Will This New "Era Of Legitimacy" Bring More Violent Matches?

[PowerHouse]

Ok now I know the WWE is supposed to be PG but after how Violent HHHVs Undertaker was at Wrestlemania and the fact that Lesnar hit Cena with a legit shot to the mouth on Raw and busted him mouth open. Is it possible that we are going to see harder hitting more violent matches now in the WWE??

We have Dean Ambrose coming to TV soon and the fued he already has started with Mick Foley. We know Foley says he one more BIG bump still left in him Ambrose has a backround and has been in some EXTREMELY Violent matches during his time in CZW. It makes one wonder if the WWE is making its way back to a more mature rating. Maybe not in storyline or subject matter where its about sex or anything like that. But when it comes to its matches I am getting the feeling legitamacy is going to bring blood and more violence to WWE matches.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

WWE might be a little more liberal with blood, but chair shots to the head will never be allowed in mainstream professional wrestling again because of concussion liability. It would be nice to have that element of a bump back in the fold, but the reward nowhere near outweighs the risk in this case.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

WWE might be a little more liberal with blood, but chair shots to the head will never be allowed in mainstream professional wrestling again because of concussion liability. It would be nice to have that element of a bump back in the fold, but the reward nowhere near outweighs the risk in this case.

This. Although I disagree with the blood comment.

WWE won't bring back blood and I don't know what it is with wrestling fans, whereby they can't wrap their heads around this thing called Hepetitas C. Not only are WWE under pressure from "Superstar" Billy Graham whose releasing a tell all book about the company from what I read, but he is also claiming that by inducting Abdullah The Butcher who infected some kid with it they're endorsing blading in professional wrestling. Wrestling doesn't need blading anymore, at least not WWE. Sure, let TNA do it and let Ring of Honor do it, but even they've cut back on the amount of blade jobs being done by performers because its became too dangerous and it makes the industry look bad.

Not saying I've never enjoyed a match with blood, it does create a lot of emotions and in some cases in the past was needed to tell the story, but they see their workers health as being more important than telling a story and the fans that don't understand this are morons.

On the subject of head shots with a steel chair, same as Ricky said. They'll never comeback for several reasons. One being Chris Benoit, two being Chris Benoit's brain, three being Chris Benoit killing his wife and son before murdering himself, four being the entire thing whereby taking a clean shot to the head with a genuine piece of steel can cause a concussion and five Chris Benoit.

Again, some wrestling fans need to get with the times. Blood, head shots; we're not in the 90's anymore, Attitude Era is dead and this shit isn't needed. There are wrestlers dying due to abuse through prescription pills based off them taking these head shots and putting themselves in such danger. Not to mention WWE has a fine for any wrestlers that perform head shots with a steel chair, Triple H struck Taker last year and both were fined, deservingly. Get with the program.

 

[PowerHouse]

I agree about chairshots to the head they are just to dangerous to let go on. Plus you dont need chairshots to the head for a match to be violent plenty of other things can be done to bring violence to match that cause far less long term damage. Nobody wanted Foley to take the big bump off the Hell in the Cell with Undertaker that was insisted upon by Foley even the Undertaker didnt want him to do it. Certain guys are going to risk their bodies with big bumps. Many of these guys will do this to give the people in the crowd something to remember.

 

[dudedudedude]

I said it in another thread, I will say it in this one. Why is everything an era with you people? This is nothing more than a buzz word, that will be gone within a month, 2 at the most. An Era lasts, yearsssssssssss. Not a month. Good lord. By this logic I am going to start calling the current era in wrestling the Heath Slater era...

 

[Honkey_Kong]

I'm pretty sure Cena getting busted open was accidental. But nonetheless, I don't mind some blood.

One of the problems with the attitude era was that they used it way too often. It changed the fans perception of wrestling. The match really wasn't a good unless somebody bled. I see them using blood again, but sparingly to help the story. Less is often more.

As far as unprotected headshots with chairs go, you're not going to see them anymore. I don't think they cause nearly as much of the head trauma as gets told. Let's be honest, they're hitting the strongest part of their skull. In fact, most concussions occurred due to falls where the wrestler hits the back of his head on the mat/ground. But they don't put any attention to that.

But you don't really need unprotected headshots and blood to have violent matches. In fact, I would hope the WWE would use more creativity in giving us the violence we want.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Vince said in an interview a long time back, maybe as long as a year or so, that the WWE was going to be moving towards generally edgier programming that pushed the boundaries of PG content. If you look at television & movies these days, there seem to be lots of ways to skim around the edge of content restrictions while maintaining a certain rating, such as what WWE has been doing for a while now. It hasn't been anything particularly overt but, then again, that's part of how WWE has gotten away with it.

