The PG Era , also known as the Universe Era , is an era of professional wrestling within World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE), which began on July 22, 2008 after its programming was labeled as TV-PG rating under the TV Parental Guidelines .
92-420: WWE instituted a number of changes as they began marketing to a younger audience, such as heavily scripting on-screen promos and toning down excessive violence, profanity and sexual content. The earlier parts of the era were defined by superhero-esque fan-favorites and one-dimensional villains . While WWE considers the era to have ended in either 2013 or 2014 in favor of a more reality-based era , some describe
184-582: A sin . Profanity includes slurs , but most profanities are not slurs, and there are many insults that do not use swear words. Swear words can be discussed or even sometimes used for the same purpose without causing offense or being considered impolite if they are obscured (e.g. "fuck" becomes "f***" or "the f-word") or substituted with a minced oath like "flip". Profanity may be described as offensive language, dirty words, or taboo words, among other descriptors. The term profane originates from classical Latin profanus , literally ' before (outside)
276-466: A bloody miracle , or as an adverb, such as in they drove damn fast . One type of adverbial profanity is to use it as a modal adverb , such as in no you fucking can't . Compound words can be created to create a new modifier, such as pisspoor . Many European languages use profanity to add emphasis to question words in the form of who the hell are you? or with a preposition in the form of what in God's name
368-456: A case of using the name of one group to demean another, Hun came to be associated with a brutish caricature of Germans, first during the Renaissance and again during World War I . Some terms for people of low class or status can become generically profane or derogatory. English examples include villain , lewd , and scum . Profanity is used to indicate the speaker's emotional state, and
460-435: A comedic effect. Profanity often presents as formulaic language , in which specific words can only be used in specific phrases, often developed through grammaticalization . Many of these phrases allow words to be swapped, presenting variations on a phrase like what in the bloody heck , why in the flamin' hell , and how in the fuckin' hell . Profane phrases can be used as anaphoric pronouns , such as replacing him with
552-502: A given context. Those still learning a language, such as children and non-native speakers, are more likely to use profane language without realizing that it is profane. Acceptable environments for profanity are learned in childhood as children find themselves chastised for swearing in some places more than others. Swearing is often milder among young children, and they place more stigma on terms that are not seen as profane by adults, like fart or dork . Young children are more likely to use
644-467: A local or magistrates court. Police also have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to alleged offenders. It is a defence in some Australian jurisdictions to have "a reasonable excuse" to conduct oneself in the manner alleged. In Brazil, the Penal Code does not contain any penalties for profanity in public immediately. However, direct offenses against one can be considered a crime against honor , with
736-475: A penalty of imprisonment of one to three months or a fine. The analysis of the offence is considered "subjective", depending on the context of the discussion and the relationship between the parts. Section 175 of Canada's Criminal Code makes it a criminal offence to "cause a disturbance in or near a public place" by "swearing […] or using insulting or obscene language". Provinces and municipalities may also have their laws against swearing in public. For instance,
828-918: A person as one who masturbates are often used as terms of abuse, such as the English use of jerk-off and wanker . Terms for sexually promiscuous women can be used as profanity, such English terms like hussy and slut . Reference to prostitution brings its own set of profanities. Many profane words exist to refer to a prostitute, such as whore in English, putain in French, puttana in Italian, kurwa in Polish, блять ( blyat' ) in Russian, and puta in Spanish. Some languages, including German and Swedish, do not see significant use of sexual terms as profanity. Profanities for
920-583: A plague on others. The names of various diseases are used as profane words in some languages; Pokkers ( transl. pox ) appears in both Danish and Norwegian as an exclamation and an intensifier. Death is another common theme in Asian languages such as Cantonese . Terminology of mental illness has become more prominent as profanity in the Western world, with terms such as idiot and retard challenging one's mental competency. Profane phrases directed at
1012-478: A profane term can vary between dialects within the same language. Publishers of dictionaries must take profanity into consideration when deciding what words to include, especially when they are subject to obscenity laws. They may be wary of appearing to endorse the use of profane language by its inclusion. Slang dictionaries have historically been used to cover profanity in lieu of more formal dictionaries. In some cultures, there are situations where profanity
