The importance of having a wrestlers' union in professional wrestling

Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura

Last week, Daniel Bryan finally put the rumors to rest, when he confirmed that he was injured, and had to take yet another sabbatical from professional wrestling. Although the timeline of Bryan’s return is still up in the air, there is a good chance that we may have seen the last of one of the greatest technical wrestlers in the history of the business. When all is said and done, professional wrestlers, like any other normal human being, need to take care of themselves and their family, and if they have to choose between their well-being and competing in the ring, it is more often than not a no-brainer.

The logical conclusion may not always be rational; in the entertainment industry, especially in the WWE, the superstars spend 300 days in a year traveling and performing in front of the fans. While the fans and the youngsters cheer and boo the characters in the ring, the struggle of these superstars behind the curtains is unfathomable. Jesse Ventura once said that if you want to become a professional wrestler, you have to be prepared to live in constant pain almost every day.

Beyond the smoke and mirror, and away from the spotlight and the mad circus that is professional wrestling, one doesn’t often think about the personal lives of the superstars – the same performers who put a smile on the faces of the fans, as they’re supposed to, may be going through a tumultuous and torrid times in their personal lives. So why do they still persist with working over 5 days a week throughout the year? Putting things in perspective, one wonders how Daniel Bryan would survive while being injured.

The WWE takes care of their employees when they’re injured by sending them their paychecks and their royalty checks, but that wasn’t always the case. Professional wrestling, in its crudest form is one of the most demanding and unforgiving jobs in the world. Back in the 70s and 80s, it almost wasn’t worth getting into the wrestling industry, as more often than not, the performers ended up spending more than what they earned, and in case they suffered an injury, the writing was almost on the wall regarding their exit from the organization.

One of the most devastating periods for professional wrestlers was during the industry’s heyday – The Monday Night Wars. While most of the fans would claim that the “War” did more good than harm, it led to the performers getting protective about their spots. It was later revealed that most of the performers worked hurt, and in the process got addicted to pain pills and drugs. One of the most notable cases was Davey Boy Smith, better known as The British Bulldog, who hurt his back while performing, and was later released from WCW when he was home, recuperating.

This wasn’t the only instance, but a common practice, as many other performers were cut from the organizations when they couldn’t perform for more than 8 weeks while they were injured.

The ‘independent contractor’ conundrum

"All through your wrestling career, remember, you're an independent contractor. You're paying out enormous amounts in taxes. There's no pension, no health benefits. And the moment you're not making that draw, the promoters couldn't care less about you. You're a piece of meat. I knew guys that had worked hard for twenty years or more and still retired with nothing. Wrestling operated under some of the most unfair working conditions in the country. I don't know how they got away with it for so many years."

— Jesse Ventura - I Ain't Got Time To Bleed

Professional wrestlers weren’t always considered as “employees”, but more so as independent contractors. An organization like the WWE, unlike TNA did not allow the performers to take bookings elsewhere. TNA, to its credit allows its talent to perform in other organizations which aren’t a direct competition to the company.

With promotions recognizing the talents as independent contractors rather than employees, it gives them the leeway to dust their hands from paying health insurance, social security, medicare contributions and unemployment insurance (Taken from this NY Times article). This was also used by the political opponents of Linda McMahon during her run for the Senate couple of years ago, but nothing positive came out of it.

Protecting the interests of the performers

"I'm a big advocate for a union in wrestling. I don't think that wrestlers will get any type of support until they get a union. I look at every other sport, whether its lacrosse or even the rodeo, they've all got a union. I think that it is long, long overdue that the wrestlers have one. I think that any wrestler that says they don't need a union is just a sheep that doesn't have enough brains to know they do need a union." – Bret Hart

It was earlier reported that a very small percentage of performers are given endorsement deals, seminar appearances and medical expenses for treating their injuries. Further, the common clause in the contracts of the performers stated, "In the event that WRESTLER is unable to wrestle for eight (8) consecutive weeks during the Term of this Agreement due to an injury suffered in the ring while performing services at PROMOTER's direction, PROMOTER shall have the right thereafter to terminate this Agreement or suspend WRESTLER without pay."

Another example of the need to protect the interest of the performers would be the Montreal Screwjob in ’97, which essentially boiled down to the contractual dispute between Bret Hart and the WWE.

Keep organizations from exploiting the performers

Former WWE and WCW superstar, Chris Kanyon sadly passed away couple of years ago after committing suicide, and the former WCW tag team champion’s contract with the WWE stated the following (Taken from Bleacher Report):

Clause 11.2 stated, "This Agreement will be terminated by WRESTLER's death during the Term, with no further compensation due WRESTLER's heirs, successors, personal representatives or assigns."

This would mean that if Kanyon had passed away while still being under contract with the WWE, the company had the rights to not pay Kanyon’s wife and kids his royalty checks. If WWE released a Kanyon DVD, they did not have to pay the royalty sum to Kanyon’s family, essentially leaving them broke.

A further clause (c) stated that the promoter cannot be held liable or sued in case the competitor suffered an injury or died, "whether caused by the negligence of the PROMOTER, other wrestlers or otherwise."

Regarding the superstars doing movies or other endorsements, they still need to take permission from the organization, and need to pay 10 percent as management fee. What could be worse? The contract also stated that "all monies earned by WRESTLER from such Permitted Activities in a specific Contract Year shall be credited against the Minimum Annual Compensation for that Contract Year." This would mean that the money the superstar earned during the filming of the movie/endorsement would be subtracted from the base annual pay of the superstar!

There have been various other instances which call for a union for professional wrestlers – whether it is the unsafe work environment for the performers or keep the organizations from exploiting the talent. Although Jesse Ventura lobbied for a union, it was none other than Hulk Hogan who went behind Ventura’s back and leaked the information to Vince McMahon. Unless the talent come together and stand united, there will always be unsafe working environment, or unprofessional promoters who cheat the talent out of what they’re owed.

Note: This article reflects the opinions of the author and not of the website.