10 Times WWE Caved To Public Pressure

10. Guidance

On July 22nd 2008, an episode of WWE Smackdown aired with a PG rating at the top of the show. It reflected a move away from the company's long-held TV-14/TV-PG DLV (suggestive Dialogue/infrequent coarse Language/moderate Violence) benchmarks that had carefully positioned the show as potentially unsuitable for children since the Attitude Era.

For many years, it was a tightrope the company walked with aplomb - though far from the chaos and carnage on display weekly at the turn of the century, WWE were still able to do virtually anything they wanted on Monday Night Raw whilst guiding parents to their weekend vehicles for safely packaged and edited snatches of Raw's best bits. It was an open secret that kids watched anyway, but WWE could at least feign ignorance to the obvious reality in various meetings with notoriously testy sponsors and advertisers.

An impending action figure deal with toy giant Mattel in 2009 solidified the stance. It was posited as the biggest licensing agreement in company history at that point, and would indirectly dictate several key decisions made for real and in kayfabe in the years that followed. The most recent deal extended the relationship through until 2019. Those still clinging on to faint 'RIP PG' hopes have at least another year to stew.