WWE Appears To Have Added A New Word To Its Banned List
Whether you think the man is a genius or has lost touch, there's no arguing Vince McMahon is a pretty quirky individual. Whether it's his reaction to someone sneezing or taking away wrestler names on a whim, there are a lot of things the WWE chairman does that may never make sense. That includes the long list of words his employees aren't allowed to say on TV, and this week, that list may have become one word longer.
It's Assault, Not Attack
Bryan Alvarez highlighted the potential addition on Wrestling Observer Live (h/t WrestlingNews.co) after the show but made sure to highlight this was not necessarily something that has already been set in stone. “I think it was Seth Rollins attacking Cody [Rhodes]. He goes ‘Seth Rollins has attacked Cody. I’m sorry, assaulted.’ And they just kept going,” Alvarez pointed out.
RELATED: Cody Rhodes' Banned Word Slips On Raw Were No Accident
After going back to double-check, and confirming Jimmy Smith corrected himself after saying attack on air, Alvarez contacted someone in WWE to ask what was up. Again stating that this is by no means definitive proof, the unnamed source revealed WWE higher-ups have banned the word attack from WWE TV due to Russia's ongoing attack on Ukraine. As highlighted by Smith's direction change on Raw, the word talent has been asked to use instead of attack is assault.
No Network In Russia
Other than potentially banning the word attack from its shows, which is an odd thing to do if true, WWE has shown its support for Ukraine by removing access from the WWE Network in Russia. As for the company's list of banned words and terms, it's a long one. Some of the most notable include the words wrestling, belt, and hospital, which McMahon insists on being called a medical facility.
There is actually a certain degree of sense applied to that last example. Apparently the reason behind it is so fans don't go to the nearest hospital in an attempt to try and find the Superstar who has been taken there, or not taken there if the injury is part of an angle. The term medical facility makes it sounds like they have been taken to a WWE-run establishment, or perhaps a smaller, private place for treatment.
