Whats Wrong With A$$ In WWE??

[mr_dna]

Why did they stop useing ass in the WWE? I know your all say because its PG but if you sit and watch daytime TV you hear ass all the time.

For example watching Comedy Central here in the UK and there was Two & A Half Men on about 1pm and it was used in that . Watching reruns of Fresh prince of belair ass is used in that .

After watching Rocks promo wich was the best in years and with im useing Ass multiple times and also going back a few weeks to a promo done by cena were he used it . Promos just seem to be better and make it more beliveable that your pissed off or excited.

Is Ass really in breach of PG and should Ass be used in promos again even in moderation ?

 

[RedDevilDazzy]

Ass isn't that bad of a word, there are worse words out there. I think WWE should allow that word, and a couple more, such as damn etc.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't see why it really matters, quite frankly. As long as there are interesting storylines, good feuds, solid promos, talented wrestlers and entertaining matches, that's all I really care about. Just sitting and nitpicking at every little thing and harping over something as trivial as wrestlers swearing in their promos is just something I care nothing for.

If swearing were to become part of the formula again, I've got no problem with that. But let's not let ourselves think that just because a promo has swearing in it means that it's good. Besides, once you hear someone cursing and swearing often enough, it most definitely loses its "edge" factor.

 

[Boondocks]

I'm with Jack-Hammer. It doesn't really matter. Yes, Rock may have been better with it, he's an attitude era star. But just because of a curse, a promo is no better. I believe that no matter how you look at it, if the WWE wanted to write ass out for good, they could, and still maintain what they did with the few times Rock said it.

 

[Wickpeeka]

This may help answer your question - http://ask.yahoo.com/20040220.html with the following part perhaps answering your question best;

The FCC's responsibility is to enforce federal obscenity laws. Even these laws don't define obscenity with a list of words or uses. Instead, material must meet three requirements to be considered obscene:

* Applying community standards, an average person must find that the material appeals to the prurient interest.
* The material shows or describes, in a patently offensive way, sexual conduct specifically defined by law.
* The material, as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

 

[mr_dna]

I dont think it needs to be used all the time but i find a promo a little more believable. Like when cena did it with his promo with nexus . Seems like the emotion of a real life situation ok if someone screwed me over/ Beat me down id use a little more the kick your ass but its 100x better then beat you silly or some other silly comment they use now.

Promo with curses just seems to be more reallife.

 

[D-Man]

I dont think it needs to be used all the time but i find a promo a little more believable. Like when cena did it with his promo with nexus . Seems like the emotion of a real life situation ok if someone screwed me over/ Beat me down id use a little more the kick your ass but its 100x better then beat you silly or some other silly comment they use now.

Promo with curses just seems to be more reallife.

Seriously? SERIOUSLY? You're less inclined to "believe" a promo if they refrain from cursing? Why?? That's just ridiculous.

So you mean to tell me that television shows on NBC, ABC, and CBS are not "believable" because the characters on the show don't curse? No one cares about believability in pro-wrestling anymore unless a match occurs. The audience wants to be made to believe that a real athletic contest is happening. But when two opponents battle it out on the mic, it's not about "believing" what they say. Promos are designed to be informative. They are put on TV so we know who is competing, when, where, how, and why. Cursing adds nothing to that, nor does the lack of it take anything away.

I swear... you people will find ANYTHING to complain about these days.

 

[legendkiller1979]

The only thing I can come up with is the reason they censored ass is the context in which it was used. The Rock used it in the context of whipping someone's ass. I don't think that would have been allowed on any other show. They didn't bleep "sumbitch". and he did use "ass" throughout the rest of his promo. It has to be the context.

 

[Rayne]

It's been said, a bunch, but I just have to get in my two cents too. Who cares? I'm much more upset at the poor, uninspired quality of writing and the lack of believable young stars then I am about the word "ass" being used. I haven't found that "fuck", "shit", "ass", or any words like that provide anything different to speech since I was 14.

