5 times WWE Superstars mentioned a rival company on live TV

WWE has made a habit of not acknowledging any potential rival promotions on live TV, usually in an attempt to not give them attention. While it's unfair to call WWE a monopoly anymore, there have been rare instances where rival promotions were mentioned on the air. Not all of those mentions were shots at their supposed competitors.

Here are five instances of rival promotions getting mentioned by WWE stars on live TV.

#5. CM Punk - Mentioned two rival companies in his famous "pipebomb" promo for WWE

CM Punk's famous pipebomb has truly stood the test of time in WWE. It has been close to 10 years since that promo aired on television. Fans believe that it unintentionally steered WWE into a more "reality-based" direction, with the company attempting to blur the lines between fiction and reality quite a bit.

CM Punk's famous pipebomb was where he aired his grievances about WWE management and their lack of promotion for him. He mainly took shots at Chairman Vince McMahon.

The feud with John Cena would result in the two facing off for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011 in CM Punk's hometown of Chicago. The storyline was about how CM Punk planned to win the WWE Championship and leave the company with it as an act of retribution. CM Punk's WWE contract was legitimately expiring that night at Money in the Bank, and it was played into the storyline brilliantly.

It was one of those moments where WWE fans were genuinely fooled by a scripted moment. But what made the promo so iconic was that it was a rare instance of WWE breaking the fourth wall. CM Punk said that he would win the WWE title and take it to possibly defend it in two rival promotions - Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

As you may know, WWE rarely ever mentions other promotions and likes to keep their universe in a bubble. The fact that CM Punk spoke about defending the WWE title in rival promotions added to the shock value of the now-iconic promo.