9 Things You Didn't Know About WWE Backlash
8. Channel 4 In The UK Digitised Blood And Censored Violence For 2000 Event
It was frustrating being a WWE fan in the UK in 2000, let me tell you.
Terrestrial (non-subscription based) station Channel 4 had acquired the rights to show five of the company's pay-per-views (as well as Sunday Night Heat) in the country in December '99. The first event they broadcast was the sublime 2000 Royal Rumble.
Channel 4 brass - who apparently hadn't been watching much WWF television over the past couple of years - were completely aghast at what they had seen, namely the chaotic and bloody street fight between Triple H and Mick 'Cactus Jack' Foley along with OAP Mae Young flashing her bare breasts (actually prosthetics).
They were concerned and made sure to take precautions the next time they aired a WWF supercard, which was April's Backlash. The event was shown on a 50 minute delay, which gave C4 censors enough time to prevent a moral panic by digitising the blood on X-Pac's forehead and freeze framing the moment before Trish Stratus was put through a table by Bubba Dudley.
UK fans were outraged at the channel's scissorhands, since the event was shown post-watershed at about 1am, meaning kids shouldn't (in theory) be watching anyway. Channel 4 showed the remainder of the WWF pay-per-views uncut, before selling the rights back to Sky.