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What's the story?
Several weeks ago, it was announced that Vince McMahon has issued a new directive in WWE, mandating that no in-ring wrestling take place during commercial breaks on WWE TV shows.
Following the odd new McMahon edict, many fans wondered how the company handles commercial breaks for the live fans in attendance at TV tapings, and it is through a combination of outside the ring selling and live mic promos.
In case you didn't know...
Immediately after Vince McMahon made the decision that in-ring wrestling would not be taking place during commercial breaks on WWE TV anymore, reports began to surface regarding why the WWE CEO instituted such a bizarre rule.
The leading theory is that Vince McMahon thinks WWE should fall in line with other sports products, like baseball, football, basketball, etc, in that those sports do not feature actual gameplay during commercial breaks. With WWE moving Smackdown Live to FOX this fall, and rumors claiming the blue brand will be presented as more of a sports product, it's possible Vince McMahon made the decision to cut wrestling during commercials in order for Smackdown to fit in with other sports programming on FOX.
The heart of the matter
During this week's episode of WWE Raw, the show featured multiple gimmick matches, including a two out of three falls match and a fatal four-way match.
During commercial breaks, there was indeed little to no wrestling in the ring, and WWE covered it up by having talents sell various "damage" taken during the match outside of the ring during commercials.
WWE also had talents cut promos during the commercial breaks, as at one point AJ Styles grabbed a mic during his six-man tag team match and cut a promo condemning the fans in Long Island and complaining that Ricochet had no right to interfere in his match.
What's next?
It appears as if Vince McMahon's no wrestling rule is here to stay, and it will be interesting to see if WWE implements any other new rules when Smackdown Live moves to FOX this October.
How do you feel about no commercial wrestling leading to more gimmick matches? Let us know in the comment section!
