Long-time WWE talent reportedly frustrated with SmackDown moments involving Nia Jax and Logan Paul - Reports
There have been repetitive moments on SmackDown, especially in recent times, involving superstars like The Rock, Nia Jax, and Logan Paul. One long-time talent has reportedly expressed frustration at the situation.
The situation involves the black screen that appears on the WWE on FOX broadcasts. While other broadcasts of SmackDown had a black screen when Naomi suffered a wardrobe issue, it has specifically been FOX broadcasts that have notoriously censored audio and went to a black screen for moments that were deemed non-PG. In the final SmackDown of June 2024, there were multiple black-screen moments with Nia Jax when a child behind her flipped her off and also during Logan Paul's appearance when fans had derogatory chants directed at Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
Fightful Select recently reported that multiple figures in WWE have been frustrated at the black screen issue as it is out of their hands. One long-time talent, reportedly not on SmackDown, understood fans' frustration when viewing FOX, but also expressed their personal frustration that it appears to be WWE doing the censoring when it's FOX.
FOX's deal with WWE for SmackDown ends after five years this October and many fans on social media expressed their happiness over the fact that it is moving back to the USA Network - the current home of Monday Night RAW and a network known to be a little more lenient.
Triple H says moving to Netflix will prevent SmackDown type of black screen moments
The move to Netflix for Monday Night RAW is going to be a landmark moment in WWE history. It's likely going to change the way wrestling is presented forever, and one way that it's going to change from recent times is that there will reportedly not be the same type of censorship.
On The Pat McAfee Show, Triple H addressed the censorship issues and stated that it'll be a big breath of fresh air once RAW moves to Netflix in 2025.
"We spend large chunks of our time every day when we're not thinking about the business at hand now. We're thinking about those moments. In the fall, as the shows shift around, and then once we get to Netflix. Netflix is a completely different animal. It's a streaming service. How are commercials going to work? How are breaks going to work? What's the length of time? What are the restrictions or not restrictions? Being on Fox, if the crowd chants 'holy sh*t' or something worse, they take the audio. Sometimes, they take the picture and the audio out, and it's a black screen," he said.
The Game expressed his confusion during situations where superstars like The Rock, who hold tremendous backstage influence, have to be censored out. He stated that you can't simply tell a star of The Rock's caliber what to do while also expressing his excitement over the major change to streaming.