As noted earlier, WWE President Nick Khan addressed the rumor about potential content changes for Raw during yesterday’s Netflix-WWE media event. Despite the show being listed with a TV-14 rating on the streaming platform, Khan said that WWE programming will remain “family-friendly, multi-generational, advertiser-friendly.”
This clarification comes after speculation arose regarding a potential shift back towards the edgier content of the “Attitude Era,” prompted by the TV-14 rating displayed on Raw’s Netflix page. Khan unequivocally dismissed these rumors, stating, “We’re not changing the rating of our programming. There’s some online chatter about, oh, it’s gonna be R-rated, or for us old folks, like X-rated. That’s definitely not happening.”
However, Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live offered insight into a subtle but potentially significant change viewers might notice. While Alvarez believes the overall content of Raw will remain largely the same, he anticipates a more relaxed approach to censoring crowd chants.
“I don’t this 100 percent but I’m probably about 99 percent sure the one thing you will see different when they go to Netflix is less bleeping out of crowd chants, “Alvarez stated. He explained that previous discussions about a potential TV-14 rating were primarily motivated by WWE’s frustration with having to heavily censor audience reactions.
Alvarez elaborated, “There was a deal a while ago where there had been some discussion about Raw maybe going to TV-14 or something like that. Of course, it didn’t happen but people were all excited. I was told literally the reason they wanted to explore that had nothing to do with any of the content of the show but they hate having to completely bleep and silence the crowd when they chant profanities. I think on Netflix that will end but as far as the rest of it, it’s gonna be just like it is right now. There’s not gonna be any naked women or whatever you saw back in the 90’s.”
The first WWE Raw on Netflix airs on January 6 and it’s expected to be a stacked show presented like a PLE.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit F4WOnline.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
