RVD Talks Possible WWE HOF Nod; Raw Underground Update; Miro on AEW Contract

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

RVD Talks Potential WWE HOF Induction

Rob Van Dam is one of the most decorated Superstars in WWE history, so it stands to reason that he will one day be honored with an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.

During an interview with The Dropkick Podcast (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), RVD discussed possibly getting inducted and revealed who he would want to introduce him:

"I think the obvious answer is probably Paul [Heyman], and I think thats definitely the right person.

"I can definitely see it happening, but knowing how things work, I could also see it not happening, or not happening for a long time anyway. I used to think—and I'm still not sure, but do you have to retire in order to be in the Hall of Fame? And the fact that I've been wrestling for Impact, that's got to be a factor too. They don't want to do too much with somebody. But, who knows? Of course it'd be an honor, and we'll see."

RVD last performed in WWE in 2014. Since then, he has spent time on the independent circuit, and he returned to Impact Wrestling in 2019. PWInsider (h/t Upton) reported Monday, however, that Van Dam's time with Impact is done.

If RVD really has departed Impact, then perhaps it opens the door for a WWE Hall of Fame induction in the near future, especially if he is no longer an active performer.

Although he is 49 years old, however, Van Dam has shown no signs of wanting to retire, so he may find another company to work for, even if it is only on a part-time basis.

As a former WWE, intercontinental, European, tag team and ECW champion, there is no doubt that Van Dam's resume is Hall of Fame-worthy.

Given the fact that RVD still seems to be on good terms with WWE, it is likely a matter of when rather than if he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Reason for Lack of Raw Underground This Week

For the first time in several weeks, Raw Underground was not part of WWE Raw on Monday night.

According to Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), the reasoning behind the decision was that WWE was short on people to use for the segment due to a COVID-19 outbreak in NXT.

Raw Underground features not only Superstars fighting in a ropeless ring, but the ring is surrounded by people, most of whom are contracted wrestlers who train at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

If there was indeed a spike in COVID-19 cases among Performance Center trainees, then holding off on Raw Underground may have been a decision made in the interest of safety.

Given the circumstances, Fightful Select noted that "the segment was deemed unnecessary."

Raw Underground has served as a way to break up Raw by providing a different look and feel at the 10 p.m. ET hour. It has also allowed some little-known performers to get more exposure than they normally would otherwise.

Former Performance Center trainees such as Dabba-Kato, Arturo Ruas and Riddick Moss have been featured heavily on Raw Underground as have main roster performers like Dolph Ziggler and Erik of The Viking Raiders.

Raw Underground was conspicuous by its absence Monday, but the Shane McMahon-hosted segment may be back in the near future if the decision to nix it this week was driven by health concerns rather than a choice made by the creative team.

Miro Discusses Contract Talks with AEW

Miro has been part of the AEW roster for the past few weeks, but it turns out that he was in contract talks with the company for quite some time before signing.

In an interview with wrestling reporter Chris Van Vliet (h/t Upton), Miro discussed why it took some time to get a deal done and why he ultimately decided to sign with AEW:

"So I was sitting at home doing my Twitch and we found out they were interested so we got in contact. It didn't start off great because I had other opportunities, but I knew I didn't want to go to just any place. I knew I wanted to go two places: AEW and another one. There's another place that I really want to go and I will go eventually because that's just how it's going to happen.

"So they called me and we talked back and forth and even Chris [Jericho] said when they wanted to bring me in, they wanted to bring me in with a purpose and not to bring me in just to be there. So they came up with the idea with Kip [Sabian] and the best man and I think the best man is so suiting because of everything that I do and I thought it was a great schtick. And it's not just a schtick, it's actually fitting because it's my personality and that's why it was a no-brainer. Yes, let's just do that."

Miro previously wrestled under the name Rusev for several years in WWE, and he experienced a good amount of success with multiple reigns as United States champion.

With Miro unable to reach the next level in WWE, however, the company released him as part of wide-ranging budget cuts in April. When Miro was let go, it was widely assumed that he would be a top target for companies such as AEW, New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Impact Wrestling.

Miro finally made his AEW debut a few weeks ago on Dynamite as Sabian's best man for his wedding with Penelope Ford. Miro then made his in-ring debut last week, as he and Sabian beat Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss.

While Miro didn't indicate where else he wants to work, it was reported by Fightful (h/t Upton) a few weeks ago that his AEW contract will also allow him to work for New Japan.

That would make Miro's contract similar to Jon Moxley's, and it would give him an opportunity to get even more worldwide exposure as an in-ring performer.

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