Some Wrestling News & Rumours 2019 Thread ***NO CHAT***

gerrybbadd

I hope they don't act the flute, and actually do something with Harper now. He's so good, and deserves better.

In other news, The Viking Raiders look like they are going to have ANOTHER name change, to The Viking Warriors.

Imagine, they were going to be called The Bezerkers. Vince seems to be reliving the past here this past week with Ravishing Robert Roode, Bezerkers, Warriors etc.

The Nal

gerrybbadd wrote: »

Imagine, they were going to be called The Bezerkers.

Were they?!

J. Marston

Harper is 40 too. Taking a year from his career at that age is costly.

gerrybbadd

The Nal wrote: »

Were they?!

They were!

Still a better name than the Viking Experience (Vince of course had to keep this, and now it's the name of their finisher).

The Nal

gerrybbadd wrote: »

They were!

Still a better name than the Viking Experience (Vince of course had to keep this, and now it's the name of their finisher).

So a character that was already a recycled Bruiser Brody again recycled into a tag team. Hes really running out of ideas.

Bring back Russo.

Frank O. Pinion

Lord TSC wrote: »

WWE have not only rejected Luke Harper's request for a release, but actually added months on to his contract.

Per WON:

Right now the WWE side of things regarding Luke Harper is that he is not going to be released and they’ve added six months to his contract because they’ve said that his contract term that was to end in November, has been added to because it was frozen due to his time off for wrist surgery. So their viewpoint is that he can’t leave until just before next year’s WrestleMania. From an outside perspective, this seems to be a way to dissuade people from going public and saying they’re unhappy. The flip side was Dustin Runnels, who has been out for months with double knee surgery, but because he never said a word, denied he was leaving when rumors came out, was given a release and was able to immediately walk into a good position with AEW .

But...independent...contractors?

Cherry_Cola

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

But...independent...contractors?

They signed a contract with agreed terms, they have to abide by those terms and the WWE are under no obligation to grant release them ahead of the agreed date. It's pretty standard.

He might have had more luck if he didn't go public before things were signed and sealed.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Didn't Vince attempt to buy the Minnesota Vikings NFL team back in 1998?

Maybe the name is some sort of spoof on that failed venture.

Riddle101

Lord TSC wrote: »

WWE have not only rejected Luke Harper's request for a release, but actually added months on to his contract.

Per WON:

Right now the WWE side of things regarding Luke Harper is that he is not going to be released and they’ve added six months to his contract because they’ve said that his contract term that was to end in November, has been added to because it was frozen due to his time off for wrist surgery. So their viewpoint is that he can’t leave until just before next year’s WrestleMania. From an outside perspective, this seems to be a way to dissuade people from going public and saying they’re unhappy. The flip side was Dustin Runnels, who has been out for months with double knee surgery, but because he never said a word, denied he was leaving when rumors came out, was given a release and was able to immediately walk into a good position with AEW .

Sasha Banks might want to take note of this. Don't know when her contract might end, but I reckon WWE could do the same thing to Sasha after all these reports about her.

Agent Coulson

Vince really is petty as fcuk.

Monokne

Cherry_Cola wrote: »

They signed a contract with agreed terms, they have to abide by those terms and the WWE are under no obligation to grant release them ahead of the agreed date. It's pretty standard.

He might have had more luck if he didn't go public before things were signed and sealed.

I think they are playing with fire holding all these talent to ransom. If just one of them goes public noting their frustrations and absurdity of the contracts WWE gives its talent, it could bring about some really bad PR.

It's pro wrestling so they have been able to get away with whatever they want, but part of the problem with trying to establish themselves in the mainstream is they are no longer as insulated from criticism as they once were. The John Oliver piece showed that, as did the acceleration of the ratings decline and the decrease ins network numbers after the Saudi shows.

Explain to someone in the real world the nature of the contracts:

These people are referred to as independent contractors, no different to someone you'd get to paint your house, but they are told where to be, when to be there, that they can't work for anyone else, and they must do their job exactly as the promoter dictates to the letter. Meanwhile they have no benefits, no pension, no health cover & must cover their own road expenses & taxes.

And those contracts can be terminated at the whim of the promoter for no reason whatsoever, but if the talent decides they want out? The company believes they can freeze the contract and hold the performer to it literally until the day they die.

gerrybbadd

Apparently Dean Malenko has quit

https://amp.si.com/wrestling/2019/04/25/wwe-dean-malenko-simon-agent-departs?__twitter_impression=true

sky88

gerrybbadd wrote: »

Apparently Dean Malenko has quit

https://amp.si.com/wrestling/2019/04/25/wwe-dean-malenko-simon-agent-departs?__twitter_impression=true

always hard to see if the agents leaving is a big deal as you dont really hear much about them and how much good there doing as we dont know what matches they do generally

gerrybbadd

sky88 wrote: »

always hard to see if the agents leaving is a big deal as you dont really hear much about them and how much good there doing as we dont know what matches they do generally

There's always a queue of guys waiting to take up these posts anyhow.

