Money Hungry Star; Self-Centered Architect - 5 WWE/AEW stars who have admitted to watching their competition

These days, WWE and AEW rule the professional wrestling market. It should come as no surprise that from time to time, WWE Superstars will tune in to see what the “competition” is up to, and vice versa.

This led to some speculation that select WWE stars were going to make a jump to AEW, but that wasn’t the case at all. However, it was interesting to learn that select superstars were taking their biggest rival seriously.

With that said, let’s look at five WWE/AEW superstars who have admitted to watching their competition.

#5. “The Boss” Sasha Banks loves AEW’s women's wrestling

Before Sasha Banks walked out of WWE due to creative disagreements, she was one of the company’s top stars in the women’s division. Banks was very vocal about watching AEW and admitted to enjoying the product, focusing mainly on its women’s division.

Sasha notably tweeted during AEW's first-ever pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing 2019, talking about the women’s matches that featured Awesome Kong, Dr. Britt Baker (D.M.D), Nyla Rose, and Kylie Rae.

She said: “I love Awesome Kong ahhhh” and “Congratulations ladies! I’m excited for women’s wrestling!”

She has also retweeted and liked various tweets regarding AEW storylines and angles during that time.

#4. Becky Lynch doesn’t believe AEW is competition but a great alternative product

Becky Lynch is one of the best women on the roster for WWE. She wasn’t shy to admit that AEW is not competition, but believes they’re an excellent product that presents an alternative to wrestling fans who may not particularly like WWE programming.

During an interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Lynch went into detail about her thoughts on AEW, stating:

“I watch everything. Competition is great, it’s great for the creative because I think it drives everybody. I think Vince works incredibly well when he’s pushed by competition, and I think for the stars it gives options. Look, if you don’t like vanilla you go with chocolate, if you don’t like strawberry you go for butterscotch. There’s options for everyone, for wrestlers, and it’s great.”

Lynch continued and spoke about how AEW makes for an excellent alternative product:

“I consider them an alternative; I think that’s the best way to put it. I consider them the alternative. Their product is different from our product, so we offer a different product than they do.” [H/T: Inside The Ropes]

Whether you agree or not with The Man, you have to respect how she feels about the current paradigm between the two promotions.

#3. “The Apex Predator” Randy Orton used AEW for leverage to get a new contract with WWE

Randy Orton is one of the all-time greats in WWE. When it comes to AEW, he has shown that he’s a fan of the product. Orton has spoken about the product in a positive manner.

The Viper famously sent out several tweets teasing that he was going to jump ship to AEW during his contract negotiations as leverage to sign a new deal with WWE, which he ultimately did.

Orton appeared on the Pat McAfee Show and spoke about this in detail:

“I think he also sees that I’m a WWE guy, I started out a WWE guy, and I’m not going anywhere. Even a couple of years ago, there might have been some chatter and some talk, but I wasn’t really the guy talking about really going anywhere else.” [H/T: WrestleTalk]

Orton continued by saying that much of the internet chatter was simply gossip with no truth to it. He went on to say how much he loved WWE and had no plans to ever leave the organization.

#2. Seth Rollins admits to loving select matches at WWE's Clash at the Castle & AEW's All Out

Seth Rollins has been critical of AEW in the past, but more recently showed his appreciation for a couple of matches during AEW All Out weekend. Ironically, the event took place the same weekend as Clash at the Castle in the United Kingdom. Both events made for a fantastic weekend of pro wrestling for all fans across the board.

Rollins tweeted about the fantastic matches between the two companies, stating:

“The amount of top level in ring content that happens WEEKLY on TV is staggering. Gunther/Fella. Roxy/Meiko. Ricky/Melo. KO/Theory. Roman/Drew. Acclaimed/Swerve. It’s unreal. Appreciate that sh*t” [H/T: WrestlingInc]

It's always nice to see wrestlers give other companies their props from time to time.

#1. MJF admits that he will work with the highest bidder once his contract expires

The lone AEW star proudly admits to loving AEW's competitor and has teased profusely that he is going to jump ship to the company once his contract with AEW is up in January 2024.

During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani of the MMA Hour, he spoke about how he cares about money and nothing more when it comes to pro wrestling.

“Here’s the deal. A lot of people think I’m leaning towards one place or the other. Here’s what I’m leaning towards. Money. That’s all I care about, that’s what I live for. That’s what I live and die by.” [H/T: TJR Wrestling]

MJF admitted that he goes where the money goes and has no problem working for the highest bidder once his AEW contract has expired. He also made it clear that he has not signed a contract extension with AEW but did get a pay raise from Tony Khan.

“I most certainly did, with no contract extension. ‘Cause once again, love Tony Khan to death, ‘you’re my bff [winks at camera] but kinda got the man by the balls because I’m a draw and I’m only 26.”

The Salt of the Earth has also sent out several tweets engaging with and praising current WWE Superstars. It’s going to be interesting to see exactly where MJF lands in January 2024.