What are your thoughts on WWE banning talent from engaging with third party platforms such as Cameo and Twitch?
I have railed against WWE’s independent contractor status of talent for 15 years. WWE controls everything about their talent but get by without offering them health insurance or retirement benefits. It is wrong and should be illegal. The problem is: the contracts are ironclad. I have covered dozens of cases where former WWE performers have challenged the company’s “independent contractor” designation and they never win. It is not the first time I have written this but I will write it again – the solution is to stop signing the contracts. Some will take this as me blaming the talent. That is not what I am doing. If enough talent refuse to sign these horribly one-sided contracts, Vince McMahon will have no choice but to make a change. But as long as they are signed, it is what it is and talent must comply. It is unfair and should be illegal but you cannot sign a contract, giving WWE full control and then complain about it when you violate it. That is not how a contract works.
What is the latest on Matt Hardy following the bump in his match against Sammy Guevara? How about Reby Hardy’s outrage?
A lot of people do not understand my disdain for gimmick matches. One friend told me several years ago I was just a fan of “slow boring wrestling.” No, I am a fan of the art of professional wrestling. I like matches that tell stories in the ring. I like matches where fans are hanging on to every nearfall and gasping at every high spot. I don’t like unnecessary risks that result in head injuries. The Matt Hardy spot was very unfortunate but apparently he was good enough to finish the match and has been released from the hospital. I do not blame Reby Hardy for being upset and her reaction is a pretty common reaction for the spouse of someone who could have died. Gimmick matches are overused in this business and while a talent can get concussed in a traditional wrestling match, more efforts need to be made to protect talent.
Bayley finally turned on Sasha Banks… How long does this go and when does it culminate?
The feud is on! We have been waiting for months for Bayley and Sasha Banks to inevitably breakup and go head-to-head and it all began on last week’s SmackDown following their loss for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. A feud like this deserves to be drawn out and to conclude at a major pay-per-view. Survivor Series seems a bit early for this, so I could see it going all the way until Royal Rumble. There is a preliminary plan but it is obviously subject to change due to a number of factors, including the return of live fans.
WWE finally turned Roman Reigns heel, despite several pleas for Vince McMahon to do it in the past. Shouldn’t WWE have done this with John Cena a decade ago?
The biggest difference between Roman Reigns and John Cena is Reigns wanted to go heel. Cena was adamant he did not want to go heel because of the support he had from WWE’s younger audience. Would Vince have turned John had he been more open to it? It is possible but John’s reluctance probably kept him babyface, despite pleas from fans to turn him heel. Roman was completely on board and so far, it has gone great.
The next installment of Ask WNC is scheduled to run on Tuesday, September 8, 2020.
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