Just finding out about the release of Mandy Rose. Apparently, this is due to her FanTime site content, which WWE felt was outside parameters of her contract as well as the raciness of the content being posted. My first reaction is I find it hypocritical that WWE fires her for doing something that they find inappropriate. It's a thinly veiled distraction from the more likely reason: they weren't getting their cut.
Besides the obvious issue here, I find myself thinking of the root of the problem. The source that allows WWE and other companies to operate with impunity: the exclusivity of their "independent contractors".
Hey, I know some people will bring up the recent Karl Anderson agreement with New Japan for Wrestle Kingdom in January. You're not wrong, that's a big deal. What I'm talking about here is a cut off of revenue stream that they don't have their hands in. More importantly, a revenue stream they are unable to pocket. I’m also aware that the wrestlers sign contracts, and should abide by the terms within them. I understand WWE sees this as clear violation of those terms, since she did not run this through them. Despite the business end of this being understandable, the bigger issues continue to be the terms within the contracts and their limitations of so-called independent contractors earning revenue like any other contractor. I find myself asking what it will take for wrestlers to gain the freedom that other independent contractors are afforded: to earn money from various avenues without repercussions.
I also find myself wondering: How many wrestlers will need to sue them until there's a systemic change in the way they structure their contracts? The world may never know. Until that time, you'll get a dose of mine(and the internet's) two cents on these bonehead maneuvers.
Lastly, it's a real discouraging way for Mandy Rose end her historic NXT tenure. She used her time in NXT and reinvented herself into a wrestler to be taken seriously. She held her own in matches with several different styles, and I felt she developed leaps and bounds as a wrestler. It's sad this is the end of her time in WWE...for now. I look forward to seeing where she pops up next.
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