The current WWE directive about not showing any blood on-air is due to their current business deals, most notably the one with Mattel, which were arranged on the guise that WWE was going to avoid controversy. This is also in effect when airing old footage from previous shows. Vince McMahon has expressed similar statements in the past only to change his mind about things, so there are some who figure that this is just a phase. It is not attributed to Linda McMahon’s political aspirations so much as agreements about the nature of the product that have been made in order to attract a higher class of business partners. This means it is likely to be in effect either until the licensing deal with Mattel expires, which is not going to happen for many years to come, or until another company with a wilder style becomes more popular than WWE and so threatens their profit margins.
Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter, 31 May 2010 (subscribe here)
