WWE & AEW Stars Take Shots On Twitter - Carmelo Hayes Vs. The Acclaimed

A shared hand gesture sparked Twitter jabs between AEW and WWE NXT stars last night.

Carmelo Hayes The Acclaimed
WWE/AEW

AEW and WWE wrestlers indulged in a harmless spot of social media sparring on Monday, as The Acclaimed, Carmelo Hayes, and Trick Williams got into it over a shared hand gesture.

It began with Twitter user @MELOSECTION posting a gif of Hayes making an A with his hands during a recent NXT 2.0 match with Cameron Grimes. The North American Champion does this to represent his 'A-Champion' nickname, which he adopted shortly after taking the belt.

Hayes acknowledged the gif. A few hours later, Max Caster of The Acclaimed (whose use of a similar gesture outlives Hayes') dropped this:-

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Carmelo then took the strongest shot, claiming he doesn't watch Dark and Dark: Elevation, putting The Acclaimed down as YouTube-tier wrestlers:-

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Max has since responded to this, with Hayes' onscreen ally, Trick Williams, also chiming in. Anthony Bowens, meanwhile, thinks Carmelo is a cop.

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Hayes had been NXT North American Champion for 133 days at the time of writing, defeating challengers like Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne, Roderick Strong, and Grimes since winning the strap from Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott in October 2021. The Acclaimed, meanwhile, have been a going concern in AEW since coming together in October 2020.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.