WWE Appears to Have Altered Its Policy on Blood in Wrestling Matches

WWE has a big show planned for their January 1st episode, as they kick things into high gear to start 2024. That also included a match getting some color that fans aren’t used to seeing.

Ringside News provided comprehensive coverage of WWE RAW’s January 1st’s Day One episode. They hyped a champion’s return, and that’s what they got with The Rock, but another former Champion also bled during the show.

Dave Meltzer mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE’s change in stance regarding the use of blood in matches. In the past, WWE had been quite cautious about showcasing blood, typically reserving it for special occasions or major pay-per-view events, like matches involving Brock Lesnar. However, during the episode in question, WWE not only allowed blood but also drew attention to it, using terms like “blood bath” during the match.

Becky Lynch, in her bout against Nia Jax, ended up with a bloody mouth, and this was far from accidental. WWE made a deliberate choice to incorporate blood into the match, and they even highlighted it with close-up shots and commentary.

“Not only did they do blood in this match and it was obviously not accidental blood but they called attention to it. They used the word “blood bath” during this match. For a long time they shyed away from the blood. They would always do it on certain occasions, like a big pay-per-view match with Brock Lesnar or something but this was on TV and they did close ups of the blood and they talked about the blood. So that whole thing about the other guy doing the blood is bad for wrestling well, I guess they changed their tune tonight.”

WWE could have changed up any number of things internally, especially when it comes to the level of violence that they are willing to show. The fact is that the UFC shows a lot more blood than WWE, and TKO Group Holdings may have also played a part in this staple of an era gone by returning for WWE.

As a reminder, you can check out our WWE Monday Night RAW coverage hub. We cover all of WWE’s events, including RAW, SmackDown, NXT, and every pay-per-view event.

Do you think having blood in matches adds an extra element to the matches? Are you a fan of it? Let us know what you think in the comments to let us know what you think!

Transcription by Ringside News