10 Wrestlers Who Were Critical Of AEW

6. Triple H

Triple H
WWE

"Pissant company."

In one sense, Triple H hadn't ever been more relatable when he uttered those two words during the 2019 WWE Hall Of Fame.

Over-excited during a D-Generation X speech speech that saw affectionately lame gags bouncing around like squash balls (appropriate, all things considered), Hunter took an opportunity to roast Billy Gunn when discussion of his employment with AEW came up. The company hadn't yet ran a show, while, just 24 hours earlier, 'The Game' had presented the zenith of his NXT TakeOver brand in the exact location they all stood.

He was on top of the wrestling world in his own mind, shortly before Vince McMahon used and abused the pet project in a futile turf war with the new show he'd grossly underestimated. Triple H did too - even the original "marathon not a sprint" narrative he and others were forced to parrot came from a place of misunderstanding. They believed the "pissant company" to be just another WCW story in-waiting rather than the industry-altering juggernaut it rapidly became.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett