WWE Just Inadvertently Proved A Point

[Calderownz]

Last Raw, we saw CM Punk get busted open during his segment with Nexus and Randy Orton. Whether or not it was planned is basically irrelevant, but it did prove a point that I've always felt was true.

The less you use blood, the better it comes across. Quite like chair shots and high spots.

You hear all of these people complain about the lack of blood or the television rating or what have you. However, now, anytime someone curses or anytime someone is busted open, you notice it more. It has more significance. Either because you're not used to it or because you know it's not supposed to happen.

With this in mind, do you think in some respects the "PG rating" has actually helped WWE in some respects? Such as making things seem more meaningful.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I agree.

Punk's bloody nose looked real and believable BECAUSE IT WAS. Back in the day and even through the attitude era at times, blood was rampant to the point where it looked fake and the injuries were not believable.

At least now, it add some realism to the matches and feuds.

 

[byrnside]

I think it's helped. The Attitude Era was over run with foreign objects, sex, cursing and blood. Several months back I remember Cena idavertantly started bleeding during a match. It was cool because the officials had to temporarily stop the match to fix the cut, it added a whole new element to the match.

Like Calderownz said, now that we see less of it, it makes a lot more of an impact when it happens. I for one am a bigger fan of the late '80s and early '90s when cursing, weapons and bleeding were pretty much non existant in the WWE and that era of wrestling was much better than the one we have now, in my opinion. When someone bled it made a much bigger point. When someone used a chair it proved to be near deadly, which is how it should be.

The lack of cursing helps to make a match or promo much more effective and creative.

 

[King_of_Swing1520]

i agree with your point. wrestlers shouldnt blade, its just unnecessary. but if they get busted open for real it just proves these guys go out there a put their bodies on the line.

also how does this make cody rhodes look? i mean punk got his nose broken and wrestled later in the night. cody got his nose broken and has to have surgery and whine about it? i realize one is a story and the other actually happened but inadvertently it makes cody look like a pussy.

 

[xsKiitz]

The idea of it being so rare that the occasional bleeding adds so much more to the match is great, but the fact is that it.. hardly happens.
There's only like 2 times that I can remember when I've seen a bleeding superstar in the PG era and I always think 'silly him, he accidently cut himself open', instead of the mindset of it being deliberate and adding to the match.

And I thought the CM Punk thing was stupid. A struggled boot to the face and bam, you're bleeding. I didn't care for it that, knowing that something like Sheamus' kick, being about 10x more intensive than Orton's little kick, would never draw blood.

Just didn't do it for me.

 

[Rated M-I]

The idea of it being so rare that the occasional bleeding adds so much more to the match is great, but the fact is that it.. hardly happens.
There's only like 2 times that I can remember when I've seen a bleeding superstar in the PG era and I always think 'silly him, he accidently cut himself open', instead of the mindset of it being deliberate and adding to the match.

And I thought the CM Punk thing was stupid. A struggled boot to the face and bam, you're bleeding. I didn't care for it that, knowing that something like Sheamus' kick, being about 10x more intensive than Orton's little kick, would never draw blood.

Just didn't do it for me.

I don't think it matters if it did it for you or not, since I think you missed the point of all this. The blood pouring from his nose was legit. I'm sure there's been a time in your life where you looked down and went "WTF?? I'm bleeding??" I'm sure Ortons kick was not meant to break Punks nose, the timing was just off and stuff happens.

The point is, when blood isn't gushing from peoples foreheads every week, the effect it has on the audience when it does happen, whether by accident or on purpose, is amplified. We saw the blood and immediately everyone went "holy crow, Punk is busted open!" Not like back in the day when we all said "Yawn... another wrestling match, another face painted red".

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

And I thought the CM Punk thing was stupid. A struggled boot to the face and bam, you're bleeding. I didn't care for it that, knowing that something like Sheamus' kick, being about 10x more intensive than Orton's little kick, would never draw blood.

Just didn't do it for me.

Seeing as it was the most obvious thing in the world that it was a legitimate accident, I'm sure it didn't "do it" for anybody.



