What Is Blading In Professional Wrestling And Who Banned It?

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What is Blading in professional wrestling, and who has banned it?

Professional wrestling is such an industry in which there is a mix of entertainment and competition. But one thing which most people do not understand is the use of blood in wrestling. This blood is planned to a great extent and is also real. Blading is such a technique in which wrestlers fill themselves with blood, and for this, they cut their own body and extract blood.

How is Blading done?

In Blading, the wrestler does not harm his opponent, rather, he cuts his own face with a razor blade. This blade is often near the wrestler, whether he is hidden in his clothing or near the ring. This cut is mostly on the forehead, where the flow of blood is easily seen. The main purpose of this process is to show the blood in a way that gives the audience an intense experience.

The method of cutting with this blade is quite controlled so that no major veins are cut, which does not cause much damage to the wrestler. However, these cuts can be deep, and deep scars can be seen on the faces of many old wrestlers.

Origin and History of Blading

The practice of Blading is quite old and there is no exact information about when it started. But it is certain that this practice has been going on for a long time. Big wrestlers like Ric Flair and Abdullah the Butcher often used this technique. In the 1990s, promotions like ECW made blooding a standard practice due to their violent matches.

Blading is still seen in some wrestling event promotions today, such as AEW, where players like Jon Moxley use blood in their matches. This was an intense part of wrestling, but its frequency has decreased these days.

Who Banned Blading?

Today, WWE has banned blading in its policies. In 2008, when WWE gave its shows a TV-PG rating, the practice of cutting itself was stopped. Although exceptions are made in some specific situations, it is still quite rare.

TNA Wrestling also banned the blading stunt in its shows in May 2025. Like WWE, TNA’s goal is to reduce violence and health risks, especially to eliminate the risk of blood-borne diseases.

Does this still happen?

If you watch a promotion, you might see blade practice. But it has become a rare thing. Some promotions like AEW still do this stunt, but most companies avoid it.

Blading was a practice that was once a part of professional wrestling. Wrestlers used to create their own blood-filled events to give the audience an intense experience. But nowadays, organisations like WWE and TNA Wrestling have banned it. This technique is rarely seen now, but in some promotions, wrestlers still use blood because of it.

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