I know that not everyone is fond of this topic and please forgive me if you have already answered this. But what is your exact take on the Zelina Vega situation?
Zelina Vega refused to give up her Twitch account and was released as a result. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way lower-tier workers are able to make money. They are no longer getting their $500 show bonuses because there are no live events. Pay-per-view bonuses have also been impacted. So workers with lower downside guarantees rely on other outlets to provide them with more income. Essentially Vega had to choose between streaming on Twitch or her WWE contract. She chose Twitch, which she is already back on following her WWE release. She will not be able to work for other wrestling promotions until February due to the 90-day non-compete clause attached to her WWE contract. She will continue to collect her downside guarantee during this time. As for my take – it is completely up to her. Times are tough right now for people all over the world. If her income potential is better on Twitch, I say go for it.
Do you feel like wrestling should be unionized?
Unions are controversial and there is no way to answer this question without addressing the controversy. In a perfect world a professional wrestling union would be created and it would negotiate healthcare and retirement benefits for wrestlers, fair salaries and adequate time off. All of this would be great! The problem is unions charge dues and once established, they are going to start getting paid regardless of what they negotiate for their members. And that is where the controversy comes in. A union can promise anything but once they get paid, they negotiate on behalf of the worker. If the union is good and truly negotiates for the good of the worker, it would be great. What happens if what the union negotiates turns out to be less than what talent is being paid now? What happens if the talent ends up making less? In theory, a union is good. But in practice it does not always work out that way. I have always been against WWE’s independent contractor agreements. They control everything about the person that signs them but provide them little security. WWE should have to classify its talent as employees — offering them healthcare and retirement benefits — but the designation has been challenged time and time again and Vince McMahon always walks away a winner.
Will WWE do Raw and SmackDown specific pay-per-views again?
There are no plans to do separate Raw and SmackDown pay-per-views at this time. WWE has tried this a couple of times and it has failed. It is very difficult to book eight meaningful programs that can culminate with a pay-per-view every couple of months. The attention span for the average fan is not long enough to follow programs in-between pay-per-views. What WWE found was fans would just ignore shows and only focus on the major events. It is best to use the current setup and work to enhance it by creating programs people actually care about watching to the point they will want to watch the pay-per-view.
Will Tessa Blanchard sign with a major company soon?
Tessa Blanchard has options if she chooses to pursue them. I do not know if I can say it will happen “soon” but there are options. Tessa is 25 years old and has as much talent as anyone in the world. WWE was interested earlier this year and a deal could likely be worked out if she was willing. Tessa has earned the reputation of being difficult to work with and as a result has rubbed people the wrong way. This hindered her in Impact Wrestling and will continue to do so if she is not willing to give a little. Her last match was Sept 12, 2020 where she dropped the Warrior Wrestling Women’s Title to Kylie Rae.
The next installment of Ask WNC is scheduled to run on Tuesday, November 17, 2020.
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