WWE Chairman Vince McMahon issued a statement on Friday banning Superstars from engaging with third party platforms such as Twitch and Cameo.
McMahon sent out a letter to the talents which stated that all such activities were to be terminated within the next 30 days, by October 2. Failing to do so would lead to fines, suspension, or even termination of contract at WWE’s discretion, the notice stated.
WWE statement on third party ban
The reason behind the edict was to promote and protect the WWE brand “in every conceivable way”, the letter said. According to PWInsider, WWE has now released a statement regarding the matter.
“Much like Disney and Warner Bros., WWE creates, promotes and invests in its intellectual property, i.e. the stage names of performers like The Fiend Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Big E and Braun Strowman. It is the control and exploitation of these characters that allows WWE to drive revenue, which in turn enables the company to compensate performers at the highest levels in the sports entertainment industry. Notwithstanding the contractual language, it is imperative for the success of our company to protect our greatest assets and establish partnerships with third parties on a company-wide basis, rather than at the individual level, which as a result will provide more value for all involved.”
Superstars react to the ban
It was reported that the decision was not taken very well by the WWE Superstars. Several of them used third-party platforms for fan interactions as well as extra income, especially during the pandemic. AJ Styles is quite active on his Twitch stream. Alexa Bliss and Roman Reigns recently opened their Cameo accounts as well.
Former WWE Superstars have also spoke up against it, including Batista. He infamously quit WWE over refusal to let him participate in opportunities outside the company.
#NoComment but I am retweeting!!!! 😂#RealTalk https://t.co/eP6tgD2C4S
— Dave Bautista (@DaveBautista) September 5, 2020
Banning wrestlers from making extra money on third party deals – twitch, YouTube, cameo – strikes me as a crummy thing to do.
Just my opinion.
— Mick Foley (@RealMickFoley) September 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/CMPunk/status/1302038156842340352?s=20
Sooooooo guess now would be a good time to launch my Twitch and Cameo??
— Renee Paquette (@ReneePaquette) September 4, 2020