As for more violent matches, chair shots to the head are gone. They're not coming back and they don't need to come back for reasons that've already been stated. As far as blood goes, again, blood is something that too many people are hung up on. Blood has always supposed to have been a prop used during particularly violent matches, it's not supposed to be the centerpiece. Over the past 4 years or so, WWE has shown that you can have very physical matches without the use of blood. For instance, even though Trips was accidentally cut ever so slightly, can you honestly deny that Taker vs. Triple H at HIAC at WM wasn't a fantastic match and say it with a straight face?

 

[jeritroll94]

Chairshots to the head will never be brought back because of the concussions. However, with these new stars and old ones coming back who are from backgrounds of violent matches in the past might convince the WWE to allow some more extreme moments.

As far as blood is concerned I do think that adding it does give a bigger feel to a match and it gives the announcers something to talk about rather than whatever is trending on twitter or silly little bickering. But blading is another danger to superstars (eddie guerrero at judgement day 04 is a perfect example).

I think that they are certainly starting to push away from PG atm but Vince is pushing the boundaries so the fans who have been watching since the older eras are satisfied.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

This. Although I disagree with the blood comment.

WWE won't bring back blood and I don't know what it is with wrestling fans, whereby they can't wrap their heads around this thing called Hepetitas C. Not only are WWE under pressure from "Superstar" Billy Graham whose releasing a tell all book about the company from what I read, but he is also claiming that by inducting Abdullah The Butcher who infected some kid with it they're endorsing blading in professional wrestling. Wrestling doesn't need blading anymore, at least not WWE. Sure, let TNA do it and let Ring of Honor do it, but even they've cut back on the amount of blade jobs being done by performers because its became too dangerous and it makes the industry look bad.

Not saying I've never enjoyed a match with blood, it does create a lot of emotions and in some cases in the past was needed to tell the story, but they see their workers health as being more important than telling a story and the fans that don't understand this are morons.

On the subject of head shots with a steel chair, same as Ricky said. They'll never comeback for several reasons. One being Chris Benoit, two being Chris Benoit's brain, three being Chris Benoit killing his wife and son before murdering himself, four being the entire thing whereby taking a clean shot to the head with a genuine piece of steel can cause a concussion and five Chris Benoit.

Again, some wrestling fans need to get with the times. Blood, head shots; we're not in the 90's anymore, Attitude Era is dead and this shit isn't needed. There are wrestlers dying due to abuse through prescription pills based off them taking these head shots and putting themselves in such danger. Not to mention WWE has a fine for any wrestlers that perform head shots with a steel chair, Triple H struck Taker last year and both were fined, deservingly. Get with the program.

1. WWE is a big enough organization that it can run extensive tests on competitors to check for things like Hepatitis-C, particularly among full-time, guaranteed-money talent who likely have a health-benefits package. If low-scale adult film companies can require testing, so can WWE.

2. Surely, the advancement of blood-packet technology could increase the possibility of blood being a part of a safe, yet realistic illusion. Blood will always bring a savage element to any match or rivalry when used correctly, and surely WWE can find a way to allow the effect to endure while keeping the talent safe.

 

[SWL105]

I think because blood has been openly said as not going to happen by the wwe, when it does happen it has more shock value, see the Cena one on Monday, if he wasn't bleeding I don't think that would have been AS successful as it was, the wwe has stopped it on their part, but when it happens, it seems more REAL. Which is a good thing in this "reality era"

 

[Adalam]

Honestly, I think the WWE might be less squeamish with blood, but only if it's minimal. They sure as hell won't be blading every again. That is as big a no as headshots with a chair. Big bumps though, I sure as heck would love to see that again. Just not sure if WWE will actually go for it, or if they, like Jeritroll, are Trolling us.

 

[SD619]

Firstly, just because someone said a new phrase on TV doesn't mean we are in a "new Era of Legitimacy".

That being said, WWE could use blood, though very rarely. They could use in a few feuds which are extremely personal or in a gimmick match. As long as its used in a limited manner (unlike Ric Flair matches) and with proper precautions, it could be a good thing.

As for chair shots to the head, they are completely unnecessary and detrimental to the health of the wrestler.

 

[TheHeartbreakPunk]

As much as i would love to see a more violent program by wwe, i dont think we will see it as violent as we would want it to be. People always want more, more blood, more action, but the fact is, vince cant do that with the pg programming. As long as wwe stays pg, we will be seeing what we are seeing now. As time go's on though, i hope it will get better.

