The Undertaker Assesses WWE Adding In Edgier Elements To Product

Shortly after Dwyane "The Rock" Johnson returned to WWE and became a TKO Board Member, the television product of the promotion took a sharp turn, notably after Johnson's brutal attack on Cody Rhodes. Following this, WWE has taken a few more liberties, becoming "edgier" as some fans would claim. 

Mark "The Undertaker" Calaway, during a recent episode of his "Six Feet Under" podcast, has shared his opinion on the shift and what it means for the business. Calaway suggested that WWE is simply testing the waters by seeing how far they can push the needle towards edgier content. 

"This is me, my fan perspective watching, you know, from the outside in now -– just testing the waters to see where things set, [and] how far, I think, they can push the envelope," said the Hall of Famer.

He also opined that as head of WWE Creative, Paul "Triple H" Levesque likely wants to make the product edgier, but unfortunately has to bow down to the sponsors and TV networks. Despite this, "The Deadman" thinks the current product is phenomenal and that WWE faces two routes if they're thinking about change. "There's [the thinking], 'Okay, let's test the waters and what demographic are we going to miss, are we gonna reach if we step back.'"

However, he also noted that wrestling today is more "exposed" compared to how things were during his day. "There really is no kayfabe, no secret to anything anymore, so, how far do you push the envelope?" questioned "The Phenom."

Mark Calaway further added that he'd like to see an edgier product for the nostalgia factor, but claimed that he wants to see "less dancing" and more fist fights.

"That's the way we did things. So, as a nostalgia piece? I guess, yeah. I'd love to see a little more edgier content and a little more physicality." 

However, Calaway warned against a major shift and pointed out that a large part of the audience is still comprised of children. 

"And kids, drive ... well, there's a lot of men wearing wrestling shirts and wrestling belts, but you don't want to, you don't want to single out one demographic to just cater to one. It is a tough balance unless you're gonna do two different shows [at] different time periods," said Calaway.

The landscape of wrestling has changed frequently over the years, which Calaway admits to. He pointed out how "hot" the business is right now, and that while he can see a shift due to the Netflix deal, he doesn't think it's the best idea to go after the Attitude Era demographic. "Right now, I just, the formula is working, and it's working really well," he added.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the "Six Feet Under" podcast, and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.