History TakeThat / ProfessionalWrestling

** It all came to an end in a moment that will live in wrestling folklore forever - the quote at the top of the page is an example of this [[HoistByHisOwnPetard backfiring]] ''[[EpicFail terribly]]''. It came just a few minutes prior to the notorious "[[FingerpokeOfDoom Fingerpoke of Doom]]". Ratings ''plummeted'' seconds after it was said, as a massive chunk of the audience changed channels to watch ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw WWF Raw]]''. The thing is, it wasn't even about title win itself (Raw was taped that day, and results were already spoiled by WWF themselves on their website), it was about Wrestling/MickFoley, one of the most respected, hard-working and well-meaning guys in the industry, finally realizing his dream and winning his first world title, while Wrestling/TonySchiavone (by no fault of his own, he was forced to say the line by Bischoff), ended up sounding like a total prick. With his reputation already on shaky grounds, Schiavone had trouble finding any job in wrestling post-WCW for quite some time. For months after the incident, [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} WWF]] fans would bring signs to shows that read, "Mick Foley put my butt in this seat!" thus launching their own take thats at Wrestling/{{WCW}}.

* [[Wrestling/{{EC3}} Ethan Carter]] The Third mocked WWE's tendency to rename wrestlers and refused to refer to Rycklon Stevens by his WWE name of Ezekiel Jackson, stating it was merely something that was pulled out of a bin.

* Wrestling/RomanReigns' [[https://shop.wwe.com/en/mens-black-roman-reigns-lifes-not-fair-t-shirt/p-353377891511098650+z-96-1636338039?_ref=p-TLP:m-GRID:i-r0c0:po-0 new T-shirt]] is a not-so-subtle shot to the complaints over him defeating Wrestling/CodyRhodes at [[Wrestling/WrestleMania WrestleMania 39]].

* Not to anyone specific, but, on the September 5, 2002 ''[=SmackDown!=]'', Wrestling/{{Rikishi}} explained to Wrestling/{{Edge}} that he had experienced "the ass of life," and that the Stinkface was his way of throwing everything bad he had experienced in his life back at people.

** Back when [[RedBaron "The Rated R Superstar"]] Wrestling/{{Edge}} was pushing the [=PG13=] rating to the limit and Wrestling/KurtAngle wanted to have deviant sex with Wrestling/BookerT's wife, TNA was going PG and announcing they had something better than the competition. "SIX" appeal, in reference to their new six sided ring. The commercial also said Wrestling/TripleH had a big ego and a small heart, in case fans were missing the more subtle messages.

To Wrestling/{{Edge}}: "Hide your wives, it's Edge! ...I have [[TwoWordsAddedEmphasis two words for you]]: [[Wrestling/MattHardy MATT FREAKING HARDY]]!\\

* In Missouri was the rated G superstar [[Wrestling/KellyKlein Mary Elizabeth Monroe]], riffing on Wrestling/{{Edge}} after WWE went PG. And there were many more, including at least one [=YouTube=] series that started referring to Edge as "The Rated G [[UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} Nintendo Wii]]" in response to the rating switch.

* At ''ECW Gangstas Paradise'', September 16, 1995, [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ecw/ecw-t.html ECW World Tag Team Champions]] Wrestling/{{Raven}} and Wrestling/StevieRichards defended the belts in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match against The Pit Bulls. During the third fall, Raven used an ether-soaked rag on PB #2, as a shot against Wrestling/JimCornette's booking techniques, with Wrestling/JoeyStyles saying, "Of all the low-down, old-time,, take that crap to [[Wrestling/{{SMW}} Smoky Mountain]]!"[[note]]For what happened next, see [[TooDumbToLive/ProWrestling Too Dumb To Live]][[/note]].

* In what is possibly the greatest take that in wrestling history, mostly because it predicted its own existence in a previous FunnyAneurysmMoment. Wrestling/JeffHardy feuded with Wrestling/CMPunk on the basis of him being a drug burnout. Punk defeated him in the end, since he was leaving anyway, taking his title, and getting him booted from the WWE. Not long after this feud ended, Jeff Hardy was arrested for drug trafficking. Punk of course, after WWE was supposedly not going to mention the incident, promptly mentioned it, as a massive take that at Jeff.

