Could Blood Make A Permanent Return in WWE?
Professional wrestling and blood have had long and storied relationship over the years. Employed as a tool to really add intensity and drama into feuds and matches, bleeding was a regular port of call in historical Texas Death matches and Steel Cages. This was such an effective method of gripping crowd interest that numerous superstars took to the practice of blading during bouts to give themselves color, with notable practitioners including Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and Abdullah the Butcher. Prior to this, superstars would resort to landing punches or elbows above the eyebrow to force an opponent to bleed.
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Blading in professional wrestling has always been a controversial topic, with many companies banning its employment as a safety hazard. The spread of AIDs and Hepatitis have become points of concern, and since the WWE turned PG in 2008, it has been fully illegal for a superstar to intentionally bleed. It does not appeal to their target audience of children and parents, and has been used sparingly in the past seven years on either television or PPV. Whenever blood has been featured in recent times, it has been done the hard way, and referees have been quick to done gloves and attempt to stop the bleeding as quickly as possible.
Too many instances of superstars severely injuring themselves over the years would have been a key reason for stopping the process of blading in WWE. The Muta Scale is applied due to the Japanese legend the Great Muta losing so much blood in a 1992 match with Hiroshi Hase. Eddie Guerrero also endured a great deal of blood loss in a bout with JBL at Judgement Day 2004 when he accidentally severed an artery in his forehead when blading himself. However, it is clear that the decision to move away from wrestlers gigging themselves is not due to safety, but the public image of the WWE in the PG Era, especially when blading was so prevalent in the prior decade.
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Nevertheless, when the crimson mask has featured in WWE in the PG Era, it has been almost exclusively associated with one superstar – Brock Lesnar. His hard-hitting style and willingness to take vicious shots in the pursuit of realism have resulted in some full-blooded affairs. This was best represented by his main event match at WrestleMania this past Sunday, where Lesnar bled from every part of his face which added a great deal of drama to their WWE Championship battle with Roman Reigns.
However, this led to suspicions that Lesnar had intentionally bladed himself in order to get the profuse level of blood that presented itself in the final moments of the match. The then-champion was believed to have grabbed a razor blade from the referee and cutting himself when he collided with the steel post. However, later reports have now officially come out to suggest that he started bleeding the hard way, as the actual collision with the post split his forehead open, rather than taking to a blade. Yet, that doesn’t mean that Lesnar did not intend to start bleeding through his actions, or if he was instructed to do so by a creative decision.
Nonetheless, a question should arise over whether blood should make a more permanent return to the realms of WWE? Of course, WWE television is still a PG product, and so it would be difficult to make a firm adjustment. Children still watch the shows, and thus parents and commissions would fall upon them very heavily if they were to push blood once again as a selling point. I certainly wouldn’t recommend that blood makes an appearance once every episode of RAW or SmackDown like it did during the Attitude or Ruthless Aggression Eras. But, PPV is a very different prospect, thanks in no small part to the WWE Network.
As the WWE Network grows, that is being pushed to a market of diehard WWE fans, not the casual audience. These are people that want to purchase cheap PPVs, and watch matches and moments on the archive. One of the most successful series on the Network since its debut was the documentary on the Monday Night Wars, a subject that cannot be covered in great detail without reference to some significantly bloody matches. The Undertaker vs Mankind at King of the Ring 1998 and Triple H vs Cactus Jack at Royal Rumble 2000 spring quickly to mind as a pair of integral matches that were covered in busted foreheads.
Therefore, if blood were to make a more regular appearance on WWE programming, it should certainly be restricted to PPV matches, which is exactly the way it should be. One of my serious concerns with the approach of the Attitude Era was that blood was not something saved for the big occasion. In a manner of speaking, it was splattered across every page and opportunity. This, by no fault of the audience themselves, gave fans a taste of blood at every turn, and it then over-saturated the market. That meant that when it was taken away from matches completely in recent years, it really caused serious resentment among a core part of their fan base.
Realistically, I see blood as something that is desirable to employ in the correct circumstances. Nobody is suggesting here that every other match should be shrouded in red, as too much is unnecessary, let alone dangerous to the individuals involved. But, the edge and excitement that they can add to matches, especially after so long of being excluded from the scene. Blading, if controlled, can be an effective tool, but in reality if one is busted open through more genuine means both looks better and would add more realism to the bouts. Although, in most circumstances blading could prove safer than simply hitting your head hard against something and hope for the best.
I think the reaction of look of a wounded gladiator in Brock Lesnar bleeding profusely against Roman Reigns was an iconic sight, and in vicious matches and feuds it should be an avenue worth exploring. Wrestling might be geared more towards a younger market these days, but in reality young adults and parents are those paying to watch the product. So, in prevalent feuds to add that edge to its entertainment and significance, I believe it is certainly time that blood makes a noticeable return to the WWE.