Racist WWE Moments Removed From Classic Matches On Peacock
WWE classic content from major pro wrestling events is being revised to cut out racist segments as it moves to Peacock, the NBCUniversal-owned streaming service.
The offensive moments from the wrestling franchise’s history are quietly being deleted during its gradual transition from the WWE Network. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the service is reviewing all 17,000 hours of content to ensure it aligns with Peacock’s standards and practices.
An example of this is 1990’s WrestleMania VI, which featured a bout between Bad News Brown and Roddy Piper, a white wrestler who painted half his face black while facing off against Brown, a Black wrestler.
"I hear Bad News Brown, how he's talking about Harlem, and how he's proud to be from Harlem," Piper said during the pre-match interview. "Now I can stand here, and I can be Black! I can be white! Don't make no difference to me. ... It's what's inside."
Another scrubbed moment came during 2005’s Survivor Series 19 when WWE CEO Vince McMahon said the N-word to a stunned John Cena.
WWE Network content began its move to Peacock on March 18. The latter network has a dedicated WWE section where fans can browse and access all PPV events in the calendar year.
Peacock’s goal is to have all classic content reviewed and available to stream on demand before SummerSlam in August.
