10 Anti-WWE Moves AEW Made Out Of Spite
6. Sloppy Shop
Flying too close to the sun during a time where the variables were at their most unpredictable, Taz refused to hide his contempt for WWE's covid practices when he tacitly accused them of running a "sloppy shop" ahead of an aborted AEW Championship match between his man Brian Cage and then-titleholder Jon Moxley.
The planned Fyter Fest 2020 encounter was moved to Fight For The Fallen later that summer due to Moxley staying home and isolating with his wife Renee Paquette after she'd tested positive for COVID-19. The not-remotely-veiled implication was that WWE hadn't taken enough care with their protocols when the whole world was attempting to flatten the curve. Paquette - then still working for the McMahons - was deemed a victim of these, as was the cancelled match when husband Moxley played it safe.
This looked good on AEW for big relatively risk-averse at the time, but it stupidly tempted fate. Like everywhere else, Jacksonville wasn't immune from outbreaks and wrestlers are as human as everybody else. Per Taz' inspired delivery, the dig stuck - it's been shorthand for sh*thouse behaviour on either side ever since.