WWE made headlines over the weekend when it was revealed that wrestlers can no longer be involved with third-party companies such as Twitch and Cameo. And according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, the reason for the move is Lana‘s Instagram branding deals with various companies such as Fashion Nova and Bang Energy Drinks. When Lana, whose real name is CJ Perry, saw the report, she went to Twitter to call out Meltzer.
“I am not the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Lana wrote. “You know who you are and that is false ……. but thank you for writing about me…. all of you. I am your escape goat.” Lana’s husband, Miro, who went by Rusev in WWE, also responded to the report of Lana being the “straw the broke the camel’s back.”
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“First of all this isn’t true,” Miro said before saying that Meltzer report is “bulls—” and that he has a “personal agenda” against Lana. The move was surprising considering many WWE Superstars use Twitch and Cameo to reach out to their fans. There might not be one person to blame, but the company did release a statement explaining why a change was made.
“Much like Disney and Warner Bros., WWE creates, promotes and invests in its intellectual property, i.e. the stage names of performers like The Fiend Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Big E and Braun Strowman,” the statement read. “It is the control and exploitation of these characters that allows WWE to drive revenue, which in turn enables the company to compensate performers at the highest levels in the sports entertainment industry. Notwithstanding the contractual language, it is imperative for the success of our company to protect our greatest assets and establish partnerships with third parties on a companywide basis, rather than at the individual level, which as a result will provide more value for all involved.”
Andrew Yang, a former presidential candidate, has a big problem with this move and his aimed his anger at Vince McMahon. “If I’m not the Secretary of Labor I’m pretty confident I’ll have his or her number to talk about the ridiculous classification of WWE wrestlers as independent contractors while controlling their name and likeness for years, even for something as benign as Cameo,” Yang tweeted over the weekend. “Come on Vince – you’ve already deprived the folks breaking their backs for you of healthcare, security, recovery time, retirement benefits and fair treatment re: licenses and royalties. At least let them make a living off their own names. Many of them need it.”