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#17328593054171104-503: A sentence's length without changing its meaning. The use of expletive sometimes refers specifically to profanity as an interjection . Epithet is used to describe profanities directed at a specific person. Some languages do not have a general term for the use of profanities, instead describing it with the phrase "using bad language". These include Mandarin ( zang hua ), Portuguese ( palavrao ), Spanish ( decir palabrotas ), and Turkish ( küfur etmek ). Historical profanity
1196-596: A similar manner to swearing , especially in the United States. Cursing originally referred specifically to the use of language to cast a curse on someone, and in American English it is still commonly associated with wishing harm on another. Equivalents to cursing are used similarly in Danish ( bande ), Italian ( imprecare ), and Norwegian ( banne ). The terms swearing and cursing have strong associations with
1288-484: A social environment as informal, and mark the speaker as part of an in-group . The way speakers use profanity in social settings allows them to project their identity and personality through communication style, and in some circumstances it can be used as a method used to impress one's peers. Stylistic swearing is used to add emphasis or intensity to speech, which can be used to emphasize an idea in an aggressive or authoritative fashion, make an idea memorable, or produce
1380-469: A specific demographic. These are used to project xenophobia and prejudice , often through the use of stereotypes . They typically develop in times of increased contact of conflict between different races or ethnic groups, including times of war between two or more nations. Terms for minority groups are sometimes used as swears. This can apply to both profane terms such as kike or non-profane terms such as gay . Many of these are culture-specific. In
1472-535: A style far away from the PG content. Bleacher Report writes: "Punk turned the company on its head for a few short years and gave fans a taste of what an alternative to the advertiser-obsessed promotion could look like." Future stars such as Alberto Del Rio , Daniel Bryan , Sheamus , Drew McIntyre , The Wyatt Family ( Bray Wyatt , Luke Harper and Erick Rowan ) and The Shield ( Roman Reigns , Dean Ambrose , Seth Rollins ) made their debuts during this time. The ECW brand
1564-404: A swear. The Cockney dialect of English uses rhyming slang to alter terms, including profanity; titty is rhymed as Bristol city , which is then abbreviated as bristols . Speakers and authors may engage in self-censorship under legal or social pressure. In the 21st century, censorship through social pressure is associated with political correctness in Western society. This has led to
1656-440: A term of abuse for a dishonest person in a criminal setting. Profanity is often associated with lower class professions like soldiers and carters . Expectancy violations theory holds that expectations about a speaker's behavior come from impressions based not only on the speaker's identity, but how the specific speaker typically communicates and the socially expected way to speak to a given listener. Swearing in formal contexts
1748-749: A term of abuse with klotzaak . Words for the buttocks are used as a term of disapproval in many languages, including English ( ass or arse ), French ( cul ), Polish ( dupa ), Russian ( жопа , zhopa ), and Spanish ( culo ). Similar words for the anus appear in languages like Danish ( røvhul ), English ( asshole or arsehole ), German ( Arschloch ), Icelandic ( rassgat ), Norwegian ( rasshøl ), and Polish ( dupek ). Excrement and related concepts are commonly invoked in profanity. European examples include shit in English, merde in French, scheiss in German, and stronzo in Italian. Illness has historically been used to swear by wishing
1840-469: A time of gradually declining Nielsen ratings , which had begun after the demise of WCW but accelerated after Raw went to a three-hour format in 2012. The PG Era's duration has been the subject of debate. On April 26, 2024, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter wrote that, "it was said to us that the Rock interviews and Heyman promo are considered the official end of the PG era. This isn’t to say that
1932-424: A vulgar word can constitute a swear word. Conversely, words with greater connotative senses are not always used profanely. Bastard and son of a bitch are more readily used as general terms of abuse in English compared to terrorist and rapist , despite the latter two being terms being associated with strongly immoral behavior. Some profane phrases are used metaphorically in a way that still retains elements of
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#17328593054172024-406: Is a greater violation of expectations than swearing in informal conversation. Whether the profanity is spoken in public or private is also a factor in social acceptability. Conversations that involve profanity are correlated with other informal manners of speech, such as slang, humor, and discussion of sexuality. Native speakers of a language can intuitively decide what language is appropriate for
2116-451: Is another form of euphemism, with English examples including the replacement of fuck with the f-word or effing and the use of " four-letter words " to refer to profanity in general. Chinese and some Southeast Asian languages use puns and sound-alikes to create alternate swear words. The Chinese word for bird, niao , rhymes with the Chinese word for penis and is frequently invoked as
