5 times WWE took a shot at AEW

AEW arrived in the professional wrestling world in 2019 and changed everything for WWE. For the first time in years, WWE had to contend with competition from another wrestling promotion.

Since their arrival, AEW has established itself as an alternative option for fans and wrestlers. Wrestlers, released from WWE more often than not, find themselves heading to Jacksonville to sign contracts with AEW.

Given the change in scenario, AEW has not shied away from taking shots at WWE during their programs. However, it has not been possible for WWE to ignore AEW completely as well. Instead, they have been taking shots at their competition too.

For more than two years now, WWE has made it a habit to mock AEW anytime they provide the opportunity. Be it WWE, or be it the individual superstars from the company, there has been a substantial amount of mockery aimed at the competition.

In this article, let's take a look at five times WWE took a shot at AEW.

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#5 WWE Chairman Vince McMahon talks about "Blood and Guts"

When AEW first started to showcase their product, it was extremely different from the wrestling program that Vince McMahon hosted on his shows. Matches were hard-hitting and saw wrestlers bleeding on screen, something that was no longer encouraged in WWE since the PG Era.

The matches were violent, and compared to WWE's product, were gruesome at points.

While some fans were happy about this, Vince McMahon was not open to revisiting that bygone era of wrestling in WWE. During a second-quarter investor conference call, Vince McMahon was asked if his company would change the way it was presented to match AEW.

The chairman took a shot at AEW, saying that his company would not go back to "blood and guts". He referenced them, saying that fans may find that sort of programming in a competitor.

#4 WWE Superstar MVP talks about his gimmick being rebooted in AEW

2020 saw MVP return to WWE and make Bobby Lashley one of the best stars in the company. Initially, he was supposed to become a backstage producer, but his performances were so good, WWE pushed him as Lashley's manager and the founder of The Hurt Business.

MVP took a shot at AEW and MJF for rebooting his gimmick. He posted a video of himself in a scarf and rather stylish attire, before saying that he had recently seen the gimmick rebooted.

It was a cheeky shot at AEW's MJF. MJF's attire is incredibly similar to what MVP wore in the segment.

Currently, MJF is one of the top heels on the AEW roster. His whole personality is that of a villain. He recently founded a new group called the Pinnacle.

Meanwhile, MVP's faction of The Hurt Business appears to have been rebooted as well. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin were removed, while two other WWE superstars were seemingly added.

T-Bar and Mace, formerly part of RETRIBUTION, could be the two newest members of The Hurt Business.

#3 Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre talks about AEW's failed explosion

WWE's most recent shot at AEW came after the latter's pay-per-view — AEW Revolution. The main event of the show was a Barbed Wire Exploding Deathmatch. The explosion had been built up and hyped to be something huge. Unfortunately for AEW, when the time came for the explosion, there was a botch.

The explosion didn't go off. As a result, there were just some sparklers firing from the four corners of the ring and some smoke, while the wrestlers sold it in the middle of the ring.

Fans made fun of the failure, as did former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. He appeared on the next RAW after AEW Revolution.

There, he cut a promo about some guarantees that MVP had made. He also made sure to throw shade at AEW, talking about sparks flying if promises are not delivered on:

“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”.

#2 WWE: "The failed relaunch of WCW"

This one might be one of the most subtle shots by WWE towards AEW. If it was not on purpose, it's the craziest coincidence possible. AEW aired their first-ever pay-per-view Double or Nothing in early-2019.

The day after the pay-per-view, WWE sent an email to its subscribers. There, the company took a shot at AEW as they announced a special episode of WWE Untold. The title of the episode was "The Failed Relaunch of WCW".

WCW was the last time before AEW that the company faced competition from other wrestling promotions. AEW's arrival on the professional wrestling scene already had them compared to WCW, so fans thought that this was the perfect subtle shot by WWE. The timing of the email the very day after AEW's first pay-per-view saw them arguing that it was a jab at AEW.

At the same time, it was released when Turner Broadcasting announced that it would be airing AEW.

#1 WWE's Triple H calls AEW a "pissant company"

Triple H was involved in what was the most blatant shot that WWE took at AEW. During the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, an AEW roster member was appearing in a WWE ring for the first time. Billy Gunn was a part of AEW, but it was also the year that D-Generation X was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

During their speech, Gunn decided to take a humorous shot at WWE and Vince McMahon. He said McMahon could no longer fire him again. However, Triple H was quick on the uptake and said that Vince McMahon would buy AEW to fire Gunn.

While the comment was in jest, the adjective attached to AEW was definitely a shot by the Father of NXT:

"He will buy that pissant company just to fire you again."

Fans took offense and the shot has been referred to by various wrestlers in AEW.

Meanwhile, Shawn Michaels referenced All In whilst thanking Gunn. At the time, it had been AEW's biggest pay-per-view before the company was officially formed.