5 times WWE mentioned their competition on live TV

WWE is the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, but that doesn't mean it's the only game in town.

Over the years there have been countless other promotions, and though few have been able to take on the Sports Entertainment juggernaut, there have been some that have dared to face off against the chairman of the board, Vince McMahon.

Some promotions, for a multitude of reasons, have even found themselves being addressed on WWE TV by commentary, Superstars, or even authority figures.

Even recently, the company addressed the new promotion All Elite Wrestling, which hosted their much-beloved pay per view Double or Nothing last Saturday.

Here are five times the WWE directly mentioned their competition on live TV.

#5 E-C-Dub! E-C-Dub!

Sandman, Paul Heyman and Tommy Dreamer were just some of the ECW stars who took RAW by storm.

Though the Monday Night War was dominated by the battle between WCW and the World Wrestling Federation, there was a third player in the mix.

In 1997, Extreme Championship Wrestling, the company spearheaded by Paul Heyman were doing well for themselves, despite not having the bank balance of the two much bigger promotions.

ECW did so well in fact, that a deal was made between the extreme group and the WWF, as ECW 'invaded' Monday Night RAW during the year.

Invited by McMahon to compete in sanctioned matches, over a dozen stars from ECW showed up, including future stars in WWE such as Sabu, Rob Van Dam and the innovator of violence, Tommy Dreamer.

Giving WWF fans a glimpse at a different style of wrestling, the show presumably led to many people tuning in to watch RAW, showing there was a method to McMahon's madness.

#4 The NWA Invasion

NWA Heavyweight Champion Dan 'The Beast' Severn dominated his opponents on RAW.

Long before Shane and Stephanie aimed to destroy their father's company in 2001, there was a different sort of invasion, this one orchestrated by the National Wrestling Alliance.

On the January 5, 1998 edition of RAW, James E. Cornette would somehow convince Vince McMahon to allow NWA matches on WWF TV, including title matches.

The group, led by Cornette featured several top stars from the NWA, including Ricky Morton, Barry Windham and Jeff Jarrett, who had joined the promotion after leaving the WWF years earlier.

Though they accomplished little during their invasion, the group certainly created a ruckus, especially on the March 30 episode of RAW, when NWA Heavyweight Champion Dan Severn showed up.

The only active NWA Heavyweight Champion to appear on RAW, The Beast decimated opponents before leaving the company the following year.

#3 Sami Zayn is All In

Sami Zayn referred to All Elite Wrestling by name on the latest edition of RAW.

The most recent reference to take place on WWE TV, this huge name-drop took place this week on Monday Night RAW.

In the very first edition of The Electric Chair, Sami Zayn was given questions by the WWE Universe, and at one point, even referred to All Elite Wrestling, the new promotion formed by former WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes, and the Young Bucks.

AEW recently hosted their Double or Nothing event, which has been widely praised by fans, with many considering the new company as legitimate competition to McMahon.

It's currently unclear whether Zayn's comments were approved ahead of time or whether it was improvised by the former NXT Champion.

Whatever the truth may be, Sami certainly made a name for himself on RAW, by referring to the newest hot thing in town.

#2 WCW's failing leads to WWF success

DX sent a direct shot at WCW when they invaded in 1998.

The Monday Night War was one of the most unique moments in wrestling history.

For nearly six years, WCW Monday Nitro went head to head with WWF Monday Night RAW, and though Nitro dominated for over a year in the ratings, we all know who went on to win the war.

During this period, the WWF would often mention their competition on TV, perhaps most famously in 1998 by D-Generation X.

On the April 27 edition of RAW, the group of renegades, led by Triple H, invaded WCW, clad head-to-toe in army apparel.

Despite not being allowed in the building, DX certainly made themselves known as the group would interact with fans outside the arena, some of which would reveal on live Television that they got their WCW tickets for free.

#1 Angle makes an impact in 2017

The Olympian mentioned TNA by name on a 2018 edition of RAW, following WrestleMania 34.

Kurt Angle's return to WWE in 2017 was a truly welcomed sight.

After spending over a decade away, the Olympian returned to be inducted into the company's Hall of Fame, and quickly found himself the GM of Monday Night RAW after WrestleMania 33.

During his absence though, Angle would find himself a new home in TNA/Impact Wrestling, becoming one of the company's top stars and a multiple-time world champion.

During the April 10th, 2018 edition of RAW, Angle name-dropped his old employer, telling Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn (who had failed to win back contracts with WWE at WrestleMania 34) that "TNA is hiring."

The most public reference to Impact on WWE TV, it seems that the McMahon-led promotion no longer sees their old competition as a threat anymore.