2208-536: Is associated with neurological conditions such as Tourette syndrome , dementia , and epilepsy . The ability to use profanity can remain intact even when neurological trauma causes aphasia . Frequent swearing is more common among people with damage to the brain or other parts of the nervous system . Damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex can negatively affect one's ability to control their use of profanity and other socially inappropriate behaviors. Damage to Broca's area and other language-processing regions of
2300-498: Is associated with the right hemisphere . Swearing is associated with both language-processing parts of the brain, the left frontal and temporal lobes, as well as the emotion-processing parts, the right cerebrum and the amygdala . The association of emotional swearing with the amygdala and other parts of the limbic system suggests that some uses of profanity are related to the fight-or-flight response . Profanity requires more mental processing than other forms of language, and
2392-601: Is common in Polish, for example, while swearing in Dutch is more commonly in reference to disease. Words for excrement and for the buttocks have profane variants across most cultures. Though religious swears were historically more severe, modern society across much of the world has come to see sexual and anatomical swears to be more vulgar. Common profane phrases sometimes incorporate more than one category of profanity for increased effect. The Spanish phrase me cago en Dios y en la Puta Virgen ( transl. I shit on God and on
2484-682: Is considered acceptable, including its presence in the home and children's access to broadcasts. Profanity may be avoided when discussing taboo subjects through euphemisms . Euphemisms were historically used to avoid invoking the names of malevolent beings. Euphemisms are commonly expressed as metaphors, such as make love or sleep with as descriptors of sexual intercourse. Euphemisms can be alternate descriptors such as white meat instead of breast meat , or they may be generic terms such as unmentionables . Minced oaths are euphemisms that modify swear words until they are no longer profane, such as darn instead of damn in English. Substitution
2576-634: Is difficult to reconstruct, as written records may not reflect spoken language. Despite being relatively well known compared to other linguistic mechanisms, profanity has historically been understudied because of its taboo nature. Profanity may be studied as an aspect of linguistics and sociology, or it can be a psychological and neurological subject. Besides interpersonal communication, understanding of profanity has legal implications and related to theories of language learning. In modern European languages, swearing developed from early Christianity, primarily through restrictions on taking God's name in vain in
2668-442: Is disagreement as to whether freedom of speech should permit all forms of profane speech, including hate speech, or if such forms of speech can be justifiably restricted. Censorship is used to restrict or penalize profanity, and governments may implement laws that disallow certain acts of profanity, including legal limitations on the broadcast of profanity over radio or television. Broadcasting has unique considerations as to what
2760-407: Is done involuntarily as an emotional response to excitement or displeasure. Frequent swearing can become a habit, even if the speaker does not have a specific intention of being profane. Profanity is often used as a slot filler, which functions as a modifier , and modifying a noun with a swear is commonly used to indicate dislike. A profane word can modify words as an adjective, such as in it's
2852-549: Is especially common in Arabic. Self-immolating oaths, such as I'll be damned , involve speakers casting harm upon themselves. These are often invoked as conditional statements based on whether something is true— I'll be damned if... Profanity directed at an individual can take the form of an unfriendly suggestion. English examples include go to hell and kiss my ass . Some profanities, such as your mother ! , imply taboos or swear words without using them explicitly. Whether speech
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2944-407: Is good etiquette. A tradition exists in some parts of China that a bride was expected to speak profanely to her groom's family in the days before the wedding, and one Aboriginal Australian culture uses profanity to denote class. The idea of censoring taboo ideas exists in all cultures. Swearing inappropriately can be punished socially, and public swearing can bring about legal consequences. There
3036-542: Is more politically correct , parents are more cautious about what their kids are watching and advertisers are less willing to back controversial brands." Mueller praised the PG Era as a wise business decision because it made the promotion more appealing to corporate sponsors . Shortly after the transition, Miami Herald writer Jim Varsallone said that the changes in programming were too subtle for casual fans to notice and that he did not get complaints from fans. Gewirtz criticized
3128-508: Is most common in Russian. Though profanity exists in nearly all cultures, there is variation in when it is used and how it affects the meaning of speech. Each language has unique profane phrases influenced by culture. Japanese is sometimes described as having no swear words, though it has a concept of warui kotoba ( transl. bad words ) that are not based on taboos but are otherwise functionally equivalent to swears. One linguistic theory proposes that sound symbolism influences
