WWE SummerSlam Listed With TV-14 Rating On Peacock, Then Changed To TV-PG
Ratings switch comes days after memo suggested Raw was going TV-14 too.
WWE's upcoming SummerSlam premium live event was designated with a TV-14 rating as recently as Wednesday afternoon... only for the rating to be switched to "TV-PG" by that evening on the Peacock app.
This marks the second time in less than a week that WWE's broadcast partners produced information indicating that the company's programming was going to switch back to TV-14 for the first time in 14 years. Last week, a memo from USA Network indicated that WWE Raw was switching from a TV-PG rating to TV-14 for the 18 July episode. However, it was quickly determined that the memo was prematurely circulated and the rating change was not happening.
Wednesday, the internet was briefly abuzz about next Saturday's SummerSlam being listed as a TV-14 event on Peacock, only for the app to change it to TV-PG.
SummerSlam is currently listed as TV-14 on @peacockTV #WWE #summerslam #TV14 pic.twitter.com/w0nDksZAsb
— Andrew Zarian (@AndrewZarian) July 20, 2022
The bait-and-switch about WWE's rating is a strange phenomenon. WWE programming has been PG since July 22, 2008, which some fans have blamed for limiting the company's ability to produce quality content. However, cable TV shows aren't required to meet certain criteria for various ratings -- meaning that even as a PG show, WWE could still produce Attitude Era-style content. Their sponsors might disagree, however.
Are these recent teases of TV-14 programming innocent errors, or are they testing the waters for what's coming? NXT 2.0 has been more risqué even as a PG program, so it's anybody's guess.