 

[Pedigree1]

I like the new era of WWE!! Look matches dont need blood or chairshots to the dome!! Blood is okay once in awhile yes it does add to the realism of a long legit feud makes it more exciting but like i said once in awhile!! But bleeding is very dangerous with Hep C and all kinds of nasty shit that is involved in blood!!

Chair shots will never and should never come back as far as chair shots to the head go!! Its very violent and it just kinda makes you squirm a bit!! Concussions are no joke. WWE cannot afford to have another tragic event happen again due to long term concussions!! I dont miss chair shots to the head at all!! I just wish the WWE would have at least outlawed this alot sooner!! But yes for being PG show WWE knows how to push the envelope!!!

 

[vampirek]

1. WWE is a big enough organization that it can run extensive tests on competitors to check for things like Hepatitis-C, particularly among full-time, guaranteed-money talent who likely have a health-benefits package. If low-scale adult film companies can require testing, so can WWE.

2. Surely, the advancement of blood-packet technology could increase the possibility of blood being a part of a safe, yet realistic illusion. Blood will always bring a savage element to any match or rivalry when used correctly, and surely WWE can find a way to allow the effect to endure while keeping the talent safe.

Well they failed when it came to Bob Orton and in the process risked the health of The Undertaker.

Secondly the product doesn't need it, the match between HHH and Undertaker has shown that you can still have the savage element with out forcing blood into the match (yes fully aware HHH was legit cut above the eye)

Also this new era of legitamacy? what new era, theres nothing new about it... its the same product with several of mentions to Twitter every hour (a couple of mistakes in the ring doesn't make a new era either... see Cena/Lesnar below). Violent types of matches haven't gone away, Extreme Rules, HIAC, TLC PPVs have seen to that and for Cena being busted, that was a mistake of Lesnar's part who simply mistimed his punch and legit caught Cena. It's no different to the likes of Mercury and the ladder incident, Barrett's injury, and so on

I do find it quite ironic that the OP used a match titled 'The End of an Era' as well for that matter.

 

[PowerHouse]

The phrase was used more than once Legitamacy now it may not actually be called the legitamacy era but J.L wanting Lesnar to be the new face of the WWE kinda leans toward him wanting things to seems more legit. As far as blood goes I dont' want or expect it very often but sometimes during a very heated fued blood can really add to the match to show how much each competitor hates one an other. HHH bleeding at WM really added to that particular match especially since it was so physical.

 

[destruct-o-tron]

Honestly,

I think Cena got a busted lip by accident.

I don't think he was meant to bleed, but Brock Lesnar hit him somewhere he wasn't meant to.

Just my personal opinion though.

Well, it's pretty obvious that's the case. One of those rare cases where a botch kind of helps the story line. Endless replays pretty much confirm that it was a single, solid, botched punch, followed by a flurry of kayfabe love-taps.

But more on topic: Until Linda McMahon dies, steps out of politics, or steps out of the WWE leadership, OR a competitor gives the WWE reason to up the ante and get more sensational, nope. We're still in the "PG era" folks.

Money talks, and right now, it's telling the WWE not to change a damn thing.

 

[Headman]

It took the WWE long enough to reprogram the fans not to expect unrealistic bloodbaths and insane bumps. Why on earth would they want to go back to that? If the story calls for more violence so be it, but I don't want to see "hardcore" matches every week or over the top bumps every ppv.

 

[Attitude Era Junkie]

Vince McMahon is smart but at the same time he is one dumb motherfucker who settles for "good enough". I bet the only reason Punk is the champ is because the crowd loves him. Vince gets a boner for big muscular guys. Cena is one of them but better then all of them. Vince proves over and over and over and over and over how stupid he is...like when he gave Bryan that 18 second match. Talent means nothing to Vince. You gotta have big manly muscles to be WWE champ. Remember how Batista was a top guy even though he sucked ass?

Of course Brock got a big push, didnt matter if he could wrestle or not (he could though). Vince needs to retire if WWE is going to get any better.

 

[HBsam31]

Yeah, there is no need for this stuff. Very occasional blood can really add to a match if it is necessary, and like everyone else said chair shots to the head are never coming back. I love the attitude era, and old school ECW for the violence, but that time has passed. I think there is a place for some of it occasionally, but it won't ever be a regular thing again.

 

[dotty_84]

The only time it should be ok for blood in the WWE is by accident like Cena on Raw or like Punk v Mysterio at WM26. Stopping matches to clean up guys kills the match to an extent, it should only be done if it's really bad.

Head shots aren't needed either.

