Controversial Max Caster Rap Edited Out Of AEW Dark

AEW has edited one of Max Caster's signature raps out of last night's episode of Dark, despite airing the content as part of the show's initial live stream.

No entrances were shown for The Acclaimed, The Blade, and Matt Hardy vs. the Varsity Blonds and Sydal Brothers, with the wrestlers starting the match in the ring on the version of Dark uploaded to YouTube. The rap was shown when Dark went out live, however.

Designed to spark shock, Caster's rap featured lines like "make you claim mental health like Simone Biles", a r*pe joke centred around the Duke lacrosse case of 2006, and COVID-19 conspiracy content ("those dudes are faker than a PCR test"). This came just 24 hours after WWE was widely criticised for using Biles' situation to generate heat for Charlotte Flair on Raw.

That Caster dropped the Duke line as part of a show designed to benefit domestic abuse and sexual assault survivors (Dark was taped at last week's Fight for the Fallen event) worsens the situation. Why it even aired in the first place is a viable question too, given that AEW had the footage in the can for six days before airing and had at least a day to adjust following the Flair backlash.

Caster's pre-match raps have caught The Acclaimed much attention since he and Anthony Bowens first joined forces on AEW television. Though his lines often skirt close to the line, this has understandably been perceived by many to be a step too far.