Promos with cursing aren't "real life". It's a form of cheap shock writing that's been increasing in frequency for the past twenty years. Bob Saget did a guest host spot on SNL shortly after the FCC had, in one communique or another, said that they would not fine anyone for using the words "ass", "nipples", or "weiner" on broadcast television. His monologue consisted of him saying those three words, over and over, to different people. (This was way back when SNL was good, bear in mind. Way, way back.) It was terrible. But people reacted, because "OMG, you can't say ass on TV, that's a no-no word!" It's the cheapest of all response tactics, and is the province of extremely lazy writers. (The WWE's writers aren't lazy, they're just hacks. Big difference.)

 

[Slyfox696]

I think the bigger question here is why people need swearing to make a show enjoyable. I think that says far more about you as a person and your lack of intelligence and maturity than it does about the WWE. If you think using a swear word makes a show more enjoyable, then you obviously aren't intelligent enough to enjoy the show in the first place. Go back to the Jerry Springer show.

 

[RD_21]

I think the bigger question here is why people need swearing to make a show enjoyable. I think that says far more about you as a person and your lack of intelligence and maturity than it does about the WWE. If you think using a swear word makes a show more enjoyable, then you obviously aren't intelligent enough to enjoy the show in the first place. Go back to the Jerry Springer show.

I am sorry but it's the opposite. Before you attack me, swear or not I don't care the problem is that none of the new star has any star power.

I think it insult intelligence like someone said in another topic, I think it was IDR. You have 2 guys that hate each other and you tell me they won't swear. In real life if you get in a fight or a feud like they supposely do you would swear. If not than I tip my hat to you and you are perfect.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I am sorry but it's the opposite. Before you attack me, swear or not I don't care the problem is that none of the new star has any star power.

I think it insult intelligence like someone said in another topic, I think it was IDR. You have 2 guys that hate each other and you tell me they won't swear. In real life if you get in a fight or a feud like they supposely do you would swear. If not than I tip my hat to you and you are perfect.

Yup.

The show is centered around competitors who punch, kick and slam one another until one pins or submits the other by applying as much pain as possible to their opponent as a means to an end, but telling the man before hand you're going to kick his ass is wrong? You have to kick his butt? Joke #1.

Worse yet, you tell the man you are going to beat him within an inch of his life, and that you're going to stomp a mud hole in him or end his career or whatever other atypical one-liner you use, yet if he loses a drop of blood from his body at any point during the match, you're going to stop it to clean him up? Joke #2.

Cursing (in this case) has nothing to do with not being able to enjoy a show —*it has to due with not being able to enjoy a show where it likely belongs.

I watch plenty of programming without cursing that I enjoy, but that's because the theme of those programs doesn't call for it. When you've got hot-headed professional wrestlers going at it one-on-one and two-on-two, etc. in the ring, punching, kicking, stretching, slapping, slamming and pounding the snot (since blood isn't allowed) out of each other in a ring, there is no reason the word "ass" should be bleeped. None.

It's hypocrisy to call that inappropriate for children, but watching men physically fight is not.

 

[D-Man]

Yup.

The show is centered around competitors who punch, kick and slam one another until one pins or submits the other by applying as much pain as possible to their opponent as a means to an end, but telling the man before hand you're going to kick his ass is wrong? You have to kick his butt? Joke #1.

Worse yet, you tell the man you are going to beat him within an inch of his life, and that you're going to stomp a mud hole in him or end his career or whatever other atypical one-liner you use, yet if he loses a drop of blood from his body at any point during the match, you're going to stop it to clean him up? Joke #2.

Whether you feel it makes a situation more "real" or not, you have to think of things thins way...

Let's say wrestling was REAL. Two men are dueling in promos against each other on television. It's not like these are candid interviews or behind the scenes cameras like in the UFC. These guys are trading words on a live broadcast on television in front of a live crowd that consists of 1/2 children. Why is it so far-fetched that they know they need to follow the guidelines of censorship on television and not curse at each other? (After all, curses are nothing more than filler words for people who aren't intelligent enough to think of the right words to use.)

It's hypocrisy to call that inappropriate for children, but watching men physically fight is not.

This statement is very true. However, we didn't write the guidelines for censorship. Television can only expose what they have been giving the authority to expose. Television programs are all over our channels that depict war, murder, and other crime, and yet they feel that CURSING is the bad egg. So be it. But at the end of the day, I'm smart enough to know that I'm watching television and I don't need to be critical of minor details involved in my entertainment such as cursing.

