7 WWE Superstars who have fired shots at AEW

In recent months, AEW has given WWE tough competition on many fronts. At first, it looked like AEW would be no match for the world's largest wrestling promotion. Doubters have been proven wrong as AEW has been doing some things better than WWE.

Former WWE Superstars and legends have made the switch from WWE to AEW. Most former superstars have heaped praise on AEW and stated they made the right decision by signing with the company.

Meanwhile, many current and former WWE Superstars have fired written or verbal shots at AEW and its wrestlers. Most of the shots fired by WWE Superstars have been harmless and made in kayfabe. It has also helped increase competition between the two companies and kept them in the spotlight.

Keeping that in mind, take a look at seven WWE Superstars who have fired shots at AEW in recent years.

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#7. WWE veteran MVP thinks AEW copied his gimmick

MVP and Hurt Business had a good run on WWE RAW before the faction split. MVP helped Bobby Lashley reach the top and win his first WWE Championship. MVP is known to be outspoken and hasn’t shied away from taking a shot at AEW either.

MJF is playing a great heel character in AEW. The wrestler is seen wearing his signature Burberry scarf. MVP took to Instagram to take a cheeky shot at the AEW Star.

MVP posted a video on Instagram of him wearing a similar scarf in the 2000s during a backstage segment with Teddy Long. He commented on the look getting rebooted by someone.

“Flasback!!!! MVP with a dope scarf and stylishly attired. Looks familiar. Like I've recently seen this look and attitude rebooted...🤔”

MVP did a great job at taking a cheeky shot at the AEW Star without any rude comments. He is a legendary sports entertainer who has a lot of respect in the wrestling circle.

#6. Former WWE Superstar Brawn Strowman took a shot at AEW before his release

Former WWE Superstar Brawn Strowman had a good run in WWE and won the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36.

While in WWE, Strowman was vocal about his love for the company. This led to him taking a shot at AEW during an exchange on Twitter.

AEW posted their first glimpse of Lance Archer in action on Twitter. One fan commented that WWE should have booked Strowman the way AEW is booking Archer. The Monster Among Men took exception to the comment and said:

Strowman’s remarks weren’t too kind. The Murderhawk took notice of Strowman’s reaction and make a cheeky remark on it.

Fans have questioned the way Strowman was booked by WWE before his release. It would be interesting to see if he signs with AEW in the coming months. A match between Braun Strowman and Lance Archer in AEW would be explosive.

#5. Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre “subconsciously made a joke” about AEW

Like many former world champions on this list, Drew McIntyre has also taken a verbal shot at AEW. McIntyre usually minds his own business. However, a remark he made on live TV sent the wrestling community into a frenzy.

At AEW Revolution, the main event was a Barbed Wire Exploding Deathmatch. The explosion had been built up and hyped to be something massive. Unfortunately, when the time came for the explosion, things did not go as planned.

The explosion didn’t go off, and there were just a few sparkers firing from the four corners of the ring. Fans poked fun at the botch after AEW Revolution.

Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre took things to the next level on the episode of RAW that followed AEW Revolution. During a promo with MVP, McIntyre said sparks would fly if promises were not delivered.

“That’s such a dangerous thing to do in this industry, because if you make a guarantee and don’t deliver, fans get upset and sparks fly”.

Fans believed that The Scottish Warrior took a direct shot at AEW. However, McIntyre confirmed that it rolled off his tongue and he "subconsciously" made a joke:

“I went out there, I said that, and I [heard] ‘sparks fly’ come out my mouth. I didn’t think twice about it, I just rolled right through it,”

“Maybe subconsciously I made a joke.”

WWE fans took it as a direct shot at AEW, and many believed that McIntyre chose his words very well.

#4. WWE Superstar Seth Rollins has called AEW “the minor leagues”

Former WWE Champion Seth Rollins took shots at several AEW wrestlers.

During a panel at the Fandemic Tour Houston 2019, Seth was asked if he'd like to face AEW Star Kenny Omega. The Messiah then called AEW "the minor leagues."

"When Kenny's done playing in the minor leagues over there, Kenny can come work at the absolute top professional wrestling company in the world, in front of the most people, and make the most money, and have the biggest matches, which is with me at WrestleMania."

This wasn’t the first time Rollins took a shot at AEW or one of its wrestlers. He also called out Jon Moxley for going to the rival promotion in 2019.

The Architect may have taken shots at AEW recently too after the company signed Bryan Danielson and CM Punk. WWE announced it had signed Olympic sensation Gable Steveson to a contract, and Rollins took to Twitter to call him the "best wrestler in the world."

Danielson has been referred to as the best wrestler in the world for most of his career, while CM Punk refers to himself as The Best in the World. Rollins may have taken a shot at both AEW Stars with a single tweet.

#3. WWE megastar Roman Reigns has taken shots at CM Punk and the AEW roster

Many top superstars from WWE have made the jump to AEW in recent years. CM Punk is one of the biggest names to return from retirement to join AEW after enjoying a successful career in WWE.

The wrestling industry believed that Punk’s return is massive. However, WWE megastar Roman Reigns stated that CM Punk's return with AEW "doesn't do anything" for him.

While talking to Complex, the Universal Champion took a shot at Punk and AEW. He stated that The Best in the World was older and wouldn't elevate him at all if Punk was to come to WWE instead of AEW.

"If our audience wanted to see it [CM Punk returning to WWE] and they were clamoring for it, couldn’t shut up about it, and all the stars aligned, as a businessman and as a performer who was trying to seek out the very best for the audience and try to captivate, I wouldn’t say no. But I mean, on a personal level, it doesn’t do anything for me. That’s not going to elevate me at all. He’s older now. I haven’t really seen a full match. I’ve seen a clip or two. And to me, a step or two has been lost," said Reigns.

The Tribal Chief also took a shot at Punk’s MMA record and physique.

"Then also he got whooped in the UFC. I don’t think anybody really believes someone 200 pounds soaking wet with no explosive bone in their body could ever really do anything to me.”

Roman has been on another level ever since his heel turn. CM Punk may not have been able to match Reigns’ level if he had returned to WWE instead of AEW.

#1&2. WWE COO Triple H & Shawn Michaels took a shot at AEW

Not many AEW stars will find their way into WWE’s Hall of Fame. However, Billy Gunn was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame recently as part of D-Generation X.

At the time of his induction, Billy was working backstage as a coach for AEW. During the induction speech, Triple H did not miss the chance to take a shot at AEW.

Hunter joked that Vince McMahon would fire them all again, leading to Billy Gunn stating McMahon can't fire him (due to his association with AEW). The Father of NXT responded by saying that Vince "will buy that pissant company" just to fire him again.

"Billy, le'ts be honest. He will buy that pissant company just to fire you again."

Shawn Michaels also brought up Billy’s association with AEW:

"You can always count on old Billy Gunn to overpromise and underdeliver. Well, we appreciate you being out here and being ALL IN," HBK remarked.

Triple H was questioned about his verbal jab at AEW during a media conference call for NXT TakeOver: XXV. He replied that he simply mentioned the elephant in the room to make things less awkward and that the remark wasn’t planned.