Peacock Is Editing WWE Network Content For Sensitive Material

Bruce Haring
·1 min read

Social media is in an uproar over Peacock’s decision to edit certain past events from its recently acquired WWE Network video library.

NBCUniversal has been trimming some matches, along with questionable racial content and profanity. Fans complaining are claiming that by doing so, the networks are “erasing history,” in the words of some enthusiasts.

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WWE and NBCUniversal announced a multiyear agreement in late January that was reportedly worth $1 billion. The WWE Network will remain accessible in the U.S. until April 6, then shift to Peacock.

Sources indicate all content on Peacock is rated and subject to the network’s standards and practices. The WWE programming being edited is generally older footage that’s more raw than the family friendly WWE events showcased more recently on network television.

One huge fan complaint about the Peacock trims centers on WrestleMania 6. Aired on pay-per-view in 1990, the event saw the late Roddy Piper take on Bad News Brown. Piper, a white wrestler, painted his body half-black for his match against Brown, a Black wrestler. That match along with a Piper interview has been scrubbed from the Peacock version of WrestleMania 6.

Also purged was an incident from 2005’s Survivor Series 19 In that event, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon referred to Black wrestler Booker T using a slur.

The removed moments still exist in areas of social media and on DVDs.

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