 

[mr_dna]

Spot On It's Damn Real!

Alot better job then me on saying why it shouldnt be a No word.

The type of product WWE is mild curseing makes the feuds seems more like the people are pissed for whatever reason.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Whether you feel it makes a situation more "real" or not, you have to think of things thins way...

Let's say wrestling was REAL. Two men are dueling in promos against each other on television. It's not like these are candid interviews or behind the scenes cameras like in the UFC. These guys are trading words on a live broadcast on television in front of a live crowd that consists of 1/2 children. Why is it so far-fetched that they know they need to follow the guidelines of censorship on television and not curse at each other? (After all, curses are nothing more than filler words for people who aren't intelligent enough to think of the right words to use.)

What censorship guide? There is no censorship guide. Those are arbitrary "rules" set forth to grade the level of "inappropriate" exposure to children, and as I just noted it's entire foundation is ridiculous — not only is it ridiculous for two grown men who are so angry with one another that they are willing to go blow-for-blow over whatever it is they are willing to go blow-for-blow over, but it's even more ridiculous that you honestly sit here telling me that in the midst of their fury they are actually concerned with the language they use in the process. God forbid an 8-year old hear that terrible word! The horror!

Two drunk men get angry at a bar, step outside the bar around 9pm and across the street is a restaurant where numerous families are seated including children of "small ages" who likely shouldn't be seeing violence anyway, and it's OK for those men to viciously attack one another so long as neither bleeds or says "ass" in the process? My god, man...

This statement is very true. However, we didn't write the guidelines for censorship. Television can only expose what they have been giving the authority to expose. Television programs are all over our channels that depict war, murder, and other crime, and yet they feel that CURSING is the bad egg. So be it. But at the end of the day, I'm smart enough to know that I'm watching television and I don't need to be critical of minor details involved in my entertainment such as cursing.

I do, because the act of censoring something as trivial and irrelevant in the grand scheme of things as a man using his own catch-phrases that contain the word "ass" is ridiculous when that man is berating another verbally and talking about physically assaulting him on a program where the governing body behind broadcasting it is worried about maintaining a PG rating so they don't upset parents and children. Said parents should already be upset their children are exposed to televised violence (real or not) — whining about the word "ass" being used is like complaining that the Nazi's spoke hate speech, but not being concerned with the fact they exterminated millions.

 

[Slyfox696]

What censorship guide? There is no censorship guide. Those are arbitrary "rules" set forth to grade the level of "inappropriate" exposure to children, and as I just noted it's entire foundation is ridiculous — not only is it ridiculous for two grown men who are so angry with one another that they are willing to go blow-for-blow over whatever it is they are willing to go blow-for-blow over, but are you honestly sitting here telling me that in the midst of their fury they are actually concerned with the language they use in the process?

Two drunk men get angry at a bar, step outside the bar around 9pm and across the street is a restaurant where numerous families are seated including children of "small ages" who likely shouldn't be seeing violence anyway, and it's OK for those men to viciously attack one another so long as neither bleeds or says "ass" in the process? My god, man...

I think you're missing the point of what D-Man was saying. Use UFC as an example. They show The Ultimate Fighter, and it's a show about guys legitimately fighting each other. And many times, these guys hate each other. But even though they hate each other, the censors always bleep them if they say something that is not allowed on TV.

Just because the wrestlers may hate each other doesn't mean it can be said on television. Because even if we are to believe wrestling is real, it's still "real" on television, which has guidelines on what can and cannot be said. It doesn't matter if they hate each other, they still can't say those words. If it makes you feel better, pretend the WWE fines someone $50,000 if they say a forbidden word. That would keep me from cussing, how about you?

You can't say it's real, and then ignore the fact we are still watching it on television.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I think you're missing the point of what D-Man was saying. Use UFC as an example. They show The Ultimate Fighter, and it's a show about guys legitimately fighting each other. And many times, these guys hate each other. But even though they hate each other, the censors always bleep them if they say something that is not allowed on TV.

