Opinion
Tiffany’s Take: WWE Needs to Tread Lightly Over Third Party Platform Issue
Is the third party crackdown going to really matter in the long run?
I’m going to preface this by saying that I am not a lawyer and know very little about trademark and licencing, this is just my opinion.
So, on Friday, September 4, an email, allegedly from Vince McMahon to WWE Superstars, was leaked on Twitter. In it, Vince banned WWE Superstars from using third party platforms such as Cameo, Twitch, and TikTok, threatening fines or termination if they failed to comply. The email also claimed that WWE not only owned the ring names of their superstars, but also their legal, government names as well.
Needless to say, this news caused an uproar on Twitter. Fans and former WWE superstars voiced anger and disapproval over what seemed like a serious overreach by the McMahons and WWE, though, notably, not by any active superstars. Andrew Yang, a former Democratic Candidate for President, took to Twitter and called out WWE, promising that if Joe Biden won the election and he(Yang) was made Secretary of Labor, or had the ear of the Secretary of Labor, he would look into WWE’s practice of classifying their superstars as ‘independent contractors’, thus getting out of providing basic benefits like health insurance and retirement benefits, while denying them the chance to make money off their real names. Lea Thompson, of Back to the Future fame, also chimed in and expressed interest in encouraging wrestlers to join SAG-AFTRA, which is THE union for actors.
On the surface, it’s not surprising that WWE would decide to crack down on their superstars’ use of third party platforms, this is a company that strictly controls their trademark properties and licenses, superstars aren’t even supposed to get tattoos without permission because it would screw up the action figures. However, that doesn’t make it less suspicious or sleazy. A lot of superstars turned to third party platforms to make extra money due to the evaporation of live event revenue due to the pandemic. Also, there’s no way WWE can claim to own a superstar’s legal name, ring name, yes, legal name, no.
So, what should both sides do? Well, on the superstars’ side, they would do well to engage a lawyer who actually understands contract law to explain everything to them and make sure they have a clear understanding on just what they’re signing. I know some wrestlers have agents, but sitting down with an actual lawyer who can explain everything to them. On WWE’s end, it’s a little trickier, there is no good way to deal with this without causing resentment, but I think it’s safe to say that banning your superstars from using most third party platforms, which allows superstars to expand the brand, is not the way to go. One option might be to ask for a percentage of whatever money the superstars, which is still questionable and sleazy, but would allow the superstars to continue to make money and help WWE reach new viewers. Another way would be to encourage the superstars to create platform accounts and they will only do as their WWE personas, which will give WWE the control they want. That would probably be more preferable than just unilaterally shutting everything down and causing resentment among your superstars and fans.
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Opinion
Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania.
‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman?
I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!
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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
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THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Opinion
Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month.
Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while.
The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev.
All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet.
As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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