Top 10 Times AEW Roasted WWE
#10: That’s Not How You Watch TV
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One of the most bizarre things about the WWE when you look at it in a logical way is how their talent watches the matches backstage at a strange angle. The Young Bucks had a little fun roasting this by facing the complete opposite way of the TV. It was later revealed in “Being The Elite” that Matt Hardy had taught them the WWE way of doing things. We all know that the intent here is to shine a light on that sweet, sweet merch, and we enjoyed laughing along at this light-hearted dig.
#9: Slappa the Leg
Continuing with a Young Bucks theme, the next roast was another take on some truly strange WWE behavior. “How strange,” you may ask? Well, how about a ruling banning a certain type of behavior that professional wrestlers do all the time? Slapping a leg or thigh is a technique that many wrestlers do in order to add to the illusion of impact in the ring. It’s an important part of a performer’s arsenal, to ensure the veracity of the story being told, especially when that story involves a kick or knee. So, when WWE banned that behavior, Kenny Omega associate Don Callis presented The Bucks with a shirt that told them exactly where to go.
#8: Crushing the Throne
It was an early salvo in the ratings war between AEW and WWE, an opening shot across the proverbial bow for what was to come. AEW’s first pay-per-view, “Double or Nothing,” featured a segment where Cody Rhodes, fresh from his time in the WWE, took a very symbolic sledgehammer to an equally iconic throne. The dig at Triple H may not feel like much today, since Rhodes is now back at home working alongside Hunter, but, at the time, it felt very much like a statement of intent. AEW was here to stay, and they intended to make their mark on the wrestling world.
#7: Free to Twitch
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The business practices of WWE have long been under a microscope, with a brighter light shining upon some of those practices that have been deemed, by some, to be unfair. One of those rulings involved superstars’ usage of their WWE likenesses for third party social media platforms, such as Twitch. Specifically, the WWE’s ban on this behavior was greatly criticized during the pandemic. So, when AEW’s “All Out” pay-per-view event aired a segment teasing the impending arrival of Miro with the wrestler’s Twitch account, it made a clear statement to the AEW roster: game on.
#6: Buy One Get One Free
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Not everyone is on board with the multi-night “Wrestlemania” set-up that the WWE have employed over recent years. One of those people is clearly CM Punk, who took a dig at the segment during a promo segment with MJF on “AEW Dynamite.” Punk put over the fact that the WWE were offering “buy three get one free” bonuses for “Wrestlemania” 38, due to low ticket sales, and told MJF that he’s likely be ignored and released, should the latter decide to switch companies. It was inside baseball, for sure, and one that evoked more than a few “oohs” and “ahhhs” from the AEW crowd.
#5: A War of Khans
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There’s only room for one Khan here in the rasslin’ business. Ok, not really, but AEW President Tony Khan certainly flexed some muscles when he called out his WWE counterpart Nick Khan. Tony referred to the then-WWE chairman Vince McMahon as a “con man from Connecticut,” and poked fun at rumors that the WWE were attempting to reach out to New Japan Pro Wrestling for collaboration. Given that AEW already were working with borrowed NJPW talent, the whole thing felt like a bit of fluffed-up peacocking, but it certainly got the job done.
#4: Max Caster Spits Fire
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It’s nothing new for professional wrestlers to reference current events, local sports teams or news headlines, in order to generate a quick pop, or bit of heat. Max Caster turns this into an art form, however, during his entrance freestyle segments with his tag team, The Acclaimed. Caster always keeps it one-hundred with his cutting-edge barbs, skewing everything from superstars’ releases, Joe Biden’s student loan debt forgiveness and Vince McMahon’s WWE departure. It’s true, Max Caster spits hot fire every time he hits the ring, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
#3: Blood and Guts
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The 2019 WWE earnings call for the company’s Second Quarter was notable for a number of quotes attributed to then-chairman Vince McMahon. One of those quotes involved McMahon’s disparagement of AEW programming’s penchant for bloodied up main events, stating WWE will not “do blood and guts and things of that nature”. This is despite the fact that the WWE had long been the place for some of wrestling’s greatest bloodbaths back in during the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras. Still, this didn’t stop AEW from wearing this backhanded compliment with pride, to the point where the company actually branded their “War-Games” like cage match “Blood and Guts.”
#2: The Jericho Appreciation Society
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It’s not an unfair statement to label Chris Jericho as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time. The man’s ability to reinvent himself is legendary, as is Jericho’s willingness to go full meta with some of his commentary. The GOAT’s current stable is a perfect example of that, with the Jericho Appreciation Society taking full aim at the WWE’s “sports entertainer” archetype, as opposed to AEW’s focus on professional wrestling. The faction not only elevates Jericho’s stablemates, but also takes into account Chris’ history in the WWE, his current status as a trailblazer, as well as his potential future to come full circle.
#1: Pandemic Critique
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Some of these roasts during this list have been light-hearted, while still others are just part of the back-and-forth nature of competitive business. Our number one pick is a bit more serious in nature, however, as it dealt with the WWE’s alleged internal procedures during the pandemic. Specifically, Taz called out WWE for running what he referred to as a “sloppy shop,” with regards to their internal testing of superstars and employees. This was directed in contrast to AEW’s own procedures, which largely focused on performer safety, including rescheduling matches and shifting cards around at the last minute. Ouch. Shots fired.
