Jon Moxley's influence, Another star mentioned TWICE - All the AEW references from WWE WrestleMania 41 Saturday
Last night, WWE presented Night One of WrestleMania 41 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. During the event, the company made several AEW references, which surprised many.
The stacked card of WWE WrestleMania Saturday featured a Triple Threat main event between Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and CM Punk, Gunther vs. Jey Uso for the World Heavyweight Championship, Jacob Fatu vs. LA Knight for the United States Title, and more.
Besides these matches, there were also memorable moments, and some of them had references to All Elite Wrestling and its talent.
#3. AAA acquisition and Vikingo's debut
WWE announced NXT and AAA will present Worlds Collide on June 7, 2025. On the Countdown to WrestleMania show, World Wrestling Entertainment brought some luchadores, including a surprising appearance from Vikingo.
The highflyer also played a part in El Grande Americano vs. Rey Fenix's match, where Vikingo struck Americano with a kick before the bout. WWE reportedly announced the news about acquiring AAA due to AEW's announcement of its partnership with CMLL and the Grand Slam event.
Promoting the event and positioning Vikingo in a major angle seemed like a direct shot at All Elite Wrestling from the TKO-owned company,
#2. The Rated-R Superstar Cope
Cope was signed to WWE before moving to All Elite Wrestling in 2023. The veteran has built a great career in the Stamford-based promotion and is a former multiple-time World Champion. The company often mentions the Hall of Famer on occasion.
At WrestleMania 41, Cope was mentioned twice during the main event between Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and CM Punk. During the promo package before Punk's entrance, Cope was seen getting hit by a GTS from The Second City Saint. Later, Michael Cole also name-dropped Cope (FKA Edge) while talking about Reigns' past WrestleMania opponents.
#1. AEW World Champion Jon Moxley
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley was a part of The Shield with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins in WWE. The group is considered one of the greatest factions in history, and its story played a huge part in last night's main event of WrestleMania between Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and CM Punk.
During the match, Seth Rollins reminded Roman Reigns about how many people he's lost during his career. The Visionary surprisingly named Jon Moxley as one of them. Rollins has also dropped Moxley's name before during his rivalry with The Tribal Chief.
The Visionary shockingly aligned himself with Paul Heyman and went on to defeat Roman Reigns and CM Punk to win the Triple Threat Match at WrestleMania.
These references about All Elite Wrestling were surprising. It will be interesting to see if AEW responds to the company.