Vince McMahon sends another email to Superstars; WWE to take control of Twitch accounts
WrestlingInc had exclusively reported back in September that the WWE had issued an edict to the Superstars to cease all business with third-party platforms.
Here's an excerpt of Vince McMahon's email that was sent to the talents a month back:
"Some of you are engaged with outside third parties using your name and likeness in ways that are detrimental to our company. It is imperative that these activities be terminated within the next 30 days (by Friday October 2). Continued violations will result in fines, suspension, or termination at WWE's discretion."
The Superstars were given thirty days to end any ongoing deals with third-party platforms. The inability to do the same would result in fines, suspensions, or the immediate termination of the contracts.
WWE to take control of Superstars' Twitch accounts
WrestlingInc has now revealed an update on the story, which states that Vince McMahon sent another email to the Superstars this week, reminding them that they have until Friday, October 2, to end any 'unauthorized business relationships' with third-party platforms.
It was added that the Superstars who fail to comply with the rule would either be fined, suspended, or fired from the company.
It was also additionally revealed in the report that the WWE would be taking control of the Superstars' Twitch accounts in the next four weeks. The company will own the Twitch accounts of the Superstars, and the talents would reportedly receive a percentage of the revenue, which would count as against their respective downside guarantees.
Andrew Yang, former Democratic Presidential candidate, was quite vocal about WWE's new edict when it was first known back in September.
He reacted to the latest development with the following comment:
"This would be infuriating to me if I had spent time building up my social media channels only to have WWE take them over from their 'independent contractors.' People are angry and rightfully so."
WWE is yet to comment on the new development in the third-party saga that had relatively lost some steam over the past few weeks. WWE Superstars are independent contractors, and the company's attempts at taking control of the third-party deals may not be well-received backstage.
WWE Superstars, such as AJ Styles and Dakota Kai, to name a few, have continued to stream on Twitch, but will WWE taking over their accounts affect their future on the streaming platform? Only time will tell. As always, we'll keep you updated on the developing story.