By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE might not publicly acknowledge the existence of TNA Wrestling on official WWE programming, but WWE is aware of TNA's programming on Spike TV.

WWE COO Donna Goldsmith criticized TNA's programming during a media & technology conference yesterday, saying TNA is "blood, guts, and gore" compared to their toned-down, PG product.

"If you look at another program called TNA, which is a wrestling program on Spike, that is blood and guts and gore. We are not going there, nor I would say have we ever been to that degree that they are," Goldsmith said at the J.P. Morgan Global Media, Technology, and Media Conference in Boston. "We decided no blood and if someone gets hit by accident, we will stop the match if we have to and take care of them. Those decisions (to market WWE TV as PG) were made consciously."

Goldsmith said WWE made the change to PG to help them draw revenue across the board by being able to establish more partnerships that would make money for the company.

"The networks are telling us we're PG and we're talking to our potential partners and they are saying, 'Prove to us you are PG and we will sign off on them.' Goldsmith said prior to officially going PG, they would show potential sponsors their reach on TV, their website, and live events, but sponsors would pass due to the content, saying 'The content leaves us a little bit uncomfortable.'

"We spoke to the writers, we spoke to Vince (McMahon), we spoke to public relations and asked if we can still keep the programming cool and edgy while taking it down a notch," Goldmsith said. "Our writers, yeah, they were challenged a little bit, but they said, 'We can do it. We can make this program just as good as it's been.' They started to take the program in a little bit of a different direction."

Goldsmith said they've had potential partners come back and want to work with WWE, including 7-Eleven with another summer promotion and Burger King with a "global Kid's Meal program" for the first-time ever.

Caldwell's Analysis: Goldsmith saying WWE was squeaky clean in the Attitude Era compared to where TNA is right now is quite the imaginary statement. WWE is the same promotion that featured Mae Young giving birth to a hand, Triple H simulating sex with a dead body, Trish Stratus stripping and begging like a dog, a mock crucifixion, plenty of gory violence during the Attitude Era, and on and on down the list it goes.

Link: JP Morgan audio webcast.

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