3220-448: Is often seen as more socially acceptable when coming from men, and it is commonly associated with machismo . Profanity varies in how it affects a speaker's credibility. It can be seen as unprofessional in some circumstances, but it can make an argument more persuasive in others. Milder words can become more impactful in different circumstances; cheat may be more provocative in schools or gambling clubs, and informer replaces crook as
3312-494: Is profane depends on context, because what is taboo or impolite in one environment might not be in another. Swear words vary in their intensity, and speakers of a language might disagree that weaker swear words are actually profane. Isolated profanities are often seen as more profane than those used in context. The identity of the speaker affects how profanity is seen, as different cultures may hold classes, sexes, age groups, and other identities to different standards. Profanity
3404-591: Is sometimes made between religious profanity, which is casual, versus blasphemy, which is intentionally leveled against a religious concept. It was commonly believed among early civilizations that speaking about certain things can invoke them or bring about curses. Many cultures have taboos about speaking the names of evil creatures such as Satan because of these historical fears. Religions commonly develop derogatory words for those who are not among their members. Medieval Christianity developed terms like heathen and infidel to describe outsiders. Secularization in
3496-595: Is that? . Modifier profanities are frequently used as an expletive attributive , or intensifiers that put emphasis on specific ideas. These commonly take the form of interjections to express strong emotion, such as the English examples bloody hell and for fuck's sake . Such stand-alone profanities are among the most common in natural speech. Expletive infixation is the use of a profane word as an intensifier inside of another word, such as modifying absolutely to become abso-fucking-lutely . Some languages use swear words that can generically replace nouns and verbs. This
3588-646: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter awarded the John Cena–CM Punk main event match of Money in the Bank 2011 five stars out of five , the first WWE match since 1997 to receive such a rating. Cena and Punk's match on the February 25, 2013 episode of Raw has also been named one of the greatest matches of all times. During his 2011 storyline with Cena, Punk performed a shoot promo (known as The Pipebomb), with
3680-454: The Attitude Era of the late 1990s and early 2000s was the result of competition from WCW and forced the company to "go for the jugular". Due to WCW's demise in 2001, McMahon says that they "don't have to" appeal to viewers in the same way and that during the "far more scripted" PG Era, WWE could "give the audience what they want in a far more sophisticated way". WWE says that the move to PG cut
3772-582: The Gospel of Matthew implies condemnation of all swearing, though only the Quakers have imposed such a ban. Islam , Judaism , and Brahmanism forbid mention of God's name entirely. In some countries, profanity words often have pagan roots that after Christian influence were turned from names of deities and spirits to profanity and used as such, like perkele in Finnish, which was believed to be an original name of
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3864-485: The Old Testament . Invocations of God were seen as attempts to call upon his power, willing something to be true or leveling a curse. Other mentions of God were seen as placing oneself over him, with the person uttering a name implying power over the name's owner. Modern study of profanity as its own subject of inquiry had started by 1901. Sigmund Freud influenced study of the topic by positing that swearing reflects
3956-652: The Western world has seen exclamations such as God! divorced from their religious connotations. Religious profanity is not inherent to all languages, being absent from Japanese, indigenous languages of the Americas , and most Polynesian languages . European languages historically used the crucifixion of Jesus as a focal point for profane interjections. Phrases meaning "death of God" were used in languages like English (' Sdeath ), French ( Mort de Dieu ), and Swedish ( Guds död ) Christian profanity encompasses both appeals to
4048-545: The "excess" of the Attitude Era and "ushered in a new era of refined and compelling storytelling". John Cena was face of the company during this time, despite receiving a mixed reception from the audience. While WWE had been slowly moving towards a more family-friendly format before it, Vice News writes that this was accelerated after the Chris Benoit double murder and suicide in 2007. Then-WWE CEO Linda McMahon described
4140-406: The Italian porco dio ( transl. pig of a God ). Animal-related profanity is distinct from other forms in that it is used similarly across different languages. Terms for dogs are among the most common animal swears across languages, alongside those for cows, donkeys, and pigs. Swear words related to monkeys are common in Arabic and East Asian cultures. Slurs are words that target
4232-463: The PG Era as continuing longer since the 2008 changes remained in effect. The PG Era has received much criticism from fans due to its watered-down violence and family-friendly program and characters, but it has also been praised as a good business decision as it made the promotion more appealing to a wider audience and corporate sponsors just as it was during the Hulkamania years. Upon the launch of
