For the past decade, WWE fans have had a slightly watered down product compared to some of the more popular eras in the wrestling industry. Beginning on July 22nd, 2008 – WWE received a TV-PG rating from the TV Parental Guidelines. This choice got a lot of backlash from fans, as they toned down violence and looked to appeal more to children – but like all eras in wrestling, the PG era is coming to an end.
Monday Night RAW To Return To TV-14 Rating
In a report from Andrew Zarain of the Mat Man podcast, we learned that starting on the July 18th 2022 episode of Monday Night RAW, they are going back to a TV-14 rating. This is what WWE carried through the Ruthless Aggression & Attitude Eras, and could indicate a move back to a more edgy product once again.
WWE fans and talent have been hoping this would come for years, as it could cut down on one-dimensional characters and overly scripted programming. With the rise of AEW which carries a TV-14 rating showing that TV networks aren’t scared of having some blood on their programming, and the critical acclaim of AEW Dynamite – this could have helped WWE make the choice to make some changes.
NXT 2.0 & Smackdown Live To Remain PG For The Time
Family friendly programming in professional wrestling has it’s time and place, and it helped WWE appeal to corporate sponsors, but it’s led to WWE bleeding out their fanbase – with more and more people leaving by the week. As of right now, Monday Night RAW will return to TV-14, while NXT 2.0 & Smackdown Live will remain PG for the time. This allows WWE to have their cake and eat it too in a way.
WWE is a company that changes their opinions quite wildly, and might just be trying out the TV-14 rating for a bit before fully committing. It will be a bit before we see if it has positive impacts on the stale WWE product, but it’s hopefully a step in the right direction.
Will the freedom given by a TV-14 rating make Monday NIght RAW a better watch? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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