* There's a very obscure take that in ''WCW/nWo Thunder'' for UsefulNotes/PlayStation. Wrestling/EricBischoff, who was in the game, was given the Figure Four Leglock as a finisher, which is widely used by Wrestling/RicFlair. Bischoff and Flair absolutely hated each other. As an added bonus, Flair was in the game as well, but with no special moves of his own. It couldn't have been a coincidence.

-->'''Schiavone:''' This match is better than anything I called in 2000.

[[folder:TNA]]

* After the 2/12/20 edition of ''Dynamite'' went off the air, there was an impromptu tag match where Brandon Cutler and QT Marshall took on the team of UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} and Franchise/ScoobyDoo. This is a not-so-subtle shot at Wrestling/SethRollins and Wrestling/RomanReigns respectively. [[note]]Rollins has been referring himself as "The Monday Night Messiah" and Roman has been referred to as "The Big Dog".[[/note]]
* During the AEW [[PreciousPuppy Puppy]] Battle Royale that aired as part of the second night of 2020 ''Fyter Fest'', Tony Schiavone took a dig at his Wrestling/{{WCW}} past:

* With Brodie Lee's reveal as Wrestling/{{the Dark Order}}'s Exalted One, he says to Wrestling/ChristopherDaniels, "You're not the first [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon out of touch old man]] to not believe in me."

* Upon Wrestling/CMPunk's debut on the August 20, 2021 episode of ''Rampage,'' during his promo, he declared that he left professional wrestling when he left ''Ring of Honor''. An obvious shot towards ''WWE'', the company he competed in after leaving ROH.

* After TBS executives interfered with Russo's programming and forced him to cut way down on edgy material, Russo decided to repackage Lenny and Wrestling/{{Lodi}}, who had previously portrayed a homosexual tag team, as "Standards and Practices". The idea was that they would go around with a clipboard making sure that everything was up to the high moral code specified by TBS. Being that this was WCW, they were never properly introduced, the commentators failed to sell them well, and they were never pushed and rarely even used. Ironically, this led to [[SmurfetteBreakout the introduction]] of [[Wrestling/StacyKeibler Ms. Hancock]].

* The Right to Censor was a thinly veiled parody of the RealLife MoralGuardians, the Parents' Television Council that had targeted the WWF.

** One example, although one WWE deserved; in 2002, WWE was filming a segment for the Wrestling/RoyalRumble in Florida, when a number of TNA wrestlers (including [[Wrestling/RonKillings Ron "R-Truth" Killings]]) came over with cookies and balloons to greet them (let it be said that, despite working for rival companies, many wrestlers trained and worked together in independent promotions, and are very good friends.) Supposedly, WWE turned them away and refused to air the footage of the encounter. Subsequent episodes of Impact (which at this time aired on Fox Sports Net) made mention of this, and one of them featured a series of sketches with fake versions of Vince [=McMahon=] & Wrestling/TripleH heading through the Impact Zone to find "the footage." Finally, they find the tape and smash it with a sledgehammer, with Vince exclaiming "this isn't the footage! This is 'the best of D-Ray 3000'!" [[note]] A JokeCharacter that was popular at the time for his flashy moves and weird hair. [[/note]]

*** [[WhatAnIdiot But galaxies are]] ''[[WhatAnIdiot smaller]]'' [[WhatAnIdiot than universes.]]

** Wrestling/TommyDreamer complaining about WWE's use of ECW, even though TNA was doing the same thing. Although to be fair, TNA never went so low as Vince [=McMahon=]: ECW Champion!

** TNA... Excuse me, ''Impact Wrestling's'' entire slogan is that "Wrestling Matters." Except that this is blatantly out of retaliation of WWE's name change[[note]]From "World Wrestling Entertainment" to simply "WWE"[[/note]]. The in-show ads only add fuel to this as Eric Bischoff states that they're "Not afraid of the word 'Wrestling.'"

