As noted earlier here on the website, WWE announced late Thursday that it was removing “dated and edgier” footage from its official website and media platforms, a day after co-founder Linda McMahon’s political opponent used clips in an attack ad.
“To better reflect our current family-friendly brand of entertainment, WWE is removing some dated and edgier footage from digital platforms,” said Brian Flinn, WWE’s Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications, in a statement. “Some of this footage has been misused in political environments without any context or explanation as to when it was produced. This damages the corporate reputation of our company. WWE is well within its rights to protect its intellectual property for fair use.”
Flinn said the footage removal is not related to an ad released Wednesday by Rep. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat running for Senate against McMahon, which featured WWE footage while slamming her for allegedly off-shoring profits to avoid taxes and failing to provide health coverage for their performers. Rather, it is part of a re-branding effort.
While WWE held a PG-14 rating for much of the late 1990s and early 2000s when she was running the organization with her husband, Vince McMahon, its current content is rated PG or G.
Despite all of this, WWE has been extensively promoting the WWE 13 video game, which is all about the Attitude Era.
More details on the story are available at Courtant Blogs and Politico.
