In 2020, economic uncertainty swept the globe, as the coronavirus pandemic surged. For so many of us, the only way forward was to pursue an alternative income stream. Those in the entertainment industry found themselves in the same boat, as in person gatherings were halted.

Movie stars, musicians, and performers did their best to find a way to captivate their audiences regardless of the circumstances. With digital gatherings like concert streams and Twitch connections becoming a viable temporary source of income, of course Wrestlers joined in.

Until the WWE banned them from appearing in these spaces.
It is not uncommon for stars to be bound by a code of ethics when they have an ongoing contract. However, Wrestlers are independent contractors. The vast majority of professional wrestlers do not have traditional employment agreements. So, how did the WWE stop them?

Vince McMahon, who has been at the forefront of business dealings within the WWF/ WWE for decades, has a loophole for just about anything. This clever fella has found a way to avoid paying out pesky business expenses like health insurance, while still reaping the full benefits his entertainers have to offer, with one trick. WWE owns their wrestler's intellectual property.

So, when Zelina Vega, for example, starts paying some of her bills that are piling up with Twitch and OnlyFans income, the WWE hammer came smacking down. Although the WWE has now reversed their decision, notably long after it mattered, at the time Zelina was fired. This furthers a legacy of wrestlers being unable to monetize their own stage names, it's been happening since the 80's.

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The standard contract for a professional wrestler involves their name being sold to the WWE, because of the wording, it sounds like a great deal at first! They get a lump sum of money, they'll be on TV consistently, and now their face might even be a on T-shirt someday! The jargon is all geared towards opportunity. Talk about making it, right? Except, independent contractors pay out of pocket for all their expenses. Let's put that in perspective.

I wrote about how the average wrestler works 300 days a year recently, and how the costs of constant travel are physical, mental, and monetary. Let's go further and look at retirement. When a wrestler is injured, decides to quit, or is let go by the WWE, they do not have the same options as other entertainers do. Outside of a small select few, stars cannot promote anything with their stage names independently. Most don't know it when they are entering into this bargain.

One could certainly make a case that there is a full circle here of leaching the value from performers, and tossing them aside when they can no longer fight. The WWE still sells their merch, business goes on, and the wrestlers themselves are forgotten. The most insidious part about this, is that it isn't just the WWE that disenfranchises performers. It's also the other wrestlers.

Part of succeeding in the WWE is being willing to throw your fellows under the bus, just ask Hulk Hogan. He's built his career on it!

To think, I loved Hulk Hogan as a kid...
There is a culture in the WWE of famous wrestlers parroting Vince McMahon, their deceptions are the most effective, making it an integral part of the illusion. That's why Vince makes sure to really take care of these guys, they have fantastic benefits and are well paid for travel. In turn, they tell the bright young faces that it is possible for them to achieve this as well.

It's unlikely, to say the least.
Hulk Hogan knows that people are dying in the wrestling industry at an alarming rate compared to the general population. He's watched dozens of his peers pass away from likely preventable causes. He knows all about the pressure to use steroids, and how this contributes to the dangers in the WWE... yet he spun it all in a great way for them when this knowledge became public.

He has a history of being a ride or die for the company. In professional sports, there are legal loopholes for steroids. There aren't such soft rules when it comes to other issues, however. One of Hogan's best services to the WWE, has been his fight against unionization.

This pulls the thread of why Zelina Vega was fired in 2020.
Although officially the stance was that the WWE was planning to roll out similar services, and therefore Vega's activities infringed on her contract, many say there was another reason. Afterall, what she did was not much different from other transgressions that had been let go of in the past.

She wasn't the first wrestler to do try to make money online in this manner, but she was the first to do something a bit more significant. Suggesting the idea of a union on social media. Considering the WWE's history of fighting unions, many say that this Tweet from shortly before her termination had much more to do with what happened.


It would certainly corroborate with the accounts of wrestlers who say that suggesting a union is career suicide. It isn't that wrestlers don't want to band together for better conditions, it's that the resistance from within their ranks historically breaks any attempt down before it can gain wings.

Jesse Ventura went on record with his tale of trying to start a union. Afterall, if the WWE won't classify wrestlers as employees, there really is no other way to get better conditions. Throughout time, wrestlers have negotiated by refusing to go on unless they are paid more. This technique is legendary in the industry, and Ventura tried to recreate it on a larger scale in the Lockeroom.

Although this grand show of force was not one that people were on board with in the moment, it may have been the beginning of a more gradual fight. That is, if Vince McMahon had not told Jesse Ventura that he would fire him if he continued with this endeavor. Who told Vince what had happened anyhow? According to Ventura, Hulk Hogan did.



There are dozens of wrestlers who can tell a similar story, and a few that can tell an even harder one. Scott Levy, known by his stage name Raven, is one of the wrestlers that is partnered with WOO. In 2008 he filed a lawsuit against WWE, the issues I've presented here being the forefront of the filing. He fairly argued that performers were owed royalties and/or benefits.

No other industry is structured in such a damaging way, and the suit pointed out the hypocrisy in its established legality. The classification of WWE performers depends on whatever the best legal defense is at the time. They have stated that others were employees when it suited them, like Nichole Bass, yet past statements such as these weren't accepted as applicable evidence.

Much like the later 2016 concussion lawsuit, which showcases what happens when these issues are left unaddressed, the case was dismissed. The latter lawsuit was comprised of 51 wrestlers who spoke out about the physical damages that were taking place in the WWE.

During the proceedings, a pattern of wrestlers having chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, was presented to the court. CTE is caused by repeated head trauma that has been left untreated. It is what Chris Benoit had, and it leads to Dementia, and in some cases death. Yet, no court has been willing to hold the WWE accountable for its safety standards. Nor has anyone been able to provide these vulnerable performers with protections which could save their lives.

So, where does WOO come in?

Wrestling Organization Online, or WOO, has partnered with wrestlers who have been burnt by the industry. One of their most notable achievements so far was helping Perry Saturn out of a dire financial situation. Because of the money WOO raised, some dignity was returned to Perry. Among other things, this allowed him to get caught up on property taxes, so his home was no longer in jeopardy. You can read the whole awesome story here!

WOO is committed to a long-term vision of helping wrestlers in need, with 10% of their proceeds going directly to stars who have been failed by the industry. There are a lot of people who have been hurt by the WWE, WOO hopes to find an answer to that. For more detailed financials, you can look over their white paper here. Want to get involved? The first land sale is tomorrow! Hop over to their discord for more information!