Vince McMahon dished out 1-year non-compete clause to ex-RAW persona's contract upon WWE exit - Reports
It has reportedly emerged that WWE imposed a lengthy non-compete clause on now-AEW personality Renee Paquette.
The Federal Trade Commission proposed a rule to ban non-compete clauses in business. The rule would ban contracts that prevent workers from leaving a company for their competitors, a term often used with WWE talent releases.
Writing about the impact the FTC proposal could have in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer specified that current AEW broadcaster Renee Paquette was handed a non-compete clause when she departed the sports entertainment giant..
"However, if, like in the case of Renee Paquette or in the most famous case, Brock Lesnar, someone under a longer-term deal asks for a release, to get that release they have to agree to a noncompete term. In the case of Paquette, that was for one year as far as working for a direct competitor, AEW, but she was allowed to do other projects such as her own podcast." - Meltzer wrote.
The effect of non-compete clauses has been seen recently. Sasha Banks reportedly had to agree to a clause last year that kept her away from wrestling in 2022. Mandy Rose is another name who is serving a clause after her own release, as she was on a main roster deal, she will serve 90 days.
William Regal is serving a non-compete clause since leaving AEW for WWE
WWE isn't the only company that has applied non-compete clauses to contractual releases in the industry. Tony Khan confirmed during the Final Battle media call last month that he was allowing William Regal to leave so he could return to NXT.
When quizzed further about whether fans can expect to see William Regal on programming anytime soon, Khan said that he shouldn't be able to throughout 2023. He is supposed to be serving a non-compete and working in a backstage capacity.
Do you feel non-compete clauses should be banned? Share your thoughts in the comments below.