Anyway, I agree with Calderownz. Showing blood on screen due to an accident is something you can't really do anything about. It's a live show, and these things can happen. I'm positive none of the viewers are going to be offended by the sight of blood. I'm also positive that they won't be offended by the sight of blood if it is rarely used, on purpose.

However, I could see why blood could offend somebody when a wrestler is on screen actively trying to claw someone's head so they can rub the blood on their bodies.

 

[byrnside]

And I thought the CM Punk thing was stupid. A struggled boot to the face and bam, you're bleeding. I didn't care for it that, knowing that something like Sheamus' kick, being about 10x more intensive than Orton's little kick, would never draw blood.

Just didn't do it for me.

What I was saying had nothing to do with how it happened. I couldn't even remember how it happened. The point was that it was just cool and added a new element, almost like a UFC fight.

I also wasn't saying I don't think wrestlers should blade. I'm all for it. Ric Flair is a perfect example of how effective it can be. I just don't think wrestlers should do it every match, maybe once a pay per view.

 

[triple_b2k]

When wrestlers bleed on purpose, it brings you back to reality. You're just like, 'here we go again.'

When wrestlers are busted open by accident, you get taken back. Example:
- Joey Mercury getting busted open by the ladder. Probably the grossest one I've seen in WWE
- Rob Terry taking the unprotected headshot. Though this is TNA and they use more blood, it was unexpected. That was pretty gross and intense.
- Wrestlers getting a bloody nose or blood in their mouth. Proves they can't block everything and looks far cooler than walking away from an intense match with a bruise or mark on them.

Though I brought up the point with Rob Terry in TNA, its just an example of the unexpected blood that makes these moments better.


I prefer the PG era in this situation. The less blood I see, the better actual accidents and bloody moments come across. There is SO much more shock value in those moments. It proves wrestling doesn't always follow a script and when it does go off the script, it's pretty dam good.

 

[ccotreau1]

For me, as much as I loved the Attitude Era, I loved more of the characters that were of that era, not so much the usage of blood, unless it was like what happened on Raw with CM Punk-a complete accident. Also, where it was a live show, I am glad that they let the blood air. If it was Smackdown, it would have been edited out more likely than not. Stuff like that should be allowed to happen and not get edited because the blood isn't due to blading, but due to a move gone wrong.

 

[Chess]

Has the PG era helped in some respect? Yes, it has helped the WWE gain a younger audience who will always pester their parents to purchase the latest Cena merchandise.

Has it helped in making blood seem more significant? I guess you could say yes but WWE did not plan for this to happen and nor did Punk. It was a freak accident, although I did enjoy it when Punk kicked the mic in anger for breaking his poor little nose (Bad Mic!).

I agree that less blood is good but it is still needed. I was glad that we didn't have officials towling the blood off like before however I will like it even better if WWE puts blood in their Elimination Chamber Matches.

I do not see the need for blood every week or even every month, however if you are going to do Hell in a Cell matches or Elimation Chamber matches then blood is a requirement to get across the brutality of such events.

 

[RD_21]

I don't agree with you because you are saying people want Blood on television, the rest I can agree.

Most of the people don't want blood on Raw but at the PPV if it's a Hell in a Cell match or an Hardcore match of course people will want it, it feels unreal without it.

But when I saw Flair vs Foley on TNA I was disgust at the blood that was coming out of Flair like that it felt like the movie The Wrestler.

 

[Calderownz]

I don't agree with you because you are saying people want Blood on television, the rest I can agree.

Most of the people don't want blood on Raw but at the PPV if it's a Hell in a Cell match or an Hardcore match of course people will want it, it feels unreal without it.

But when I saw Flair vs Foley on TNA I was disgust at the blood that was coming out of Flair like that it felt like the movie The Wrestler.

I'm not saying all people want blood. I was talking about people that complain about the lack of blood.

Be that as it may, it's helpful in certain situations. Doesn't have to occur to make a match however. Most of my favorite matches involved little to no blood.

 

[Karaoke Superstar]

Last Raw, we saw CM Punk get busted open during his segment with Nexus and Randy Orton. Whether or not it was planned is basically irrelevant, but it did prove a point that I've always felt was true.

The less you use blood, the better it comes across. Quite like chair shots and high spots.

