10 Times WWE's PG Era Went Too Far

6. The Seasonal "Sh*t" Counter

Paige Natalya
WWE.com

WWE appears to have worked something out with the USA Network ahead of every WrestleMania season, because that's when things get a lil' sh*tty. RAW is mostly sh*t all year 'round, of course, but the actual word 'sh*t' is crammed into promos in an artificial attempt to make the rivalries feel more acrimonious.

It only really works to accentuate the programmes if the programmes are worth a damn in the first place; the CM Punk Vs. Chris Jericho feud of 2012 never really clicked, and so when Punk screamed "You're bullsh*t" at Jericho, for dredging up his hard upbringing in a psychological ploy, it felt like obvious desperation to steal focus from the Rock/Cena storyline more than a natural escalation of their conflict.

Shayna Baszler this year promised to "beat the sh*t" out of Becky Lynch, and you could almost see the smug, got 'em smile on Paul Heyman's face, it was so crowbarred-in for empty shock value. The less-is-more approach should work, in theory, but the timing of it is too convenient - read, contrived - to get over.

Basically, I'll stop whinging when somebody gets called a c*nt before Stomping Grounds.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!