5 banned WWE words that were brought back

Back in the 1980s/1990s, if a word or phrase was suddenly removed from WWE programming, there is a good chance that even the most die-hard of viewers would probably never have noticed.

Nowadays, due to the growth of social media and the amount of WWE information that is widely known to the public, it is common knowledge amongst fans that there is a long list of words that Superstars and on-screen personalities are told not to use on television.

In 2008, the following phrases were included on a ‘words to avoid’ production sheet which was leaked online: belt, strap, feud, war, performance, house show, backstage, pro wrestling, title shot, acrobatics, interesting, DQ, talent, me, I, heel, babyface, fans, hospital, faction, title on the line.

There have been numerous stories over the years about Superstars accidentally breaking WWE’s vocabulary rules, including in 2017 when Mick Foley revealed that Vince McMahon yelled at Braun Strowman after he declared on Raw that he wanted a “title shot” against Kevin Owens. Instead, according to WWE’s guidelines, he should have said “title match”.

That example from Foley suggests that WWE’s rules are very strict, but there have also been occasions when words have been banned and then brought back several years later.

In this article, let’s take a look at five words/phrases that were initially outlawed before being reintroduced.

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#5 Belt

The inspiration for this article comes from the recent news that the word "belt" is allowed to be used again on WWE programming. It had previously been banned because WWE wanted its titles/championships to feel special and be viewed as much more than just a "belt".

The sole reason for the reintroduction of the word appears to be down to Becky Lynch, who began referring to herself as “Becky 2 Belts” in the build-up to her WrestleMania 35 main event against Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair.

Since she won the match, claiming the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships in the process, WWE has taken advantage of her new moniker by releasing merchandise containing the phrase “Becky 2 Belts”.

#4 WrestleMania numbers

If there is one WWE event that non-WWE fans are aware of, it is WrestleMania. “The Show of Shows” was created in 1985 and it has gone on to become the biggest annual event in pro wrestling/sports entertainment, with people often comparing it to the Super Bowl.

WrestleMania had always been marketed with a number after its name – sometimes with a digit (e.g. WrestleMania 2) and sometimes with a Roman numeral (e.g. WrestleMania VI) – until it simply became known as "WrestleMania" from WrestleMania 31 to WrestleMania 34.

Chris Jericho explained the reason why on his Talk Is Jericho podcast (via SEScoops):

“Vince does not like the numbers after the WrestleMania because he feels like it dates it. Also, you’re not allowed to call it ‘The Grandaddy Of Them All’ because he feels that it makes it seem old… You just refer to it as ‘WrestleMania’. One of those classic Vince McMahon quirks.”

WWE’s branding for WrestleMania 35 focused on "WrestleMania", without the number, but it appeared as though the ban on Superstars using "WrestleMania 35" had been lifted, as Charlotte Flair regularly said the event in full during promos.

#3 War

It goes to show how much WWE has changed from the fact that the word “war” was prominent on its weekly programming in the Attitude Era (“Raw is War”, “the WarZone” etc), yet it was included on the leaked list of banned words in 2008.

In 2019, it appears as though the word is no longer prohibited, with Superstars including Ember Moon, Hanson, and Rowe using it as part of their characters.

Moon is nicknamed “The War Goddess”, while Hanson and Rowe (aka Ivar and Erik) were called War Raiders (aka The Viking Raiders) during their time in NXT.

There have been suggestions that War Raiders were forced to change their name on the main roster due to the word “war”, but that seems unlikely when you consider that Moon still uses “The War Goddess” and that NXT has an entire event built around a war, NXT TakeOver: WarGames, every year.

#2 F-U

When John Cena started to emerge as one of WWE’s most popular Superstars in 2003-04, he would use the same finishing move that he executes today – the Attitude Adjustment – but it was originally called the F-U.

For obvious reasons, the move had to be renamed when WWE went PG, so the “F-U” phrase was no longer mentioned on WWE programming. Then, over a decade after the phrase was banned, Cena interrupted Elias at WrestleMania 35 and surprisingly appeared as his old “Doctor of Thuganomics” character.

Cena mocked Elias in typical “Word Life” style before hitting him with his trusty finisher to bring an end to one of the best segments of the show. On this occasion, however, he referred to his move as the F-U.

“Looks like I wore out my welcome, it’s about time that I left you. So there’ll be no AA for today. But… you ‘bout to get the F-U.”

#1 Briefcase

It was reported in July 2017 by the Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez that WWE announcers and Superstars had been informed to no longer use the word “briefcase” when referring to Money In The Bank. Instead, they were told to say the word “contract” (e.g. “Carmella won the Money In The Bank contract”, not “briefcase”).

At the same MITB event where Carmella was controversially crowned “Miss Money In The Bank”, Baron Corbin claimed the contract in the men’s match to earn himself a future WWE Championship opportunity at a time of his choosing.

Fast forward to an episode of SmackDown Live in August 2017 and Corbin decided to cash in his contract on Jinder Mahal. However, “The Lone Wolf” was distracted by John Cena and he ended up failing spectacularly with his cash-in.

From that moment on, audiences began chanting “Where’s your briefcase?” towards Corbin, giving WWE’s announcers little choice but to mention the word “briefcase” every time that fans chanted it.