It appears that several terms Vince McMahon banned in WWE have been lifted from the ban list.
For many years, WWE have described their product as sports entertainment, not professional wrestling. While they are two sides of the same coin, some fans have been irked by the term wrestling being on the banned word list on WWE TV. However, with Vince McMahon retiring, everything has changed.
Fans noticed straight away that commentary seemed more relaxed and less scripted than before, and a report from Dave Meltzer in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter suggests that there has indeed been official change inside WWE, including the banned word list.
The report notes that the mood has been relaxed and calmer backstage since Triple H assumed his duties. Members of the women’s roster are said to be optimistic that the division will get more focus and meaningful screentime, whilst company wide it seems that the words ‘wrestler’ and ‘wrestling’ are no longer considered ‘dirty words’, with McMahon famously insisting on ‘superstar’ and ‘sports entertainment’, with wrestlers told they were never to use other terms without authorisation.
Time will tell how many of the words on Vince’s list will be unbanned, but this early ban being lifted will lead to good will with fans. We will have to wait and see on Friday Night SmackDown.
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