5 times WWE Superstars mentioned a rival company on live TV

WWE has made a habit of not acknowledging any potential rival promotions on live TV, usually in an attempt to not give them attention. While it's unfair to call WWE a monopoly anymore, there have been rare instances where rival promotions were mentioned on the air. Not all of those mentions were shots at their supposed competitors.

Here are five instances of rival promotions getting mentioned by WWE stars on live TV.

#5. CM Punk - Mentioned two rival companies in his famous "pipebomb" promo for WWE

CM Punk's famous pipebomb has truly stood the test of time in WWE. It has been close to 10 years since that promo aired on television. Fans believe that it unintentionally steered WWE into a more "reality-based" direction, with the company attempting to blur the lines between fiction and reality quite a bit.

CM Punk's famous pipebomb was where he aired his grievances about WWE management and their lack of promotion for him. He mainly took shots at Chairman Vince McMahon.

The feud with John Cena would result in the two facing off for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011 in CM Punk's hometown of Chicago. The storyline was about how CM Punk planned to win the WWE Championship and leave the company with it as an act of retribution. CM Punk's WWE contract was legitimately expiring that night at Money in the Bank, and it was played into the storyline brilliantly.

It was one of those moments where WWE fans were genuinely fooled by a scripted moment. But what made the promo so iconic was that it was a rare instance of WWE breaking the fourth wall. CM Punk said that he would win the WWE title and take it to possibly defend it in two rival promotions - Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

As you may know, WWE rarely ever mentions other promotions and likes to keep their universe in a bubble. The fact that CM Punk spoke about defending the WWE title in rival promotions added to the shock value of the now-iconic promo.

#4. Kurt Angle took a shot at TNA/Impact Wrestling on WWE RAW

Kurt Angle took a shot at his former employer

Here's a fun fact - Kurt Angle's run with Impact Wrestling (then called TNA) was longer than his first WWE run. When Kurt Angle returned to the company in 2017, it was to be the headlining Hall of Fame induction that year.

Vince McMahon announced him as the new RAW General Manager one night after WrestleMania 33, and Kurt Angle held on to that role for a couple of years. A year after his appointment as RAW General Manager, he was confronted by two superstars - Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.

The duo was on SmackDown. But at WrestleMania 34, they lost to Shane McMahon and the returning Daniel Bryan in a tag team match. The stipulation was that if they lost, Owens and Zayn would have to leave SmackDown.

A night later on RAW, they approached GM Kurt Angle to ask for a spot on the roster. The WWE Hall of Famer responded by saying that the tag team division was full, but he heard that TNA was hiring.

The live audience was surprised, as was everyone watching from home. This was a clear shot at a promotion that many thought would be WWE's biggest rivals.

#3. Bret Hart - Made his move to WCW clear after WWE's infamous "Montreal Screwjob"

Bret Hart frustrated after the Montreal Screwjob

While we're sure that we don't have to give a refresher on what happened in WWE's Montreal Screwjob, the circumstances surrounding it were interesting. Bret Hart had signed a 20-year lucrative contract with WWE, but in 1997, the company was in a bad position. Not being able to honor the deal, Vince McMahon told Bret Hart to approach WCW to get a similar, if not better offer.

Bret Hart reluctantly did so and secured a deal with their competitors. After Alundra Blayze infamously took the WWE Women's Championship to WCW TV and trashed it, Vince McMahon was paranoid about Bret Hart doing the same with the biggest prize in the industry.

Bret Hart said he wouldn't do it, but McMahon pulled off the controversial Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997. He made referee Earl Hebner ring the bell after Shawn Michaels put Hart in a sharpshooter, despite the latter not tapping out.

It saw a guaranteed WWE title change, which was not planned. The original plan, according to Hart, was for the match to end in a DQ and for him to vacate the title the next night on RAW. McMahon took no chances, and Hart went on a tirade inside the ring. He spat on the WWE Chairman before writing the letters "WCW" in the air - making it clear where he was going. It wasn't a verbal mention, but Hart's actions still made a huge impact at the time.

#2. Triple H took a backhanded shot at AEW in the WWE Hall of Fame

In the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame, DX was the headlining inductee. Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, and X-Pac was the group inducted, and there was an interesting moment.

Billy Gunn was employed by WWE's rivals, AEW, in the early days. He made a joke saying that he doesn't have to thank Vince McMahon because he couldn't fire him.

Triple H responded by saying “Billy, let’s be honest. He will buy that p*ssant company just to fire you again” - all while the crowd was chanting AEW.

Shawn Michaels even made a subtle mention of "ALL IN", but Triple H indirectly mentioning AEW seemed to grab some headlines. WWE is known for not acknowledging their competition. At the time, AEW was in its infancy, showing a lot of promise with high-profile signings.

Thankfully, AEW has been doing well and is under no threat for a WWE purchase anytime soon. If anything, WWE's rival continues to grow in stature.

#1. Sami Zayn - The AEW name-drop that stirred the pot backstage in WWE

Just two days after AEW's Double or Nothing PPV debut, Sami Zayn mentioned the promotion on WWE television. On May 27th, 2019, Sami Zayn had a segment called "The Electric Chair". In the segment, he did the unthinkable and mentioned AEW on WWE RAW, much to the surprise of the audience.

After an interview with Sportskeeda's own Rick Ucchino, we learned that it received an unfavorable reaction backstage. He revealed that it wasn't entirely "off the cuff", but justified why he thought he did the right thing:

"So it was right on everybody's mind. It was super, super fresh and I think they had just announced this TV deal. They had just announced that this wasn't just going to be a pay-per-view. This is going to be a competitor and all this sort of stuff. And they tell me that we're doing this segment where it's legitimately, you know, unplanned questions and anybody could ask anything. So at the time this was the number one topic in the wrestling world. So you kind of expected to be asked about it."

Sami Zayn has a fair argument, even if he was "chewed out" backstage in WWE. Unfortunately, that mention of AEW saw him lose his "Electric Chair" show.