WWE’s PG Era Concludes Amid Regime Transition

WWE has evidently transitioned into a brand-new era demonstrating major changes in the product that has garnered huge traction and numbers like never seen before under the leadership of WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

Since The Game officially took over the reins, the WWE product has seen a lot of switches, one of them being the occasional use of swearing, which Triple H has addressed as well, in promos of stars like The Rock, Cody Rhodes, and Paul Heyman.

According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, these interviews and promos are seen as the symbolic end of the PG era in wrestling. While changes to TV programming are still under consideration, no firm decisions have been made.

This could be influenced by upcoming shifts like RAW moving to Netflix and NXT to CW, with input from broadcasters and sponsors. The recent emphasis on maintaining a PG image, evident in memos and other communications, seems to be waning, particularly in non-television platforms and social media.

Moreover, Paul Heyman’s HOF speech, which garnered significant attention on social media, also served as a tribute to the legacy of ECW, effectively closing that chapter in WWE’s history.

“It was said to us that the Rock interviews and Heyman promo are considered the official end of the PG era. This isn’t to say that the TV shows will be changing. That is something talked about but no decision has been made, but I’m guessing a decision will be made at the end of the year when Raw goes to Netflix and NXT to CW, based on what those broadcasters want and also what sponsors will be comfortable with. So that will be determined months from now, but the attempts to keep things PG in the big picture which had been a big thing to the point of the memo being sent out about it several weeks back, such as in social media or in non-television shows, is now no longer the case.“

“Another thing about the Heyman speech, which set social media records for a Hall of Fame speech viewing, is that it was also meant as the spiritual closing of the book by WWE on ECW and essentially having it be the Hall of Fame key act. That’s why Heyman spent so much time on it, why Stephanie McMahon wore an ECW bonnet in the front row during the speech and why Tommy Dreamer, RVD and The Dudleys were placed where they were to hug Heyman as he came out. Heyman was going in any way as Paul Levesque’s first-ever Hall of Fame pick, and being in Philadelphia, but it was very much to acknowledge ECW in Philadelphia.”

With the PG era potentially coming to a close, it will be interesting to see WWE revert back to its old roots that made it a global sports entity in the new era as the product continues to grow week after week.

What are your thoughts on WWE’s PG era ending as per reports? Do you think the new era would garner business for WWE like no other time period? Sound off in the comments!