WWE’s Paul Heyman Names Stars He Believes Have Influenced AEW

WWE’s Paul Heyman Names Stars He Believes Have Influenced AEW WWE/AEW

Paul Heyman believes that AEW has been influenced by the likes of Rob Van Dam and Jerry Lynn in ECW, among other luminaries.

The Wiseman made the comments during an interview with Screen Rant, having been asked about underrated ECW matches.

Reflecting on one such match – Rob Van Dam versus Jerry Lynn – Heyman opened up about the influence of his ECW stars on AEW, saying:

“One way, it’s Rob Van Dam versus Jerry Lynn. I think AEW is RVD. I think anybody who watches AEW is witnessing a style that emanates from Rob Van Dam versus Jerry Lynn in the style. And also Dean Malenko versus Eddie Guerrero. I think if you look at any Dean Malenko versus Eddie Guerrero match from ECW, or Rob Van Dam versus Jerry Lynn match from ECW, you see exactly what the concept is that was employed by AEW in their style.

“I also think we get so much credit. We, being ECW, got so much credit for the popularity of a three-way match, And I don’t think there was a three-way match in history that was nearly as exciting as the series that was put together by Super Crazy versus Tajiri versus Little Guido, who later became known as Nunzio in WWE.

“I would suggest those three-way matches are the most underrated, the most, underappreciated. And just because they were on the supporting part of the card for, at the time, big title matches that we were presenting and really pushing as the centerpiece of the promotion, people, just in terms of history, have lost sight of how influential Super Crazy versus Tajiri versus Little Guido was. And the quality of the matches that they put on stands the test of time.

“I don’t spend a lot of time looking back, and I spend even less time looking at footage looking back. But I have stumbled across a couple of their matches, and I end up watching them from start to finish, and I rarely ever do that. I just marvel at them. If that match had been taken to a bigger platform, that match would have ended up on WCW or WWE pay-per-views. They would have gone down to some of the greatest matches in the history of the genre, without a doubt.”

ECW is well represented in AEW, with Jerry Lynn serving as a producer and coach, Dean Malenko as a senior producer and Taz on commentary.

RVD also made his AEW debut in August 2023 and would go on to face Jack Perry for the FTW Championship and team with Hook.

The April 20 episode of AEW Rampage would see RVD win the High Flying 4/20 four-way elimination match, highlights of which can be seen below this news story.

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2 weeks ago by Dave Adamson

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