You hear all of these people complain about the lack of blood or the television rating or what have you. However, now, anytime someone curses or anytime someone is busted open, you notice it more. It has more significance. Either because you're not used to it or because you know it's not supposed to happen.

With this in mind, do you think in some respects the "PG rating" has actually helped WWE in some respects? Such as making things seem more meaningful.

I agree on that. The less commonplace something is the more effect it has when it happens. In the good ol' days, if someone bleeds it's just another match. If someone bleeds today then the feeling is, "oh shit he's hurt". It was inadvertent, I think he got a broken nose because of it.

 

[ilapierre]

I could give a shit if a wrestler bleeds. I don't care if it's all the time or barely ever. As long as a wrestler puts on a great match. The PG rating doesn't help anything. It restricts creativity. It does not force creative to become more creative. The PG rating is like telling grown adults that they cannot be themselves and they have to follow a script. There's no room for error, for natural connection with the audience. Argue me all you like children, but the PG rating is stupid.

By the way, how many of you who don't like blood have seen a real fight? People usually bleed in a fight, they usually bleed when there's real violent hatred. So, not that i need a match with blood in it or anything but c'mon. Real fighting with real emotion that works up a real crowd should at some point draw blood. The PG rating kills all reality, it makes wrestling a simulation. It's the simulation of emotion. It's for children and people with low iqs who don't mind having their intelligence insulted. Again, i don't need blood but i'm not gonna complain about it or go all crazy about it like some pansy. Wrestling entertainment is suppose to be entertaining, but must the reality of emotion be taken out of it because a bunch of nerdy WWE smarks don't want to see blood or anything that reminds them of the big bad TNA.

 

[itssoeasy123]

I think that's why they don't blade anymore, becuase, if they ever do again, you'll notice it and be shocked by it. Compare to 5 years ago when guy's bladed every big match on a PPV, now, since it hasn't been odne for a while, once the a wrestler bleed's or blades it comes as a "holy crap" moment, instead of "yeah he's bleeding, so what, he bled the last 8 matches."

I think that's why they stopped bleeding in matches. I was getting to cliche and obvious it was losing it's touch. Same with cursing, now when people curse, it's like "did he just curse?"

It add's more to it if it's done less often.

 

[Lucha-Libre is wrestling]

I don't know if anybody has notice, but once smackdown moved to syfy it open the door for wwe to move from pg to tv-14. They are going to do this very slowly and by next year this time people on here are going to be asking how did wwe became tv-14. I believe this movement began with the night nexus debuted. I also believe we have TNA to thanks for this if the wwe goes TV-14, why?, even if Vince and WWE say they don't consider tna competition, I know they are watching from far and saying , tna ideas aint bad but why (they don't do this or that). WWe don't have any real competition but they know how to scout the minors (ROH, TNA, AAA and WWC) to improve themselfs with talent or angles.

 

[bodyslam911]

The idea of it being so rare that the occasional bleeding adds so much more to the match is great, but the fact is that it.. hardly happens.
There's only like 2 times that I can remember when I've seen a bleeding superstar in the PG era and I always think 'silly him, he accidently cut himself open', instead of the mindset of it being deliberate and adding to the match.

And I thought the CM Punk thing was stupid. A struggled boot to the face and bam, you're bleeding. I didn't care for it that, knowing that something like Sheamus' kick, being about 10x more intensive than Orton's little kick, would never draw blood.

Just didn't do it for me.

Go back and look C M Punk got his nose bashed in while he was walking over to Orton with the microphone in his hand, Orton jumped at him causing the microphone to smash into his nose you can see the blood on his taped wrist right after that when he wipes at his nose, this happens before the headbutt and boot from the ropes

 

[MarkoMan]

You don't necessarily need blood in every match. You don't need blood in any match if the match and the storyline around it is good. But how believable is a PPV named "Extreme Rules" with weapons and the like, but no blood?

 

[Calderownz]

I could give a shit if a wrestler bleeds. I don't care if it's all the time or barely ever. As long as a wrestler puts on a great match. The PG rating doesn't help anything. It restricts creativity. It does not force creative to become more creative. The PG rating is like telling grown adults that they cannot be themselves and they have to follow a script. There's no room for error, for natural connection with the audience. Argue me all you like children, but the PG rating is stupid.

