Roman Reigns and Stephanie McMahon recently joked about the old WWE policy restricting certain words, highlighting changes under the company’s new leadership. During a conversation on Stephanie McMahon’s What’s Your Story? podcast, they discussed how phrases that were once forbidden are now acceptable, illustrating how WWE has evolved. This discussion vividly touched on Roman Reigns WWE banned words, revealing the strict language rules imposed on talent in the past.
Under Vince McMahon’s regime, WWE superstars faced many rules about what they could say during performances and interviews. One notable guideline limited the use of terms referring to injuries or violent actions, requiring softer or alternative phrases instead. For instance, performers described serious injuries as occurring at a “local medical facility” instead of a hospital, aiming to downplay the severity on television. These terms were tightly controlled to maintain WWE’s specific presentation style.
How Roman and Stephanie Highlighted These Language Changes
On the podcast, Roman Reigns described football as a “violent” sport while mentioning his early football coach. Stephanie McMahon interrupted humorously, reminding him that “violent” was a banned term in WWE and that “aggressive” was the more appropriate word. Both went on to mention other examples of replacements, such as “abducted” instead of “kidnapped” and “local medical facility” as a stand-in for the word “hospital.” Their playful back-and-forth shed light on the unusual language restrictions wrestlers had to follow.
Roman: As a defensive lineman down in the trenches, it’s a little bit different than it is today. Still a violent sport, but It’s much-
Stephanie: We use the word aggressive [laughs]
Roman: No, no, no. We don’t in WWE.
Stephanie: We don’t say violent
Roman: That’s old WWE, can’t say violent. He [Vince McMahon] told me that before, yeah, we don’t do that no more. It’s violent as hell
Stephanie: My character wasn’t kidnapped; I was abducted
Roman: I know, right?
Stephanie: Because there’s a big difference
Roman: At the local medical facility
Stephanie: Yes, yes. Not a hospital.
Roman Reigns Reflects on His Bond with Vince McMahon
Roman Reigns is widely regarded as one of Vince McMahon’s top performers in WWE, and their working relationship is known to be close behind the scenes. During the podcast, Roman shared insights into how his relationship with Vince differs from the experiences of past WWE stars like The Rock, Hulk Hogan, and Steve Austin. Unlike these predecessors, Reigns noted that he was the youngest and had less control over scheduling decisions, underlining the unique dynamics of his role within the company.
This exchange underscores the significant changes WWE has undergone, especially in how performers navigate their roles and the company’s communication policies. By addressing the formerly banned terms with humor, Roman and Stephanie revealed the evolving culture of WWE, moving away from tightly controlled language toward a more open approach under new management.
