Is PG era over in WWE?

WWE seems to be undergoing a massive change. It looks like the PG Era might have finally come to an end. The fans who were used to watching different kinds of storylines in the past are highly excited by the change. Some of the actions have indicated going old-school to the era of Attitude Era and Ruthless Aggression Era, which are considered to be the best period in the history of the company. There might be a reason behind the transition of WWE, which has come to the notice of the fans and the Wrestling fraternity. 

WWE recently announced a massive collaboration with Netflix. It looks like the streaming platform wants no censoring of some of the key events and moments which might attract more audience to watch the shows. It has led to WWE moving away from the types of stories they had in the last few years. Many seem to have liked the slow transition. There is also a criticism for the transition, most of whom are used to the PG Era. Here are some of the instances and decisions that have highlighted the transition. 

Brawl between Logan Paul and Kevin Owens during a practice session

Logan Paul and Kevin Owens have been in a long feud in the last few months. It is regarded as one of the best feuds in recent times for a mid-card, as a good heel has emerged from it. They took on each other for the US Title in the Royal Rumble 2024. The two competed in the Elimination Chamber 2024 match hoping to headline the Wrestle Mania XL. Ahead of the Chamber match, the two were in a practice session.

After the session, Logan Paul provoked Owens to attack him. It indeed worked as the former world champion attacked Logan. The security guards around them tried to stop the brawl. The fans felt that such things were not possible if Vince McMahon was among the creative teams. It was one of those moments that gave the early signs of changes to be witnessed by the audience in the days to come.

Candice LaRae personally attacking Maxxine Dupri

Candice Larae has been having a feud with Maxxine Dupri after the conclusion of the Elimination Chamber 2024. While there is nothing worth seeing in their feud in terms of Wrestling skills, their feud has raised eyebrows for verbal attacks of Candice LaRae. It shocked many fans as they were not used to it. Candice personally attacked Maxxine by bringing her deceased brother into the equation.

"You know why everyone boo’s you? You don’t belong here. Do you think the internet hates you? You should hear what the girls in the locker room say. It’s a good thing your dead brother isn’t here to see what an embarrassment you’ve become," said LaRae and pinned a mentally down Dupri. Bringing personal life incidents to the WWE stories was not a norm in the last few years of the PG Era.

Cuss words getting uncensored

In some of the latest segments of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown, cuss words are not being censored. It might be a glimpse of what the future of the company might look like. In the PG Era, the cuss words were used but censored. However, in some of the recent promos, the Superstars used cuss words and there was no censoring of the same. There were many such instances from different wrestlers.

In the feud of Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins against the Bloodline, both The Rock and Cody Rhodes had exchanges against each other, which involved cuss words. However, they were not censored. As CM Punk returned to Monday Night Raw in Chicago, he took a funny dig at Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre. Even in his promo, there were cuss words that were not censored. In the future, uncensoring of cuss words might be a norm.

Usage of blood

The usage of blood is not new in WWE. However, it was limited in the PG Era. Whenever it was used, the fans highly criticized the company for doing so. It meant that some of the fans who liked the usage of blood were disappointed. Many wanted WWE to bring back the usage of blood, as they felt it to be one of the authentic forms of the human body's reactions in a Wrestling match of high intensity.

In the latest episode of Monday Night Raw, Cody Rhodes was smashed by The Rock. The aftermath of the incident was so bad that Cody started to bleed on his forehead. The Rock fulfilled the promise that he whispered in the ears of the American Nightmare earlier the night. The fans liked the fact that Blood was reintroduced in WWE after a long time. The segment is regarded as one of the best Raw has ever produced. 

Involving family in feuds

Feuds in WWE have been of different kinds. They revolve around the different motives of the characters. While some of them are bland and do not have any intention other than winning, some of them are personal. In the past, some storylines were written to make feuds look more authentic. It led to the involvement of family and friends of the Superstars. Fans in the past loved such feuds which involved family members.

However, during the PG Era, such feuds were no more a reality. The lead-up to Wrestle Mania XL has witnessed some feuds that have gone personal. In The Rock's promo, the Great One addressed the mother of Cody Rhodes. 'Mamma' Rhodes is one of the key focal points of the promo. Likewise, Rhea Ripley in her latest promo targeted Becky Lynch's daughter, which has led to heated arguments between the two.

Backstage brawls

Backstage brawls are not new in WWE. They were prevalent even in the PG Era. But some of the recent feuds have made fans believe that the Attitude Era style of storyline is back. In the promos between The Rock and Cody Rhodes, the former mercilessly attacked the latter and made him bleed. The promo was brilliantly cut and gave the fans the vibes of the Attitude Era where such promos were a norm. 

In the latest Friday Night SmackDown episode, Randy Orton found out that Logan Paul was hiding under the ring. Both he and Randy Orton chased the US Champion leaving their match midway. Paul managed to escape by riding a car. Such segments have led to the fans believing that the WWE under the creative head of Triple H is trying to bring back the old days when such promos were being executed quite regularly.

LA Knight attacking AJ Styles in his house, Bayley attacking Iyo Sky after the photoshoot

The two segments have been brilliant. LA Knight and AJ Styles have been in a feud ever since the latter returned to WWE. The prime focus of their feud has been how Knight 'walked over' injured Styles to steal his chances. As a result, both have gone against each other. In the Men's Chamber match. Styles attacked Knight and cost him a chance to headline the Wrestle Mania XL. Following that, Styles did not appear in SMackDown for a couple of weeks.

Knight went in search of the Phenomenal One and found him in his house. Knight attacked Styles in his house which gave rise to a fiery promo. In another promo, Bayley attacked Iyo Sky soon after the photo shoot she had ahead of the Wrestle Mania XL. Such promos took the fans back in the memory lane as they remembered the past 'hospital' promo between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon in the Attitude Era.