Cody Rhodes Update; WWE Rumors on Drew McIntyre's Contract & Injury, Latest on PG Era

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

Cody Rhodes Says He's OK After Concerning Spot

Midway through his match against Carmelo Hayes on Friday's SmackDown, Cody Rhodes appeared to hurt his shoulder when he and Hayes mixed up the timing on springboard moves.

While fans were concerned about Rhodes' health after the match, Fightful Select reached out to the WWE champion who said he is "always" OK.

That should be a sigh of relief for both fans and WWE, which is in the midst of a transitional period at the moment. Following the build to one of the best WrestleManias in history, WWE's programming has felt like it's taken an understandable step back in the build to Backlash.

Rhodes finishing his story was years in the making, and Roman Reigns' loss ended one of the most historic title runs in wrestling history. It's understandable for there to be an adjustment period in the immediate aftermath—especially with the WWE draft ongoing.

Losing Rhodes for any extended period would have been a critical blow to ramping up the build once rosters are shaken up.

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Drew McIntyre Re-Signs With WWE, Pulled From Shows

Drew McIntyre is sticking around in WWE.

After extended negotiations that went arguably too close to the last minute, McIntyre and WWE agreed to a contract that's expected to keep him with the company for at least the next three years. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio said the deal could be worth around $4 million per year.

As it stands, however, McIntyre might be taking a little time off to bask in his new deal.

Meltzer noted McIntyre has been pulled from WWE live shows as he continues to deal with a hyperextended elbow suffered in his match against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. It's unclear if he'll continue making TV appearances. Meltzer's report said McIntyre will continue making TV dates, while PW Insider reported he will not be back on television "immediately."

McIntyre is in the midst of arguably the best run of his career, so the sooner he returns to keep his momentum going the better.

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WWE's 'PG Era' Considered Subjective

Almost since the second it started, WWE fans have begged the company to nix its plan to keep the product PG. Attitude Era fans say they miss the more adult-oriented content of the late 1990s and early 2000s, but WWE has kept the product PG despite fan outcry—in large part to attract sponsors and attract a younger audience.

Meltzer recently reported the PG Era was ending, though WWE has given that report no confirmation. Triple H recently addressed the increase in more adult content in WWE programming, saying it needs to be done judiciously.

"I would rather watch a movie that has incredible drama and an incredible build to a single gunshot than a movie with hundreds of people firing machine guns, and nobody is getting shot," Triple H said on the Impulsive podcast. "I'd rather build and get to the scene in the movie where the one shot happen and you're like 'Oh my God! Can you believe he just f--king shot him? Holy s--t it's unbelievable!'. There's been times where we, as a company, say we're PG and we've been G. Like, way G-Rated. I believe there's a time for things to work.

"There's a time for everything, but its got to be done in moderation. It's got to be done when its right. If everything you say is cussing, who cares? You just tune that out and it doesn't matter. But right now, we're so clean on it that Rock says something, given his position and 'disruptor' and the guy coming in from the outside, it's believable that he has that leeway and doesn't care. He can do those things and it's shocking, because it's not been that way."

Fightful Select also took a similar position, noting WWE may have more adult-oriented storylines but their overall subject matter will be beholden to sponsors and drawing in the most fans.

"Even if they rated their TV PG, it's all subjective to what the sponsors say. It's completely subjective in that sense. I think wrestling is in a position where they can have kid-friendly characters and not insult the intelligence of the audience and have a more centrical show than they been having."

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