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According to a report in September 2020, Vince McMahon announced to members of the WWE roster that they were no longer allowed to "engage with outside third parties". Bryan Alvarez confirmed the report and stated that the edict included platforms like Twitch, TikTok, etc.
Now, in April 2022, the company's stars are present across many platforms and appear to be streaming once again.
What happened to the third-party edict issued by Vince McMahon? Are WWE Superstars allowed to use these third-party platforms once again?
Over the last two years, multiple reports have emerged regarding the issue, so let's take a look at what happened in 2020, and what the current state of affairs is.
What was Vince McMahon's third-party edict?
The original report revealed that Vince McMahon had sent a letter to the talent, telling them about the ban on them using third-party platforms. He also informed them that failure to abide would lead to consequences.
“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.”
When the reports emerged, WWE issued a statement. They said that they felt it would be better for the company to come to terms with the platforms on a "companywide" basis instead of at the "individual level".
There was widespread backlash against the decision, with even calls for unionization. Former United States Presidential candidate Andrew Yang spoke up about the issue as well, talking about the fact that they were independent contractors.
WWE stars also spoke up against the issue, with the likes of Paige and others commenting on it.
Seeing the situation develop, WWE provided clarification on the matter. They declared that while the stars could maintain Twitch and YouTube accounts under their real names, they would need to tell the company about those accounts.
Not only that, but WWE would be taking control of those accounts and the stars would be forced to sign contracts that would obligate them to stream on Twitch. Andrew Yang revealed further details of what he was hearing from superstars regarding the issue.
"Hearing from talent that WWE is forcing performers to sign new contracts that include twitch. Streaming on twitch will become a work obligation and if talent doesn’t stream they will forego earnings, be suspended or face penalties. Doesn’t sound like independent contractors."
Dave Meltzer reported that the talent were furious over the new rule, but no one was ready to speak up about it as they could then be targeted.
WWE escalated the issue further
Many top stars, including AJ Styles, informed their followers that they would no longer be streaming as their accounts were suspended soon after the edict was issued.
"Everyone, I want to thank you all for the great memories on Mixer and Twitch. I will cherish these memories and I love everyone one [sic] of you that have made this possible and supported me. As many of you know WWE is making some changes regarding streaming. We will see what the future holds in that regard. With that being said I will be suspending Stylesclash stream. This isn't good buy, but this is see you sometime in the future."
While fans expected the initial backlash to give the company pause about their new edict, a further report in February 2021 confirmed that they were now issuing violations to stars for social media posts that name any "third-party business, person, brand, or charity."
WWE opens and shuts down a talent management group
In November 2020, WWE opened a Talent Management Group. It was set up to arrange third-party deals on behalf of the superstars. Quite a few people were moved to the division and were supposed to work on securing film, sponsorship, or social media deals.
However, in May 2021, the company shut down the division. Many who had been moved to the division noted that they had been laid off. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported on it, stating that the development had left superstars uncertain about whether they would be able to make third-party deals again, as they were not allowed to set up the deals themselves.
Current status of WWE allowing superstars on Cameo and other streaming services
In a talent meeting ahead of WrestleMania 38, Triple H appeared a week after announcing that he was retiring from the ring. During the meeting, the third-party edict was addressed, with a report stating that superstars were allowed to make money from third-party avenues.
Nick Khan spoke about it to the talent, discussing how they could finally make money beyond their contracts again, including revenue from Cameo, autograph signings, as well as "scripted and unscripted programming".
However, it should be noted that the report stated that they would be earning money from these avenues through a "profit participation" deal with the company.
Thus, superstars can once again stream and interact with their audience online over different platforms.
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