By Rick Gardner, PWTorch specialist

Did you hear? The WWE is family friendly entertainment now. It means that you can finally watch a WWE television with the whole of your family, safe in the knowledge that you won't encounter blood, swearing, overt sexual content, and other offensive material that has been the mainstay of WWE programming since the advent of the Attitude Era. Once again, wrestling is safe, wholesome and fun for all the family.

If only it were that simple.

"WWE is deeply saddened by the news that Eddie Guerrero, age 38, has passed away. He was found dead this morning in his hotel room in Minneapolis. Eddie is survived by his wife, Vickie, and his three daughters. No further details are known at this time."

Corporate.WWE.com – November 13th 2005

"Jeff Hardy was found unconscious in a stairwell at his hotel in Boston today, and was rushed to the nearest emergency room. Due to privacy issues, WWE is not releasing the name of the hospital. WWE.com will have more information if it becomes available"

WWE.com – November 23rd 2008

Last Sunday, the WWE continued their worrying trend of exploiting the many wrestling deaths in storyline form by adding this sketchy report on to their website. That Jeff Hardy has two Wellness Policy failures to his name has been widely documented, and even referenced on WWE TV, so whoever approved this storyline would have known that many fans would have feared the worst.

This is hardly the first time that the WWE has crossed the line in terms of what is morally acceptable in a wrestling storyline. In 2006, Randy Orton cut a promo where he proclaimed that Eddie Guerrero was in hell, in order to further his rivalry with Rey Mysterio. Last year, an angle where Vince McMahon "died" took bad taste in wrestling to a new low, complete with Vince McMahon tribute show modeled after similar tributes to Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero.

When the Survivor Series began, J.R. and Tazz sold the angle as though it was the legitimate, informing viewers that a number of media outlets had reported on the Jeff Hardy story. While Vince McMahon may believe that AOL reporting on one of his wrestlers makes his product seem relevant, it proves that the only time the mainstream media will even think about covering the WWE is when tragedy occurs. At a time when the WWE is trying to reposition itself as family entertainment, media coverage of this tasteless storyline is nothing to boast about.

While the adult content on TV shows has been significantly toned down over the last few months, the booking philosophy in the WWE remains morally bankrupt. The fact remains that the WWE will never attract premium sponsors, never gain the respect of the media and never become mainstream entertainment unless they eliminate this dark aspect of their programming.

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