Dave Meltzer confirms that WWE wants to leave the PG era behind

Perhaps two icons of the "Attitude Era" bring about change. My partner William Beltrán picked up today a report about certain details outside the PG tone that we observed during the first editions of Raw and SmackDown Live with Paul Heyman y Eric Bischoff of executive directors. Specific, that "holy shit!" pronounced by Corey Graves is the middle finger that Kofi Kingston showed Samoa Joe. According to Dave Meltzer, gestures to attract teenagers. But does it imply that the McMahon Empire really wants to leave the "PG Era" behind? The Observer editor offers a clear answer.

Yes https://t.co/y3t1khswsE

- Dave Meltzer (@davemeltzerWON) July 3th, 2019

«Does Kofi take Joe's finger out last night means they are trying to leave the PG era behind? Enough more swear words and daring things are being seen now ».

«Yes".

The question is whether wanting is power. Recently, Kurt Angle made it clear why the product is not going to leave its rating.

«Keep in mind that WWE is a worldwide phenomenon. It is bigger than ever. With that comes responsibility. WWE is a publicly traded company that targets children and families. During the 'Attitude Era', WWE was geared towards young adults. The stories were classified as Type R stories but WWE can no longer do that type of story. And if they do, they have to be done very carefully. WWE has shareholders that are involved in the product. Shareholders want the company to remain a family-like show ».

Would there be an economic justification to return to TV-14? You already know that WWE benefits do not stop growing, and in February we inform you that 2018 was the best year in its history in this regard. Although it is possible to say that the great increase was due to its international expansion, with appointments like Super Show-Down or those carried out in Saudi Arabia. And there are no signs that this dynamic decreases, at least with respect to the Asian country, thanks to an agreement that extends until 2028.

So don't expect a return to "attitude", not even a new version of the "Ruthless Agression Era" ... unless your financial situation is so delicate that you have to resort to it.. Something that at the same time, would put in check the continuity of many sponsors, one of the great sources of income of the company at the moment.

Undoubtedly, the billionaire agreement with FOX is a great incentive to give a more adult approach, and the chain will demand that this be done. Nevertheless, Would WWE sacrifice its entire business model for saving a television contract? From a complete point of view, I would say no.

And everything is paradoxical when we see that the average age of the wrestling viewer has increased compared to that golden age of Stone Cold and Cía, as a server detailed in an article from 2017. If he was 23 at the time, he is now in quarantine.

But these adults do not seem to find a replacement, because television ceased to be the most popular medium among youth, since new generations are more prone to disciplines such as MMA. Hence The WWE and FOX bet looks so risky: getting young people back to sit in front of the silly box every week.