Just because the wrestlers may hate each other doesn't mean it can be said on television. Because even if we are to believe wrestling is real, it's still "real" on television, which has guidelines on what can and cannot be said. It doesn't matter if they hate each other, they still can't say those words. If it makes you feel better, pretend the WWE fines someone $50,000 if they say a forbidden word. That would keep me from cussing, how about you?

You can't say it's real, and then ignore the fact we are still watching it on television.

They don't bleep the word ass, Sly — I'd be my left nut on that (and if they do, call me Uno). They might bleep fuck and possibly shit, as those are still (unfortunately) not permitted to be used on national television (but showing a close-up of a guy's busted eye is, as well as the act of him being stitched shut—go figure).

My point was that what they choose to bleep out is ridiculous, especially when it's founded on some misguided moral compass that says it's not right for children to hear the word ass but denotes it OK to see men physically fight one another. There's no getting around that.

 

[D-Man]

What censorship guide? There is no censorship guide.

Are you THAT ignorant? There damn sure is a censorship guide as it pertains to what curse words can and cannot be used on network television. Words like "ass" and "bitch" have been allowed in recent years while many other words are prohibited (i.e. fuck, shit, cunt). But I'm not going to sit here and have an argument about why censorship exists. Take that into the Cigar Lounge.

Those are arbitrary "rules" set forth to grade the level of "inappropriate" exposure to children, and as I just noted it's entire foundation is ridiculous — not only is it ridiculous for two grown men who are so angry with one another that they are willing to go blow-for-blow over whatever it is they are willing to go blow-for-blow over, but it's even more ridiculous that you honestly sit here telling me that in the midst of their fury they are actually concerned with the language they use in the process. God forbid an 8-year old hear that terrible word! The horror!

It's called professionalism. Real sports figures have agents, bosses, spokespeople, image consultants, and other people who guide them on how to act appropriately on television. Deny it all you want but it exists.

Like I said earlier, if this occurred on the streets where no one was watching, no rules were set, and no one needed to be appeased, I can totally understand that cursing is just a natural way of life. But we are being led to believe that these men are refraining from using that language on television for one reason or the next.

Two drunk men get angry at a bar, step outside the bar around 9pm and across the street is a restaurant where numerous families are seated including children of "small ages" who likely shouldn't be seeing violence anyway, and it's OK for those men to viciously attack one another so long as neither bleeds or says "ass" in the process? My god, man...

But that's not on TV, right? Exactly my point.

These men are sports figures who need to follow rules. If they aren't followed, there are consequences. Once again this might be an argument more suitable for the Cigar Lounge, but I'd imagine that (if pro-wrestling were real-life situations) these men wouldn't want to risk lawsuits and their careers because they couldn't stop themselves from using the "f" word.

I do, because the act of censoring something as trivial and irrelevant in the grand scheme of things as a man using his own catch-phrases that contain the word "ass" is ridiculous when that man is berating another verbally and talking about physically assaulting him on a program where the governing body behind broadcasting it is worried about maintaining a PG rating so they don't upset parents and children. Said parents should already be upset their children are exposed to televised violence (real or not) — whining about the word "ass" being used is like complaining that the Nazi's spoke hate speech, but not being concerned with the fact they exterminated millions.

If it were a real situation on a real television broadcast, we'd hope these men showed some restraint. But it's not real... this is television. And I'm not going to argue about the boundaries and existence of censorship.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I'm not denying that censorship exists, D-Man, I'm criticizing why it exists on this particular level where it's obviously being cited as inappropriate for children, despite the fact it's happening on a television show where men physically assault one another, and are paid for it to boot.

It's OK for HHH to hit a man with a sledgehammer, Randy Orton/The Miz to attack the elderly, a man turning on his tag-team partner to illegally (in a sense that they didn't sign a contract to compete like most men do in scheduled matches) assault his now ex-partner, etc. but it's not OK for the Rock to "layeth the smacketh down on all their candy asses"? He has to "layeth the smacketh down on all their candy butts", or worse yet &#8212; "layeth the smack down on all their candy <expletive deleted>"?

My point hasn't changed &#8212; it's hypocrisy to demand/encourage/entertain/approve censorship of something as trivial as the word by ass citing morality as the cause on a program where men physically fight their differences away.