By the way, how many of you who don't like blood have seen a real fight? People usually bleed in a fight, they usually bleed when there's real violent hatred. So, not that i need a match with blood in it or anything but c'mon. Real fighting with real emotion that works up a real crowd should at some point draw blood. The PG rating kills all reality, it makes wrestling a simulation. It's the simulation of emotion. It's for children and people with low iqs who don't mind having their intelligence insulted. Again, i don't need blood but i'm not gonna complain about it or go all crazy about it like some pansy. Wrestling entertainment is suppose to be entertaining, but must the reality of emotion be taken out of it because a bunch of nerdy WWE smarks don't want to see blood or anything that reminds them of the big bad TNA.

The rating doesn't do anything. WCW on it's final leg was TV-14. How entertaining was that?

Good writing is good writing. Period. Working within a boundary or not, if you can't get over, then you don't deserve to get over. They aren't supposed to be themselves, anyway, they are characters. They take ASPECTS of themselves, but that's it.

Nobodies intelligence is being insulted, by the way. I just know wrestling is scripted. I don't go into it thinking everything will be believable. Looking for realism in wrestling reminds me of movie fans talking about what they learned from a movie.

It's fake. Relax and enjoy. The blood CAN help, but I've been in SEVERAL REAL LIVE AND IN LIVING COLOR fights where this person and myself didn't like each other. Sometimes, we bled. Sometimes, we didn't. The point is that wrestling isn't real. People looking for realism in the actual physical aspects of the sport have low IQs. Not the people who simply watch for the spectacle of it all.

If it were to remain "realistic" every wrestler would have a black eye right now. Wrestlers wouldn't get kicked in the face and just get up in the same second. I've been kicked in the face. The last thing I wanted to do was bounce immediately up.

Certain portions of wrestling are real. It's physically draining, I'm sure. But, wrestling is more like a movie than a sport. The sooner people realize that, the better.

Doesn't take away from the physicality. Or the skills. Or anything along those lines. Expend reality and have a good time.

 

[DForce]

The PG rating hasn't done anything for WWE but hurt it, and will continue to hurt it even more in the future. I hate not to have stats to back my position, but trust me on this: WWE has lost a lot of long time fans to the UFC (or MMA) due to a combination of both Brock Lesnar's appeal with long time fans and WWE's PG rating. I'll only address the PG rating's adverse impact.

With the Attitude Era, WWE seamlessly transitioned into an atmosphere most favorable to its aging fan base; the fan base in this case is the Generation X. We were becoming more edgy and more desensitized to swearing, violence, and sex. (It’s sad to see how our culture has degenerated.) The Attitude Era fueled our counterculture's desire for the taboo.

Now we have the PG Era. Sure the WWE has the attention of a young audience (as it always has)--and diehards, like me at 33, still tune in. Nonetheless, what's going to happen when those kiddies reach the age of 18? Like anything else childish, they will grow out of the PG material. Still I hear the arguments that more young viewers will replace previous ones. Not if their older counterparts aren’t tuning in! Therefore, will the WWE wise up and usher in a new Attitude Era, or will they allow TNA (if they're still relevant) capture a huge share of the market?

Notice that while video games, for example, are still perceived by a few ignorant observers as child's play, kid games are only a fraction of the overall market offering. The majority of games are designed with 18 to 35 year olds in mind. Basically, the video game industry has grown with its market, those of us who were playing Pac Man while Cena fans weren't even conceived. Imagine if the video game industry made the youngsters the focal point. We older geeks would all be in fit shape, yet the video game industry wouldn’t be a billion dollar industry.

I’m not suggesting that WWE should have blood, sex, and cursing in every situation, but the option for blood, sex, and cursing creates endless possibilities. I mean it wasn’t like WWE was a moral hazard when it wasn’t PG. Like damn.

 

[MoneyMack]

I agree on that. The less commonplace something is the more effect it has when it happens. In the good ol' days, if someone bleeds it's just another match. If someone bleeds today then the feeling is, "oh shit he's hurt". It was inadvertent, I think he got a broken nose because of it.

