
The age rating WWE TV shows attempt to abide to changing wasn't something most would have expected to send wrestling Twitter into a tailspin. However, that's exactly what happened on Thursday when reports circulated that Raw would be returning to a TV-14 rating starting with this coming Monday's show.
TV-14 Report Was A Little Premature
Unfortunately, it appears those reports were premature. Andrew Zarian, the same person who broke the news initially, has followed up by revealing the details regarding WWE's rating change haven't been finalized. “There was a memo within USA Network that went out this morning regarding WWE Raw changing to TV-14 on July 18th. Apparently that was sent out prematurely and the day was not finalized,” Zarian tweeted.
That's right folks. Sorry to be the bearers of bad news for those of you who haven't seen Zarian's tweet, but next week's Raw will not be TV-14. It will be PG-13, as it has been for years and throughout what fans have dubbed the PG era. An end to that era was the leading reason why many were excited about Thursday's report, hoping that the changes would be drastic and sudden.
The Rating Change Is (Hopefully) Still Happening
Zarian's follow-up doesn't mean Raw, and presumably SmackDown, won't eventually revert back to a TV-14 rating. However, even when it does, that also doesn't necessarily mean a return to the Attitude Era, and nor should it. While it might mean more violence, more blood, and probably a few more curse words, returning to the Attitude Era isn't going to improve WWE's product.
It worked in the late 1990s, but trying to replicate what happened then in 2022 would likely be disastrous beyond a handful of episodes. Although WWE has been primarily targeting children for years now, this news may signal a shift to trying to recapture that 18 to 36 demographic which is what really led to its success 25 years ago. We might just have to wait a little longer for that shift than we thought.
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