WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam has been at the center of heavy fan criticism over his take on the Raja Jackson and Syko Stu incident. But if anyone was expecting an apology, that won’t be happening anytime soon.
Appearing on the TMZ Inside The Ring podcast, RVD not only refused to back down but doubled down on his stance. He blasted those criticizing him online, calling them “simple-minded,” “oversensitive” cyberbullies who he doesn’t even consider “real people.”
RVD specifically targeted what he called the “Internet Mark community,” accusing them of toxic behavior:
“To answer your question about responding to the internet mark community, first off, they’re not real people… The real people say things to your face. You know, right? Bullies. Look for targets that are weaker physically. In person and on the internet, the bullies can reach anybody because they can’t reach them… That’s a problem for the Internet Mark community, you’re not allowed to have an opinion that’s different from theirs… They feel obligated to send all kinds of just toxic junk.”
While RVD did admit that Raja Jackson “definitely went too far” in the incident, he stood by his belief that Jackson’s intent wasn’t malicious. He argued that his critics are simply “in love with” the harshest possible interpretation of what happened:
“They’re in love with the words, people that are on this argument, that have taken so passionately and sensitively to it, to something that I totally don’t care as much as you do about it… I don’t really think that Raja wanted to kill him, and I don’t care if I get heat for that. By the way, if I’m wrong, I don’t mind being wrong either… He definitely went too far. He should have known that could do some serious damage. I don’t think that his intention was to actually m—rder him. And I really don’t think most of the people that are even talking about this or thinking about this, think that his intent was to actually m—rder him.” (h/t Wrestling News)