* During the AEW [[PreciousPuppy Puppy]] Battle Royale that aired as part of the second night of 2020 ''Fyter Fest''—yes, it's {{exactly|WhatItSaysOnTheTin}} that—Tony Schiavone took a dig at his Wrestling/{{WCW}} past:

* Wrestling/RingOfHonor got one in to WWE in one of their trailers for ''Death before Dishonor VIII'' how the PPV is not rated PG. They even show footage of a guy getting strangled by a tie in one of the trailers. [[note]][[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] was temporarily fired from WWE, supposedly for strangling someone with a tie, which supposedly reminded the sponsors of the Chris Benoit Murdercide incident.[[/note]]

* Happens a LOT on the independent level, usually in the form of an InJoke. If there's an unusual name for a wrestler/finisher/event, it's probably a pot shot at somebody.

* At ''ECW November to Remember'' '95, Wrestling/MikeyWhipwreck defneded the ECW Championship against [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin "The Extreme Superstar" Steve Austin,]] who was working as a parody of Wrestling/HulkHogan. Austin would hit a [[FinishingMove big boot followed by a leg drop]] only to get a two-count. Joey Styles would snark "That lame-ass crap won't work here in ECW."

** Brodie's "You wrestle with the gimmick ''I'' give you", as well as his forcing most of the Dark Order to wrestle in masks, is a take that to Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} promoter Mike Quackenbush.

* After the 2/12/20 edition of ''Dynamite'' went off the air, there was an impromptu tag match where Brandon Cutler and QT Marshall took on the team of UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} and Franchise/ScoobyDoo. This is a not-so-subtle shot at Wrestling/SethRollins and Wrestling/RomanReigns respectively. [[note]]Rollins has been referring himself as "The Monday Night Messiah" and Roman has been referred to as "The Big Dog."[[/note]]
* With Brodie Lee's reveal as the Dark Order's Exhalted One, he says to Wrestling/ChristopherDaniels, "You're not the first [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon out of touch old man]] to not believe in me."

--> '''Hogan''': I got one thing to say about six sides: you had it, and it only got you so far. Now we're takin' ya all the way, Jack! No more eight sides, no more six sides, no more stinkin' playpen rings! [[note]] It's 2017, the six sides are back and Hogan is long gone. [[/note]]

* Wrestling/TheMiz is moved to ''Raw'', proclaiming that he is awesome and trying to score with chicks, insulting Wrestling/JohnCena with arguments echoing the sentiments expressed by his online critics. Cena does not respond to these (or even notice The Miz) for about 8 weeks, due to either being involved in other feuds at the time or being physically incapacitated. Leading up to ''The Bash'', Cena finally confronts The Miz and tells him they have a main event match, the resulting match is Cena no-selling everything The Miz threw at him then beating him to a fine paste. He then continued to squash The Miz whenever they had a match ending on the ''Raw'' leading up to ''Wrestling/{{SummerSlam}}'' where The Miz had the help of 10 other wrestlers and Cena still came back, squashed him and pinned him, banning him from ''Raw''. In other words, WWE put so much time and effort just to say "fuck off" to the Cena haters. The Miz would come back a week later, as a slightly more serious wrestler; he would later win the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-us-h.html United States Championship]], the Raw Money in the Bank contract and the WWE Championship shortly thereafter, and successfully defend the WWE Championship in the main event of ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}}'', and then the Intercontinental Championship.

* In Missouri was the rated G superstar [[Wrestling/KellyKlein Mary Elizabeth Monroe]], riffing on Wrestling/{{Edge}} after WWE went PG. And there were many more, including at least one youtube series that started referring to Edge as "The Rated G [[UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} Nintendo Wii]]" in response to the rating switch.

** During Wrestling/JimCornette's State of the Union address, when he spoke to Wrestling/JeffJarrett about the title situation, he expressed his dislike of titles being awarded instead of being won and lost in the ring, specifically by their promoters. Whether if its to their neighbor or to their [[Wrestling/TripleH son-in-law]].

* During an ''Extreme Rules''-Edition of "Firefly Funhouse," Wrestling/BrayWyatt presents "the most horrifying, disgusting, revolting footage known to man.” [[ButtMonkey Ramblin' Rabbit]] shows footage of the maligned Smackdown Karaoke segment. Wyatt is not amused.