The Attitude Era was one of WWE’s most popular and financially lucrative eras ever, but the company faced some kayfabe opposition to its edgy, risque product in the form of Right To Censor. A heel faction, Right To Censor sought to clean up WWE’s act by targeting the worst offenders on the roster.

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Despite being the perfect heel group for the era, Right To Censor didn’t last incredibly long and many fans might not even be aware of RTC, as their antics made them a strictly midcard affair. Let’s take a look at the history of Right To Censor and what fans should know about them.

10 A Parody Group

WWE's Right to Censor

One of WWE’s biggest real-life critics in the Attitude Era was the advocacy group Parents Television Council, which actively campaigned against the company’s product in 1999. In response, Right To Censor was born, a heel faction that would act out the PTC’s criticism of WWE while soaking in boos from the live crowds.

The following year, WWE would sue the PTC for defamation as well as copyright infringement and win, getting several million dollars and a public apology from the organization.

9 Actually Helped WWE Clean Up Its Act

WWE's Right to Censor

At the same time, WWE was branching out into network television with its new show SmackDown, and soon found that a lot of what was deemed acceptable for cable television was not going to fly on broadcast network television.

As a result, WWE had several popular but risqué characters like The Godfather (a pimp) and Val Venis (an adult film star) join the group, becoming morally righteous villains while also shedding their offending gimmicks. Basically, with RTC, WWE hid the fact that it was bending to the will of Standards and Practices by mocking the company’s critics.

8 Started By Stevie Richards

Steven Richards of WWE's Right to Censor

While Godfather and Val Venis were arguably the most popular wrestlers in RTC, the faction actually started with Stevie Richards. The former ECW star began appearing on WWE television to interrupt the proceedings whenever a female performer was wearing too little clothing, or if a match got too violent.

In particular, Richards targeted wrestlers like fellow ECW alums The Dudley Boyz, who regularly put opponents through tables. Before long, he gathered some followers in his crusade.

7 Some Members Changed Their Names

WWE's Right to Censor

While fans might know him as Stevie Richards, for this Right To Censor run he tweaked his name to the more “proper” Steven Richards. While not every wrestler who joined RTC changed their names, others did follow suit. In one particularly inspired instance, The Godfather renounced his old ways and became The Goodfather.

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Of course, a wrestler changing their name upon joining a heel faction isn’t an uncommon trope in pro wrestling, with notable examples of this being the York Foundation and those who aligned themselves with Lord Steven Regal in WCW.

6 Feuded With The Kat

The Kat as WWE Women's Champion

One of Right To Censor’s more notable feuds was against The Kat, a female star who was no stranger to stripping off her clothes in the ring. More than just a target of RTC, however, The Kat openly opposed them, going as far as starting a rival group called Right To Nudity.

Their feud would culminate with No Way Out in 2001, where Stevie Richards defeated Kat’s real-life husband Jerry Lawler, thus forcing The Kat to join the group. However, the storyline would end there, as Kat was abruptly released from WWE before she could officially join.

5 Held WWE Tag Team Gold

Right To Censor: The Godfather (aka The Goodfather) and Bull Buchanan as WWE Tag Team Champions

While it sounds like Right To Censor is the kind of strawman heel act carted out strictly to lose matches, the group actually found some in-ring success during its run.

On the 11/6/2000 episode of Raw, Bull Buchanan and The Goodfather defeated the Hardy Boyz for the Tag Team Championship, holding the belts for about a month but defending them against The Dudley and Road Dogg and K-Kwik before dropping them to Edge and Christian. Hilariously, Steven Richards himself would capture no titles himself during this run.

4 Ivory Was The Most Successful

Ivory of Right to Censor as WWE Women's Champion

By the time she joined Right To Censor, Ivory was already a two-time WWE Women’s Champion — and a former GLOW Champion. She was also a more-than-appropriate fit for the group, as her pre-RTC character was already somewhat reserved by Attitude Era female wrestler standards, as she was always uncomfortable with swimsuit competitions and the like.

RELATED: 10 Female Wrestlers Who Went Through Many Gimmick Changes

Ivory joined RTC in October 2000 and would soon earn them gold, winning a four-way match for the women’s title on the 11/2/2000 episode of SmackDown. What followed was a respectable 152-day run, with defenses against Lita, Molly Holly, and Jacqueline. However, Ivory’s reign would come to an end at WrestleMania 17 at the hands of Chyna.

3 Broken Up By The Undertaker

Right to Censor's Val Venis vs. The Undertaker

By the aforementioned WrestleMania 17 on 4/1/2001, Right To Censor was on the decline, and by the end of the month things would come to an end for the heel faction.

It was on the 4/26/2001 episode of SmackDown that Stevie Richards, Bull Buchanan, Val Venis, and The Goodfather all took on The Undertaker in a handicap match, which ended in a win for ‘Taker. Following the bell, Richards’ tag team partners walked out on him, leaving him alone in the ring and dissolving the group.

2 Some Members Hated The Gimmick

Right To Censor's The Goodfather, a.k.a. The Godfather

Right To Censor may be remembered by Attitude Era fans as a great gimmick for its time, but members weren’t always in agreement on that. While Steven Richards believed RTC could have had longevity — rare for a politically charged wrestling gimmick — others, like The Goodfather and Val Venis, hated it.

For The Goodfather, the repackaging was unwelcome, as he enjoyed his Godfather character and began hating his job after joining RTC. Val Venis was also attached to his previous gimmick, but had a more practical concern: he hated wrestling in slacks and a dress shirt because he tended to sweat a lot in the ring.

1 Ivory Brought It Back in 2022

Ivory and Rhea Ripley in the 2022 Royal Rumble

Since its dissolution in 2001, RTC remained dormant for over 20 years. The gimmick, however, made a one-night return for the 2022 women’s Royal Rumble, where Ivory ended up being one of the match’s surprise “legends” entrants.

Decked out in the classic Right To Censor garb, Ivory took the moment to cut a promo trashing the current women’s roster, which earned her getting quickly thrown out of the ring by Rhea Ripley in less than a minute.

NEXT: The 10 Best Right To Censor Rivalries