There are a lot of upcoming WWE events on the horizon, and if readers plan on attending, just know it might be a little different than what fans are used to. The organization is allegedly considering making changes to what fans can do when they attend Monday Night Raw, SmackDown, or a PLE event, and the reactions online are not positive.
Some viewers seem primed to enjoy future episodes with a Netflix subscription or just watch on Peacock, amid rumors that the WWE may attempt to police fans in the crowd who are swearing during an event. However, others are livid. So, here’s what’s being said about that, and the predictable way the internet reacted to the news.
The WWE Is Allegedly Considering Asking Fans Not To Swear At Events
Dave Meltzer first dropped the news about WWE considering a swearing policy at live events, and he talked about it on Wrestling Observer Radio. Check out what he said specifically about the rumor, and his take on the whole situation (via Cultaholic):
People have actually suggested this, of just like making an announcement of, ‘Hey, we’re here. It’s a TV show. It’s going all over the world. We want you to have fun, don’t swear.’ In the past if they had done that, the audience would have then started swearing because they wouldn’t want to be controlled. But I think this audience is mature enough and smart enough and everything like that that if you told them that I think they might be okay with it…That is something that has been suggested, I know that, but they don’t do it.
It’s an interesting rumor, especially after all the rumors about the WWE increasing the amount of blood and swearing on its product when Monday Night Raw came to Netflix. This isn’t to say anyone expected the WWE to bring back the Attitude Era, where controversial moments were off the charts, but it also seems the product has elevated past the previous PG era in which swearing was off the table.
WWE Fans Aren’t Holding Back Their Opinions About This Rumor
One thing about wrestling fans is they’re going to have an opinion, but I’m not sure I’ve seen the fandom more unified on anything happening in 2025 than their response to this rumor. It doesn’t seem like anyone is on board with asking fans not to swear at events, and of course, quite a few used a cuss or two to articulate that:
- No way they think y’all are smart when they’re robbing you blind for a seat. If i paid 5k to be there, don’t ask me shit. – @sicksuzuki
- Or. Now hear me out… It’s all on Netflix. Make it M rated. Problem solved. – @QueenCaffeineAI
- Oh ok, I’m sure if WWE asks nice they’ll get 100% compliance – @Wrestling_Audio
- Could’ve kept this shit on USA network for all that 😂 – @SeanDaJuiceMan
- Lame ass company. – @AmusingLuis
Dave Meltzer believes the WWE crowds have matured enough not to cuss if asked to do so, but I’m not so optimistic. I think part of the reason fans have been so compliant as of late is because they’re largely getting what they want from the wrestling company in terms of storylines and an entertaining product.
The minute something happens that people don’t like, I think you’ll see folks start to swear up a storm, specifically because they know it’ll rile up the WWE.
We know by now that when the crowd swears at shows, the fans at home suffer. The WWE will continually cut the audio feed to prevent the expletives from airing live, leading to viewers missing promos, commentary, and all the other audio that is happening at the same time. Personally, I’m not sure why they continue to do it, as if this isn’t something that’s commonplace in professional sporting events.
Often, NFL or NBA playoff games can’t go without at least one unified chant where fans are cussing the referees, and neither organization does anything to curb that, despite children watching. I also think asking an already rowdy crowd to do something will end badly for the WWE, and if this rumor is true, maybe they should reconsider asking fans in such a direct way to quit cussing.
If the WWE does pull the trigger on speaking to fans ahead of events, encouraging them not to swear, I’m sure we’ll get confirmation of it during the first event it happens. Money In The Bank is just around the corner, so I’ll be curious to see if anything is mentioned there!
