Vans is such a large company and they cater to streetwear for casuals, skate shoes, surf shoes, snow, BMX, etc., it's no surprise that eventually they "rework" their current line to be "better". It's a simple phenomenon and people are over complicating it.
Not having Pro Classics > Pro Classics & Pro Models > Skate Classics and Pro Skate Models. That's been their trajectory.
Vans keeps MOST of the marketing (name, look, familiarity, etc.) almost the same while they retool the lasts, material, features, and overall feel of their models for this newest iteration. The Pro Classics models got stale and were growing in mixed reviews. Vans revamped it so the shoes are better tailored for their customer base (their marketing strategy may have been too aggressive in areas, which confuses some and not others).
Believe they're pulling our chain all you want but this is the first round of Vans that is actually substantially different than previous ones. They're not soft, soggy potatoes with laces anymore. There is structure: stiffer sole and vulc wrap, midfoot/heel shank, and tongue straps. All of these make them fit and feel different then what people are used to.
TL;DR
Vans rebranded slightly in model names to usher in *NEW* shoe tech while also preserving familiarity of what we know. Will some like the new real changes? Yes. Will some not like them? Also yes.