WWE criticised AEW for promoting programming that featured their women stars bleeding on TV. That criticism didn't fly too well with everyone.
Follow Us
The ‘war’ between WWE and AEW has been, up until this point, one fought more in the background. However, that does not mean that either side is loathe to taking shots at each other publicly.
This is exactly what WWE did in a recent article in the Toronto Star. The article compared both promotions, with quotes from top executives on both sides.
And it is the WWE side of things that got many people talking. They took shots at AEW for putting “gory self-mutilation” on their TV show.
“If you look at the gory self-mutilation that bloodied several women in the December 31 event on TNT, it quickly becomes clear that these are very different businesses,” a WWE rep was quoted as saying in the article.
“We had an edgier product in the ‘Attitude’ era, and in a 2022 world we don’t believe that type of dangerous and brutal display is appealing to network partners, sponsors, venues, children, or the general public as a whole.”
The match in question was a women’s tag team match on AEW Rampage. The match saw Tay Conti and Anna Jay take on The Bunny and Penelope Ford in a match that featured a good degree of bloodshed.
This wouldn’t be the first time WWE has taken such a shot at AEW. WWE chairman Vince McMahon himself once criticised the company for showcasing “blood and guts” on their TV shows.
That phrase would eventually become the title of their TV special aired on May 5, 2021. It is also the name of AEW’s version of the WarGames match.
Predictably, this shot did not go down too well with everyone.
Among those who had something to say about included Tay Conti herself. The Brazilian star took to Twitter to post what was clearly a reply at WWE for that statement.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ? pic.twitter.com/lAw1cm5oVB
— TAYNARA MELO (@TayConti_) January 15, 2022
It is worth noting, however, that AEW CEO Tony Khan did not mention anything in reply to this. He did, however, state his aim and intention to make the company the top wrestling company in the world.
He also stated that his intention when launching the company was to make them compete with WWE. Given the vast resources at his disposal as well as some good booking, Khan has been able to do that.
Indeed, it’s worth noting that the one time AEW and WWE programming went head-to-head – the ‘Wednesday Night Wars’ that saw NXT air the same time as Dynamite – it was AEW who won the ratings war.