But Malenko had a great mind for the business.

sky88

gerrybbadd wrote: »

There's always a queue of guys waiting to take up these posts anyhow.

But Malenko had a great mind for the business.

youd have to assume hed be great just because of who he is and being there for so long.

i wonder if with a lot of change its getting ready to filter into more of a hhh group of agents more than the old guard

weareallmarks

Holding them to ransom?? Not at all mate!

Holding the employee to the terms of their contract. This isnt tesco!

Monokne wrote: »

I think they are playing with fire holding all these talent to ransom. If just one of them goes public noting their frustrations and absurdity of the contracts WWE gives its talent, it could bring about some really bad PR.

It's pro wrestling so they have been able to get away with whatever they want, but part of the problem with trying to establish themselves in the mainstream is they are no longer as insulated from criticism as they once were. The John Oliver piece showed that, as did the acceleration of the ratings decline and the decrease ins network numbers after the Saudi shows.

Explain to someone in the real world the nature of the contracts:

These people are referred to as independent contractors, no different to someone you'd get to paint your house, but they are told where to be, when to be there, that they can't work for anyone else, and they must do their job exactly as the promoter dictates to the letter. Meanwhile they have no benefits, no pension, no health cover & must cover their own road expenses & taxes.

And those contracts can be terminated at the whim of the promoter for no reason whatsoever, but if the talent decides they want out? The company believes they can freeze the contract and hold the performer to it literally until the day they die.

raze_them_all_

weareallmarks wrote: »

Holding them to ransom?? Not at all mate!

Holding the employee to the terms of their contract. This isnt tesco!

Why can't wrestlers hold wwe to the terms of the contract then

gerrybbadd

weareallmarks wrote: »

Holding them to ransom?? Not at all mate!

Holding the employee to the terms of their contract. This isnt tesco!

But they aren't employees, by WWE's own admission - they are "independant contractors"

ERG89

It looks like The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix) will soon be exclusive to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in the United States. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reports that he’s hearing a deal is nearly done to have the pair exclusive to the promotion within the U.S.

AAA and AEW are working on a deal that would have Fenix and Pentagon work for AAA in Mexico, and AEW in the United States exclusively. This explains why the Lucha Bros are finishing up their storylines and dropping titles in other promotions such as IMPACT Wrestling, MLW, CMLL, and more as of late.

Last night (Sun. April 28, 2019), they dropped the IMPACT Tag Team Titles to LAX at the Rebellion pay-per-view (PPV). They are also the AAA Tag Team Champions, and will defend the titles against The Young Bucks at Double Or Nothing on May 24.

This was inevitable

sky88

with the wrestlers being exclusive to AEW in the states will be intresting to see if they all go europe or japan to get some time in the ring. theres being any shows announced so far and even if the tv goes ahead in October its a long time to sit out nor wrestling for likes of omega, bucks, page, cody etc

CastorTroy

With the talk of contracts, are AEW using the "independent contractor" thing or are they actually employees?

gerrybbadd

CastorTroy wrote: »

With the talk of contracts, are AEW using the "independent contractor" thing or are they actually employees?

Tony Khan quote

" I think there’s a great opportunity for people to gain full-time employment in this company, not just as a wrestler, but also in the front office… We already have a lot of people involved and we’ll definitely be taking care of our employees.”

Monokne

With AEW - the VP's like Cody/Omega/Bucks will probably be employees but the wrestlers are independant contractors.

Re the WWE contracts. People very much missing the point by saying wrestlers should just abide by them. They are unreasonably restrictive and wouldn't stand up to a court battle, but in the American legal system, he who has the most money wins so the likes of Sasha, Harper, Neville are in no position to challenge them.

Let it be noted that the only person who ever challenged the legalities of a WWE contract was Brock Lesnar who challenged their non compete. The judge ruled it was much too far reaching and declared it null and void. What do you think the same judge would think if he was presented with a scenario like Harpers where WWE unilaterally adds time on to a contract based on Harper missing time from being injured WHILE WORKING IN A WWE RING no less? It's patently f*cking ridiculous.

weareallmarks

Stop the silliness! They are contracted to WWE for work on certain dates at certain times for certain money. They are paid to not work elsewhere. If they dont want to work for WWE dont sign the deal. You cant sign a contract and then moan about the contract you signed. That is not how the world works. Whether you call them employees or contractors, the contract rules either word.

