It is safe to say that many people have been less than pleased with what has been going on with WWE. From the release of beloved talents, like R-Truth, to the change in venue for WrestleMania 42 due to profits, the influence of TKO has been increasingly apparent on WWE.
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Fans thought things were going to be different when Vince McMahon stepped down. However, it has simply been one form of corporate greed replaced by another one. TKO’s drive to increase their profits is at the expense of WWE. It is actively destroying everything that fans love, not only about WWE, but the professional wrestling world as a whole.
WWE Is Experiencing Horrible PR
TKO Is Making Decisions That Have Angered Fans
- WWE is moving their venues for WrestleMania 42.
- They are getting involved in the independent scene and other companies.
- They are counter booking AEW.
In the last couple of months, WWE has been dealing with a lot of negative PR, all of which has been by their own doing. WrestleMania 42, which was originally supposed to be in New Orleans, was moved to Las Vegas because of the money it made this past WrestleMania. Many fans were angered by top figures in the company for their support for a historically unpopular President in Donald Trump. The costs of going to events are outrageous. There have also been WWE’s active attempts at monopolizing the industry with the purchase of AAA and their expansion into the independent scene. Not to mention that they are actively trying to hurt AEW’s numbers by booking events on the same days as them.
WWE’s releases of talent has also been a major factor in fan frustration. The last few months have seen many wrestlers cut. This has been due to either outright releases from contracts or decisions to not renew. Perhaps the biggest example of this came when R-Truth’s departure was announced. This really angered fans, with Truth being a fan-favorite and the fact that he just wrestled John Cena. Even Roman Reigns’ WWE contract is set to be renegotiated due to TKO wanting to make cuts. All of this ends up not only hurting what goes on backstage, but what fans see from creative aspects as well.
These are just a couple of examples of the bad PR that WWE has been receiving. Fans and wrestlers have expressed that they are not happy with the direction of the company. Karl Anderson said on Talk’n Shop:
“It’s not the WWE anymore, guys. It’s a company called TKO.” (h/t 411Mania)
TKO Has Not Respected WWE’s Workers
The Same Problems Of The Vince McMahon Era Persist
- WWE employees are labeled “independent contractors.”
- Many things have not changed since Vince McMahon.
- TKO makes billions of dollars.
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WWE has come under fire at various points for their treatment of employees. This is for a very good reason as well. After all, this is the same company that labels performers as “independent contractors” in order to avoid paying for a variety of basic benefits someone would get at a job. In an NYU article written by Charles Hill, he stated:
“As a result, the WWE avoids providing its wrestlers with health insurance and contributing to Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance. As independent contractors, WWE wrestlers are forced to pay a 15% self-employment tax. Despite WWE wrestlers’ independent contractor status, the WWE imposes strict limitations on their ability to earn money outside of WWE events.”
However, TKO, just as Vince McMahon did, views their employees as not people who are putting their bodies on the line to entertain fans, but simply as parts of the machine that make the people at the top more money. It is sad that the company still, after decades, does not give its workers these benefits that they more than deserve. Especially when TKO is making billions of dollars, there is no excuse at all for any of this.
TKO’s Actions Will Have Repercussions On The Industry
They Do Not Just Hurt WWE, But Wrestling As A Whole
- TKO’s top priority is making money.
- Their actions are hurting the entire professional wrestling scene.
- Wrestlers and fans deserve better.
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All of these factors are the very reason that TKO is destroying something that many hold near and dear to their hearts. They are not just making WWE worse, but they are making professional wrestling as a whole suffer. TKO executives do not view professional wrestling as an art that tells a story. They do not see wrestlers as people who risk their well-being and health to perform these spectacular moves in the ring. They don’t even see the fans as people who bring life to an arena. For TKO, as it was for Vince McMahon, it is all about the bottom line and the billions that they are making.
TKO’s active attempts to monopolize the world of professional wrestling will only benefit them. In their path, they will destroy independent companies and other promotions that simply want to exist to give people another option. It will leave people and their families hurt.
For the sake of fans, wrestlers, and the people backstage who make everything possible, the sport that we love deserves far better. After all, without those people, there is no professional wrestling. It’s about time TKO realizes that.