I pretty much agree with everything here, that Karaoke Superstar said. Kinda like supply and demand in the business world, in a odd way.

On a side note: Maybe im misunderstanding people in this thread- but it seems like you guys think that Punks nose was broken from the kick to the face by Orton. Im not sure what you guys were watching, but thats not what I saw. Punks nose was broken by Ortons shoulder/face (or microphone in his own hand), the first time Orton broke away from Nexus and attacked Punk. Then Orton was pulled back, and tied up into the ropes by Nexus. Punk leans in and talks trash to Orton. At this point- his nose is already bleeding. Im assuming Punk then told Orton to headbutt and then kick him, so the injury didnt look accidental. Props to CM Punk for taking two more shots to his already broken nose...just to sell the injury better in the eyes of the fan.

[YOUTUBE]T4H9Hqyzt2w[/YOUTUBE]
heres where his nose was legit broken by Ortons shoulder/face/mic. You can clearly see Punk wipe his nose with his wrist/forearm. Blood is on his tape-job. & The King even points it out.

[YOUTUBE]6I7BYb3ckI0[/YOUTUBE]
heres where Punk makes a storyline out of it on the spot. By taking the headbutt and kick to the already broken nose. Nicely done Mr. Brooks- As usual!

 

[the420something]

I agree with the majority of opinions on it. I think Punk did a fantastic job. He got his face busted open. Still went through with the segment. His facial expressions with he blood trickling down his face was awesome. It added intensity to that that last GTS. Especially when he was "vipering" over Orton.

I'm pretty desenitized to blood in the first place. But it was real, it looked natural. Punk is easily my favorite "Main Eventer" on Raw. It wasn't too much blood. They mentioned it and moved on and the next time we saw Punk, he was all cleaned up.

He didn't stop to "get cleaned up" like Cena, and sure Cody seems like a pussy in comparison, but Punk's gimmick isn't being a pretty boy either.

 

[CaptainZaltan]

I didn't see the segment in question, but I agree completely with your theory. There's no way that fans couldn't get desensitized to blood and graphic violence when it's over-saturated, as it was in the Attitude era.

If you really examine the Attitude era, you'll find a pattern of increasingly more violent (and ridiculous) angles. By the end, we had crucifixions, limo crashes, and guys getting dropped out of cranes only to show up the next night. How can we forget the Big Bossman being hung in the middle of the ring, or Shane Mcmahon having his testicles electrocuted by Kane? You can see the same pattern of escalation in nearly every corner of pro wrestling during the 90's. One ladder and a few bumps used to be sufficient to keep a crowds interest during a ladder match. When this became too familiar, we ended up with TLC matches and guys jumping off of 13 foot ladders. Cage matches evolved into HIAC matches, and the very moment that Mick Foley fell through the cell, it became an expectation in all future ones. We went from steel chairs to steel steps to kendo sticks to baseball bats to sledge hammers.

It goes way beyond just blood. Randy Orton's punt would never have gotten over in the Attitude era, because how dangerous could a kick to the head be compared to a Van-Daminator, or a Conchairto? Fans expectations of wrestlers durability were superhuman at best. The more often they saw wrestlers endure supposedly career threatening injuries and bounce back, the worse it became. It necessitated the continued escalation of over-the-top violence, because how could wrestling fans possibly be concerned with the outcome of a classic one-fall matchup when their heroes had just survived a HIAC match the night before? TNA is falling into this trap now; how do you possibly top someone getting beaten with a board with nails in it? A bigger board, with a bigger nail in it?

I have no idea if this recent use of blood was deliberate, but if it was, I hope the WWE is able to use it sparingly. It definitely has a place in the business, but it doesn't need to be in every match.

 

[Dzone]

Fair point.

In the Attitude Era blood was used WAY too often and it became stupid, it should only be used on the occasional PPV or "dangerous" match like TLC or a Steel Cage.

I also think/agree with comments about the fact that it would have been edited out on SD! because it was accidental blood. But I think it should be kept in and not edited if it wasn't too serious (i.e. CM Punk busted his nose but it seemed to clear up by the time it got to the main event).