4324-835: The PG Era. It was during 2015 that John Cena slowly began to transition to a part time role and WWE began to establish Roman Reigns as the face of the company, which received polarizing reception from fans and critics, since having Reigns win the 2015 Royal rumble match on January 25, 2015. The move to TV-PG programming has been singled out as one of WWE's most controversial decision amongst wrestling fans. The PG Era has also received much criticism from fans due to its watered-down violence and family-friendly program and characters. The transition to TV-PG caused some fans to support WWE's competitors, with Pro Wrestling Torch writer James Caldwell commenting that WWE's programming resembled children's shows such as Barney & Friends or Blue's Clues when compared to their nearest competitor's at
4416-738: The TV Parental Guidelines in 1997, WWF (WWE was known as the World Wrestling Federation until May 2002) programming was rated TV-PG. Beginning with the January 18, 1999 episode, Raw shifted to a TV-14 rating amidst direct competition with World Championship Wrestling 's (WCW) flagship show Nitro during the Monday Night War . It remained with that rating until early-June 2008. SmackDown has been rated TV-PG since its inception in 1999. WWE promoter Vince McMahon states that
4508-478: The TV shows will be changing . . . but the attempts to keep things PG in the big picture which had been a big thing to the point of the memo being sent out about it several weeks back, such as in social media or in non-television shows, is now no longer the case". As WWE reverted to a more family-friendly style, previous staples in their programming were altered or dropped. Use of profanity was toned down. An example of this
4600-625: The adult-oriented content, citing his personal "adult sense of humor", he defended the PG era, calling it "more digestible": "[operating under] a PG platform, ... has totally globally expanded the WWE and created more fans ... around the world, and allowed all of these performers including myself to go to new and wonderful places". The transition to TV-PG became a subject of controversy during Linda McMahon's 2010 Senate campaign . US Senator Chris Dodd accused McMahon of trying to distance herself from professional wrestling, while Superstar Billy Graham said that
4692-476: The bastard in tell the bastard to mind his own business . They can similarly be used to support a noun instead of replacing it, such as in John is a boring son of a bitch . Though profanity is usually associated with taboo words, obscene non-verbal acts such as hand gestures may be considered profane. Spitting in someone's direction has historically been seen as a strong insult. Exposure of certain body parts, often
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#17328593054174784-401: The brain can similarly make people prone to outbursts. Damage to the right hemisphere limits the ability to understand and regulate the emotional content of one's speech. In every Australian state and territory it is a crime to use offensive, indecent or insulting language in or near a public place. These offences are classed as summary offences . This means that they are usually tried before
4876-1098: The divine, such as God or heaven, and to the diabolic, such as the Devil or hell. While the impact of religious swearing has declined in the Christian world, diabolic swearing remains profane in Germany and the Nordic countries . Islamic profanity lacks a diabolic element, referring only to divine concepts like Muhammad or holy places. Words related to Catholicism, known as sacres , are used in Quebec French profanity , and are considered to be stronger than other profane words in French. Examples of sacres considered profane in Quebec are tabarnak ( tabernacle ), hostie ( host ), and sacrament ( sacrament ). When used as profanities, sacres are often interchangeable. The Book of Leviticus indicates that blasphemous language warrants death, while
4968-441: The end of the 20th century. Another increase in the study of profanity took place with the onset of the 21st century. Profanities have literal meanings, but they are invoked to indicate a state of mind, making them dependent almost entirely on connotation and emotional associations with the word, as opposed to literal denotation . The connotative function of profanity allows the denotative meaning to shift more easily, causing
5060-405: The era as "jarring" due to there being not being a transition from the edgier Ruthless Aggression era, but stated that WWE "[gained] respectability again with the advertisers and Hollywood in general. It made it 'safe' for moms and dads to watch with their kids." Edge compared the PG Era favorably to the Attitude Era, stating that his matches were given more airtime during the PG Era as the latter
5152-422: The exact duration of the era is disputed. Many sources continue to describe WWE as still being in the PG Era because most of their content is still rated TV-PG. For the purposes of this article, only events between 2008–2014 have been covered in the section. Bleacher Report states that "Perhaps the most distinguishable characteristic of WWE's PG Era was its reliance on superhero-esque babyfaces ." While John Cena
5244-495: The genitals or buttocks, is also seen as profane in many parts of the world. Though cursing often refers to the use of profanity in general, it can refer to more specific phrases of harm such as damn you or a pox on you . Historically, people swore by or to the ideas that they were invoking, instead of swearing at something. Oaths in which the speaker swears by something, such as by God , can be used as interjections or intensifiers, typically without religious connotation. This
