NBC Universal (NBCU) is censoring some of the “controversial” content from old WWE shows, much to the disappointment of wrestling fans.
NBCU recently acquired the WWE Network, including its library of old TV shows, which are now available on NBC’s streaming service Peacock.
Most of the recent WWE programming has paled in comparison to the classic era, but its older content – that brought WWE to great prominence – would cause tensions in the current social climate of cancel mobs and decreased tolerance, and major networks such as NBC are quick to cave.
From TV Web:
“It’s going to take some time for Peacock to add more content from the WWE Network library, so time will tell how much more from WWE’s past will end up getting the axe. During the late 90s and early 2000s, the company was in the midst of what’s called the “Attitude Era,” a period of time when WWE was aiming for a more mature audience. This was the time when characters like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker, The Rock, and Mick Foley were able to flourish with beer drinking, hardcore violence, and even nudity sometimes making it into wrestling shows.”
It is not clear how much more content will be cancelled. Understandably, some WWE fans will not be thrilled with the censorship.
Some of the removed content has previously faced backlash, according to TVWEB. That said, there has not been a campaign calling for censorship of WWE Network’s content, meaning NBCU is censoring preemptively.
