Netflix’s edits to WWE programming have become one of the hottest talking points among fans, but Vince Russo thinks people complaining about the censorship are completely missing the bigger picture.
After Netflix recently censored the moment Jacob Fatu was struck by a car during the September 28 episode of RAW, Russo addressed the backlash on The Coach and Bro Show and argued that fans shouldn’t assume billion-dollar companies don’t know exactly what they’re doing.
“If I read one more Internet Wrestling Community comment that says, ‘Didn’t Netflix know what they were getting into? What did they think they were buying? Netflix is censoring the show!’ First of all, if you think Netflix, TKO, WWE—if you think they are billion-dollar companies who don’t know what they are doing at the top level, guess what, bro? You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t become a billion-dollar company by not knowing what you’re doing. So obviously Netflix knew what they were getting into. Obviously WWE, TKO knew the situation.”
Russo said there are two major reasons replay versions of RAW don’t always match the live broadcast. The first, according to him, is simple: Netflix wants viewers watching the show live instead of waiting for the replay.
“Coach, here’s the censoring situation. Twofold. Number one, make no bones about it, Netflix wants you to watch that show in real time. They want you to watch that show live. That’s what they paid for, bro—live programming.”
He believes the bigger reason, however, is Netflix’s worldwide reach. Russo pointed out that the service operates in roughly 190 countries, all of which have different broadcasting standards and censorship rules that have to be taken into account.
“But here’s the second part that people don’t understand. Bro, Netflix is seen in 190 different countries. The rules when it comes to censorship, when it comes to censors, country to country, it varies! What can fly and what can’t fly. 190 countries, bro. Due to standards and practices, they can’t show that stuff in some of those countries.”
Russo said this isn’t anything new from his own experience in wrestling television. He recalled dealing with similar issues throughout his career whenever content that aired in one market had to be edited before it could be shown elsewhere around the world.
“I dealt with that all the time, where when we did something that you kind of raised your eyebrows at, it always came back to us—the other countries we were playing to, they had to edit it out. Netflix knows what they’re doing, but someone getting run over by a car is NOT gonna fly in 190 countries!”
Russo’s comments come after Netflix blacked out the actual impact of Jacob Fatu being hit by a car in the replay version of RAW and also censored the sound of Royce Keys slamming the SUV door. While fans continue debating the edits, Russo believes they’re simply the reality of distributing WWE programming to a global audience.
Do you agree with Vince Russo’s explanation, or do you think Netflix has gone too far with its WWE replay edits? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
