Ex-WWE Staffer Discusses "Culture Of Fear" In Company
Released producer with familiar tale about WWE life under Vince McMahon.
Former WWE backstage producer and podcast staffer Dan Ryckert has spoken about a “culture of fear” that still exists amongst those working for WWE.
Ryckert worked for the company between 2020-2022, having spent either side of the role as a creative director for gaming website Giant Bomb. In conversation about the future of that company with MiniMax, he dropped this nugget about his former employers (h/t ewrestlingnews);
“There’s a culture of fear there. Everyone is afraid to rock the boat because there is a long history of that company of certain people up top, I bet you won’t know who I’m talking about. People get fired, people get fired on whims all of the time. I survived a bunch of waves of massive layoffs. I had several waves of bosses and bosses above bosses get laid off for two and a half years.”
Ryckert is far from the first and likely won't be the last to speak of this specific issue, and his experience over a relatively short period speaks to that of many that have worked for WWE over the decades. That his tenure was over a two-year period where the company released hundreds of wrestlers, backstage talent and staff saw the culture brought into sharper focus.