A long-time WWE rule has finally been relaxed.
WWE have finally reversed a strict rule put in place by Vince McMahon – for which Batista was once fined a staggering $100,000 for breaking.
Since Triple H took over as head of WWE creative in 2022, the company has slowly begun to relax regulations that had been put in place by McMahon during his 40 years in charge of the company.
Banned words were unbanned, name changes were reversed, and wrestlers were allowed more freedom and input into their creative plans.
But many rules were kept in place, with many of those in relation to the WWE’s PG programming.
The company changed their age rating to PG back in 2008, with the main reason behind that being in order to attract new advertisers and sponsors.
WWE have been hesitant to relax their PG-related regulations, and despite reports to the contrary over the past two years, the company has never actually moved back to a TV-14 rating.
But their latest decision appears to indicate that could happen in the not-too-distant future.
During the Hell in a Cell match between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre at the Bad Blood PLE, both wrestlers bled significantly throughout the match.
That provoked much reaction online, as blood has not been permitted by WWE since the PG switch.
Batista was once fined $100,000 for blading during a steel cage match against Chris Jericho in 2008.
‘The Animal’ would reveal in a interview that the fine ‘sucked the life out’ of him, and he left WWE two years later.
It has emerged that McIntyre’s head wound at Bad Blood, meanwhile, was not planned, and that he required 16 staples.
But according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer, Punk was planned to ‘blade’ – cutting yourself in a match to promote bleeding.
And Triple H is now permitting blood to be used in ‘key matches and angles’.
While there has been blood in segments before – The Rock caused Cody Rhodes to bleed during a segment on Raw earlier this year – this is the first indication that ‘blading’ will officially be considered for certain angles moving forwards.
Fans also spotted how, in the highlights of Punk vs McIntyre on WWE’s YouTube channel, the footage was not posted in black and white – as is usual when blood is shown.
WWE’s next premium live event is ‘Crown Jewel’ in Saudi Arabia later this month, with ‘Survivor Series’ then taking place in November.
