5 Positives & 5 Negatives For WWE From Donald Trump's Election Victory

5. Positive: Independent Contractor Controversy Unlikely To Change

Donald Trump Vince McMahon
WWE

Onto the benefits...

For the longest time, WWE has been criticized by many within the world of professional wrestling as well as those outside the industry for their classification of their talents. To WWE, the talents work as "independent contractors" and are, thus, not entitled to health benefits, vacation time, and other perks that come with the role of being an employee.

One of the benefits to being an independent contractor, however, is that they are free to take their services wherever they please and are not tied to any one specific organization. In addition, the independent contract does not answer to, nor can they lose their jobs based on, the word of the organization utilizing their services.

It's a different story in Stamford. Anyone that is familiar with the way WWE works knows that WWE treats their talents like employees. They tell them when and where to show up for work, they prohibit them from working outside WWE, and they can discipline and terminate them at will with the talents having no say or no union or governing body to stand behind.

Because of the dubiousness of the classification, WWE has taken flack and some legislators have even hinted at and called for potential government action. With Donald Trump as President, while it remains a possibility, WWE is likely to keep their "independent contractor" classification of talent in tact.

Contributor
Contributor

A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.