JBL believes WWE is making the correct business decision by removing potentially controversial material from Netflix replays, arguing that protecting sponsorships and future media rights deals is far more important than preserving every moment from the live broadcast.
Netflix VP of Sports Gabe Spitzer recently told Richard Deitsch’s Sports Media podcast that discussions with WWE regarding blood and language are relatively uncommon and that Netflix generally attempts to provide more flexibility than a traditional broadcast network.
However, fans have noticed instances where material shown live has subsequently been removed from Netflix replays. One recent example involved a backstage segment between Paige and Nikki Bella, where a line that generated a significant reaction during the live broadcast was absent from the replay.
During Something to Wrestle With, Conrad Thompson asked JBL whether the motivation could be protecting sponsors, encouraging viewers to watch WWE programming live or safeguarding future television rights agreements.
JBL believes all three factors matter, although sponsorship and media rights are significantly more important. “I think all three of your points are all correct. The least out of those is number two, where you talk about you want fans to watch it live,” he said. “It’s much more important to have the TV rights. It’s much more important to have the sponsorship.”
JBL framed WWE’s decision as a simple assessment of potential reward against financial risk. “Think about the upside risk against the downside risk. The upside of leaving it in, what do you get from that? You get a very small percentage of fans who are going to be appreciative of it,” JBL said. “And most of the fans, my guess would be something around 80, 90 percent, and that’s just a guess, go, I don’t care. There was blood there. They’re not going to show it. Cool. I’m just here for the content anyway.”
In JBL’s view, the potential consequences of upsetting even a single major sponsor outweigh whatever benefit WWE could receive from keeping questionable material intact. “The downside is huge, because if one sponsor, just one, says this product is too edgy, because you’ve said something that was off colour or tasteless by a person being a heel, or you show blood or you show an injury, and a sponsor goes, I just don’t think that’s the right fit for us, the downside risk on that is massive,” he said.
For that reason, JBL believes WWE should consistently choose caution whenever there is uncertainty over whether something could create an issue for its business partners. “If you’re WWE, always err on the side of caution. That’s just business. If there’s any doubt whatsoever, take it out, because you’re talking about future sponsorships. You’re talking about future TV deals,” JBL said. “You’re not going to gain one of those future TV deals by showing five extra seconds of blood somewhere, but you could lose it by showing that five extra seconds of blood somewhere.”
WWE’s move to Netflix initially created expectations that its programming could become less restrictive. The first Raw on the streaming service in January 2025 notably featured an uncensored expletive from The Rock, although subsequent edits to replays have shown that material broadcast live will not necessarily remain in archived versions.
Elsewhere during the podcast, Thompson attempted to get JBL to reveal another piece of information WWE has kept under wraps: the date of WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh.
Nick Khan recently revealed on The Varsity that creative plans for WrestleMania 43 have already been mapped out, subject to injuries, and confirmed two nights of watch parties at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. WWE has still not officially announced the dates for the event.
JBL, who works on AAA broadcasts and is expected to appear during one of the Madison Square Garden events, initially avoided giving Thompson a direct answer. “It’s the day that you’re having the watch along party in Madison Square Garden, and you’re gonna have NXT. You’re gonna have NXT the one. Not doing that AAA the next night,” he said.
When Thompson noted that WWE talent receive their schedules through an internal app, JBL confirmed such a system exists but made it clear he doesn’t use it. “They used to hand us calendar pages, like three or four months of calendar pages,” he said. “Conrad, I don’t even have a f**ing talent relations app on my phone.”*
After Thompson suggested he install it, JBL refused. “No, I don’t want to go on my phone. I got some fing app,” JBL said. “How about you email me the calendar if you’ve got one, or I’ll call the person I know who still works there and say, hey, when is the travel for this or that? And then they email it to me. I don’t want to be on a fing app.”
Eventually, JBL narrowed the timeframe down — although not by much. “What are you so upset about? It’s a day that’s somewhere around March, April, May, June, July next year,” JBL said.
Thompson argued that the lack of an announced date creates a practical issue for fans planning international travel. WrestleMania 43 will be the first WrestleMania staged outside the United States and Canada, meaning fans traveling to Saudi Arabia will need additional time to arrange flights and accommodation.
The pair discussed several possible explanations for WWE withholding the date, with JBL suggesting there could be multiple factors involved and Thompson raising the possibility that an early announcement would give competing promotions additional time to schedule events around WrestleMania weekend.
WrestleMania 43 was announced for Riyadh by Triple H and Turki Alalshikh in September 2025 and is expected to take place in April 2027, although WWE has yet to officially confirm the dates.
