We’ve heard a lot over the last year since the WWE started releasing everyone not nailed down about a possible union forming. And their business practices came under scrutiny when they forced their talent to give up their third party income streams to them or be fined or released.
The problem stems mainly from how the WWE signs their talent to exclusive deals while treating them as independent contractors.
This means the talent is responsible for their own travel, transportation, healthcare outside the ring, and so on.
It’s been argued Vince McMahon has been taking advantage of the situation by treating his contracted wrestlers as independent contractors and doesn’t allow them to work with other companies like AEW, Impact Wrestling, NJPW, and others are doing.
Had a call with the Department of Labor. If you are a current or former @WWE performer who feels you were misclassified as an independent contractor contact @lkmiddleb and let’s get you what Vince owes you. Been a long time coming but this storyline is real.
— Andrew Yang🧢⬆️🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) September 16, 2021
Unwanted attention
It was only a matter of time before someone else noticed what was happening and take it upon themselves to get the ball rolling, and Andrew Yang stepped up.
In a tweet, he said, “Had a call with the Department of Labor. If you are a current or former @WWE performer who feels you were misclassified as an independent contractor contact @lkmiddleb and let’s get you what Vince owes you. Been a long time coming but this storyline is real.”
This comes at an inopportune time as rumors about McMahon selling the WWE to Disney by the end of the year and it could lead to some complication if those rumors are true.
Of course, there’s no way to tell where this will go or if it’ll amount to anything before any possible sale, but I think it’d be a good thing for the business.
It’d require companies like the WWE to actually take care of their employees with healthcare and retirement benefits and it’d go a long was to preventing anyone from going through what Kamala the Ugandan Giant went through in the final years of his life.
Others have suffered difficult times after leaving the ring without much of a safety net in some cases.
While this is long overdue, it’s not the first time some change was attempted as Jesse Ventura said he tried to unionize the WWE years ago, but he needed the guys on top to side with him.
According to rumors/reports, Hulk Hogan told McMahon what Ventura was attempting and that was the end of Ventura in the WWE.
As usual, there are plenty of rumors around about what happened and didn’t happen, but this looks like it could get interesting before too long
What do you think will happen with Andrew Yang challenging the WWE’s business practices? Let us know in the comments below.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get The Overtimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit Screenstinger for great videos, news, and gameplay!