 

[Slyfox696]

They don't bleep the word ass, Sly &#8212; I'd be my left nut on that (and if they do, call me Uno).

No, they don't, but persistent use of the word will not allow the WWE to retain it's PG rating.

My point was that what they choose to bleep out is ridiculous, especially when it's founded on some misguided moral compass that says it's not right for children to hear the word ass but denotes it OK to see men physically fight one another. There's no getting around that.

You're looking at this from entirely the wrong perspective.

It's a chain of command. Wrestlers report to the WWE, and the WWE reports to USA Network, and USA Network reports to NBC Universal, and NBC Universal reports to the FCC. USA Network has to follow FCC guidelines on what is permitted on their channel, or the FCC fines them, like they did to CBS years ago with the Janet Jackson incident at the Super Bowl. USA Network says to the WWE they have to operate in a certain manner, because USA Network is the one who sells advertising and makes money from it. The WWE has to report not only to the USA Network, but also to their investors. So it is financially justifiable for the WWE to be a PG company. But to be a PG company, there are just words you cannot say on a regular basis, and this is probably one of them.

You're trying to make the WWE "real" like the UFC, and even if it was, the UFC cannot allow certain words to air on their show either. SpikeTV censors inappropriate remarks on the UFC. At the end of the day, ALL TV shows answer to their networks, who answer to the FCC. And EVERYONE answers to the almighty dollar.

It's possible the WWE has a moral compass, and if so, good for them. There is nothing wrong with a little corporate responsibility to societal values. But more likely, they have a responsibility to the people who invest in them, and so they have to make sure those people make money. People like those who hold stock and USA Network.

People don't remember this, but during the Attitude Era, the WWE lost advertisers left and right. Sponsors pulled out from the WWE, even though they had a popular product. But it was not something they wanted attached to their image, so while the WWE should have been pulling in BIG money through advertising, they had to settle for less advertising money due to the nature of their product. But now, the WWE doesn't sell television advertising, so it's really out of their control on the type of content they can put out there.

All of this is to say that to get upset because they are not cussing is silly. Even if we pretend the WWE is real, and wrestlers are REALLY mad at each other, the WWE would still have the ability to prevent them from using foul language. In the case of the UFC, they don't care, so their fighters do. It actually helps their image. But the WWE DOES care, and so they prevent their wrestlers from doing it, even if wrestling was real.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Oh, I understand all of that &#8212; I don't even disagree with it. I just disagree with the idea that it's OK for the WWE to apply that moral compass to language and not to their own internal product &#8212; be it "real" like UFC or not.

That's the only perspective I'm taking here, because it's the only one that affects me directly as a viewer.

I'm not an investor, or a stock holder, nor do I have any fiscal or financial obligations or attachments to WWE or it's product &#8212; I'm a viewer, and I'm speaking on behalf of viewers. To me, and to us (that is, those like me), it's insulting that a word like ass be bleeped for fear of reprisal from the FCC or for whatever the reason on a program where men (often viciously) attack and strike one another to settle their differences. That's all there is to my point. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm selling refined hypocrisy as the charge, regardless of what the reason for it may be.

 

[Slyfox696]

Oh, I understand all of that — I don't even disagree with it. I just disagree with the idea that it's OK for the WWE to apply that moral compass to language and not to their own internal product — be it "real" like UFC or not.

But they are applying it to their product. Did you not mention blood, and how it's not allowed now? Have you not noticed we don't have chairshots to the head anymore?

The WWE has applied it to their product. But they are still a company which sells people pretend fighting. That will never change. But how they express that on TV HAS changed, and not just with language.

Furthermore, you keep talking about a moral compass, when I can't really remember a time the WWE came out and said they are doing this for the good of the children. What episode of Raw was it?

I'm not an investor, or a stock holder, nor do I have any fiscal or financial obligations or attachments to WWE or it's product — I'm a viewer, and I'm speaking on behalf of viewers.

No, you're speaking on behalf of YOURSELF as a viewer. You have your tastes, and I have mine. Personally, I like this WWE a whole lot more than one that uses swear words. You're not speaking for us, you're speaking for you.

