WWE Reportedly Considers Recent Promos The End Of 'The PG Era'

The divisive PG era may finally be at an end. Over the past few months there have been noticeable deviations from the previous softer approach to weekly TV. Both Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes have shed blood in segments, and the expletives picked up on the road to WrestleMania — especially during The Rock's segments. 

Dave Meltzer wrote during this week's "Wrestling Observer Newsletter" that such segments involving Rock, as well as Paul Heyman, are being spoken of as the end of the PG era. He adds that there has been no flat decision made on whether the company as a whole is heading in that direction, but he speculated that a decision will be made at the end of the year when "WWE Raw" goes to Netflix and "WWE NXT" to The CW. That is a decision that will largely come down to the stance the broadcasters and subsequent sponsors take on the matter. However, Meltzer concludes that outside of TV and in terms of the bigger picture there is much less emphasis on keeping things PG.  

WWE first introduced its PG product in 2008 as a swift departure from the edgy tone fans were familiar with during the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras. The decision, while divisive in its translation to programming, was made to attract a wider general audience and thus more lucrative sponsors. And while the argument is often made that it proceeded a downward curve in programming quality, there is more than enough merit to the counter-point from a fiscal standpoint.