The Irresistible Force, Nia Jax, made a huge impact on SmackDown by aiding the upstart, Tiffany Stratton, in her qualifying for the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match at the namesake event coming up this weekend. However, the segment had an awkward moment that led WWE to display a black screen briefly. This incident was no fault of the Queen of the Ring, but it certainly caught viewers’ attention.
Fans eagerly await SmackDown moving back to the USA Network in October 2024 after exiting their current network, FOX. This transition is expected to change the level of censorship in WWE programming.
WWE COO Paul “Triple H ” Levesque has hinted that WWE will be mostly censorship-free when RAW moves to the streaming giant Netflix in 2025. While the USA Network is likely to be more lenient than FOX, certain moments still require quick adjustments by the production team.
What happened that WWE had to display a black screen during Nia Jax’s segment?
During last week’s SmackDown from Madison Square Garden, as Queen Nia made her way to the ring, the broadcast briefly cut to a black screen. This confused fans, as they saw no apparent reason for the interruption. However, it was later revealed that a young fan had shown a middle finger to The Irresistible Force, prompting WWE’s censor move.
Nia Jax pulls up, screen goes black, Bianca spawns right behind Nia lmaooooo #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/WPC2h0aLYq
— CrispyWrestling (@CrispyWrestlin) June 29, 2024
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Moreover, the highly efficient WWE production team swiftly covered up the incident by switching to a black screen, ensuring the inappropriate gesture wasn’t broadcast to a broader audience. This incident underscores the challenges of live broadcasts, especially in a family-friendly entertainment environment like WWE.
Regarding the triple threat match for which Nia Jax came down to the ringside, it was indeed her ally Tiffany Stratton who emerged victorious. With her win, Tiffy Time clinched a spot in the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match and could possibly earn the coveted briefcase at the event to skyrocket her career in WWE.