Negotiate the deal, if you dont get what you want, have the liathroidi to walk away

gerrybbadd wrote: »

But they aren't employees, by WWE's own admission - they are "independant contractors"

weareallmarks

give me a real example of where WWE has not done what is said in the contract? If you are injured they can add that time to the end of the deal, that is written down. Nothing they do is made up out of thin air ! Everything has a signature at the bottom of the page........ Yes they can be petty, but business is petty!

raze_them_all_ wrote: »

Why can't wrestlers hold wwe to the terms of the contract then

weareallmarks

mate they HAVE stood up to a court battle numerous times, even excluding the statute of limitations case. Simple as, noone is signing the contract without knowing what is in it. Sign the deal do the work. Same principle applies if you work in a bank!

If you have no value in their eyes they will let you go. Nothing they do is made up out of thin air, it is all written down and signed by the employee/independant contractor / insert word here

Business is business. Sasha banks is off sulking because she didnt get her way or the employer changed their mind on a storyline. Thats on her, not on the contract....in fact, if you or i sulked our way away from work for weeks, we would be fired. They are actually treating her better than she would be treated in the real world

Monokne wrote: »

With AEW - the VP's like Cody/Omega/Bucks will probably be employees but the wrestlers are independant contractors.

Re the WWE contracts. People very much missing the point by saying wrestlers should just abide by them. They are unreasonably restrictive and wouldn't stand up to a court battle, but in the American legal system, he who has the most money wins so the likes of Sasha, Harper, Neville are in no position to challenge them.

Let it be noted that the only person who ever challenged the legalities of a WWE contract was Brock Lesnar who challenged their non compete. The judge ruled it was much too far reaching and declared it null and void. What do you think the same judge would think if he was presented with a scenario like Harpers where WWE unilaterally adds time on to a contract based on Harper missing time from being injured WHILE WORKING IN A WWE RING no less? It's patently f*cking ridiculous.

ERG89

https://twitter.com/bokamotoESPN/status/1123383447601467393?s=19

More sh!te, lazy matches incoming. He & WWE deserve each other so much

leggo

weareallmarks wrote: »

mate they HAVE stood up to a court battle numerous times, even excluding the statute of limitations case. Simple as, noone is signing the contract without knowing what is in it. Sign the deal do the work. Same principle applies if you work in a bank!

If you have no value in their eyes they will let you go. Nothing they do is made up out of thin air, it is all written down and signed by the employee/independant contractor / insert word here

Business is business. Sasha banks is off sulking because she didnt get her way or the employer changed their mind on a storyline. Thats on her, not on the contract....in fact, if you or i sulked our way away from work for weeks, we would be fired. They are actually treating her better than she would be treated in the real world

This. ^^^

The John Oliver piece was interesting and raised some valid points, but also missed the mark considerably on others (and that’s not a knock on John Oliver either, it’s impossible to explain the intricacies of an entire industry in 20 minutes). The reality is that, in 2019, WWE treat wrestlers infinitely better than any other company on the planet. They have to because of the size of the company, the fact that they’re beholden to stockholders and in the public eye. I’m not saying they’re angels doing this out of the good of their own heart, but the end result is way better than elsewhere. Like I found it hilarious people who sing the indies’ praises slating WWE after the Oliver piece: the only difference between WWE and the indies in that regard is that when Vince tells you you can’t work elsewhere, he pays you. What the indies do is WAY more scummy!

Wrestlers and the likes of AEW are working the public and playing off WWE fatigue that’s not actually based in reality. Again that’s their right, all is fair in business. But wrestlers are acting like they didn’t know what they signed up to and are being held at ransom because they’re throwing the toys out of the pram and see an opportunity to make more money elsewhere. They knew exactly what they signed up to, they just thought they’d do better and when it turned out they couldn’t they’re trying to change the debate. AEW have proven nothing so far. Their words are just that until they’ve actually run shows and set up an infrastructure to provide a lasting meaningful life for wrestlers. They may do well, they may not, but until they demonstrate they can they’re just trying to sow discontent for their own financial benefit while actually offering nothing of substance. Let’s not pretend AEW is a charity, it’s very much a business who’d probably act exactly like WWE in a lot of ways if they were in a position to do so. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham aren’t bloated community outreach programmes, they’re tightly run sports franchises who play the game as much as anyone else.

The fact fans are willing to let themselves get worked like this is interesting and potentially a bad sign for WWE, it’s not insignificant, but there’s also no proof that it’ll be anything more than a few tweets giving out before returning to the status quo. Wrestling fans in particular are great at patting people on the back for free on Twitter in the hope of getting a like or retweet from a wrestler, but when it comes time to put their money where their mouth is going back to Vince McMahon’s warm, loving embrace (even if they moan about it while doing so).

TimesArrow

https://twitter.com/jonmoxley/status/1123438186410205184?s=21

So Jon Moxley (aka Dean Ambrose) just posted this video.. what does it mean? Is this is sure sign he’s going to AEW?

montyrebel

he isnt going anywhere imo, just a gimmick change, think i read somewhere that witht hem going to fox they can go more attitude era so this is the start of it