Following the report that WWE was cracking down on wrestlers using third-party platforms such as Twitch and Cameo, Former Presidential candidate Andrew Yang spoke out against the company on Twitter.
Yang called the classification of WWE wrestlers as independent contractors "ridiculous" given how WWE treats its employees.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet, Yang expanded on his social media comments and how WWE can't continue to undercut talent when they are a billion-dollar company.
"This story is dead real but there are a lot of storylines that melded reality with fiction. If this ends up being part of a narrative, I'd be open to it because, I think the fans know, they understand what's going on. It's one reason why fans support AEW," said Yang when asked if he'd take part in a storyline on the independent contractor topic. "They get this negative vibe from WWE about the way talent is being treated and you can tell that has nothing to do with the bottom line anymore. The McMahons have made so much money, they have money to where they're investing in football leagues. If you're a wrestler, breaking your back, and the WWE is like 'oh, we can't afford you, you're fired.' It like, 'Well, you probably could have afford me if you could afford to lose tens of millions on [The XFL] debacle.' The affordability argument does not apply to WWE the way it applies to every other firm. If you look at AEW, I have a feeling that their economics are real. WWE does not have those constraints anymore because it's a public company. If your company is worth $3.3 billion and you're mistreating workers, that's just shameful, really shameful. There was a point in the distant past where you could have made a legitimate argument based upon cost, but now you can't. Now, it's just plain fucking greedy. We can all see it."
Yang is supporting Presidential candidate Joe Biden in the upcoming election and hopes to take the position of Secretary of Labor in Biden's cabinet. Even if he is not appointed to the position, he said he will speak to Biden and potential Vice President Kamala Harris about WWE's practices.
"Will I forget about this? Hell no," he said. "Vince and the gang, they thrive because the mainstream press won't do anything because it's wrestling. The wrestlers don't say a damn thing because they know it will come down on them like a ton of bricks. So, 'let's keep exploiting people, make our millions, and we'll get away with it for decades and decades.' The bill is coming due and I'm going to be the person that does it or the person who is there when it's done and it's going to give me great pleasure because the people know."
WWE has clarified its position on talent using streaming services, saying talent can use their real name and they must inform WWE of third-party platform usage. Their stance on talent using Cameo is less clear.
AJ Styles commented on the meeting WWE held on Monday where they clarified their stance on talent using YouTube and Twitch. You can find his comments by clicking here.
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