Xavier Woods and Michael Cole namedrop former AEW World Champion and rival promotion on WWE SmackDown
Fans of AEW, ROH, and NJPW may have caught a sly reference on WWE SmackDown tonight, as Xavier Woods and Michael Cole namedropped the latter two promotions and former All Elite Champ Kenny Omega on commentary.
The New Day took to the commentary table as they watched their rivals, the Viking Raiders and Jinder Mahal & Shanky, battle during the Friday Night Show.
The match itself was relatively short as the Raiders scored a count-out win almost as quick as the bout started.
Launched into the #NewDay!
#SmackDown @JinderMahal @Ivar_WWE https://t.co/wzpWUr7GPh
However, fans had their attention captured by Woods and Cole during their play-by-play. Woods namedropped rival promotion ROH and the fictional governing body of New Japan, IWGP, as he mentioned the Viking Raiders' accolades prior to their WWE tenure.
On the other hand, Cole made a sly reference to Woods' friend and fellow former NJPW star Kenny Omega. Although not a direct namedrop, Cole spoke of "Omegaman," the official Twitter handle of The Cleaner.
That Ring Of Honor shoutout and the Kenny Omega reference by @AustinCreedWins and Michael Cole was SMOOTH!
#WWE #SmackDown
Xavier Woods spent some time in NJPW prior to joining WWE. Although he and Kenny Omega never stepped into the ring in the Japanese promotion, Woods teamed up with Omega's long-time friend and tag partner Kota Ibushi to make his debut.
Did you catch the references on SmackDown? Let us know in the comments section below.