Controversial Content Removed From International WWE Network
The editing has been extended beyond the United States
Mar 26, 2021
Controversial content from old WWE shows started disappearing from the United States' WWE Network earlier this week following the streaming platform's migration to Peacock. The NBCUniversal streaming service is currently reviewing and editing all 17,000 hours of WWE content to ensure it fits in with Peacock's standards and practices.
Two noteworthy pieces of content which have already been removed are Roddy Piper vs. Bad News Brown from WrestleMania 6, a match in which Piper painted himself half black, and a backstage segment from Survivor Series 2005 during which Vince McMahon used the "n" word.
While the review initially appeared to only affect the United States, controversial content has now started to disappear from the international version of the WWE Network as well.
As first spotted by author John Lister, Roddy Piper vs. Bad News Brown is no longer available to watch. The "Jump To" section still gives users the option to select the match and The Hot Rod's backstage promo, but the broadcast jumps straight from Brutus Beefcake vs. Mr. Perfect to a backstage interview with The Bolsheviks. The Survivor Series 2005 backstage segment has also been scrubbed.
When exactly WWE removed the content is currently unknown, but one fan noted they were watching WrestleMania 6 last night and the Roddy Piper match was still available then, meaning the changes must have been made either overnight or earlier today.