4 AEW references WWE made during Clash at the Castle weekend

Since its inception in 2019, AEW has been involved in a fierce rivalry with WWE. While the Stamford-based promotion has majorly tried to ignore All Elite Wrestling's existence, the latter has never missed out on taking a shot at the global juggernaut.

However, there seems to be a major change in WWE's strategy against All Elite Wrestling. After Triple H took over the creative duties of the company, it seems like they have constantly alluded to their rivals in their programming. The Game himself has taken multiple digs on AEW in press conferences and interviews, much to the dislike of Tony Khan.

During the past weekend, the Stamford-based company made multiple references to AEW in their programming. While some of the references were solely made to progress the storylines, a few others were done with a slightly insulting intent.

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#4. Kevin Owens jokes about Chris Jericho's previous run in the WWE

Appearing at the Countdown to Clash at the Castle: Scotland, Kevin Owens took a sly dig at The Learning Tree, Chris Jericho. The Prizefighter brought up his hilarious tag team run with Jericho in 2016-17, and how the former AEW World Champion took credit for Owens' reign as the Universal Champion.

The former NXT Champion referred to Jericho as a "Canadian friend," who declared himself as a co-Universal Champion, even though it was Owens who won the prestigious title.

The 40-year-old ended his hilarious rant by reminding the fans about the iconic "Festival of Friendship" segment, and how it led to a terrible end to his alliance with The Lionheart.

#3. AJ Styles calls out Cody Rhodes for quitting All Elite Wrestling

Cody Rhodes was involved in a tense confrontation with AJ Styles on the latest episode of SmackDown. Ahead of their "I Quit" match, the two performers traded verbal barbs on the blue brand.

While the Undisputed WWE Champion criticized Styles for overstaying his welcome in WWE, The Phenomenal One decided to target Cody's weak spot. The veteran called Cody Rhodes' a born quitter, alluding to his past departures from NJPW, ROH, and AEW. He chastised The American Nightmare for walking away from the same company that he helped create.

While Styles didn't directly name Tony Khan's promotion, fans quickly understood what he was alluding to.

#2. Cody Rhodes meets former AEW stars on WWE NXT

Cody Rhodes' recent appearance on NXT was quite eventful. The American Nightmare made an important announcement, passed on his infamous Dashing Mask, and ran into some old friends.

After his in-ring segment with Trick Williams, the Undisputed WWE Champion was confronted by Shawn Spears backstage, who infamously busted open Cody's head in AEW. The duo were soon joined by Lexis King and Ethan Page, who recently left All Elite Wrestling to join NXT.

Praising the three stars for their decision to sign with NXT, Cody Rhodes stated that Spears, Page, and King were finally in a good place. It was clearly a light-hearted dig at Tony Khan for his underutilization of certain talents on his roster.

#1. CM Punk brings cupcakes to the Clash at The Castle press conference

CM Punk's infamous rant during the 2022 AEW All Out media scrum remains fresh in the minds of pro wrestling fans.

The Best in the World's unscripted promo about Hangman Adam Page and The Elite during the said conference is what essentially kicked off a year-long turmoil in AEW, which eventually led to his departure from the company.

Punk destroying the company's designated EVPs while savoring the muffins from Chicago's famous Mindy's Bakery was a hilarious sight that fans cherish to this day. The Voice of the Voiceless reopened some of Tony Khan's old wounds while appearing on the Clash at the Castle 2024 press conference.

CM Punk once again brought baked goods like donuts and cupcakes to munch on as he answered the media. It seemed like an intentional callback to Punk's shoot promo against the AEW EVPs.

The Straight Edge Superstar also hailed the WWE management for being an efficient crew of people, which is contrary to what he said about the top AEW officials in 2022.