WWE fans that follow the product religiously will know that there are plenty of rules Vince McMahon gives to his employees as to what they can and cannot do.
Recently, a brilliant infographic emerged of the several finishing manoeuvres that have been banned by the organisation, despite other companies being able to use them – such as the Curb Stomp famously associated with Seth Rollins.
RULES
It’s not just physical rules that are in place either, as an almost 10-year-old image has resurfaced once more which shows a list of terminology that has personally been banned by Vince.
SIGN UP NOW
Want to become a GMS writer? Sign up now and submit a 250-word test article: http://gms.to/haveyoursay4
As you’ll be able to see below, it’s actually quite interesting when you think about some of these terms because in conversation they can just roll off the tongue, but for some reason, Vince doesn’t want the WWE stars and other personnel saying them on screen.
One of the biggest rules they have in place is in relation to passive/aggressive words.
The sheet states: “The words you choose are important. They can build or bury someone. There is a difference between ‘Cena was upset by this and asked for a rematch’ and ‘Cena was furious and demanded a rematch.’
“That is what we would use for a good guy. Who is the bad guy, who is the good guy? In good, simply storytelling you will always make this clear with the words you choose to use.”
A big trend you will see, though, is that Cena is the only real example of a star you get on the whole page.
NO BELTS
Another interesting rule is that the term belt and strap have been banned. It states: “We don’t have belts or straps. We have championships, titles. The belt represents something. Talk about what it represents (hard work, dedication) or it means (accomplishments of goals, bulls eye for others).”
First off, it’s funny how they used the term belt right after claiming they don’t have belts, but it’s still something which irritates Vince.
A brilliant story was told by Mick Foley not too long ago that Vince was infuriated backstage after Braun Strowman asked for a title shot – another term that’s banned.
Belt is also a term CM Punk was strongly against when he was WWE Champion, and it’s something Goldberg touched on as well earlier this week when speaking to Edge and Christian on their podcast and quickly corrected himself by calling it a title.
A simple one that was changed was the term hospital being replaced by medical facility, but a Reddit user has explained why this happened.
Apparently, fans used to call local hospitals to ask about the wrestlers that were hurt. By replacing it with medical facility, it suggests they may have been taking to a private surgery, so the staff there wouldn’t be bothered by nuisance calls.
Almost 10 years have passed now, so it’ll be interesting to see what else has made the list in that time.
Which from the list above surprises you the most? Have YOUR say in the comments section below and if you want to hear our WWE writers' expert opinions on WrestleMania 33, take a listen at https://soundcloud.com/user-818579649/gms-wwe-podcast-wrestlemania-33-special.
Do YOU want to write for GiveMeSport? Get started today by signing up and submitting an article HERE: http://gms.to/writeforgms