5 reasons why WWE is moving away from the PG era

The PG era seemed all hunky-dory when the WWE first introduced it, but there has been a deliberate attempt to move away from it in recent times. Storylines are trying to incorporate real life incidents, and the old true baby face vs true heel feud seems to have vanished – except when John Cena is in the ring.

What is the reason for the WWE Creative trying to move away from the PG era? Is it the ratings, the fans or a combination of both? We try to find the answer.

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1. Low ratings for Raw and SmackDown

Wrestlemania might have been a winner as far as ratings are concerned, but both Raw and SmackDown have steadily seen ratings drop in the years since the show went PG.

Raw’s rating has gone down as low as the 2.1 range, and this year was the first time in nearly a decade where the show had less than 3 million viewers tuning in to watch. Compare this with the go-home edition of Raw for WrestleMania 2000, that had a rating of 6.23.

WWE is concerned about the drop in the ratings and this has to be the major reason for a slight shift away from PG.

2. Vocal fans and the IWC

With almost every wrestling dirt sheet criticising the PG direction of the product, WWE cannot turn a blind eye to the problem forever. PG has been less exciting than the Attitude Era and even less exciting than the infamous ‘Regin of Terror’ – when Triple H monopolised the Raw main event for three straight years from 2003-05.

Fans have been increasingly vocal about the decisions they think are bad, and this has successfully resulted in several changes to storylines.

3. Competition on the rise

WWE’s highest ratings coincided with the Monday Night Wars when they competed each night with WCW. This fierce competition forced the Creative to come up with edgier storylines that led to a rise in ratings.

However, since the demise of WCW in 2001, WWE has not had a serious challenger, and the company might have felt that complacency can be afforded.

Not anymore though. With the advent of the internet and the IWC, wrestling fans have a lot of options to watch wrestling and there are many promotions that can give the WWE a run for their money.

New Japan Pro Wrestling and the highly acclaimed Lucha Underground have steadily gained popularity, while there also exist multiple Indie promotions with a serious fan following. All this would force the WWE to be on its toes – and move away from PG.

4. Stale product

The content hasn’t been great during the PG years, and this is the main reason for the WWE to shift.

Many of the artistic freedoms that the wrestlers need have been suppressed because of them being anti-PG. WWE Creative would have felt the need to add to its repertoire, and you have to go over PG to do that.

5. The nostalgia

Any change occurring in the WWE is immediately compared to its most famous phase – ‘The Attitude Era’.

Austin’s foul-mouthed antics, Shawn Michaels’ devil-may-care attitude and the Rock’s catchphrases are still fresh in memory, and the new superstars will always be stacked against such high standards. No wonder Roman Reigns cannot seem to catch a break.

CM Punk might have been the only resemblance to that era, and the WWE needs a strategic shift to bring the old joy back.