Blood and shock didn't make the Attitude era to me, it was the fact Raw and SD! had shows with good storylines all the way through the card. Now it'smainly filler with focus on only Main event talent.

 

[dudedudedude]

Well, it's pretty obvious that's the case. One of those rare cases where a botch kind of helps the story line. Endless replays pretty much confirm that it was a single, solid, botched punch, followed by a flurry of kayfabe love-taps.

But more on topic: Until Linda McMahon dies, steps out of politics, or steps out of the WWE leadership, OR a competitor gives the WWE reason to up the ante and get more sensational, nope. We're still in the "PG era" folks.

Money talks, and right now, it's telling the WWE not to change a damn thing.

The only reason why WWE went PG is the deal with matel. Which is close to their biggest money making deal.

 

[wrestling.fan]

Vince said in an interview a long time back, maybe as long as a year or so, that the WWE was going to be moving towards generally edgier programming that pushed the boundaries of PG content. If you look at television & movies these days, there seem to be lots of ways to skim around the edge of content restrictions while maintaining a certain rating, such as what WWE has been doing for a while now. It hasn't been anything particularly overt but, then again, that's part of how WWE has gotten away with it.

I remember when WWF/E was still PG in 97' which was pre-Attitude. WWE IMO was definitely pushing the boundaries of PG during those days. 97' was entertaining even w/ a PG rating IMO, it had some swearing, edgy angles, street fighting, aggression, some bad attitudes and toughness, tension was in the air and it pushed the limits of PG but still stayed in that realm. The Attitude Era which had all of that stuff at an even higher notch w/ the raunchiness. It's just too bad Nitro overshadowed Raw during that time.

You can have some edginess, swearing, little bit of blood and violence at a limited scale combined w/ good talent and be entertaining while keeping it PG. I would like to see it going back to the days of pre-Attitude & "Ruthless Aggression" w/ PG-13 rating at the most. Personally, i'd like to see some toughness and aggression brought back into the WWE because we have been given an glossy utterly sissified product for the past couple years. If anything, WWE in 2008-2011 was a borderline G and PG rated product.

 

[The Crock]

I'm inclined to believe we'll be seeing some more violent matches -- more violent than the average match, at least; however, I don't think we'll be seeing things along the lines of Triple H/Undertaker every night, much less anything more violent than that. Insanely violent spots that can be career threatening are obviously going to be a no-no, especially chair shots to the head. With the fallout of the Benoit case and everything we know about concussions today, it would be absolutely moronic by the WWE to allow their performers to go out there doing that. Not only would it put wrestlers' lives on the line, but it would be a legal issue, in all likelihood -- not to mention how much flak the WWE would catch for allowing that, wrestling would be even more "taboo." I also don't understand the obsession with blood, but I think the WWE is slowly changing their stance on it. I think it's more of a "if it happens, it happens" thing now, as we saw with Triple H/Undertaker and Cena/Lesnar, but I don't think the WWE would ever insert blood into a match intentionally. Even with more advanced testing and treatments in medicine today, blood is just too much of a liability to have around. The days of blading in the WWE are long gone.

Personally, I think we'll see a more realistic approach taking to brawling and maybe an increased use of the environment/occasionally weapons, but it'll be limited. The WWE will never be what it was in the Attitude Era (in terms of violence), it'll never reach that level again, for good reason. I'm okay with the occasional pushing of the envelope, but I'm not pining for it -- as a matter of fact, I'm fine without it. Wrestling is about entertainment and I just don't need to see guys causing themselves even MORE harm than they already are, it's just not necessary. That being said, the WWE seems to be wanting to push this reality/legitimacy thing, but I'm sure they have strict limits on it. This is, by no means, signaling the direction of the product as a whole, but rather just a few feuds, for a small time.

 

[thebarber]

unless WWE are looking to piss of billions of dollars in sponsorship, things wil stay the same. The storylines may get more interesting having them based on more reality, but the in-ring product will not change. Taker vs HHH was on a ppv on the biggest stage, and there was hardly anyblood. This was a one off. If you watched Raw closely, Lesnar's punch was not meant to connect with Cena.s mouth, he didnt tuck his head in time, it was glaringly obvious on the slow replay. But it made for wxcellent viewing and added that bite of realism having Cenas mouth obvioulsy legitimately bloodied. Nothing is changing as far as their content until there deals expire, which I beolieve is 2014. Mattel and sponsors of that nature who inverst millions in WWE would drop them like a warm turd if they went back to adult content instead of children content. Stop banging on about the old days, enjoy what we have here, potentially the best on screen storylines since 2002.