The Revolution Continues: NBC Removes Racially Insensitive Scenes From Classic Professional Wrestling

Clean-up on Aisle Everything.

Culture is racing at the speed of light, and companies are trying to keep up.

Amid our Operation Update, entertainment’s getting a facelift.

Such is now the case for World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

According to the New York Post, NBCUniversal has deleted a match from the WWE’s WrestleMania VI, which was held back in the stone age — 1990.

It was a truly different time — the year’s #22 Billboard Hot Single was a social justice warrior’s nightmare: “I Wanna Be Rich.”

A lyrical sampling of the problematic tune:

I just wanna be rich, I just wanna be

‘Cause baby I want money

Lots and lots of money

I want the pie in the sky

I want money

Lots and lots of money

So don’t be asking me why

I wanna be rich

I wanna be rich

I wanna be rich

In the wrestling world that same year, white Roddy Piper fought black Bad News Brown.

Roddy painted his face half black.

And here’s what he had to say:

“I hear Bad News Brown, how he’s talking about Harlem, and how he’s proud to be from Harlem. Now I can stand here, and I can be black! I can be white! Don’t make no difference to me. … It’s what’s inside.”

All that’s been edited out.

Per the Post, there’s more where that came from:

NBCUniversal is quietly scrubbing racist, risqué scenes from classic WWE matches before it adds the wrestling network’s massive trove of old footage to its new Peacock streaming service.

…

A source familiar with the situation told The Post that the Peacock is reviewing all 17,000 hours of WWE content to ensure it aligns with its standards and practices. WWE is also being made aware of any edits.

Another deletion comes from 2005’s Survivor Series 19.

In that installment, WWE CEO Vince McMahon — in the role of a villain — reportedly said the N-word to a stunned John Cena.

He then strutted past Booker T, a black wrestler, who said: “Tell me he didn’t just say that.”

How was it handled 16 years ago?

Purportedly, like this:

At the time, a WWE spokesperson defended McMahon to TMZ, calling it “an outlandish and satirical skit involving fictional characters, similar to that of many scripted television shows and movies.”

That definitely wouldn’t fly today.

Otherwise, every allowable WWE, WCW (World Championship Wrestling), and ECW PPV (Extreme Championship Wrestling Pay-Per-View) event in history will eventually be available via the $4.99-per-month Peacock streaming service.

All you wrestling nuts should enjoy the stroll down memory lane.

And quite a walk into weirdness it’ll be.

Case in point:

As I said at the beginning of this article, social justice warriors would’ve recoiled at 1990’s ways.

For the most egregious example, take Prince’s release at the start of the decade.

Buckle your seat belts, modern men and women; and snowflakes, refrigerate yourselves.

Ladies and gentleman, I give you…

1990’s “Donald Trump” — he “fulfills your every wish”: