made, as he previously stated that a wrestling union is simply not possible in the modern age. RVD is entitled to his opinion, and fans may have different reactions to what he said. Whether they agree or not, it’s all part of the ongoing discussions in the world of professional wrestling.

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