Report: 'Wrestling' & 'Wrestler' No Longer Dirty Words In WWE

In the wake of Vince McMahon retiring from WWE, it was widely speculated that many of the odd whims and rules set by McMahon would be scrapped, especially with Triple H taking over creative, whilst Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan have taken up position as co-CEOs.

Fans noticed straight away that commentary seemed more relaxed and less scripted than before, and a report from Dave Meltzer in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter suggests that there has indeed been official change inside WWE.

The report notes that the mood has been relaxed and calmer backstage since Triple H assumed his duties. Members of the women’s roster are said to be optimistic that the division will get more focus and meaningful screentime, whilst company wide it seems that the words ‘wrestler’ and ‘wrestling’ are no longer considered ‘dirty words’, with McMahon famously insisting on ‘superstar’ and ‘sports entertainment’, with wrestlers told they were never to use other terms without authorisation.

Meltzer reports that ‘almost everyone’ backstage considers the changes a good thing, and it remains to be seen if other Vince-isms will also be dropped, such as referring to titles as ‘championships’, whilst title shot was a no-no with ‘championship opportunity’ instead the preferred term. 

Notable times when the term wrestling was allowed included the ‘Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’ between Randy Orton and Edge at Backlash 2020, and a Daniel Bryan ‘submission wrestling’ t-shirt from the 2010s.