10 Wrestlers Who Went To War With Vince McMahon

6. Raven

Vince McMahon Bret Hart
WWE

Raven, alongside Buff Bagwell, had an enterprising - and it must be said, just - means of raging against the machine.

Per the terms of their deals, the duo were paid royalties for appearances on DVDs on which they were featured. This was not the case as WWE entered the streaming age, via the Network, that accelerated the demise of physical media and hit several former stars in the pocket. Streaming payouts are disproportionately f*cked across all of the entertainment sphere, remain in flux, and Raven, one of wrestling's smartest minds, was quick to notice the plot hole in the emerging story.

He took his case to court, citing an agreement that he was contractually entitled to receive royalties from "direct sales to consumers" which "include[d] without limitation...at the arena, via mail order sales or directly on television, or via the internet," the latter of which drove his suit, as did a further provision: "technology not yet created".

These two provisions together seemed to define that which became the Network, but as of December 2017, the suit was dismissed - with prejudice - because it was successfully argued that the Network is not a physical product but rather a license with which to watch WWE material.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!