WWE's PG Era May FINALLY Be Over...
Netflix graphic lists WWE Raw and SmackDown as TV-14 and TV-MA in January.
A Netflix graphic advertising WWE Raw and SmackDown with non-PG television ratings has sparked speculation on the potential end of an era in WWE.
The graphic shown below has been making the rounds this week. All of WWE's mainline brands are featured, though only NXT has the expected TV-PG rating. Raw and SmackDown are down as TV-14 and TV-MA, respectively.
The dates for each show's arrival on Netflix in non-United States markets, starting with Raw on Monday, 6 January, are also featured. While all three WWE brands will feature on the market-leading streamer internationally from January, this isn't the case in the US, with SmackDown broadcasting on USA Network and NXT on The CW.
WWE has not officially indicated that it'll be moving away from TV-PG, which it adopted to appeal to younger fans, encourage brand loyalty, and appeal to sponsors in July 2008. Conveniently, this came one year before Linda McMahon's first US Senate campaign kicking off the following September.
The much-maligned PG Era saw WWE dial down its use of profanity and violence, which WWE thought would "give the audience what they want in a far more sophisticated way." It has often been used as a touchstone during times of fan discontent, with groups regularly pointing to TV-PG as a cause of creative decline, though it has unquestionably been a huge business success for WWE. By 2013, the promotion had tripled its revenues thanks to new sponsorship deals enabled by its safer style of programming.
WWE Raw & SmackDown Listed As TV-14 & TV-MA From January
TV-PG's impact on WWE's profitability means a widescale move away from the rating seems unlikely. And with SmackDown and NXT remaining on television in January, it's wise to take a Netflix-produced graphic on their status with a pinch of salt - at least for now.
The last period of intense speculation on WWE's PG rating came in July 2022, when Andrew Zarian reported that Raw was to be TV-14 on USA Network going forward. Later, in a follow-up, Zarian stated that the deal hadn't been finalised, but the change was in consideration for a later date.
PWInsider then reported in August that while there was "smoke to the fire" at the time, there were no plans for WWE's TV ratings to change, with programming set to remain TV-PG for the foreseeable future.
Then, in April 2024, Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
It was said to us that the Rock interviews and Heyman promo are considered the official end of the PG era. This isn’t to say that the TV shows will be changing. That is something talked about but no decision has been made, but I’m guessing a decision will be made at the end of the year when Raw goes to Netflix and NXT to CW, based on what those broadcasters want and also what sponsors will be comfortable with.