5336-447: The head, despite the match being well received by the fans. Also in April 2011, the company ceased going by its full name in reference to the wrestling promotion, strictly only using the "WWE" abbreviation, which became an orphaned initialism ; the company's legal name however remains World Wrestling Entertainment. From 2008 to the mid-2010s, former WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz stated that
5428-443: The intentional creation of new euphemisms to avoid terms that may be stigmatizing. Some become widely accepted, such as substance abuse for drug addiction , while others are ignored or derided, such as differently abled for disabled . The brain processes profanity differently than it processes other forms of language. Intentional controlled swearing is associated with the brain's left hemisphere , while reflexive swearing
5520-587: The listener's female relatives, either by describing sexual activity involving them or suggesting that the listener engage in activities with them. Aboriginal Australian languages sometimes invoke one's deceased ancestors in profanity. The names of political ideologies are sometimes invoked as swear words by their opponents. Fascist is commonly used as an epithet in the modern era, replacing historical use of radical . Far-left groups have historically used words like capitalist and imperialist as terms of abuse, while Western speakers use communist in
5612-450: The listener's mother exist across numerous major languages, though it is absent from Germanic languages with the exception of English. These phrases often include terms of abuse that implicate the subject's mother, such as son of a bitch in English or wáng bā dàn ( transl. child of a cuckolded man ) in Mandarin. Russian profanity places heavy emphasis on the sexual conduct of
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#17328593054175704-613: The mildest terms as swear words, such as pooh-pooh . Adolescents develop an understanding of double meanings in terms like balls . The severity of a swear word may decline over time as it is repeated. In some cases, slurs can be reclaimed by the targeted group when they are used ironically or in a positive context, such as queer to refer to the LGBTQ community . People who speak multiple languages often have stronger emotional associations with profanity in their native languages over that of languages that they acquire later. The severity of
5796-722: The move to kid-friendly programming was done so that she would be a more appealing candidate. WWE denied these claims, stating that the 2008 transition to TV-PG occurred "long before McMahon announced her candidacy". Promo (professional wrestling) Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 765599049 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Fri, 29 Nov 2024 05:48:25 GMT Profanity Profanity , also known as swearing , cursing , or cussing , involves
5888-420: The negative associations of swear words mean they are often emotionally charged. Expressions of anger and frustration are the most common reason for swearing. Such expressions are associated with abusive profanity, which is the most negatively charged and is specifically chosen to insult or offend the subject. This may take the form of a direct insult, such as calling the subject an asshole , or by addressing
5980-414: The original meaning, such as the English phrases all hell broke loose or shit happens , which carry the negative associations of hell and shit as undesirable places and things. Others are nonsensical when interpreted literally, like take a flying fuck in English as well as putain de merde ( whore of shit ) in French and porca Madonna ( the sow of Madonna ) in Italian. A distinction
6072-626: The path towards the Reality Era began with CM Punk's "insurrection", Brock Lesnar brought "a new era of wrestling legitimacy" when he returned in 2012. Lesnar's on-screen manager, Paul Heyman , referred to him as the "most non-PG ass kicker of the PG Era" and the violence in his return match with Cena at Extreme Rules 2012 caused the PPV to receive a TV-14 rating on iTunes . On April 8, 2013 episode of Raw fans vocally expressed their displeasure of John Cena defeating The Rock in their match at WrestleMania 29 on
6164-663: The penis and vulva are often used as interjections. Penile interjections are often used in Italian ( cazzo ), Russian ( хуй , khuy ), and Spanish ( carajo ). Vulvar interjections are often used in Dutch ( kut ), Hungarian ( pisca ), Russian ( пизда , pizda ), Spanish ( coño ), and Swedish ( fitta ). Such terms, especially those relating to the vulva, may also be used as terms of abuse. Profanities related to testicles are less common and their function varies across languages. They may be used as interjections, such as in English ( balls or bollocks ), Italian ( coglione ), and Spanish ( cojones ). Danish uses testicles as
6256-590: The period, but does not blame the TV-PG rating. Alvarez points out that much of the raunchy Attitude Era programming had a TV-PG rating, while viewership declined sharply after the Invasion storyline , which occurred while Raw had a TV-14 rating. Although noting that the move was unpopular with some fans, Chris Mueller of the Bleacher Report opined that it was the right thing to do given changing times, writing: "The world
