Stephanie McMahon reveals whether the Lana-Lashley storyline signals the end of the PG Era (Exclusive)
While WWE's product has been PG for over a decade now, the latter part of 2019 has seen some undoubtedly edgier storylines with WWE pushing the envelope on just how family-friendly their programming is.
With RAW and SmackDown making a monumental switch to BT Sport in January, I had the opportunity to chat with Stephanie McMahon about just what the future programming of WWE may look like, and whether the PG Era may be coming to an end.
In particular, I had to ask about the controversial storyline based around a love triangle involving Lana, Rusev and Bobby Lashley.
With the recent Rusev-Lashley-Lana storyline among other things, it seems to me like WWE is moving back towards edgier content and not being so obviously PG in some of the programming on RAW and SmackDown. Is this a deliberate move and may we see WWE becoming less family-friendly going forwards?
Well, we're still going to be PG, family friendly, but there is room to push the envelope in some cases.
In terms of the Lana-Bobby Lashley storyline, WWE is like a variety show. It is, at the end of the day, competition-based, but especially on RAW and SmackDown, you have more of those soap operatic storylines, and that's why it's been showcased on RAW.
I also asked WWE's Chief Brand Officer about the company's ever-growing reputation in the world of mainstream sports, to find out which other sports personalities she'd like to see in the squared circle, and NXT's role as WWE's third brand.
Thank you to Stephanie McMahon for taking the time to chat with Sportskeeda Wrestling.
From January 2020, BT Sport will be the exclusive home of WWE’s weekly flagship shows in the UK and Ireland, showing RAW and SmackDown Live. WWE’s monthly pay-per-view events will also be available via BT Sport Box Office.