WWE’s Paige Seemingly Shades Company Telling Wrestlers to Leave Outside Platforms

Reports surfaced on Friday that WWE allegedly told performers that they would no longer be able to use third-party platforms such as Cameo or Twitch to promote themselves. The same day, WWE star Paige tweeted, “Nope.” Wrestling fans saw the comment and made the assumption that it referred to the reported ban.

While several professional wrestlers earn a side income by creating special video messages on Cameo, Paige has regularly spent her time on the video game streaming platform Twitch. She has a popular account with several followers, but she drew attention for a surprising change on Friday. One person said that Paige deleted her entire Twitch account after the reported third-party ban, but she simply showed that the account remained with a new name.

As the screenshot shown, Paige’s account is now under the name of “SarayaOfficial.” The professional wrestler’s real name is Saraya-Jade Bevis. The professional wrestler went live on Twitch on Saturday and proved that this was actually her account. She later reported that she received positive vibes and support in her stream, which actually prompted a “nightcap” later in the evening.

In the original report from Wrestling, Inc., WWE allegedly told performers that they owned their stage names, as well as their real names. The company allegedly said that marketing themselves on third-party platforms goes against company policy. The performer allegedly had 30 days to comply, or else they would face fines, suspensions or firing.

News of the reported third-party ban prompted a considerable number of comments on social media, many of which were very critical of Vince McMahon and WWE. Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang even targeted the company with a series of tweets and called out the “corrupt labor practices.” WWE did not respond to the critical comments on social media, but the brand did release a statement to ComicBook.com.

“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.”