If your eyes are already rolling don’t worry too much about it since this kind of subject is something that a lot of people might get into if they really want to try to withstand the drama. A lot of folks might just wave dismissively at this type of thing and move on, but those that enjoyed a good action movie back in the day will likely get into it simply because at the core of it this is a fun conversation so long as people don’t take it personally. Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal did have a mini-feud that might still be going today, but it’s tough to know if it’s real or not since a lot of what Seagal isn’t exactly real, while on the other hand, JCVD is a documented fighter with plenty of experience to his name, while Steven Seagal is also an accomplished martial artist, who is known as an Aikido expert. But where Van Damme was schooled in several types of martial arts, making him a much more rounded fighter, Seagal appears to have stuck to one discipline, which is all well and good but has exercised his mouth more than his body over the years. One thing that anyone is supposed to learn in martial arts is discipline, and that means more than disciplining your body and your actions, it also means aligning your mind, spirit, and having the proper attitude at times, which Seagal appears to have until he opens his mouth.
To be fair, Van Damme was a bit of a jerk in his prime and he’s admitted as much, especially as the years have gone by and he’s aged a bit. But the sad part of this is that Seagal is still the type to talk a lot of noise that he doesn’t always back up. It’s been stated that during a part at Sylvester Stallone’s home that JCVD, who was tired of hearing Seagal talk and talk and talk about how other action stars weren’t real martial artists, finally challenged Seagal to a fight. Unfortunately it sounds as though Seagal made an excuse not to fight, which some might state was a wise move since fighting doesn’t solve everything. But to many others, it’s been a sign that Seagal likes to talk but not back up his claims. There’s never been any need to see the two men in a bare-knuckle brawl, but perhaps a friendly competition would have been possible just to see whose technique was a little more sound. Those that have studied Aikido even a little might learn that while it’s effective it’s also highly dependent on an opponent moving in a very precise way, whereas Muy Thai and Karate, both of which Van Damme is skilled in, are a little more straightforward and versatile when it comes to a non-sanctioned bout. Many people have been adamant that Van Damme would put Seagal on the floor without any doubt, but there have been plenty of people that have stated that Seagal would have floored Van Damme. This matter is one of those that has more to do with opinion than reality since both men have been movie stars and both have made a living under the impression that they’re badasses.
Where this breaks down is that Seagal is by and large a talker and doesn’t generally engage with anyone, which could be seen as a good thing since it would mean that he doesn’t like to fight and is against naked aggression, but could also mean that he knows that someone like Van Damme might expose him for being ineffectual. It’s hard to say at this point and a lot of people don’t really care any longer, since both men have grown old at this point and their place in action movies has been spotty over the years as both of them have been relegated, more or less, to starring in lesser-known movies as those that remember them back in their prime recall just how great they were for a while before they finally started to fall off in terms of popularity. The fact is that a lot of people have their favorite action stars and believe that the individuals they like could mop the floor with one person or another, but the trick is that no matter how real their credentials are, fighting each other over their movie reputations is about as dumb as it gets considering that at some point every action star is going to see their career decline since they’ll either get typecast too often or they’ll get older and people will want to see a younger set of stars step in. When it comes to Van Damme and Seagal the feud would be even sillier at this point since both men are old enough that they should be able to let it go.
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