WWE & Peacock Release Statement On Network Edits

The New York Times has released an article detailing the WWE and Peacock’s partnership, discussing the recent edits that have been made to WWE programming on the streaming platform.

Last week, it emerged that controversial moments from WWE’s past such as Roddy Piper in ‘blackface’ at WrestleMania 6, and Vince McMahon saying the ’n word’ at Survivor Series 2005 have been removed from WWE’s Network content since the migration to Peacock.

Both Peacock and WWE are currently reviewing over 17,000 hours of WWE programming and will remove any material that doesn’t align with NBC Universal’s standards and practices. WWE is also being informed of any and all edits being made to their content.

In a statement from WWE as offered up by NBC Universal, Peacock is “reviewing WWE content to ensure it aligns with Peacock’s standards and practices,” as it does with other shows and films on the platform. This also includes “all past content to ensure it fits our 2021 standards.”

The nature of these edits has stirred up debate amongst wrestlers and wrestling fans alike. Some welcome the move, as the material is certainly offensive through modern eyes, while some see the removal of controversial material as setting a dangerous precedent for further censorship down the road.