Netflix’s heavy censorship of the August 31 episode of WWE RAW didn’t just frustrate fans. Some people inside WWE’s own production department are apparently fed up with how far the streaming platform is going.
The episode featured several violent backstage attacks, including Royce Keys and OTM leaving The Usos bloodied in the parking lot. Ringside News obtained unedited footage from the taping, but when RAW aired on Netflix, the blood was covered with large pixelated blocks. Blood was also censored during multiple segments, including another backstage attack involving Solo Sikoa.
Netflix was behind the censorship because RAW airs in several countries with stricter rules surrounding graphic content. A source previously indicated that WWE’s taped episode had to be altered to meet those international restrictions.
Now WrestleVotes Radio has added another layer to the story, saying some people in WWE’s post-production department feel boxed in by Netflix’s rules. WWE knew Netflix would have certain standards in place, but some employees did not expect the restrictions to go this far.
“We’re told there are those within WWE’s post-production department who feel, quote, ‘handcuffed’ at times by the restrictions Netflix has put in place, particularly following the recent censorship on Monday Night Raw. While WWE was aware of the parameters Netflix would be setting, some internally didn’t expect them to be this intensive.”
WWE clearly wanted fans to see what actually happened during the Royce Keys and Usos angle. WrestleVotes said the decision to release the uncensored footage online was unanimous inside the company because people felt the blood and violence were necessary to show the segment the way it had been designed.
“It’s worth noting that the decision to upload the unedited Royce Keys-Usos segment to social media was said to be unanimous internally, with some feeling it was necessary to the angle and needed to be seen as originally intended and designed.”
Paul “Triple H” Levesque later posted the uncensored footage himself, while Roman Reigns and The Usos also helped circulate the version that Netflix viewers didn’t get to see. Joey Votes made WWE’s position even clearer during the discussion, saying the company wanted the real footage out there regardless of what aired on Netflix.
“WWE wants it out. That’s, I think, the juice of the story here. So they decided on their own, unanimously. To the people who say, ‘Should we put something like this out there?’ Everybody said yes. The fans need to see the real angle.”
There was also internal second-guessing over whether WWE should have run such a bloody angle on a taped episode in the first place. At least one source questioned whether the company should have saved it for a live RAW, where Netflix would not have had the same opportunity to edit the footage ahead of time.
“Another source questioned to us whether this angle should have been reserved for a week when the episode was live and airing in real time.”
That concern became a major part of the discussion because the taped nature of the August 31 show gave Netflix time to make changes before it reached viewers. Joey Votes said a live broadcast might have allowed fans to see the aftermath as WWE originally intended before any edits were made.
The censorship wasn’t limited to blood either. WWE also censored Jacob Fatu’s F-bomb after he screamed “Motherf*cker!” during the opening segment. His microphone had already been cut at the taping, while the television version shortened the moment and bleeped the profanity.
The August 31 RAW made one thing pretty obvious: WWE and Netflix are not always on the same page when it comes to how far the violence should go. Netflix cleaned up the broadcast, while WWE turned around and made sure fans could still see the version it actually wanted out there.
Do you think WWE should start saving its bloodier angles for live episodes to avoid Netflix edits, or should Netflix loosen its restrictions on RAW? Leave your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
