WWE Saturday Morning Slam: Too Kiddy or Just Right for the Time Slot?

The WWE recently added a new TV show to its weekly docket, but it’s not your traditional wrestling show like Raw or SmackDown. 

It’s called Saturday Morning Slam, and as the title implies, it airs on Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. during a block of children’s programming on CW. 

Saturday Morning Slam lasts just 30 minutes and only features one match per week. To get an idea of what you can expect out of your standard episode, you can check out this report (via 24Wrestling.com) on the Sept. 1 show.

As you can see, it’s a far cry from what we get on Monday and Friday nights, with a more kid-oriented show and a format that is similar to what you might see on the WWE’s YouTube channel. 

From the moment that news broke about the launch of Saturday Morning Slam, wrestling fans were interested in seeing what the show would entail. However, just a few weeks in, we already have a very good idea about what to expect every Saturday. 

Still, that hasn’t prevented some from complaining about the show and the differences between it and the standard episode of Raw or SmackDown. 

Before the first episode even aired, WrestleZone.com broke the news that “matches taped for Saturday Morning Slam are not to feature moves aimed at the neck, which would include anything from a simple headlock to an RKO.”

This was later confirmed by the WWE, but it still hasn’t sat well with plenty of fans. 

I just have to ask: Why? Why does this new rule bother some fans so much? 

While many say that it makes the WWE “one step closer to a G rating,” it doesn’t. It’s simply the WWE doing the right thing in the right situation. 

Saturday Morning Slam airs relatively early on Saturday morning, and who is up and watching TV at that time? 

Not the middle-aged men or people in their 20s who are complaining about this new rule.

It's the kids.

It’s kids and their parents who are awake at that time, and because that’s the case, it’s a smart move on the WWE’s part to air an extremely kid-friendly show during a block of shows that exclusively features other children’s programming. 

The only way that Saturday Morning Slam would be “too kiddy” is if it stayed in its current format, but aired on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night on a network like USA, FX or SyFy. 

It obviously doesn’t. 

Saturday Morning Slam is a great concept for the WWE because it only expands the audience that shows like Raw and SmackDown primarily target. 

Believe it or not, we—and by we, I mean adults—are not the WWE’s intended audience. With the PG rating, kids are the ones that the WWE is primarily targeting. 

Why? Kids don’t know wrestling is scripted, which means that they “fall in love” with certain wrestlers and get their parents to buy them WWE merchandise and take them to WWE shows. 

That, of course, puts money in the WWE’s bank account, which is the ultimate goal of the company. 

If Saturday Morning Slam is going to help the WWE stuff more money into its pockets, why would the company not want to air the show? Just because some older fans don’t want to watch a show in which moves aimed at the neck and the head are banned? 

News flash: The WWE isn’t even taking us into consideration when it comes to Saturday Morning Slam, and no one expects anyone besides kids—and possibly their parents—to watch it. 

So, if someone has a problem with a show that they think is “too kiddy,” here’s some advice for you: Stay asleep a little longer and don’t watch it.

The WWE doesn’t expect you to, anyway.

Drake Oz is a WWE Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter!