A report was released on Friday revealing that WWE was imposing a new mandate on its wrestling talent. The mandate is reported to be cracking down on WWE talent’s third-party partnerships, described to include Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, Cameo, and others. In the day since a number of WWE wrestlers have taken to social media to display their frustration with the new mandate. Though most of the statements are self-restricted, likely due to fear of reprisal from the WWE.
Former WWE wrestler and Hall of Famer Mick Foley made perhaps the most direct statement on the issue. Foley said on Twitter that, “Banning wrestlers from making extra money on third party deals – twitch, YouTube, cameo – strikes me as a crummy thing to do.” Another WWE Hall of Famer, Kevin Nash, replied to Foley saying, “You’re an employee if you have to show up at a specific time and are restricted monetary gains in your personal time. Ask for your health insurance coverage and profit sharing.” He’s referring to WWE wrestlers’ status as independent contractors rather than full employees.
Current WWE wrestlers were more circumspect. Xavier Woods, a prominent YouTuber, posted “What a birthday…” when the news broke, and then “#JimmyYangGang” which crosses references between wrestler Jimmy Yang and politician Andrew Yang who promised to reclassify WWE wrestlers as employees. Retired superstar Paige, who has a huge Twitch following, simply tweeted “Nope.”
Others with less on the line were much more willing to state their real thoughts. Retired WWE wrestler CM Punk posted on Twitter, “Alright guys. Girls. Are they gonna fire Everyone? Just keep doing you. Don’t Worry. ;)” At first it reads like encouragement to WWE wrestlers to keep making third-party content. On second glance, however, his tweet is split into three lines. The first letter on each line reads “A E W,” which is WWE’s largest domestic competitor. CM Punk isn’t one to hold back his true feelings.
The reality of the situation is that WWE is regarded as a company that will retaliate against those who stand against its interests. Unionization efforts have been squashed by WWE going all the way back to WrestleMania 2. And it’s a realistic fear that if workers at WWE went on strike, WWE would simply fire them and replace them with other wrestlers. It’s a challenging situation for wrestlers who are passionate about their work.
It’s unclear exactly how the situation is going to pan out. WWE may choose not to be so severe with its oversight of third-party partnerships. Or maybe all WWE wrestlers will acquiesce with no fight. It’s possible some may choose to fight, however, which could lead to firings or legal cases. WWE fans will just have to wait and see.
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