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This past week on Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live, the WWE Universe witnessed a bunch of moments which certainly weren't in line with the company's PG direction. On Raw, Maria Kanellis insulted her husband and talked about letting Becky impregnate her. Additionally, the ending to Strowman vs Lashley resulted in Corey Graves letting out a "Holy s**t" on air. On the blue show, Kofi Kingston showed his middle finger to his Extreme Rules opponent, Samoa Joe.
A fan asked WOR's Dave Meltzer whether WWE is transitioning out of the PG Era, and he responded with a simple 'yes'. This has led to the fans speculating in droves, on WWE finally going back to what it once was. But is the transition as easy as it sounds on paper?
Let's take a look at 5 legit reasons WWE can't leave the PG Era behind, contrary to what the rumors say.
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#5 The world isn't what it was once
The world as a whole has changed drastically over the course of the past 2 decades. Back in 1999, WWE could come up with racy material and use it in storylines without getting any kind of heat for the same. This is exactly what happened in storylines such as Undertaker forcefully trying to marry Stephanie, Mae Young giving birth to a hand, and many more.
Imagine the outrage the company will attract if it airs these kind of segments on live TV in today's world, where the minutest of mistakes have led to companies getting shut down. It would be a terrible idea on WWE's part to even think of such an angle, which is bound to trigger masses in droves.
#4 The Women's Revolution thrived during the PG Era
At this year's WrestleMania, three women headlined the show and the final image of the night was a woman getting her hands raised with 80,000 fans cheering for her. This is a scenario that one couldn't even think of during the late 90s and the early 2000s, even when WWE had incredibly talented women like Trish Stratus and Lita.
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The previous eras viewed women as nothing but eye-candy, with viewers witnessing embarrassing 2-minute matches on a weekly basis, plus specialty matches that WWE can't even think of airing on TV in today's era.
The PG Era gave WWE the opportunity to change with the times and give women a chance to showcase their in-ring skills, which resulted in the birth of the Women's Revolution. With Stephanie McMahon hell-bent on highlighting women more than ever, bringing back the programming that held them back isn't exactly a good idea.
#3 The sponsors and associations
After transitioning to PG back in 2008, WWE began associating itself with organizations like Susan G. Komen, Special Olympics, and Make-A-Wish. Even at its peak during the Attitude Era, mainstream media tried to stay away from WWE, courtesy its weekly programming that wasn't exactly family-friendly. Barring rare exceptions like Mike Tyson being involved with WrestleMania 14, WWE struggled to tie up with advertisers that catered primarily to families.
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WWE Superstars have granted thousands of wishes via the Make-A-Wish foundation. They regularly represent the company in various events and TV shows. Major advertisers bring lots of positive exposure and mainstream attention to the company, something no organization would want to miss on. World-renowned brands like Snickers wouldn't want to be associated with WWE if it drops the PG direction.
#2 A large chunk of WWE's market consists of kids
Possibly the biggest plus of the PG Era is the fact that WWE became accessible to kids all across the world. Parents began taking their children to WWE shows without worrying about what they would end up seeing live. With kids, comes a huge opportunity to sell tons of merchandise and other WWE products such as championship belts, action figures, and other stuff.
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This was one of the major reasons why John Cena was toned down from the Dr. of Thugonomics to a good guy who could do no wrong. It resulted in him selling the highest amount of merch for years. The formula did hamper weekly ratings, but the merch sales and exposure made up for it. Leaving PG behind would mean alienating families and children, which would be a terrible business decision.
#1 WWE's goal to become a global business mogul
Today, WWE boasts a billion social media followers, and is a globally recognized brand that regularly attracts mainstream attention. Vince McMahon turned WWE from one of several wrestling corporations in North America, to the biggest wrestling giant in the world.
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It's no secret that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have a vision to turn the company into a global media mogul. In a recent interview, Stephanie compared WWE to Disney, and added that both companies carve out sophisticated storylines for the audience.
She stated that WWE could become as big of a global phenomenon as Disney, in around 20-30 years. With this vision in mind, there's no way Stephanie and Triple H would think of turning their back on the PG Era and embrace an edgier product that is bound to put a barrier on their vision.
