There has been a lot of discussion among WWE talent regarding their frustration with the double standard that results from The Rock’s use of profanity in his promos, now that he is back on television.
Fans have wanted WWE to do more Attitude Era-style programming for years, but it wasn’t allowed under the Vince McMahon regime due to its PG rating. Thanks to Triple H’s creative vision, things have changed since last year.
WWE even let Cody Rhodes bleed during an angle with the former WWE Champion. Rhodes and Punk have also used language more appropriate for adults. Paul Heyman used explicit language in his Hall of Fame speech as well.
In the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that things have changed since the company sent a memo reminding talent to keep their language PG weeks ago.
According to reports, staying PG is out of the question for top talent. It is still unclear what the mandate will be for the remainder of the roster.
Meltzer wrote, “We were told that everything is up in the air as far as going forward as there is a recognition that going farther in this direction will draw a younger audience, as it did 25 years ago, but they also want to not be in a position where sponsors are squeamish so it’s a balancing act. But if Rock doesn’t have 100 percent carte blanche to do what he wants, he has at last close to that.”
Melzer added, “We haven’t seen any examples with underneath talent but we’ve seen far racier language among the top talent and they are trying to create an Attitude Era vibe.”
Last week, Paul “Triple H” Levesque explained his stance on profanity and blood usage:
“It’s not a shift of philosophy. It’s just when it’s needed, pull the trigger. But the discipline is only pulling the trigger when it really means something and when it’s shocking, not when it’s just, we should do this. ‘Yeah, I should just use a bunch of profanity today.’ It doesn’t matter. You don’t need it. It’s a crutch, to be honest. All that stuff is a crutch.”
