10 Banned Segments WWE Had To Censor
4. Trish Stratus “Barks Like A Dog”
Ready for some awkward spotlight on WWE's on/off vibes with UK broadcasters? You got it, people.
The 5 March 2001 edition of Raw didn't beam live to viewers in England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland (both Northern and Republic) that week. Instead, as was typical for the time, it aired on tape delay the following weekend. Normally, Sky Sports carried Raw on a Friday night.
That gave the channel's team plenty of time to edit tapes if there was anything they felt would be unsuitable to show on-screen. What happened on that 5 March flagship? Vince McMahon forced Trish Stratus to strip down to her underwear and "bark like a dog", that's what.
Sky Sports cut that portion of the show from their own broadcast. They weren't alone in thinking McMahon's booking had gone too far, but Vince revelled in the negative publicity and even boasted about it on SmackDown after the fact.
For their part, Sky Sports showed McMahon's gloating promo on the blue brand, but they edited out recaps of the Raw footage there as well. The more they rallied against the WWF's wishes, the more Vince puffed out his chest and tried to push his narrative.
Trish has pointed out the problems with that "bark like a dog" skit, but she's also defended herself as a TV character not a real person. However, this sensationalistic creative call raised questions about the role of women in pro wrestling, and it defo didn't sit well with a lot of folks.
Sky wouldn't be the first British broadcaster to shut the fed down.