Why fans are completely divided on RVD and the AJ Styles AEW tease

It is Friday, March 27, 2026. You are probably staring at the clock, pretending to finish up some spreadsheets, and counting down the hours until the weekend actually begins. We are exactly 23 days away from the first night of WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The wrestling world is practically vibrating with anticipation for the John Cena farewell and the CM Punk main event drama.

But because this is the internet, nobody is actually talking about the biggest show of the year today. Instead, the timeline has decided to obsess over two guys who defined the 2000s.

Chris Jericho casually dropped the bomb on his podcast that AEW actively tried to sign AJ Styles before he officially hung up his boots in WWE. A few hours later, an interview surfaced where Rob Van Dam spoke up about his own wrestling future. RVD says he is absolutely open to a WWE return, but he aggressively rejects the idea of a structured, John Cena-style retirement tour.

Naturally, the wrestling internet took these two completely separate news items, smashed them together, and decided to go to war. Let's break down the madness.

The AJ Styles 'What If' That Broke Twitter

Let's start with The Phenomenal One. Jericho's revelation that AEW made a concerted play for Styles has the diehards writing massive fantasy booking essays. It is easy to see why this strikes a nerve.

AJ Styles carried TNA on his back for a decade. He went to New Japan Pro-Wrestling and became the coolest version of himself. For a chunk of the fanbase, the idea of Styles ending his career without a run in the current number-two promotion feels like a missing chapter.

The casual AEW fans are acting like Tony Khan fumbled the greatest signing in company history. You see takes everywhere today basically saying, "AJ in AEW would have saved the feeling."

"Just think about the match quality," wrote one fan on Reddit. "Styles vs. Kenny Omega one last time. We were robbed of classics because he decided to stay safe in the WWE bubble."

But the contrarians are out in full force, and frankly, they have a massive point.

"AJ would have just ended up in a random eight-man tag match on Collision within three weeks," wrote one highly upvoted user. "He made the right call staying in WWE where his legacy was protected and his money was guaranteed."

Another fan chimed in with a harsher reality check. "Styles was physically breaking down at the end. Do you really want to see a 47-year-old AJ trying to keep up with Rey Fenix on a random Wednesday in front of 3,000 people?"

My analysis? The cynics absolutely win this round. Styles finishing his career under the WWE umbrella was the only move that made sense for his health. We did not need to see him working a grueling style just to satisfy a niche group of fans who want him to bleed for star ratings. He built his kingdom, won the WWE Championship, and got out on his own terms.

AEW tried, and you cannot blame them for trying. But dodging that bullet preserved his final run. Sometimes the best matches are the ones that only happen in our heads.

RVD Hates Your Nostalgia Tour

Then we have Rob Van Dam. The Whole F'N Show is out here saying he would pick up the phone if WWE called for another run. But he made one thing crystal clear. He despises the concept of a retirement run.

With John Cena currently on his massive farewell tour heading into WrestleMania 41, the topic of how legends say goodbye is incredibly hot. Cena is doing the dates, kissing the babies, and doing the whole emotional victory lap. RVD basically looked at that corporatized send-off and said, "Hard pass."

The reactions to RVD's stance are violently split, highlighting a generational divide among wrestling fans. Old-school ECW loyalists love his rebel attitude.

"RVD showing up, hitting a Van Terminator, throwing up the thumb point, and bouncing is exactly how it should be," an older fan tweeted this morning. "Nobody needs to see him crying in the middle of the ring for three straight months."

But younger fans, conditioned to expect sweeping cinematic send-offs, are baffled by his refusal to milk the spotlight.

"Why wouldn't you want your flowers while you can still smell them?" asked one user. "He deserves a proper send-off at a Big Four pay-per-view, not just a random Royal Rumble cameo where he gets eliminated by Austin Theory."

"It's just lazy," argued a critical fan. "If you come back, give back to the business. Put over a young guy in a program. Popping the crowd for five minutes and leaving helps nobody but RVD."

The Brutal Truth About Nostalgia

Here is my take. I love Rob Van Dam. His match against John Cena at One Night Stand 2006 remains one of the greatest atmospheres in professional wrestling history. But let's be entirely honest with ourselves for a second. RVD in 2026 is moving in slow motion.

We saw his recent guest spots. The nostalgia pop is undefeated, but the actual mechanics of his matches are rough. His entire moveset relies on explosive athleticism and timing. When those physical attributes fade, the matches look like a tribute act. A 15-minute singles match on Monday Night Raw right now is a recipe for botches.

If he comes back, it needs to be pure smoke and mirrors. Put him in a wild six-man tag where he hits three signature moves, lets the crowd chant his name, and gets out of the way.

This is the critical flaw in how fans view returning legends. We desperately beg for lengthy retirement tours, completely forgetting that a retirement tour requires them to actually wrestle competitive matches every week. RVD knows his body far better than we do. If he says a prolonged tour sounds awful, we should listen to him.

The fact that WWE even wants to bring these guys back highlights a glaring booking mistake from the last few years. They lean heavily on the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras because they struggle to make the current mid-card feel truly dangerous. Whenever ratings slip, they smash the emergency glass on a Hall of Famer. It is a crutch, and fans are finally noticing.

The Duality of the Internet Fan

We are barreling toward Allegiant Stadium. April 19 and April 20 are going to feature massive farewells and title changes.

If RVD's music hits in Vegas, the stadium will shake. It will be incredible. But he is entirely right to reject the long goodbye. We beg for legends to return, cheer them wildly for two weeks, and then complain that they are taking television time away from younger talent.

Look at the discourse right now. Half the people begging for an RVD retirement run are the exact same ones complaining about part-timers ruining the weekly product. You cannot have it both ways.

"The duality of wrestling fans is wild," wrote a user. "We want AJ Styles to risk his neck in AEW, but we want RVD to protect his legacy in WWE, while complaining about the booking of both companies."

It is a contradictory mess. But it is our mess. Now go back to pretending to work until 5 PM.