Vince McMahon BANS Social Media - WWE Talent Have 30 Days To Comply
McMahon threatens retaliation against talent using their real or character names outside of WWE.
Many WWE talent have branched out into different forms of media and fan engagement through platforms like Cameo, Twitch, or YouTube; but reportedly WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is having none of it.
According to an exclusive report by WrestlingInc, McMahon told his WWE talent that they could "no longer engage with outside third parties" via commercial platforms. The edict reportedly came down during a conference call last Sunday with members of the roster, in which McMahon stated that WWE owned not just their character names, but their real names as well.
This was followed by a letter sent that Thursday, in which McMahon stated that it was "imperative that they promote and protect the brand in every conceivable way, and that talent have 30 days to stop engaging with third parties."
The article includes a section supposedly cribbed directly from said letter, which reads;
Some of you are engaged with outside third parties using your name and likeness in ways that are detrimental to our company. It is imperative that these activities be terminated within the next 30 days (by Friday October 2). Continued violations will result in fines, suspension, or termination at WWE's discretion.
The letter continued that these mandates were part of an ongoing "rebuilding" process for WWE as it entered its "next phase of growth".
McMahon is infamously stringent and protective of the WWE brand, and already some wrestling commentators are calling this edict out as a massive overreach and abuse of power.
Wrestling journalist David Bixenspan analyzed a portion of the WWE talent contract, and concluded that McMahon was likely citing the "exclusivity" terms.
WWE has been heavily criticized for classifying its talent as independent contractors rather than employees, with some commentators and ex-talent having called their contracts "borderline criminal".