Vince McMahon is attempting to crack down on WWE talent engaging with “outside third parties” giving those 30 days notice to halt usage.
Raj Giri of Wrestling INC reported the news stating that McMahon conveyed this message to talent last Sunday, and followed with a memo issued later in the week. In the report, Giri stated that it was relayed to the talent that the company owns both their character names and real ones. He added that talent was told this measure was necessary for WWE’s re-building process and assisting the company in entering its next growth period.
The site also published the following excerpt from the memo:
Some of you are engaged with outside third parties using your name and likeness in ways that are detrimental to our company. It is imperative that these activities be terminated within the next 30 days (by Friday October 2). Continued violations will result in fines, suspension, or termination at WWE’s discretion.
It was not specially defined what outlets were specifically outlined as “third parties” as many are actively involved with YouTube channels, Twitch streams, and Cameo among others.
POST Wrestling has sent a request to WWE to confirm this report and to elaborate on which outside third parties are directly being listed for talent to stop using.
Seriously though, if it’s a part of their contract and they signed that contract then it’s difficult to feel sympathy for them. WWE pays them a lot of money for them to give up certain options. They were okay with that when they signed so they now have to live by it. Don’t know the specifics of why WWE think these platforms are detrimental and it does sound ridiculous but the wrestlers face that power to them.
Obviously we don’t know what the contracts say, which is likely the only thing that matters from a legal sense, but “likeness” is a tough one for talent to get around. Unless Lince Dorado wants to go mask-less and use a different name, your likeness pretty much follows you wherever you go.
But seriously, if they had a union I’m not sure how this would be enforceable; at the very least could they not take Vince to court and get a halt on this until a ruling whether this is even legal for “independent contractors”?
Don’t know why that’s considered different to being an employee (other than just wording that you can use to forego employee rights) but they’re definitely not true “independent contractors” when signing a contract with WWE.
And as I mentioned before, the wrestlers are aware of this aren’t they? Don’t they read the contracts?
I’m wondering if AJ just annoyed WWE into enforcing the agreement…
Pathetic and bizarre. The need to micromanage every part of these people’s lives without any thought for how this sort of work might actually draw non-wrestling fans in is to be expected as this point, though. That insane story Freddie Prinze Jr. has about Vince scolding him for watching a comedic movie on a plane ride because “we have comedy on Raw” also comes to mind.
In Canada its a money thing. When a person is an employee a company spends a ton on CPP and EI, when you hire an independent contractor, you have none of those expenses. I’m guessing in the States there are similar benefits to classifying them as Independent contractors. There is no issue with wrestlers being IC, but I’m suprised WWE is able to get away with keeping them on such a short leash. Usually the trade off for someone being an IC is that they have much more control which is not the case in the WWE.
Remember guys - they are independent contractors (exclusive or not).
I’ve heard SD last night was a good show and I was just about to start watching. Guess what after this SLAP reminder of what sort of a product I might support with my act (dictatorship over spineless minions)? No más.
Let them be the only ones that watch themselves until they grow a pair.
Edit: Oh, just saw Akam and Rezar got released too. Good times.
Conrad Thompson tweeted tonight before Smackdown this doesn’t change anything for Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard. So, either there’s something we’re missing or it only applies to the wrestlers. Either way, it’s plain dumb.
