Observant fans noticed that WrestleMania 6 was slow to arrive on WWE Network’s new U.S. streaming home, Peacock. When it finally did appear on the NBCUniversal-owned service, it was approximately 12 minutes shorter than it’s original runtime.
That’s because the Peacock version has cut a Roddy Piper promo, and his subsequent match with Bad News Brown. Half of Piper’s body was painted black for this 1990 program in what Brown and most people watching would describe as blackface; Piper said the idea was inspired by Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors”, and he was meant to be impersonating Michael Jackson - which is why he pulled out a sequined glove during their ‘Mania match. You can see both men talking about it here...
... but you won’t see any of what they’re talking about on the Peacock version of WrestleMania 6.
Also edited out is Vince McMahon using a racial slur during Survivor Series in 2005. Walking backstage, the Chairman calls John Cena “my n****” before the camera cuts to Booker T so he can deliver his “tell me he didn’t just say that” catchphrase to his wife Sharmell.
In 2015, when WWE temporarily distanced themselves from Hulk Hogan over his use of the same word while admitting he’s “a racist”, the company issued a statement describing McMahon’s scene as “an outlandish and satirical skit involving fictional characters, similar to that of many scripted television shows and movies.”
This would figure to be the tip of the iceberg, as Peacock has thus far only uploaded episodes of Raw back to 2008. Skits involving Triple H and D-Generation X in blackface during their feud with the Nation of Domination will have to go based on the precedent set here, and we don’t yet know where NBCUniversal will draw the line on other racist, sexist or otherwise offensive material from WWE’s past that wouldn’t fly in the PG Era, or under any rating with today’s standards.
Worth wondering too how much effort Peacock will put into screening the WWE Archives from the territory days. It may be that the service decides the risk of uploading controversial material just isn’t worth the number of subscribers a library of 70s and 80s pro wrestling brings them.
Neither company has commented on the edits or their policy towards them. We’ll keep you posted.