WWE Putting An End To The PG Era

The smash of glass, good 'ol JR screaming "Stone Cold, Stone Cold!" whilst going a bit horse, the swigging of beer and a couple of middle fingers in the air - it's enough to give you goosebumps.

There's little that can illicit nostalgia amongst people of a certain age than thinking of Stone Cold Steve Austin inside a WWE ring with the likes of The Rock, Triple H, The Undertaker and Mankind.

The Attitude Era of wrestling was the height of sports entertainment for many of us, as Vince McMahon and his company rallied in incredible fashion to win the Monday Night Wars against rivals WCW.

That era of television ended in 2002 but six years later any remnants of it ended as WWE changed from a TV-14 rating to a PG one, meaning less violence, blood and swearing.

Of course it never stopped Stone Cold on his returns to our screens, having retired in 2001, and he was at his best when his made his first actual return to competition at WrestleMania 38 earlier this year.

Now however, the whole company could be returning to the Attitude Era ways, with a report from Wrestling Observer's Andrew Zairian saying that WWE programming will return to a TV-14 rating from next week, July 18th.

According to the parental ratings guide, TV-14 programmes "contain intensely suggestive dialogue, strong coarse language, intense sexual situations or intense violence."

At the moment the news only comes into effect for the promotion's flagship Raw show, which is shown on Monday nights on the USA Network, in America.

Friday night's Smackdown Live is on Fox and there is no news about the company also raising their tv rating from PG, which only allows for "infrequent coarse language, some sexual content, some suggestive dialogue, or moderate violence."

The Rock, The Undertaker and Kurt Angle were some of the other stars, along with Stone Cold, to light up the Attitude Era. Image: WWE.com

The Attitude Era was responsible for all of the most memorable moments in wrestling in the late 90s and early 00s, including Stone Cold's feud with Mr McMahon.

Perhaps its most famous moment came just over 24 years ago, when Mankind was thrown off the top of a Hell in a Cell match by the Undertaker.

If Jim Ross' commentary on Stone Cold elicits memories, then the Texan screaming 'Good God almighty! Good God almighty! That killed him! As God as my witness, he is broken in half!," can still. be heard today.

Not content with being thrown off a cell, Mankind returned to the match to be chokeslammed through a panel in the cell and to the mat below. Image: WWE.com

The decision to raise Raw's rating could be in answer to the rise of competition from Tony Khan's All Elite Wrestling promotion, whose TV shows hold a TV-14 rating.

AEW has become popular since being formed in January 2019, off the back of the All In show, run by Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks in conjunction with Ring of Honour, at Madison Square Garden in September 2018.

The promotion has quickly become the second most popular in America and has seen a number of WWE stars go over to them, whilst CM Punk returned from his seven year hiatus from wrestling, and then pick up the company's world title.

Rhodes has since become the first major name to return from AEW to WWE, competing at WrestleMania earlier this year, before picking up a gruesome looking torn pec injury, but continuing to wrestle nevertheless.