6348-442: The previous night, demanding for a change. While WWE considers the Reality Era to have begun in 2014, Shoemaker writes that the Reality Era reached its apex with ascension of Daniel Bryan that year, but ComicBook.com considers the end of the PG Era to have happened when CM Punk left the company after Royal Rumble 2014 and Joe Nguyen of The Denver Post believes Seth Rollins' victory over Lesnar at WrestleMania 31 in 2015 ended
6440-481: The pronunciation of profanities. This includes the suggestion that profanities are more likely to include plosives , but this remains unstudied, especially outside of Indo-European languages . The use of profanity is the most common way to express taboo ideas. The dichotomy between its taboo nature and its prevalence in day-to-day life is studied as the "swearing paradox". It is used casually in some social settings, which can facilitate bonding and camaraderie, denote
6532-565: The prostitute Virgin ) invokes scatological, religious, and sexual profanity. Other swear words do not refer to any subject, such as the English word bloody when used in its profane sense. Not all taboo words are used in swearing, with many only being used in a literal sense. Clinical or academic terminology for bodily functions and sexual activity are distinct from profanity. This includes words such as excrement and copulate in English, which are not typically invoked as swears. Academics who study profanity disagree on whether literal use of
6624-422: The restrictions placed on the writers made it feel as if it was "G Era" rather than the PG Era. Amid declining ratings and the launch of rival promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2019, it was reported that WWE wanted to move on from PG-style content. Vince McMahon acknowledged that the promotion would be "a bit edgier, but remain in the PG environment." He said the promotion had "graduated from ... gory crap" and
6716-452: The same manner . The use of political terms in a profane sense often leads to the term becoming less impactful or losing relevance as a political descriptor entirely. Words for animals can be used as terms of abuse despite not being inherently profane, commonly referencing some attribute of the animal. Examples in English include bitch to demean a woman or louse to describe someone unwanted. They may also be used in interjections like
6808-456: The show and were treated as a sideshow during the early parts of the era, similar to how they were presented in the 1970s and '80s. However, AJ Lee and Paige were given greater prominence as time went on and paved the way for the " Divas Revolution " of 2015. During the PG Era, Hardy won the WWE Championship for the first time at Armageddon 2008 . His subsequent 2009 feud with CM Punk
6900-435: The subconscious, including feelings of aggression, antisocial inclinations , and the broaching of taboos. Significant activity began in the 1960s with writings on the subject by Ashley Montagu and Edward Sagarin , followed by increased study the following decade. Specific types of discriminatory profanity, such as ethnophaulism and homophobia, came to be described as part of a broader type of profanity, hate speech , toward
6992-538: The subject profanely, such as telling someone to fuck off . It can also be used to indicate contempt . Cathartic profanity is used as an expression of annoyance, and it is often considered less rude than profanity directed at a specific subject. Profanity can be used as a statement of agreement or disagreement, though disagreement is more common; the hell it is and my ass are examples of English profanities that indicate disagreement. The potent nature of swearing means that it can be used to gain attention, including
7084-563: The temple ' , pro meaning ' outside ' and fanum meaning ' temple, sanctuary ' . This further developed in Middle English with the meaning to desecrate a temple . In English, swearing is a catch-all linguistic term for the use of profanities, even if it does not involve taking an oath . The only other languages that use the same term for both profanities and oaths are French ( jurer ), Canadian French ( sacrer ), and Swedish ( svära ). English uses cursing in
7176-680: The thunder god Ukko , the chief god of the Finnish pagan pantheon. Profanity related to sexual activity, including insults related to genitals, exists across cultures. The specific aspects invoked are sensitive to a given culture, with differences in how much they emphasize ideas like incest or adultery. Certain types of sex acts, such as oral sex, anal sex, or masturbation, may receive particular attention. Verbs describing sexual activity are frequently profane, like fuck in English, foutre in French, fottere in Italian, jodido in Spanish, and ебать ( yebatˈ ) in Russian. Words describing
7268-440: The time, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), which was promoting more adult-oriented content. Former header writer Brian Gewirtz has stated that WWE's writers joked about "adding in muppet characters" because they felt the scripts were "ridiculous", while Batista attributed his 2010 departure to the PG Era, stating that WWE was "in a bad moment" during that time. Bryan Alvarez has been highly critical of WWE storylines throughout
7360-448: The transition away from TV-14 as a "cradle to the grave" approach to appeal to younger viewers and encourage brand loyalty . Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm of Wrestling Observer Newsletter attribute the move to TV-PG as a result of WWE appealing to sponsors , which was confirmed by former WWE chief marketing officer Michelle Wilson. WWE officially announced the move to TV-PG on July 22, 2008. The 2008 SummerSlam pay-per-view (PPV)
