With Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE set to be finalised over the coming months, it has led some fans to speculate on what changes the organisation may bring to WWE television broadcasts with many suggesting the product could be come more violent and include more use of blood in it’s programming.
While WWE does feature some blood these days, it’s often as a result of a genuine cut rather than the act of blading which was commonplace on WWE television prior to it’s shift to PG-rated television in 2008.
It now appears WWE may well be open to making at least some of it’s product more edgy, potentially using blood during the third hour of Monday Night Raw on USA. WWE CEO Nick Khan recently told LightShed that their is potential for making the third hour of the show different.
“Look, when we’re specifically talking about the 10 to 11 hour on RAW, we’re specifically talking to NBCU and ourselves about what we do what that moving forward. We ask, what do we do if we tweak this, that 10 to 11 hour, it is basic cable, it’s not broadcast, as you know. We think that NBCU would be supportive, but we’re not on a final conclusion on that.”
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WWE’s most recent blood use was during the second night of WrestleMania, when Finn Balor was hit in the head with a ladder. Khan commented on the incident during the interview with LightShed.
“At that moment, I was very close to ringside and to see him take staples in the middle of the action and to jump up and take up the cage like that, it’s such a performance.”
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Balor was cut in what many term as ‘the hard way’ and required medical assistance during the contest which resulted in the match being briefly halted. He went on to receive 14 staples to close the wound.