PG era working?

[cakejedi]

I was at Raw last night. I go to maybe 75% of the WWE shows held in Cleveland. Last night was the most young kids I had seen at a WWE show in a long time. This was especailly surprising considering it was a school night and a lot of parents don't let their kids stay out late on a school night. All the kids were into the show and having a great time. One kid was so excited he yelled "I am going to be watching this even when I am grown up in High School."

For all the internet fans demanding the return of the attitude era, the PG era is building a large fan base of young kids that wil be watching for years to come. Not only watching for years to come, but buying actions figures, T-shirts, etc. That is a smart business move.

Other Raw notes:

The Miz's mom was in the front row at ringside. Don't know if she was on camera. The Miz gave her a hug before he got into the ring for the Raw main event. She had a sign that said "My son the Miz is AWESOME!".

This was CM Punk's night. After the post Raw main event (Cena vs. Punk vs. Del Rio for the WWE title), Cena and Punk played to the crowd. Cena left the ringside area first. This left Punk to be in the final spotlight of the night. (And all those kids I mentioned were firmly behind HHH and not Punk. Punk had the older fans cheering for him.)

Curt Hawkins wrestled in a Dark match that wasn't even a Superstars taping and did better in the ring and interacting with the fans than any of the guys in the Superstars taping. I was never a big Curt Hawkins fan, but he really went all out in a match that nobody but the fans in attendance will ever see. I was impressed.

[Mr. Hyde]

Kids in the crowd is great. The more kids and families, the better as far as I'm concerned. I would much rather sit next to a happy family than a guy as ugly as me who is drunk, obnoxious, and snarky. And I hate kids.

What I don't really like about the PG Era is the censoring of the in-ring action. Hogan's era was super kid-friendly, I was a kid and I loved it. But, the wrestling itself was still rough, there was still blood, guys were still dangerous, humor was kept to a minimum etc. The fed was like watching human cartoon characters akin to GI Joe or Transformers.

Characters today are like cartoon characters from Spongebob Squarepants.

[floydthebarber]

I agree with Mr. Hyde, I’m all for a ‘toned down’ product that appeals to kids when it comes to sex and language, but I think they could allow a bit more danger to seep back into the product when it comes to the actual wrestling. I understand its a safety thing, both for the wrestlers themselves and the kids watching at home, but I remember being worried for Hulk Hogan when I learned he had to get into a Steel Cage with King Kong Bundy at Wrestlemania after watching Bundy break his ribs on Saturday Night Main Event with a couple of Avalanches...or seeing Ricky Steamboat clutching his throat after being hit with the ringbell. Maybe it’s the same for kids today, watching a monster like Mark Henry attack John Cena or Randy Orton?

[swarm]

I don't have a problem with the "PG era" at all. I don't even really think/feel like it's that PG anyways. I don't have any gripes with the presentation at all, just some of the ways the push (or don't push) certain guys. But I suppose it was always and will always be like that way.

[TTX]

The PG thing is fine, but some of the booking decisions have been ridiculous unfortunately.

[floydthebarber]

no argument about the booking and writing...its been pretty poor actually. The fact that they seem to have totally smothered the sparks that CM Punk was creating by having HHH try to use them to jumpstart his career instead of Punks is a real shame. I hope Punk is getting paid to make this worth it. I have a feeling he is.

[Crimson Cross]

Nothing wrong at all with a growing Kid Friendly WWE, it would be nice to see a little more edge to the product that once was part of the Attitude Era. I agree that the Booking & Pushing of Talent is at a Low and the WWE needs to take unsafe chances and not rely on "Paint by Numbers"...