Andrew Yang says WWE and AEW wrestlers should join SAG

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Yang has a few suggestions for WWE and other promotions (Image courtesy: Warner Bros/ DC Films)

A couple of weeks ago, Andrew Yang came out against Vince McMahon and WWE for their "corrupt labor practices" and said that he would do something about it if Joe Biden became President of the United States.

I grew up a wrestling fan and it’s been sad to see so many of my childhood heroes pass away early. I’d feel better knowing that they and their families were being fairly treated - I look forward to doing what I can for the next generation of performers. I know how tough it is.

— Andrew Yang🧢🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) September 5, 2020

Vince you’d better hope your old friend Donald wins because change is in the air and changes are long overdue where your corrupt labor practices are concerned. It would give me great pleasure. The people know.

— Andrew Yang🧢🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) September 5, 2020

Yang said he is committed to this and has been making the rounds on wrestling media talking about this issue. He was a guest on The Wrestling Inc. Daily podcast where he spoke further on these issues.

Andrew Yang says that WWE are a quasi-monopoly

Andrew Yang said that AEW is very talent friendly, and they have a very different attitude towards the wrestlers. On the other hand, WWE acts as if wrestlers are lucky to be there. He said: (H/T Wrestling Inc)

"The WWE is in a very different position where they are a quasi-monopoly, and they're plugging wrestlers into a machine that they feel like they built and they feel like any wrestler is lucky to be there and they need to keep their mouths shut. It seems like a very different approach to talent because the companies are in very different places and have different cultures."

Yang was then asked about the possibility of wrestlers joining the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). He responded that such a move would be "transformative" for the industry as SAG offered many benefits. He said:

"I think that's one approach that could really work wonders, and if you were to ask professional wrestlers, 'how many of you would like to be part of the Screen Actors Guild?' I have a feeling you'd see every single hand go up because SAG affords tremendous protections to other actors and actresses who are on screen every day and every week," Yang said. "The parallels are almost 100% where if you're a professional wrestler, you are inhabiting a character, you are given storylines and plots, in some cases you're given actual lines, you rehearse [and] you perform in front of a televised audience."

Andrew Yang also said that WWE and AEW stars and other wrestlers should enjoy the same protections that a SAG membership can get. It would be interesting to see if this were to happen in the years to come.

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