To me, and to us (that is, those like me), it's insulting that a word like ass be bleeped for fear of reprisal from the FCC or for whatever the reason on a program where men (often viciously) attack and strike one another to settle their differences. That's all there is to my point. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm selling refined hypocrisy as the charge, regardless of what the reason for it may be.

It's not insulting at all. It's a TV show, and hardly the only TV show where people have conflict which doesn't resort to them using foul language.

It's not insulting in the least, and I really don't see how it is. It's a TV show, where the point is to sell you on a match, not on a verbal sparring session to see how many four letter words each wrestler can get in. I think you're missing the point of pro wrestling if you feel that is necessary to avoid insulting your intelligence.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

But they are applying it to their product. Did you not mention blood, and how it's not allowed now? Have you not noticed we don't have chairshots to the head anymore?

The WWE has applied it to their product. But they are still a company which sells people pretend fighting. That will never change. But how they express that on TV HAS changed, and not just with language.

Furthermore, you keep talking about a moral compass, when I can't really remember a time the WWE came out and said they are doing this for the good of the children. What episode of Raw was it?

There isn't &#8212; I'm insinuating it, which I can understand can be viewed as a fault on my part because their intended audience could actually be sponsorships and advertisers, but even if that's the case, there's a reason those sponsors and advertisers themselves don't want that language used &#8212; it causes a stir among parents/children, so "the betterment of children" is still the reason, albeit potentially indirect.

No, you're speaking on behalf of YOURSELF as a viewer. You have your tastes, and I have mine. Personally, I like this WWE a whole lot more than one that uses swear words. You're not speaking for us, you're speaking for you.

Of course I am, but I'm also not the only one who feels this way. The WWE has lost a shit ton of fans since the Attitude Era, and those who've stuck around and the occasional returning fan all tend to point to the same reason &#8212; the PG rating and the loss of the programming "edge". There's something to that. WCW not being around anymore isn't the only reason RAW isn't pulling in monster ratings any more, and PG is certainly a very direct reason for the dip IMO. Little things like censoring "ass" do a lot more damage than you think to any fringe fans trying to either remain faithful to WWE or regain faith in the company by re-watching the program they may have grown up on. You're in the minority of "pleased" fans with this product.

It's not insulting at all. It's a TV show, and hardly the only TV show where people have conflict which doesn't resort to them using foul language.

It's not insulting in the least, and I really don't see how it is. It's a TV show, where the point is to sell you on a match, not on a verbal sparring session to see how many four letter words each wrestler can get in. I think you're missing the point of pro wrestling if you feel that is necessary to avoid insulting your intelligence.

Edit: I actually wrote a decent response to this, but the response is going off topic too much, so I removed it. I'll concede these points to you so we can stay on topic.

 

[Smooth Sexual Chocolate]

If the whole "PG" thing wasn't for the "Children" and to attract a "Younger" audience than what was it for? Look at the ratings, they've been on a steady decline over the last few years. As we've lowered ourselves deeper and deeper into the "PG Era" the ratings have steadily decreased. So if not for the children then why? Also, lets not pretend the WWE doesn't have some pull with the USA Network, and lets not pretend that USA went to Vince and told him to tone everything down to a PG level. There where clearly a few discussions had between the two parties, and I'm inclined to believe that it was Vince who had the idea and not the USA Network.

I also completely agree with pretty much everything said by IDR. Everyone watches wrestling for something different, for me it's strictly entertainment. I don't give two shit's about how many stars a match had, or how sound the mat wrestling was. I watch for entertainment, plain and simple; and from an entertainment standpoint coming from an adult point of view the language or lack there of does affect the entertainment value of the overall product, especially in the adult male viewership. Ratings would agree that IDR and Myself aren't the only ones who feel this way, other wise ratings would be telling a different story.

 

[Katherine]

I don't think there is anything wrong with using the word "ass" on WWE. If someone is so easily offended or worried about their kids using a "bad word", then how did they react to the blood when CM's nose was broken in a match the other day?? In our house, my 5 and 7 year old stepchildren are not allowed to watch WWE because they are simply not emotionally mature enough to distinguish real violence from sports entertainment, not because of the language. If someone is afraid of their child hearing/repeating the language, then simply do not let them watch.