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What's the story?
There is no blood allowed in the PG Era version of WWE. There are a lot of reasons for this, but wrestler safety is really up there on the list. This is why if someone is busted open, it's usually done the hard way without any self-mutilation involved.
The fans in Toronto got a pretty short show out of Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe because The Samoan Submission Machine was busted open during the early moments of the match so he needed to be called backstage for further treatment.
In case you didn't know...
If there is blood in today's WWE, it's never planned (allegedly). Ringside medical personnel are always available in case something goes wrong, and they're quick to act. They want to clean up any blood as soon as possible and not get involved. But sometimes, an exception has to be made.
The heart of the matter
Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe were obviously working pretty stiff with each other which could only be a sign of things to come for the WWE Universe as their feud seems to rage on.
Medical staff at ringside tried to clean Joe's blood up but he just kept bleeding. If you remember NXT TakeOver: Dallas when the main event was hindered by blood and medical staff getting involved there were thunderous chants of "Let Joe Bleed!" However, a house show in Toronto is a different story.
Unfortunately, the match was called off after around 5-6 minutes and the match was over as quickly as it started.
What's next?
With Samoa Joe's style, there will probably be more blood in his career both from him and his opponents. But that style is one of his major drawing points which will hopefully see a much better 2018 for the former NXT Champion.
Author's take
I hate it when a match is called off due to blood. WWE is different from MMA in the respect that your opponent doesn't want to actually hurt you so you can trust them, even if you can't see due to all the blood in your eyes.
But rules are rules, and there's little you can do about it when WWE has this social responsibility at this point with their PG philosophy.
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