WWE Bans Wrestlers From Third Party Platforms, Wrestlers Not Happy

So much for that. Wrestling has changed so much with the advent of social media as a lot of the aura of intrigue and mystery has been taken away from their personalities. Almost every wrestler is more accessible than ever before, with even the Undertaker engaging with fans online. That opens up a lot of doors for the wrestlers and the fans, but WWE is slamming some of them shut.

One of the most popular social media platforms at the moment is Twitch, which allows fans to watch various personalities playing video games. This includes several wrestlers, who run streams and bring in money through fan donations. Fans seem to like the idea of watching their favorite wrestlers in a more laid back atmosphere and several wrestlers have tried their hand at it. Those hands are going to be going away in the near future.

According to Wrestlinginc.com, WWE held a talent meeting on Sunday, saying that the company was being reinvented. An email followed, with Vince McMahons saying the following:

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.

These moves would presumably mean that services like Twitch and Cameo have to be shut down, though it is not currently clear what is allowed and what is not. It is possible that the services could continue, though under WWE’s control. According to PWInsider.com, several wrestlers have been using these platforms as a way to make extra money as WWE has no live events due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It is not clear what will happen if multiple wrestlers refuse to shut down.

Several wrestlers and wrestling personalities have commented on the situation:

Sooooooo guess now would be a good time to launch my Twitch and Cameo??

— Renee Paquette (@ReneePaquette) September 4, 2020

Alright guys. Girls. Are they gonna fire
Everyone? Just keep doing you. Don’t
Worry. ?

— player/coach (@CMPunk) September 5, 2020

WWE social media folks aren’t allowed to mention talent like @ToBeMiro, because they now only exist in the entire professional wrestling universe, as opposed to solely @WWE. It’s just their policy. I love how @AEWrestling acknowledges all of pro wrestling, competition or not.. https://t.co/D0GzTIFiBI

— MATTHEW HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) September 4, 2020

Don’t worry, I’m still able to do @BookCameo videos.

Go ahead and book one at https://t.co/lvBQasBj7V https://t.co/WCENEXyRH0

— Mick Foley (@RealMickFoley) September 5, 2020

It might be all you can get in the near future. Check out some WWE cameos:

Opinion: Above all else, this makes WWE look like they are trying to control the kind of fun that their fans can have. Ignoring the money aspect of it (which includes all those releases in April which led to their most profitable quarter ever), the idea that the wrestlers are having a good time with fans, who are paying for it, and must be shut down makes WWE look even more ridiculous. WWE has long since been accused of not being the most fun wrestling company and this is pretty much just reinforcing that visual.

What do you think of WWE’s move? Will it hold up? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 50,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 5,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books. Get the latest and greatest in professional wrestling news by signing up for our daily email newsletter. Just look below for “GET EXCLUSIVE UPDATES” to sign up. Thank you for reading!