Though it’s sure to remain a term in use by the company, WWE talent no longer has to be afraid of calling what they do wrestling instead of sports entertainment. Likewise, that same talent won’t be scolded if they call themselves wrestlers instead of superstars.
That’s the word from Dave Meltzer in his latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, where he talks about the “positive and fresh vibe” in WWE now that Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan are in place as co-CEOs and Paul “Triple H” Levesque is calling the shots creatively.
Part of that is reportedly a loosening up on how WWE brands its product. For some time under Vince McMahon, the “Wrestling” part of World Wrestling Entertainment was almost a dirty word, something that wasn’t allowed to be mentioned on TV. Other terms often used when fans and performers discuss wrestling, including the likes of babyface and heel, were also on the list of prohibited terms, as Meltzer noted last fall.
Though those distinctions and restrictions occasionally provided for some wink-wink humor — like The Miz chiding Cody Rhodes, then freshly arrived from AEW, that “a belt holds up your pants” — it’s undoubtedly a positive for wrestlers to be able to call themselves that and speak in the language that fans use. And the talent agrees, with Meltzer saying “almost everyone considers that a good thing.”
It will also be interesting to see how AEW reacts to WWE changing some of its positioning since it has embraced all things wrestling as a contrast to WWE’s terms of choice. The Jericho Appreciation Society is the most prominent current example, since it is a villainous group in part because it waves the flag of sports entertainment in everything it does.
But regardless, it’ll be good to have wrestling back in WWE again. It’s right in the name, after all.