There was an interesting thing to note about WWE Smackdown last night, and it’s that the normal PG rating on the top of the screen was a PG-14. Yep, the WWE is PG-14.
Yep, it looks like the WWE may finally be heading back to edgier content to ramp up the war with AEW.
But are they really switching or is this just a trend to try to get viewers back?
Honestly, we think it’s both, but does that really matter?
Whether they’re actually switching to a new era or just doing it for the moment to get some viewers back doesn’t matter.
What does matter is it’s about time and maybe we will finally get something worthwhile, even if it’s just for a couple of episodes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWiENNlO3H8
Secret giveaway
This happened without any fanfare as on last night’s Smackdown (8/14), the PG rating at the top of the screen said PG-14.
Yep. Ladies and gentlemen, we are officially back in the Attitude Era level of things, but it’s going to take some time.
To be honest, we expected as much following the Eye for an Eye match at Extreme Rules and after seeing the brutal images Dominic Mysterio shared of his double kendo attack by Seth Rollins and Murphy on last week’s Raw.
Playing into this is the match stipulation added to Rollins and Dominic’s SummerSlam match.
It’s now a Street Fight, meaning there are no disqualifications.
While everything is pointing up, Smackdown was still pretty tame, but things should start picking up in time for SummerSlam, and to be honest, the Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman match needs to be as brutal as they can safely manage it to sell it.
We can thank AEW
The WWE has denied this since the beginning, but they’ve shown every sign of being scared of AEW.
From demanding retired talent choose the WWE or AEW and forcing fans to remove their AEW paraphernalia, it stank of fear.
We come to the same conclusion when we look at how they put NXT, their best brand (though underrated by viewership), against AEW Dynamite, it was only to divide the audience and hurt AEW.
It’s everything Vince McMahon spoke out against during the Monday Night Wars, but we’ve all learned history is what he rewrites it as.
While this is a welcomed change, it comes at a time when AEW is flagging some. Their ratings have stayed true, but their booking and in ring work (Young Bucks, looking at you) has slackened to the point of unbelievability.
Not to mention how they’ve treated the big men like Brodie Lee, Lance Archer, and Brian Cage. They built them up only to have them lose and mostly disappear.
Another issue is the executive responsible for AEW being on TNT was recently fired, and the deck looks stacked against them.
Now that the WWE is PG-14, this is the moment many of us expected at some point, and now that someone may have gotten through to Vince McMahon, it could be an interesting fight.
But will this new era last for a few days or years?
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