NBC Airs "Cult of Personality" Commercial During Monday Night Raw

By Liam Crowley

The petty wars between All Elite Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment have only just begun. While AEW has been taking shots at WWE since it launched on the scene with its inaugural pay-per-view in May 2019, WWE has opted to just about ignore the existence of its competitor altogether. There have been the odd allusions to Tony Khan's promotion on WWE programming, such as Edge referencing The Miz being name-dropped on AEW Dynamite, but most opportunities to make note of the other company have been passed on. This may have been a Vince McMahon decision, because the Triple H regime has not been shy about firing back at AEW.

This was most recently evident on Friday's edition of SmackDown, which saw play-by-play announcer Michael Cole elaborate on the storyline situation between Ronda Rousey and Adam Pearce. Cole said that Rousey had been "disciplined internally, the results of which will not be made public," which bears resemblance to AEW suspending those involved in the AEW All Out backstage fight, as AEW has not made any public comment on the reported punishments. Cole added mentions of how Pearce "aired dirty laundry publicly," an allusion to Punk's rant about Colt Cabana at the All Out press conference, and that "this investigation has been taken behind the scenes," a reference to AEW's third-party investigation into the backstage fight.

The shots seemingly continued this Monday on Raw, when NBC Sunday Night Football aired a notable commercial in the middle of the WWE broadcast. As Johnny Gargano vs. Chad Gable went to break, "Cult of Personality" echoed through televisions nationwide. An advertisement for the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears upcoming primetime match-up aired, focusing on the Packers' controversial quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Coincidentally enough, many compared Rodgers' press conference following the Packers' 23-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings to the now-infamous Punk presser. It's important to note that Rodgers did not actually behave in any way similar to Punk at his presser, but following such a brutal loss, some joked that he might have the same demeanor.

As of this writing, Punk is suspended from AEW following his involvement in the backstage fight. Reports believe that all parties involved will remain suspended until the investigation concludes. Should he remain with AEW after this situation simmers, Punk will not return to action until mid-2023 at the earliest, as he is currently out of action with a torn triceps.

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