Fightful: "Announcers couldn't say IMPACT Wresting at RR"

[Deleted]

The 2022 Royal Rumble was notable for several reasons, the biggest of which was IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts Champion Mickie James competing in the match, even coming to the ring with her title and IMPACT ‘Hardcore Country’ theme music playing.

However, it was also notable how WWE’s commentary team spoke about James, with Fightful Grapsody’s Will Washington saying how the team had to abide by WWE’s long established list of ‘banned terms’:

“I talked to someone in WWE about the Mickie Stuff, and I was like it was really cool that they did all that, but they were like ‘yeah but there were caveats to literally everything that we had to do with Mickie James’. The first thing was ‘we were allowed to say IMPACT, but at no point were we allowed to say IMPACT Wrestling, it was a really important distinction; IMPACT Wrestling cannot be said, IMPACT Wrestling cannot be tagged on social media, you are not to say IMPACT Wrestling, solely IMPACT.’

“The name of the company is IMPACT Wrestling, but it’s one of those ‘we [WWE] don’t say wrestling’, you don’t say wrestling, this company is not called IMPACT Wrestling’.”

Washington also revealed that WWE refrained from using other terms when regarding James:

“The other thing was ‘we were told we do not use the term Knockout, we do not use the term World, even though the belt is called the IMPACT Knockouts World Championship, we do not use either of those words, and we were specifically on to refer to this belt as the IMPACT Women’s Championship’ despite the fact that that is not what it is called. So it wasn’t just free range that IMPACT gets this publicity, but that there was this specific nomenclature used.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TAuGZsfHDU&t=1342s

cultaholic.com/posts/wwe-announcers-couldn-t-say-impact-wrestling-at-royal-rumble

[polarbearpete]

Vince is so strange when it comes to words.

[Cyno]

This kinda stuff always lends credence to the idea that Vince is embarrassed to be associated with pro wrestling.

[Wieners=$$$]

A company that's called World Wrestling Entertainment can't use words like "world" or "wrestling," when, in my opinion, they shouldn't be using the word "entertainment."

[MrElijah]

While not using certain words for belts isn't new in Wrestling, example when the NWA was top dog nobody else called their Titles, "World Heavyweight Championships" outside of outlaw promotions. But this seemed a little much.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I stopped watching WWE because I felt like I couldn't stomach their ethics any more

But the week to week misery of being a WWE fan is the bullshit nonspeak they make the announcers use.

Michael Cole can be good when they let him off the leash! f***ing morons

[Chiral]

If the impossible happened and Cody actually did leave AEW for WWE for the Rumble he would've been like

[Bo Rida]

If only they put as much effort into booking the rumbles as they did dictating what words could be used during them.

[eJm]

I mean, that sort of puts a stamp on anything with Impact going beyond the Rumble if they can't actually call them Impact Wrestling in general.

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

ITS LITERALLY IN YOUR COMPANY'S NAME YOU CRAZY SENILE GOBSHITE!

[MrElijah]

Feb 8, 2022 15:41:02 GMT -5 Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!! said:

ITS LITERALLY IN YOUR COMPANY'S NAME YOU CRAZY SENILE GOBSHITE!

Lapsed Vince: But we're not wrestling, we are a story driven entertainment vehicle for streaming purposes and branding opportunities.

[Lizuka #BLM]

Honestly Vince is just a genuinely f***ing pathetic human being. Like he should just genuinely be embarrassed to exist as he does.

[Mozenrath]

Vince has probably got to have severe CTE or something. His brain has to look like tapioca pudding.

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

Feb 8, 2022 14:10:14 GMT -5 Cyno said:

This kinda stuff always lends credence to the idea that Vince is embarrassed to be associated with pro wrestling.

Maybe he's a Dark Lord from Ravenloft and his curse is that as much as he wants to be famous for something else, all he'll ever be known for is wrestling.

[Sparvid]

At least the "World" part kind of makes sense in kayfabe. If a company has a World title then it implies that they consider that to be the #1 title in wrestling, and acknowledging other companies titles as equal would be weird. It's like how ECW had a ECW Heavyweight title and recognized the NWA title as the "World" title. Then when Shane Douglas threw it down and dismissed it, the ECW Heavyweight title turned into the ECW World title since it was now the most important title recognized by the company.

[Mecca]

Feb 8, 2022 15:56:51 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Vince has probably got to have severe CTE or something. His brain has to look like tapioca pudding.

Hey pal this Tapioca makes more money than ever before!

[CeilingFan]

Feb 8, 2022 15:59:47 GMT -5 Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!! said:

Feb 8, 2022 14:10:14 GMT -5 Cyno said:

This kinda stuff always lends credence to the idea that Vince is embarrassed to be associated with pro wrestling.

Maybe he's a Dark Lord from Ravenloft

Count Strahd at WrestleMania would be interesting!

[Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!!]

Feb 8, 2022 19:57:55 GMT -5 CeilingFan said:

Feb 8, 2022 15:59:47 GMT -5 Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!! said:

Maybe he's a Dark Lord from Ravenloft

Count Strahd at WrestleMania would be interesting!

Vince: you dumb marks don't want Strahd, you'll take Tristen ApBlanc and you'll like it!

[Super Duper Dragunov]

Can't say wrestling, or world, but can say stupid shit like STUPENDOUS 1000 times which is sterile and clunky at best.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

I don't think I've ever seen another human being as obsessed with what mundane words can or cannot be said on a day to day basis than Vince McMahon. It's downright scary.