Real-life Bloodline member's trainee says dressing as a dinosaur for AEW caught Tony Khan's interest 

AEW has been on a series of talent signings in the past year. Former TNA star 'Speedball' Mike Bailey was one of the latest to make his AEW debut.

Wrestling star Viva Van confirmed her AEW signing to kick off 2025. She was trained by real-life Bloodline member Rikishi. The 31-year-old is no stranger to Tony Khan's promotion. She has actively competed on Dark in 2021 and even made her Rampage debut against Hikaru Shida.

Viva Van, real name Victoria Tran, competed in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, DEFY, TNA, and ROH. Since the announcement of her official signing with All Elite Wrestling, Van has yet to make an on-screen appearance.

On the latest episode of the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Viva Van reflected on her relationship with the women's locker room. She highlighted a few familiar faces from her time on the independent circuit, which made her transition relatively easy.

Additionally, the star revealed AEW President Tony Khan's initial reaction to her dedication when she dressed up as a dinosaur at a comic con:

"I think one of the funniest things is when I had just had a match, it was me and Willow versus Lluvia in a triple threat for the CMLL Women’s World Title. The very next week, I did comic con as a dinosaur with AEW. I think that’s when Tony [was like], ‘She’s willing to put in the work.’” (H/T Fightful)

Rikishi and Reno J. Anoa'i Jr. founded the Knok X Pro Academy to train the next generation of wrestling stars. The WWE Hall of Famer's sons, The Usos and Solo Sikoa were trained under him.

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Viva Van discloses family and personal reaction to AEW signing

The ending of 2024 proved to be a new chapter for Viva Van. Despite her being in an AEW ring 3 years ago, the pen was put to paper, and her addition to the roster was a done deal.

On the same podcast, Van reflected on the moment she informed her boyfriend and family about her latest career break:

“First person I told was my boyfriend and then my family, cause I celebrated with my boyfriend and my family. What it means to me, the world, cause I’ve been training and wrestling for eight years, working for seven and it just felt like all of my hard work paid off.”

Considering who her trainer was, Viva Van recreated Rikishi's stink face at a wrestling match last year. The Hall of Famer heartily reacted and supported his pupil's wrestling journey.