Vince owns their real names now as well

[The Cutting Edge]

A lot has been said about this so I may have missed something

But is it just about money or is it about guys like AJ talking shit about Heyman etc and others slagging the company?

If so you can imagine in this HR, PR, Clickbait, sensitive world we're in these days then I could see why they don't want guys saying sensitive or stupid shit that gets the company in trouble.

No company likes you slagging them in public especially in the public eye.

But if it's purely wwe wants a piece of the pie then of course that's a different and complicated matter.

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

16 hours ago, Chris B said:

Are you an independent contractor?

No. However some people in the business are and they also have to agree to the exact same limitations during the period of that contract. It's really not as unusual as you might think.

Don't get me wrong, I think the whole independent contractor thing is complete bollocks and they should be classified as employers. No argument whatsoever.

However regardless of whether they are independent contractors or not, the point still stands. You can still be a independent contractor and sign a contract that limits your activities outside of that job. The WWE trade off is simple... continue to scrape a living on the independent circuit, or sign a WWE contract, increase your exposure in exchange for following WWE's rules. It's a fair choice; The Young Bucks decided not to sign that deal and they took a gamble on their own product and brand. Fucking good on em. 

I totally feel for the guys lower down on the hierarchy. But I'm not feeling sorry for Paige, Lana and Xavier Woods. These aren't victims. These arn't people financially struggling. These are guys who are now earning A LOT of money thanks to the WWE machine.

I hope WWE handle this fairly. I hope they see the value in letting guys like Wood continue is show because it adds to their character. I really think the devil is in the detail. What can they do / not do and what will they generally allow. It'll be interesting. 

Edited September 8, 2020 by andrew "the ref" coyne

[andrew "the ref" coyne]

So following up WWE have clarified that wrestlers can run their own third party platforms under their own name.

https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/09/07/report-wwe-clarifies-restrictions-on-third-party-outlets/?fbclid=IwAR0ZyiPbpXPV7c8HTMyAeEBcKyAltfLXpcauzGo8Fzk7hTrLdodJRK8BMRY

To me that's a fair compromise.

[The Dart]

Was that ever in doubt?   Or was it newz sitez running click bait headlines to make it sound like something it wasn't?

I thought it was pretty clear from the start that it was only their gimmick names they're not allowed to use.

[tiger_rick]

8 minutes ago, The Dart said:

I thought it was pretty clear from the start that it was only their gimmick names they're not allowed to use.

Pity you didn't tell us all how obvious it was seven pages ago.

 

6 hours ago, andrew "the ref" coyne said:

So following up WWE have clarified that wrestlers can run their own third party platforms under their own name.

https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/09/07/report-wwe-clarifies-restrictions-on-third-party-outlets/?fbclid=IwAR0ZyiPbpXPV7c8HTMyAeEBcKyAltfLXpcauzGo8Fzk7hTrLdodJRK8BMRY

To me that's a fair compromise.

It seems a reasonable compromise. However their social stuff is already massively confused by them not having character and professional profiles. They all tweet sometimes as if it's the character and often as if it's the person. Some of them have WWE handles. Some have their real names. But they appear to be actively encouraged to be the character online. So to do something like Twitch or TikTok, they have to have a new profile and start from scratch? It's all a bit odd and a bit petty. Surely they already have guidelines on what you're allowed to do on social media, just extend them.

[Your Fight Site]

43 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

It seems a reasonable compromise. However their social stuff is already massively confused by them not having character and professional profiles. They all tweet sometimes as if it's the character and often as if it's the person. Some of them have WWE handles. Some have their real names. But they appear to be actively encouraged to be the character online. So to do something like Twitch or TikTok, they have to have a new profile and start from scratch? It's all a bit odd and a bit petty. Surely they already have guidelines on what you're allowed to do on social media, just extend them.

I’ve always thought this. The cat’s out of the bag. If wrestlers want personal Twitter accounts then they should be able to operate them, Tweet from them, and if they cross a line (i.e. Tweet something they shouldn’t) face the consequences for them. WWE should then operate “gimmick” Twitter accounts for wrestlers. Each superstar has a WWE Facebook page that will be operated by a social media body on there rather than the wrestler themselves, so I don’t see why it should be any different on Twitter.

I always think of other entertainment companies in situations like this. For example, 10 years ago Miley Cyrus could have her own Twitter profile and Tweet as herself, but a Hannah Montana Twitter profile would be operated by Disney as ‘Hannah Montana’ would be a Disney trademark and property of Disney. As others have said, you wouldn’t find say, Chris Evans Tweeting from his personal Twitter account as Captain America.

[Factotum]

To me the whole thing stunk of them not wanting someone getting themselves over without their say so. They fucking hate that

Edited September 8, 2020 by Factotum

[Michael_3165]

It's not unique to wrestling but definitely hideous how they can be treated. For example, those on BGT or Xfactor basically sign their lives away to Simon Cowell. They need his permission to do anything after the show, including releasing albums etc. So I read in one of those contract leaks a few years back. 

[DavidB6937]

10 minutes ago, Factotum said:

To me the whole thing stuck of them not wanting someone getting themselves over without their say so. They fucking hate that

I don't think it's that. As much as Vince is a dick, it's an intellectual property type deal as others have said. Looking at it from that angle I understand it from a business perspective, rather than just 'oh look it's Vince being Vince again!'. As long as they're allowed to carry on under their own names etc, I think that's fair.

[BomberPat]

yeah, it's about protecting WWE intellectual property, and probably comes down to one of two things:

• WWE are starting to do "virtual meet and greets", which they won't get enough uptake for if you can just pay for a Cameo video, or watch them on Twitch, for a fraction of the price, with none of the money going to WWE. 
   
• If WWE talent are plugging specific brands on Instagram, Twitch, or wherever, that conflict with WWE's sponsorship deals, people will be kicking up a fuss. Pepsi won't be happy about the amount of money they're giving to WWE if Xavier Woods is on Twitch and YouTube singing the praises of Coca-Cola, for example. 

[martyngnr]

10 hours ago, Factotum said:

To me the whole thing stunk of them not wanting someone getting themselves over without their say so. They fucking hate that

The Lana energy drink advert on Instagram that Meltzer claims was the final straw was really awful, cringeworthy stuff. 

No wonder WWE stepped in. 

[hallicks]

Vince disincentivising the fuck out of those twitch accounts, as reported by the Observer:

In conjunction with WWE's decision to get more control over how their talent uses third party social media platforms that can also generate them personal revenue, the company will be taking over control over their talent's Twitch accounts over the next four weeks.

While WWE will have control over those accounts, those individuals will get a percentage of the revenue generated which will count against their downside guarantee. 

Vince getting to have the talent's cake and eat it. Incredible, really. 

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by hallicks

[Pogue]

Why's it just Twitch? And can they take over the account if it's in the wrestlers real name? 

[The Dart]

They can if the wrestlers let them.  It's up to the wrestlers to refuse, as I would doubt WWE can legally force them to, but most of them will not refuse.

[Yakashi]

Imagine still giving this company your money or time. Absolute scum.