While he said there was no exact modern equivalent to ECW, there is one promotion out there today in which Van Dam sees some ECW parallels.

“It was awesome for what it was, but in order for there to be a new ECW, it would have to find a new way to, all of a sudden — boom — stand out and be super cool,” Van Dam said. “In some ways, AEW has done that, because of everything they’ve done and their success.” Van Dam said he was skeptical of the company when it first broke out onto the scene, but AEW was able to set itself apart from other startup wrestling promotions over the years.

“They definitely have offered an alternative,” RVD continued. “It’s awesome what Jericho has been doing, and not just him. But he’s my age and had a career about as long as mine, and it’s cool to see him still in there on top, doing it his way, you know?”

While the former ECW star acknowledged that there are similarities between AEW and ECW, Van Dam stood firm in his belief that a true modern version of ECW would have to break new ground in a way that nobody has thought of up to this point.