7452-410: The use of notionally offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion, as a grammatical intensifier or emphasis, or to express informality or conversational intimacy. In many formal or polite social situations, it is considered impolite (a violation of social norms ), and in some religious groups it is considered
7544-435: The use of profanity in anger. Various efforts have been made to classify different types of profanity, but there is no widely accepted typology and terms are used interchangeably. Blasphemy and obscenity are used similarly to profanity , though blasphemy has retained its religious connotation. Expletive is another English term for the use of profanity, derived from its original meaning of adding words to change
7636-428: The use of profanity is easier to remember when recalling a conversation or other speech. Exposure to profanity leads to higher levels of arousal , and it can cause increases in heart rate and electrodermal activity as part of a fight-or-flight response. Swearing has also been shown to increase pain tolerance , especially among people who do not regularly swear. Compulsive swearing is called coprolalia , and it
7728-419: The use of profanity to cause shock. In some circumstances, swearing can be used as a form of politeness, such as when a speaker gives positive reinforcement by describing something as pretty fucking good . Propositional or controlled swearing is done consciously, and speakers choose their wording and how to express it. This is more common when using descriptive swearing. Non-propositional or reflexive swearing
7820-403: The word to shift until its meaning is unrelated to its origin or to lose meaning and impact altogether. Literal meanings in modern profanity typically relate to religion, sex, or the human body, which creates a dichotomy between the use of highbrow religious swears and lowbrow anatomical swears. Languages and cultures place different emphasis on the subjects of profanity. Anatomical profanity
7912-467: Was "a more sophisticated product." ComicBook.com wrote in 2023 that "While WWE's weekly shows still have a TV-PG rating, they've since leaned back towards their product being accessible to all ages rather than being more kid-friendly." However, Ian Carey of Wrestling Observer Newsletter writes that: "WWE's PG era is not coming to an end anytime soon." WWE considers the PG Era to have ended in either 2013 or 2014, in favor of The Reality Era , although
8004-521: Was described as "shockingly real" given the PG Era, as Punk referenced Hardy's real-life drug addiction. Their rivalry culminated in a match at SummerSlam , which Punk won, and Hardy subsequently left the promotion. CM Punk became a "megastar" in the summer of 2011 during his feud with Cena, the pinnacle of which saw him defeat Cena for the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam respectively in two well-received matches. Dave Meltzer of
8096-405: Was discontinued in 2010 and replaced with NXT , which serves as a developmental brand for the promotion. The Nexus (a stable initially started out by 7 original members of NXT) storyline was heavily featured between 2010–2011, with the decision for Cena to dominate the entire stable throughout its existence being heavily panned by critics. Grantland columnist David Shoemaker writes that while
8188-420: Was more "about the hijinks backstage" than in-ring action. The Miz said that the limitations of the PG Era made them more creative, while Triple H also defended it by emphasizing the importance of storylines over "special effects". Meanwhile, Kurt Angle praised the era as being "good for wrestling" due to non-television reasons such as the health of the wrestlers. Although John Cena sympathized with those who miss
8280-762: Was the biggest star in the company at that time, other major stars during that period included established holdovers (or returning performers) from prior WWE eras, including Chris Jericho , Randy Orton , Rey Mysterio , Batista , Edge , Christian , and Jeff Hardy . The heroic characters were often placed against villains such as Dolph Ziggler , Jack Swagger , Mark Henry , Big Show , and The Miz . Older Attitude Era alumni like The Undertaker , Triple H , and Shawn Michaels continued to have prominent matches throughout this time, and The Rock and Brock Lesnar returned to face Cena. This era saw Batista's first departure in 2010, and Shawn Michaels and Edge retired in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Women were not an integral part of
8372-460: Was the first WWE PPV to carry the TV-PG rating. To appeal to younger fans, WWE released the WWE Kids magazine in 2008, and debuted the kid-friendly Saturday Morning Slam television program in 2012. In 2013, WWE reported that their revenue had "nearly tripled" since the move to TV-PG, due to corporate partnerships from companies such as Mattel and Post Cereals . However, the PG Era occurred during
8464-625: Was when John Cena renamed his finishing maneuver from "FU" to "Attitude Adjustment" or the PPV event WWE One Night Stand changing the name to WWE Extreme Rules to avoid the sexual connotations . Sexual content involving Female wrestlers was heavily toned down, with bra and panties matches being discontinued in 2008. Excessive violence was also toned down. Chair shots to the head became increasingly rare after Chris Benoit 's double murder suicide , and were completely banned in 2010. In 2011 following their match at WrestleMania XXVII , wrestlers The Undertaker and Triple H were fined for chair shots to
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