Top 5 non-PG moments in the WWE PG era

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Randy Orton crossed all the limits at Hell in a Cell

In 2008 WWE moved from an edgier product to a more family friendly product. This was characterised by lesser violence, sporadic use of blood, and little to no swearing. Chair shots and other moves inflicting direct pain to head like pile-driver were banned.

People who grew up watching the edgy content during the attitude era were deeply disappointed. However, from a business perspective, that move turned out to be a masterstroke since the sponsorship deals and TV rights deals for WWE are sky high.

However, even in this era of less violent action, there have been moments when wrestlers went down the ramp and did some non-PG stuff. In this article, we will be looking at the top 5 non-PG moments during the PG era.


#5 Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell 2018

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Lets start with the most recent example.

Randy Orton is a sadistic heel. He has a reputation for torturing his opponents in matches without rules. Hurting the entire McMahon family during early 2009 and viciously hurting John Cena at Bragging Rights 2009 as well as Breaking Point 2009 is a testament to this.

He has already pulled Jeff Hardy's earlobe twice on SmackDown Live. However, at Hell in a Cell, he escalated the whole act by inserting a screwdriver into Jeff's earlobe and twisting it, inflicting unimaginable pain on the charismatic enigma.

This was brutal and cringey to watch. Even the people in attendance who usually get thrilled with edgier content, were pleading with The Apex Predator to stop. Randy Orton was at his absolute psychopathic best here. This is just another example of how he can be a brutal and relevant heel rather than a bland babyface.

This is not the only time The Viper will feature in this list.

#4 Undertaker vs Triple H - WrestleMania 27

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The WrestleMania 27 encounter between Triple H and Undertaker saw 21 brutal chair shots

The WrestleMania 27 match between Triple H and Undertaker is one of the most criminally underrated WrestleMania matches of all time. Since the Super Show-Down is around the corner and Triple H is going to face The Phenom one last time, let us revisit their 2011 encounter.

This classic saw more than 20 chair shots traded between the two legends. Triple H planted a chair onto the head of The Undertaker during this match. WWE has a very strict policy about head-shots. Vince McMahon took the issue very seriously and went as far as penalising both superstars a hefty amount.

#3 Daniel Bryan suffocating Justin Roberts

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Justin Roberts

The Nexus is one of the most dreaded factions in WWE history. On their debut, they interfered in the main event match between CM Punk and WWE Champion John Cena, and caused havoc. They laid waste to everything in sight, destroyed the ring, and did not even spare the ring announcer Justin Roberts.

Daniel Bryan choked Roberts with a tie. However, this was not taken lightly by the officials since they had banned those kinds of choking due to the Chris Benoit murders. Bryan was immediately fired from the company. He was rehired a few weeks later.

#2 Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton - SummerSlam 2016

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Brock Lesnar busted Randy Orton open during their SummerSlam 2016 match

Brock Lesnar is a box office attraction. There is a reason why WWE is so hell bent on keeping The Beast Incarnate on their payroll. In order to make Brock look like an absolute beast, WWE decided to allow Lesnar bust Orton open during their SummerSlam 2016 bout.

Orton was left bleeding in his own pool of blood, and reportedly had a concussion. He was not even cleared for his match against Bray Wyatt the next month at Backlash. Moreover, he required ten stitches to knit the wound.

#1 Orton's attack on Stephanie McMahon

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Randy Orton was feuding with Triple H leading to WrestleMania 25

Less that one year into the PG era, Randy Orton entered into a feud with Triple H and the McMahon family.

Orton viciously attacked Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon, but the feud entered a whole new dimension when he decided to RKO Triple H's wife Stephanie McMahon.

In the PG era, men attacking women is not encouraged. Even when a guy attacks a woman, it is staged to look accidental. Roman Reigns spearing Stephanie at WrestleMania 32 is an example of this.

However, this was an entirely different story. Orton blatantly RKO'd Stephanie one week, another week he DDT'd her onto the floor in front of Triple H. So far, this is one of the most viewed videos on WWE's YouTube channel.

Meet the man who called CM Punk the softest man alive HERE